Customer Reviews

Beware of Darkness (Spec)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Neal Morse -- the mastermind behind Spock's Beard -- is one of those rare, special people who has it all: a great ear for melody, a dazzling ability to compose great progressive rock songs, a great voice, a knack for writing memorable lyrics, and to top it all off he plays a mean guitar and he's a terrific pianist. With Beware of Darkness, him and the other members of Spock's Beard continue to create melodic and musically rich progressive rock.

I must say I'm uncomfortable talking about Spock's Beard in the context of a review because I can't possibly convey how much I like them. All I can really do is try and describe what they sound like. The band blends supra-catchy melodies with complex musicianship to derive a unique sound. While melody seems very important to the new wave of progressive music, Spock's Beard's pop quality sets them apart. I don't want to suggest that the pop-influence makes them sound pedestrian...rather, it enriches their sound.

Compared to the band's debut (The Light), which was fairly experimental, this album is more melodic and adopts shorter songs. There's lots of diversity too. The spiraling melodies of "Walking on the Wind" build to an emotional finale. "Thoughts" is purely quirky with its wacky instrumental interplay and offbeat vocals. "The Doorway" is one of the band's most cherished songs, with a killer piano opening, singable melodies, and a compelling acoustic interlude. "Waste Away" is a short rocker that is impossibly catchy, and "Chataqua" is a short acoustic number in the vein of "Mood for a Day". I think the album's masterpiece is the tragically underrated 16-minute epic "Time Has Come", with its slow-building melodic developments and incredibly complex production job (care of insanely talented Kevin Gilbert, RIP).

I hope you love 'em as much as I do.

Spock's Beard is quite simply one of the best bands out there right now. Every album they release has something interesting and unusual to offer, and this, their sophomore release, is certainly no exception. In fact, I'd venture to say that it's their greatest album to date (well, second behind "Snow", of course).

This album is just amazing. It is something so perfect, and so overwhelming, that it's nearly impossible to describe. I can sit here and try to explain to you what these songs sound like, and why they are so incredible, but it would do no good at all. Ok fine, I'll give it a shot.

This album is probably one of their most mature efforts. While the wackiness that characterizes Spock's Beard's sound is present here, it is also a very emotional and somewhat dark album. The melodies are among their finest, and the musicianship among their best. The standout track is definitely "The Doorway", an 11-minute epic with some stunning piano and acoustic guitar work, and great vocals from Neal. Quite simply one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. The other two epics, "Time Has Come" and "Walking on the Wind", are also amazing. In fact, I would say that these three songs are about as close to musical perfection as you can get. Really. Other highlights include the insane "Thoughts", the beautiful acoustic instrumental "Chataqua", the melodic "Waste Away", and the attention-grabbing title track. Yes, I know that was the entire tracklist. Every song on here is a highlight.

Simply put, this is one of the greatest albums I have ever heard. Absolutely mandatory for fans of progressive rock.

Spock's Beards first album, "The Light" was always going to be a hard act to follow. That album was a bold first statement from these American prog rockers. It's four tracks, three over 12 minutes in length, mixed the classic prog sounds of Yes and Genesis with the bands own already well developed style. That album firmly established the band from the outset. This second album didn't try to repeat the formula but included shorter as well as the lengthier pieces. Although not as audacious as that first album, Neal Morse's songwriting never fails to impress with strong melodic ideas. This is more of a full band effort, with keyboardist Ryo Okumoto now fully integrated. They effortlessly tackle the vocally and instrumentally complex "Thoughts", the first in a series of Gentle Giant inspired pieces. The lengthy "The Doorway" is classic Spocks' Beard, beautifully developed over it's 11 minutes plus. Particularly pleasing is the almost radio friendly "Waste Away" with it's very catchy chorus. This remastered release is part of InsideOut's re-issue of the first three albums and comes handsomely packaged. The booklet includes insightful notes on each track by Neal Morse and a couple of demo versions are included for completeness. Easily recommended to anyone interested in progressive rock.

......that's what I was saying after this album ended. This is Spock's Beard's 2nd album and one of the best prog albums I've EVER HEARD. Simply amazing. Neal Morse and Co. are just hitting on all cylinders on this one. Their debut, The Light, was fantastic, but this is even better. The album starts off with the title track, a cover of the George Harrison song....it's a cover only lyrically...the music is awesome. It's followed by Thoughts, which is indeed a great song and *not* annoying as the previous reviewer so mistakenly stated. The highlights for me on this album are the epics The Doorway, Walking On the Wind, and the absolutely stunning album closer Time Has Come......16 1/2 minutes of prog mastery. Two shorter but excellent songs, the acoustic Chataqua and the rockin' Waste Away, round out the album.

This is, so far, the best Spock's Beard album I've heard and I can't wait to delve deeper into their catalog.....get this album and turn it up LOUD...you'll love it!

From the opening riffs of this CD, this forty-something ex-prog-rocker was transported back to the golden age of rock, when you were allowed to use more than three chords and didn't have to sing about what a pain life is. True, Spock's Beard is derivative--a single chord progression echoes Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and Jethro Tull--but that's the whole idea. They breathe fresh new life into a dying genre. And such virtuosity! Rarely has a group of such talented musicians come together on such a complex project. With new sound technology and the ability to expand tracks to CD-length, they are in some ways able to improve on the old prog gods. Yes, I miss Jon Anderson's voice and Peter Gabriel's lyrics - but this is a pretty first step back to the future.

I love this album! Keeps the prog rock intact while sounding modern. All songs are great, but I particularly liked "Thoughts" because it sounds a lot like the band Gentle Giant. A great buy!

......that's what I was saying after this album ended. This is Spock's Beard's 2nd album and one of the best prog albums I've EVER HEARD. Simply amazing. Neal Morse and Co. are just hitting on all cylinders on this one. Their debut, The Light, was fantastic, but this is even better. The album starts off with the title track, a cover of the George Harrison song....it's a cover only lyrically...the music is awesome. It's followed by Thoughts, which is indeed a great song and *not* annoying as the previous reviewer so mistakenly stated. The highlights for me on this album are the epics The Doorway, Walking On the Wind, and the absolutely stunning album closer Time Has Come......16 1/2 minutes of prog mastery. Two shorter but excellent songs, the acoustic Chataqua and the rockin' Waste Away, round out the album.

This is, so far, the best Spock's Beard album I've heard and I can't wait to delve deeper into their catalog.....get this album and turn it up LOUD...you'll love it!

Yes, this is their best album. From the George Harrison cover (Beware of Darkness), to the little guitar interlude, and the genesisesque The Doorway it is very gripping...Symfo with sufficient songwriting skills, and the walking Musical Box call Neil Morse (with his Brother Al on guitar).. IF you like this i've got about 50 other recommendations 4 U!

'Beware of Darkness' picks up where 'The Light' left off. The sound remains the same: glorious melodies, eccentric lyrics and instrumental interludes. The album seems more focused than 'The Light' and the songwriting appears to be more mature. For their sophomore release Spock's Beard chose to continue the trend of lengthy, intricate pieces, complemented by a shorter number (the delightful acoustic interlude 'Chatauqua'). Some of the band's finest tracks are here, from the classic 'The Doorway', which opens with a dreamy piano flourish before spiralling into a verse with the kind of unforgettable melody only Neal Morse can produce. My highlight is the 16 minute closing epic 'Time Has Come', which twists through a mellower introduction to a closing movement very reminiscent of the album 'The Light' in the keyboard parts, spiteful lyrics and ultimate message of redemption and hope. The most accesible piece here is certainly the shorter 'Waste Away', which contains one of the bands best choruses (which, let me say, is no mean feat). 'Thoughts' is quirkier and more eccentric, the 'crazy piece' which foreshadows songs like 'Gibberish'. 'Walking on the wind' has a chorus section which reminds me of 'Wind at my Back' from 'Snow' in parts, and it stands highly as one of the albums best cuts.
Its hard to describe this album fully if you havent heard Spock's beard. They are a truly remarkable band all prog fans should investigate. If youre a fan of technical and well executed music pick this up, but any music fan could easily appreciate their unique blend of harmony and experimentation.
Highly recommended.

Over the past few years, Spock's Beard has become my favorite progressive rock band along with Yes. Spock's Beard is a lot different than Yes though. They're less spiritual, considerably less bombastic, but wonderful all the same. Although My favorite album is THE LIGHT, BEWARE OF DARKNESS is another one i keep coming back to.

BEWARE OF DARKNESS has a better recording than THE LIGHT, which is good, because if I had one complaint about THE LIGHT it's that it has a "small" sound. This album also shows the band beginning to fall into their album format of mixing short songs with long songs (all of THE LIGHT's songs are long). "Chataqua" is a short acoustic guitar solo piece that's very pretty. "Waste Away" is also short. It's a rocking song thats VERY catchy. It's probably the most straightforward rock on the album. "Thoughts" has very strange melodies and vocals, but it's very catchy.

The long songs are wonderful, some of the bands best (which is saying a lot). "The Doorway" is one of the best songs I've ever heard. It has everything special about Spock's Beard: beautiful pianos, an acoustic guitar interlude, and amazing vocals and melodies. Neal Morse is one of my favorite singers, and the band's backup vocals are excellent. I didn't like the 16minute "Time Has Come" the first several times I listened. Then, about a month later, it became another song I love. The middle section is one of the most beautiful moments in music. My favorite on the album is "Walking on the Wind", which has a crazy organ/guitar line and an emotional finale.

I recommend every Spock's Beard album. Start with THE LIGHT, and pick this one up too.