Customer Reviews

Octane (Bonus CD) (Spec)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Folks, we need to "let go". Spock's Beard is NOT the same band it was with Neal Morse. They are NO LONGER a PROG band (lengthy,complex compositions,unique counterpoints etc.). The NEW Beard is a rock band with intelligent writing, great musicians, and at times, interesting melodies. IMHO, they are still light years ahead of what is on the musical scene today!
Lots of great bands experienced dramatic "changes" in their sound when key members departed (Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, etc.)

The Beard "is what they is" (As Frank Zappa once said... )Like 'em or leave 'em. Octane, their 8th release, contains some solid compositions- "A Flash Before My Eyes", "I Wouldn't Let It Go", "Of The Beauty Of It All", "The Planet's Hum"...Don't buy this expecting to hear OLD Beard. You'll be dissapointed. Look at them as a NEW band, and a pretty good one at that. If we're able to LET GO , we can appreciate the BEAUTY OF IT ALL.

I'm not going into a long analysis of the songs or the band for that matter. If you're reading this, you probably know who these guys are. I feel more obligated to even out the reviews that want to elevate this as a prog masterpiece (it's not) and those that can't stand it.

I've been a fan since "The Light". I read about it in a trade paper and found it in a local store specializing in prog. I still have the original "Syn-Phonic" release before the band signed to Metal Blade. I know what a SB album should sound like. I think the trouble for most fans is that even after the last CD, we still put on a SB album expecting to hear Neal and his gift for crafting memorable melodies. Once you get past that bias, give the CD a few spins and you will realize these guys are writing solid rock with some proggy overtones.

So, Octane has a 30 minute suite that when played as a whole is entertaining progressive rock. All at the same time it is darker and poppier than anything they did with Neal. It will stand the test of time. The remaining tracks are a hit/miss bag of pure rock/pop with some interesting progressive moments that don't quite work. The bonus disc offers up some good tracks that could take the band in a whole new direction.

It's a 3.5 star CD that does grow after a few listens. Maybe in the end they should have changed their name and started over to avoid some of the more critical barbs being tossed at them.

If you like prog or just new music - give it a try.

More like 3.5 stars, but I'll round up because SB is one of my favorite bands. This is the band's least proggy album so far, and therefore ends up sounding a little more generic. It's also their shortest CD. Octane is good album, but I expected more after the promising Feel Euphoria. I can see this album attracting fans unfamiliar to prog, though, which is good.

A Flash Before My Eyes, a large suite that takes up a lot of the album, is a mixed bag. The opening section, "The Ballet of the Impact," is well done and switches from ominous and pumping to quieter and more melancholy. "I Wouldn't Let it Go" is a fine song with a stirring melody. I almost detect a country flair to it in parts. "Surfing Down the Avalanche" rocks hard but feels disjointed. I detect a bit of Danny Carey (Tool) in some of Nick D'Virgilio's drums (or maybe I'm just crazy...that's probably likely). I find "She is Everything" to be sort of dull but not bad. "Climbing Up That Hill" doesn't do much for me at all, especially the tuneless verses. "Letting Go" is a little mellotron section that doesn't go anywhere. "Of the Beauty of it All" brings back the dramatic music of the suite's opening and bookends the suite nicely. The whole concept of A Flash Before My Eyes feels underdeveloped partly because much of the story is told in the liner notes. Another section of music would have made the finale more dramatic. The transitions between songs aren't so hot either.

"NWC" is a zany instrumental that doesn't have much of a melody. The fun, upbeat "There Was a Time" is my favorite track on the album, and almost sounds like something previous SB frontman Neal Morse would have composed. Next comes the quirkiest track on the album, "The Planet's Hum," which ends too soon. Part of the instrumental work near the end reminds me of fellow proggers The Flower Kings. The piano-based ballad "Watching the Tide" features some very nice singing. The thumping "As Long As We Ride" is a fun rocker with a resemblance to Led Zeppelin, perhaps along the lines of "Dancing Days" but heavier.

Out of the bonus tracks on disc 2, "Follow Me to Sleep" is the best. It has a slick, modern sound that the band should possibly explore further.

After reading on Inside Out's website that this cd would be more heavy than their previous outings I was anticipating that. After listening to it I'm still looking for that heavy approach. My personal opinion would be that this cd is quite laid back for Spock's Beard. It does have its moments, but not overall. The epic song 'A Flash Before My Eyes' is really seven different songs tied together. It seems to flow, but at the same time it doesn't. Don't get me wrong, this is not to say that this cd isn't good. It's just one more step that the group is taking in establishing their own idenity since the departure of Neal. It doesn't have the progressive feel as V did or even their first three outings. I certainly recommend this cd to any fan of Spock's Beard or NDV. But if you're looking for another V or Beware of Darkness, you won't find it here. This seems to be a little bit more commercial friendly and I didn't really see alot of their progressive roots shining through. But get it anyway because you'll enjoy it. And, of course, the bonus disc is always a nice addition. But why they decided to leave these tracks out (1-5)of the main cd is certainly puzzling. From how NDV describes the progress of this cd while they were making it I really thought this would be a killer with these bonus tracks included in the main content. I guess to make the bonus disc which would have fit quite nicely on one cd. There's alot here I just don't undertsand about this group effort. I'm just the listener though, so what do I know. Cheers!

A big big step over Euphoria, which was a huge disappointment, and miles away from neal's era spock's beard this album, strangely, works.
Maybe we all miss Neal Morse here, but it's a nice album, I really like it anyway. Some straightforward melodies and choruses, some nice musicianship, make it all work. Probably the drumming is not as good as it used to be in terms of composition, but I like the whole thing anyway.
Buy this album, if you're fun of rock, in general. I wouldn't say it is progressive rock in any aspect, but, as I said, it's nice.
Nice music. That's it all is about , isn't it?

The neo-prog icons were expected to flounder when front man and founder Neal Morse left after they released their magnum opus Snow in 2002. While their first post-Neal album, Feel Euphoria, did seem seem like they were trying too hard to prove they didn't need him, this second effort shows that they are fully capable of putting out a good album on their own. Granted, they are now more of a straight rock outfit with some prog leanings, but they are playing to their strengths instead of aping what has gone before.

Good music. Very talented. Some of the more symphonic parts could have come straight from an Alan Parsons album, which isn't a bad thing at all. Where it falls on its face is in the lyrics. <Very soulful and intensly emotional> "I was like a Monkey with his hand stuck in a jar?" Gimmie a break! I'm sure this is the only album in existence that uses "Vicodin" in a serious song. How they can sing lyrics like this and keep a straight face is beyond me. Let someone else write the words next time, please.

I love this album. SB Mk2 is a band where you feel the influence of all the members as a tight collaborative group. Feel Euphoria was a good album, but rushed. Feel Euphoria was a necessary catharsis and opened the door of creativity to the entire band. During the Neal Morse years, the band was essentially a conduit for Neal's guiding vision. That's great and obviously Neal is a hugely talented artist. However, in some ways Neal overshadowed the superb group of artists that composed the rest of SB. Octane gives the band a chance to shine.

This album is a true American epic. I see the 'A Flash Before My Eyes' set as that truly American story that is hard to crystalize. Octane is sort of a throwback album in a way that the 'first side' is an epic a-la Rush's 2112 and the 'second side' is a set of great extended songs.

The bonus disc is great and the included documentary is a great glimps into the personality of the band. Yeah, Neil's insane, but he's a drummer. All drummers are insane. In the end, you see the tone and influence that each member brings to the group. I see Octane as a great accomplishment. The band has evolved from a Yes-like band with a highly spiritual feel to a Pink Floyd-like band with an intelligent mastery.

An excellent record! I can't stop listening to it. What more can I say? Incredible riffs, beautiful melodies, breathtaking dynamics, a clear improvement in the writing realm since "Feel euphoria". Not precisely original in style, but rather classical and conservative. Who cares? The suite "A flash before my eyes" and "The planet's hum" stand comfortably among SB best outings. Overall, a more concise and homogenic effort than its predecessor.
I find most of the criticism to this album to be poorly justified, not to say frankly absurd ("not prog enough", "songs ending too soon", "it doesn't flow", etc). To me, the only bad thing about "Octane" is the fact that they didn't free themselves to pursue the more extreme and adventurous path hinted in the bonus disc songs. "When she's gone" displays a dark and melancholic mood new to SB; "Follow me to sleep" has a rather 80's feel, but the song is strong in structure, personality and sound; "Game face" is an experiment into jazz fusion, and an interesting one shall I say; "Broken promise land" is a powerful tune, with an aggressive approach hardly familiar to the Beard. It seems that they still need to gain much more self confidence to just play and record what they want, regardless of the fans and media pressure.
I don't see the point in classifying music, so I won't enter that polemic. If you enjoy good shaped, carefully arranged, strongly performed, smartly written and wonderfully produced music, with a timeless feel to it, then you will certainly enjoy "Octane" from beginning to end. And of course, if you liked other SB albums, don't miss this one: it's among their bests. Long live the Beard!

At first, listening to this album was a little challenging. The songs aren't very consistant as far as the moods, energy, and memorable listening is concerned. Though speaking for myself, the album does have it's golden moments. Some songs are sure to stick-out, while a few are just plain skippable.

Don't be discouraged, I liked this album much more than I disliked it. The musicians performances are all great as usual, but some songs have more of a "recorded for radio or soundtrack" vibe to me. This album has it's progrock moments, just not as many as I'd hoped. I certainly don't feel the need for 2 discs for this effort. What I like on the album, I really like, but, personally, I could have put all that on one disc.

I feel that there could've been a little more rock to this album than put forth, but I'm not sure considering how much effort appears to be placed on the vocals by the bands drummer. The songwriting, vocals, and overall production is very well done, yet, the songs on this album seem more like individual efforts than band efforts.

For fans, this album to me is a step up from Feeling Euphoria, it's much more memorable than that. Octane definitely offers a couple songs worthy of a Beard's best in my mind. However, if you're unfamiliar with the band, this may not be for you.