It has become harder for the fans of Spock’s Beard to know exactly what to expect of a new album by the band. Since the departure of Neal Morse the remaining band members changed the course of the band, more drastic with every release. On the first post-Morse album “Feel Euphoria” the inheritance of the former front man was obvious, especially in the epic “A Guy Called Sid”. The album “Octane” showed a band trying to define a new identity by digging into their own history. This resulted in an album that sounded fresh, but still had the old Spock’s Beard marks. With the new album Spock’s Beard seem to leave their history behind to explore a new direction which is progressive because of the diversity between tracks. The title of the album “Spock’s Beard” could even be explained as a new definition of a quality brand.

The opening track “On A Perfect Day” will get the old fans of the band excited, the typical keyboard parts, the crisp drums and the intense vocals are reminsent to the Beard’s early stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear when this one is a left over from the Octane sessions (although the high quality of the track makes this slightly hard to imagine). The six minute instrumental track “Skeletons At The Feast” marks a new beginning. The band shows a new heavy side that is dangerously close to metal at times. The track doesn’t excite me yet. But I’m sure I’ll be convinced after hearing this one for the first time at one of the Spock’s Beard gigs. If I close my eyes I can just see the lads go completely MAD! The same goes for the straight rock track “Is This Love” that sounds a bit plain on the silver disc. Next up are a couple of tracks that I’m not very fond of and one I simply hate. The track “Hereafter” is a horrible ballad that lacks muscle.

The inevetable epic that follows makes up for this mayor miss step. Music wise the second section is killer. This is one that would not have been possible in the Neal Morse years. The instruments are in perfect balance all completing each other.

Now, the rating ... I simply can’t compare this one to any previous Spock’s Beard releases. All the previous albums were massive mile stones that made a deep impact (“V” and “Feel Euphorea” are exeptions). “Spocks Beard” is very different. There are too many straigth rockers, too many light ballads to make any real comparison what the rating is concerned. A comparison with other bands is also hard to make. I mean: these guys are still Spock’s Beard, and therefor rather different from the rest. One thing I know for sure is that there will be quite some fans that won’t like the band in their new style. I’m also convinced that “Spock’s Beard” will generate as many new fans. Personally I’m pleased that the band seems to have lost the Neal Morse inheritance, but I’m also slightly disappointed the the new album isn’t as good as the previous album “Octane” ... yet. To be completely honest I don’t think that the entire album will end up on my mp3-player. The huge contrast between the tracks I love and the couple of tracks I’m not too fond of, spoils a real Spock’s Beard experience. Focussing on the possitive, “On A Perfect Day”, “Skeletons At The Feast”, “The Slow Crash Landing Man”, the epic “As Far As The Mind Can See” and “Rearranged” are massive and clock a total of close to 45 minutes excellent and exciting music. If we skip two or three tracks this album deserves a 8.5 out of 10 at least.