Spock's Beard- Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep

Complex, atmospheric, yet undeniably heavy, this new release from a leading light in the Prog world doesn’t let down fans of odd time signatures and ever-changing song structures. None of the songs on the album clock in at any less than 5 minutes long, which means that within each song, there is plenty of room for every member of the band to stretch their musical legs.

It is hard for a band to replace any member, however the greatest challenge or both band and listeners must be a change in singer. However new boy Ted Leonard does a great job as replacement for Nick D’Virgilo, continuing with the soaring, melodic vocal lines which are a staple of Spock’s Beard’s style and retaining the spirit of classic Progressive bands which Spock’s Beard hold as their obvious influences.

Each track’s length means that there is able to be a definite sense of development; many of them starting with a more relaxed feel, gradually building to a climactic section of riffs and solos. The track ‘Afterthoughts’ even includes an a cappella refrain, just to add something even more different to the mix.

Overall, the album is great for a more interesting, challenging take on rock music. The mixture of atmospheric sound effects and technical passages allows for a great blend of modern sounding and more traditional styles of progressive music.

8/10

Live Review- The Von Hertzen Brothers @ Assembly Hall Islington 05/04/13

Whilst a room attached to a town hall doesn't immediately look like it lends itself to being a venue for a rock gig, Islington’s Assembly Hall gave the event a sophisticated atmosphere.

Opening up the proceedings were Barbe-Q-Barbies, a Finnish all-girl rock band. This seemed like an odd choice in comparison to the other two acts- playing more straight-up rock and roll with a mixture of punk and glam thrown in for good measure. Their set was fast paced and full of energy, with no frills attached. 

When Haken took to the stage with their complex and highly involved music, the atmosphere became more serious. With their faces set in concentration, it was still plain to see that they were revelling in their constantly evolving and changing music. The music, which took ideas of progressive rock and metal music, with the added element of instrumental Jazzy, circus-metal breakdowns, during which the singer- following on the tradition of Jazz musicians- left the stage to allow the instrumentalists to have the full glare of the spotlight. The band’s high level of musicianship was shown by their use of more unusual guitars- 7 strings and 8 strings, along with a 6 string bass, which added to the texture and range of the music. Debuting a new track which went down well with the audience, the constantly changing time signatures still ensuring that people trying to keep up with the music were kept on their toes.

The Van Hortzen Brothers’ set took in many tracks from their latest album, Nine Lives as well as tracks from their earlier releases. Live, the Von Hertzen Brother’s showed that intelligent music does not have to be flashy or ostentatious, which allowed them greater freedom of movement on-stage, whilst still playing intricate parts and taking full use of the vocal harmonies which are part of their trademark sound. Highlights of the set included an electric performance of the lead single from Nine Lives, ‘Flowers and Rust’, which proved to the audience that underneath the intricate and exciting effects played on an old fashioned Moog synthesiser, The Von Hertzen Brothers are still most certainly a rock and roll band.

(All photos Nick Webb, 2013)

Dream Theater- A Dramatic Turn of Events- 2011

There are many things that may alter the dynamics, sound and general attitude of a band. One of the most drastic of these would be the loss of a founder member and key writer of the band’s music. When Drummer Mike Portnoy decided to leave Dream Theater in 2010, the future of the entire band was up in the air; however, with new drummer Mike Mangini stepping into the enormous shoes left behind, this album is still very much a Dream Theater album in the style that fans are used to.

The album still contains all of the progressive touches that are associated with these Prog titans: Odd time signatures, complicated modal keys, extended solos and even some sound effects from Himalayan Shaman Throat Singers(that could be misheard as burps)  on the song “Bridges in the Sky.” This album has been compared by others to some of the best albums in the band’s 26-odd year existence. I agree that the album does sound “fresh and frankly stunning” even with the obvious comparisons that would come with changing line-ups, Mangini shows that he definitely has the ability, expertise and know-how to achieve great things and help write the next chapter in Dream Theater’s already epic tale. After such a great shake up in the ranks, however, it is only natural that there is a theme of loss and change that runs through the album. Especially as Portnoy was such a prolific contributor to the sound of the band.

Everything about the album is large, with big record label money behind them, being a major recent signing for Roadrunner Records (2006), epic sounding keyboard sounds which seem to soar, long songs, with only 1 of the 9 tracks on the album being less than 5 minutes long. However there are no multi-section epics that are commonly associated with the band are conspicuous by their absence.  Having said that, there is nothing here that resembles a standard song format. Even “Far From Heaven” (The album’s shortest track) still sounds very epic, even with mostly a piano and strings backing.

John Petrucci’s guitar riffs are, as ever, complex and serve to further to consolidate his reputation as one of the best guitarists ever. His playing style continues to astound and his skills only seem to improve with time. His solos remain exercises in the impossible, flying round the fretboard at dizzying speed.

The Keyboard wizardry of Jordan Rudness is as impressive as always, able to set the moods of slower sections of songs or increase the impact of large, epic sounding compositions. His backing on “Far From Heaven” is truly beautiful, less metal keyboards, more Lounge piano.  His introductions seem to dominate most of the songs on the album, setting a calmer mood before the rest of the band enters with big, metal riff-based sections.

Having been voted the best bass player of all time in 2010 by readers of MusicRadar, Myung’s lines have an understated power. Never treading on the toes of anyone else, but definitely keeping a firm foundation over which the rest of the band seem free to explore their own virtuosity.

Vocally, James LaBrie is as strong as ever, the operatic tenor of his voice allowing him to hit high notes that many singers would not dare to attempt. Unfortunately, he is still the most underrated musician in the group, never really having been voted as a great vocalist or front man. Which is a shame as his voice is one of the best out there, with a range that easily encompasses both softer and heavier styles.

Overall, this is a very good album, despite the comparisons brought about by line-up changes and complaints that people have that it’s not the same… It’s still epic Progressive Metal at it’s very best.