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░ ██ ██ Artist: Spock's Beard ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Oblivion Particle █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-01-13 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Progressive Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Inside Out Music ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ What do you think of when I say ôprogressive █
█ metal?ö Well, if youÆre anything like me, you █
█ think of early Æ90s wanks from New York, nerdy █
█ band photos of cheap sunglasses and bad haircuts, █
█ masturbating guitar solos, cheesy keyboard █
█ theatrics, and lengthy double-albums longing to be █
█ The Wall or The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. If █
█ your mind does indeed work like mine (you poor, █
█ poor bastard), then SpockÆs Beard has a cranial █
█ nook reserved somewhere in the deep, dark recesses █
█ of your perverted, throbbing skull organ. Having █
█ been a regular fan before the Snow fell and Neal █
█ Morse left us all for God, I havenÆt revisited █
█ them in over a decade, as I chose to avoid the █
█ beard oil of the bandÆs Æ00 era. However, after █
█ being forced by the AMG HR department to listen to █
█ their entire back-catalog and review their newest █
█ opus, The Oblivion Particle, it turns out I rather █
█ enjoyed myself. Rediscovering a band is as █
█ satisfying as relieving oneself (By the way Steel, █
█ you should send a goon to mop up HR). █
█ After losing Neal Morse in 2002 and then █
█ drummer/vocalist Nick DÆVirgilio after 2010Æs X, █
█ SpockÆs Beard recruited Ted Leonard and Jimmy █
█ Keegan for mic and drum duty, respectively. With █
█ this fresh blood, the band took Brief Nocturnes █
█ and Dreamless Sleep to a level that SpockÆs Beard █
█ has been trying to achieve for years. While █
█ nowhere near classics like The Light and The █
█ Kindness of Strangers, the band was refreshed, █
█ focused, and having one hell of a good time. And █
█ that is definitely true for The Oblivion Particle. █
█ On par with Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep, █
█ The Oblivion Particle takes everything a step █
█ farther with a spontaneity and drive that harkens █
█ back to the old days and puts this release up █
█ around the Neal Morse era in quality. █
█ Though ôTides of Timeö plays out rather typically █
█ with itÆs Dream Theater-esque qualities and █
█ keyboard wanking, the chorus is catchy and the █
█ midsection acoustic guitar build-up would make Joe █
█ Bonamassa throb in his pants. ItÆs these █
█ progressions and curve-ball antics that make The █
█ Oblivion Particle stand out like the older █
█ releases. Other nifty tweaks to the formula come █
█ in the way of the Nick Drake-meets-Dax Riggs verse █
█ of ôHellÆs Not Enoughö and the overly fun ôBennett █
█ Built a Time Machine;ö where Benny builds a █
█ machine in order to fix the past. ôBennett Built a █
█ Time Machineö not only sports the goofiest rhythms █
█ and lyrics on the album, but uses them in a chorus █
█ ripped from the staffs of ôIÆm Into Something █
█ Goodö [HermanÆs Hermits] while providing some █
█ Arcturus-inspired synthing that sends Benny █
█ careening down a fourth-dimensional rabbit hole. █
█ With such progressive intensive tracks █
█ back-to-back, it is only fitting that BennyÆs █
█ number be succeeded by ôGet Out While You Can;ö a █
█ straight-forward ditty that delivers the goods █
█ while providing a breather from all the █
█ ôprogression.ö █
█ Though SpockÆs Beard have done away with the █
█ multi-part epics theyÆre famous for, ôA Better Way █
█ To Flyö and ôTo Be Free Againö are for those █
█ listeners that itch for ten-minute campaigns. █
█ Neither are really groundbreaking, but both are █
█ solid. The former includes some calming Ghost-like █
█ background organs, and a full-band vocal █
█ performance at the 7:00 mark, while the laid-back █
█ attitude of ôTo Be Free Againö could lull you to █
█ sleep and close this album perfectly. Instead, █
█ closer ôDisappearö begins like Skynyrdæs ôFree █
█ Birdö and casually moves along through an odd █
█ barbershop-esque arrangement near the 4:00 mark █
█ before finally ending. Sadly, IÆm not a fan of █
█ this one due to the location on the album, and █
█ elsewhere, the off-putting chorus and lyrics of █
█ ôMinionö are an issue. █
█ Overall, this a really fun album that requires a █
█ few spins to penetrate. The production is █
█ top-notch, the instruments are evenly balanced, █
█ the performances are stellar, LeonardÆs vocals are █
█ highly enjoyable (and so are KeeganÆs as he takes █
█ the lead on ôBennett Built a Time Machineö), and █
█ the songwriting is concise and focused. And if █
█ thatÆs not enough to get you to click on the █
█ embedded track, look at that fucking artwork! So, █
█ strap in, dear reader, as we take this pod not to █
█ the yesteryears of SpockÆs Beard, but rather to █
█ the future. I never thought IÆd say it again but █
█ IÆm excited to see what the future holds for this █
█ band. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Tides of Time 7:48 ░
░ 2. Minion 6:56 ░
░ 3. Hell's Not Enough 6:23 ░
░ 4. Bennett Built a Time Machine 6:55 ░
░ 5. Get Out While You Can 4:58 ░
░ 6. A Better Way to Fly 9:01 ░
░ 7. The Center Line 7:05 ░
░ 8. To Be Free Again 10:29 ░
░ 9. Disappear 6:39 ░
░ 10. Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover) (Bonus 6:14 ░
░ Track) ░
░ 72:28 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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