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“Octane” Gets Average Mileage by R. H. Wright

A review of the album Octane
By Spock’s Beard
Inside Out Records, 2005

Heightened expectations. It’s what parents have for precocious children and fans have for the new release of their favorite band. But even the most talented (both children and bands) can fail to meet those expectations.

Spock’s Beard is considered by many to be the leading progressive rock band on the scene today. Like many out-of-the-mainstream bands they have an enthusiastic, mostly Internet-based, legion of fans.

Contemporary culture may have relegated progressive rock, and bands like Yes, Genesis and King Crimson to the nostalgic airwaves of the local “classic rock” station. But progressive rock fans are still out there hungering for new music. Bands like Spock’s Beard are making new music to feed that hunger.

Their latest offering, Octane, is unfortunately a menu of mixed fare. This is their eighth release but only the second since the departure of former lead singer Neal Morse. As a sort-of second album, Octane seems to be suffering from a sophomore slump.

Musically, the Beard (as they are referred to by fans) turn in solid performances. Alan Morse is an unheralded guitar virtuoso. If his work here suffers, it is only by comparison to earlier work. But he certainly makes up for it in versatility. When was the last time a lead guitarist also played the theremin and saw on an album?

Keyboardist Ryo Okumoto is given little time to stand out. Turns on a variety of instruments including mellotron at least give him a chance to show off his talent.

Drummer Nick D’Virgilio has capably pulled a Phil Collins-like transformation and picked up the mike as lead singer. Luckily Nick is far more talented than Phil as both a drummer and vocalist. I don’t see a future in “soft rock” Disney themes for Nick.

Bassist Dave Meros, not only lays down his usual fine tracks, but has stepped into bigger writing shoes this time. He contributed much of the writing on the cut that opens the album, the 20+ minute epic “A Flash Before My Eyes”.

Octane is a good album. It just doesn’t achieve the greatness of earlier albums. Even compared to the current line-up’s previous effort, Feel Euphoria, it comes up short. It’s almost as if the album can’t decide what to be.

“A Flash Before My Eyes” is either too long or truncated. The concept of thoughts flashing before a dying man’s eyes could have easily been expanded to fill the entire album. The theme is strong enough to support it. If the Beard didn’t want to go the “concept album” route, then they should have tightened it up.

As is, the album meanders until about half way through this opening composition. It takes off only at the track “She Is Everything”. Soon after, the opening epic wraps up and we abruptly transition to the rest of the album.

To say the other tracks sound like a totally different album is an understatement. In some ways, they sound like an entirely different band. While the later tracks are good and possibly even better than what precedes them, they seem out of place.

What’s truly disappointing is that not until the final track, “As Long as We Ride”, does the album begin to “rock”. Based on their previous outing, the Beard had seemed to be taking a harder more aggressive edge to their music. You hear moments of that on the track “Surfing Down the Avalanche” and on the final track, but rarely elsewhere.

It seems like there were two urges here. One was to make the rockin’ good album that is seen in the later tracks. This would certainly be in keeping with previous efforts. The other urge seems to be to do a full-blown concept album. Maybe this seemed too old-hat and clichéd to the band. The battle between these two apparent urges ends up giving the album a slightly schizophrenic feel.

Most fans are going to buy this album. Whether they will be entirely satisfied with it is another question. Spock’s Beard has set itself a high standard. Their previous albums have been, on the whole, excellent.

They called their new album Octane, instead of naming it after one of the tracks. This implies that this thing is going to go. And fast. Unfortunately, Octane just doesn’t seem to maintain any momentum.