Spock's Beard - The Oblivion Particle (Vinyl)

Description

Since Prog legend Neal Morse left Spock’s Beard in 2002 they have been struggling to find an identity. For four albums after that major defection, drummer Nick D’Virgilio, in true Phil Collins fashion, took over singing duties (which was all the stranger as D’Virgilio replaced Collins in Genesis for their wrongly maligned swan song LP, Calling All Stations. Weird.) Then, in 2011, he too quit The Beard to focus on his Cirque du Soleil band duties. 2013’s Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep found the band with a new singer, Enchant’s Ted Leonard. It was a good first step in re-establishing the band as a top tier Prog act. The Oblivion Particle goes even further as Leonard has found his voice within the band. The same holds true for Jimmy Keegan on drums. He was elevated to full member after D’Virgilio’s departure after years as a touring member and sounds entirely locked in this time around. But it’s the three original members who all turn in their best performances since the Morse days. Guitarist Alan Morse (Neal’s brother) has always been underrated but here he puts on a clinic. Keyboard player Ryo Okumato has often been too playful, cheesy and/or just plain odd in his patch selections. It seems he’s gotten more comfortable with traditional Prog keyboards: piano, Moog, mellotron – you know, the good stuff! Special mention must be given to Dave Meros on bass. If there’s an MVP on this record it is Meros and his Squire-like bass lines and exquisite tone. All together the band sounds energized and with expert production from Morse, longtime collaborator John Boegehold and producer-of-choice for many in the genre, Rich Mouser (Transatlantic, Imperial Teen, Neal Morse), The Oblivion Particle probably has the best fidelity of any album you’ll hear in 2015.