Intellectual modern rock from SPOCK'S BEARD found its audience worldwide long ago. Sufficiently edgy, not without progressive overtones -- this California-baked music successfully balances on the border between avant-garde and mainstream. "Octane" is already the band's eighth studio album and the second since the departure of founding father NEAL MORSE. In reviews of the previous record, "Feel Euphoria," many critics lamented a noticeable dilution of the repertoire in terms of fresh ideas. And indeed, it proved quite distant from its predecessor -- the magnificent "Snow" -- while remaining, all the same, a flawless and high-quality record. Something tells me "Octane" won't escape this same fate... But let's get down to business. Is it true that when a person dies, their entire life flashes before their eyes? The musicians attempted to answer that question in the grand piece "A Flash Before My Eyes," which occupies the central place on the new album. The plot is simple -- the protagonist is caught in a horrific car crash. And in the moment separating him from the embrace of the unknown, he remembers his childhood, his youth, his first kiss, his wedding, the birth of his child... It all flashes before his eyes like a burst of light -- a glint from shards of windshield glass sparkling in the headlights. The piece concludes with these words: "If I could change anything about my life, it would only be to pick out those very happiest moments..." It's worth noting that "A Flash Before My Eyes" isn't SPOCK'S BEARD's first foray into conceptual territory -- take "Snow" or "A Guy Named Sid" from "Feel Euphoria" (incidentally, speaking about the latter, the musicians categorically denied any possibility of further movement in a conceptual direction). For all its intellectual sophistication, the musical formula of "Octane" is fairly simple (as, indeed, is everything genius). It's atmospheric groove rock, gravitating equally toward PINK FLOYD and PEARL JAM. In places this contrast may not be as obvious, but the best tracks -- "The Ballet Of The Impact," for example -- are built entirely on the opposition of soft and hard. The keyboard passages are mesmerizing -- at the synth helm is none other than Ryo Okumoto, a man who has earned guru status in the progressive world. He also authored the instrumental interlude "NWC," which logically divides the album into two halves. Drawing a line under everything said, I want to note that even if SPOCK'S BEARD haven't outdone themselves with this new opus, they continue to maintain a standard that remains beyond the reach of others. I'd recommend this record to those who value not the momentary rush in music, but the cunning interplay of sonic shades. Those who enjoy sitting back, listening, and thinking...
