High energy stadium/prog rock
Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 10/04/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I found this 2010 release to be a bit of a disappointment; especially given that I really enjoyed the albums Feel Euphoria (2003) and Octane (2005). With Octane in particular, it seemed that the group had left the stadium rock sound behind and was on their way to defining their new sound. This is not the case, however, and X presents material that recalls the harder-edged stadium rock of the earlier albums.
I liked the high energy levels on X; the excellent musicianship; and the lead vocals. The quality of the lyrics has also improved dramatically. With respect to the music, it is hard-edged, with loads of hard rock/prog riffing (usually played in unison); guitar/keyboard soloing over an ostinato; and searing Hammond organ leads that would give Jon Lord (of Deep Purple) a run for his money. The guitar player favors a distorted tone for the most part, but is also capable of some clean tones too. I am confident that the blazing instrumental track "Kamikaze" will have fans very excited. In this regard, it reminded me somewhat of the instrumental "The Spider" from stadium/prog rock act Kansas (Point of Know Return, 1977) and gave me the same kind of rush. The ensemble playing on "Kamikaze" is breathtaking to say the least.
Of course, this album is not all prog rock pyrotechnics and hard rock riffing. There are some quiet moments here and there on the acoustic piano and more than a few pop hooks are scattered throughout. With respect to the sections that are really just straightforward pop, they seem to be at odds with the rest of the material. That is, some of the arrangements seem a bit awkward. Speaking of arrangements, some of the longer pieces consist of completely unrelated ideas pasted together - there is very little thematic development. I appreciate the synthesizer use on this album - Ryo favors the warmer tone colors and they really spruce up the track Jaws of Heaven nicely. Come to think of it, my favorite track on the album is Jaws of Heaven, although it seems to be about 5 minutes too long.
The production quality is very good and there is good separation of individual instruments. The CD booklet is pretty nice and presents the lyrics along with the production credits.
All in all, this is a well-played album by good musicians. Not being a fan of stadium rock, however, I can't say that that X was my cup of tea and prefer an "artier" sound."
X - Again?
MusicFan | Long Island, NY | 09/30/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The tenth release from the NEW Beard delivers pleasant, melodic and decent prog pieces. They , however, need to start expanding their sound. The opening track "Edge of the In Between" sounds eerily similar to "The Age of Answers"...... Musically, the Beard deliver , as always..."From the Darkness" and "Jaws of Heaven" are stand out tracks. I'm just waiting for the NEW Beard to deliver something "different". "X" is just an extension of their last "self titled" release......Don't get me wrong, "X" is good music, js\ust nothing we haven't recently heard....."
