As promised, here are some of my choices for top progressive rock albums of the past year:
Neal Morse: Sola Scriptura
I’ll give this one a full review soon, and for now I’ll just say it’s absolutely glorious, and soli deo gloria. Neal Morse is one of the great popular music composers of our time, and this is the best work he has done since the Spock’s Beard album V, which was released in the year 2000 and is one of the greatest rock albums of all time, in my view.
(Our friend Carl Olsen gets a mulligan on Sola Scriptura, as it was not yet released when he wrote his article mentioned below.)
The Rocket Scientists: Revolution Road
The Rocket Scientists are one of my favorite bands, and it’s a pity that they only manage to release an album every five years or so. (Brutal Architecture, from 1999, is one of my absolute favorite albums. I still listen to it regularly.) The Rocket Scientists produce a strongly Beatles-influenced, highly melodic form of prog rock, driven by Mark McCrite’s warm voice and precise guitar and Erik Norlander’s great keyboard virtuosity. (Norlander is truly in a class with Emerson and Wakeman.)
The band moved away from their more melodic, almost pop form of prog that made Brutal Architecture so unusual and beautiful, toward a heavier, harder-edged, more guitar-oriented approach for the 2003 album Oblivion Days, which took away some of the uniqueness of their sound but still made for a very good album. With Revolution Road, the band has reconciled these two sides splendidly. With additional vocals by David McBee on the more metal-oriented cuts, Revolution Road is more overtly melodic and pretty than Oblivion Days while replicating that album’s power in all the right places. The music varies from acoustic-guitar-led ballads to melodic metal to Norlander-led symphonic grandeur, with several other interesting stops in between. The album is more enjoyable with each listen.
Glass Hammer: The Compilations
Available on ITunes only. Steve Babb and Fred Schendel purvey a great form of symphonic rock with classical and medieval touches. This release collects GH tracks not released on official GH albums during the past few years. "The Narrow Way" has some of Fred’s great Hammond playing. "A Is A" is unusually heavy and guitar-based for this band and is a nice, tuneful change of pace. "The Morning Song" has some nice piano arpeggios from Fred and appealing harmony and counterpoint vocals by the band. The symphonic version of "Heroes and Dragons," employing only voice and orchestra, is very pretty indeed and even more moving than the original version on Lex Rex. The epic song "In the Court of Alkinoos" is one of the band’s best compositions.
Spock’s Beard: Spock’s Beard
Spock’s Beard has weathered Neal Morse’s 2002 departure rather better than one might have expected, and this, their ninth album, has a
ll the things we expect from the Beard—great melodies, inventive arrangements, passionate singing and smart harmonies, superb musicianship, provocative and interesting lyrics—and all without Neal Morse.
Akacia: This Fading Time
Very good 1970s-style symphonic prog. The musicianship is topnotch, though the band would benefit greatly from stronger vocals. The compositions and lyrics, however, are sufficiently intelligent and salutary to overcome this deficiency.
PFM: Dracula
A terrific rock opera by one of the great prog bands of all time, the Italian group PFM.
Focus: Focus 9: New Skin
The stupendously talented 1970s Dutch band Focus (remember "Hocus Pocus"?) returns with a new guitarist and their classic blend of mostly instrumental progressive rock with strong classical and jazz influences. (Thijs Van Leer plays a mean jazz flute, even better than Ron Burgundy.)
Focus 9: New Skin is a worthy addition to this band’s catalogue, with plenty of their customary tunefulness, instrumental virtuosity, sheer performance energy, and jovial sense of humor. The songs don’t break any new ground, basically reprising the styles of their best compositions of the past, but they’re very nice variations on classic Focus themes, and the album is just great fun to listen to.
Carl, of course I agree that the Incarnation is an essential Christian doctrine, but I reiterate that I have seen nothing to suggest that Neal does not agree that Jesus Christ proceeded from God himself. Whatever disagreement there may be on this between Neal and us, it is highly nuanced and neither side can point directly to a passage or passages of Scripture and say, “There!”
As a Trinitarian and (I fancy) a reasonable person, I have to admit that the concept of the Trinity is not stated directly in Scripture. And I have to acknowledge that we Trinitarians don’t have a knockdown case with the Scripture passages we cite in defense of our understanding. Yes, they are suggestive, but an alternative understanding is fully plausible. I agree with the Trinitarian position, but I can see how a truly God-loving and fully Christian person could see it as scripturally unsound and unjustified. And that is something that we have to wrestle with.
As for the term Sola Scripture, all that Neal appears to mean by use of the term is that we shouldn’t add to or subtract from God’s Word. We can probably all agree on that principle; the sticky part is to decide when something is being added or subtracted.
Clearly Neal is far from being a Catholic partisan, but as far as I can discern, he hasn’t stated anything crazy on his website and certainly not in any of his albums. To be fair and reasonable, I would have to see some real evidence from Neal himself before being willing to shout “Heretic!” So far I have seen none that would make me feel the slightest bit uncomfortable about listening to his music.
Yes, his “church in chains” notion may be a bit overly dramatic a characterization if done in a theological tract, but it’s fine for a dramatic music album, and in fact he’s definitely got a valid point: the church is always run by fallible human beings, and as a result makes plenty of mistakes. Who would be so foolish as to deny that?
I just don’t see why anyone should get worked up over what church Neal goes to, unless and until he says something explicitly that is just plain wrong.
Thanks, Sam, for the explanation. I know this isn’t the place to go over this stuff again, but this comment is rather striking: “I think that we shouldn’t get stuck on the word ‘Trinity,’ which has been the source of much confusion over the centuries.” I think you’ll agree that there has also been a ton of confusion over Who Jesus was, what the Incarnation was, what Christ’s death on the Cross meant, etc., but we don’t cease to talk about them, do we? As you might suspect, my position, as a former Fundamentalist, then Evangelical, and now Catholic, is that I readily accept the reality of the dogma of the Trinity just as I assuredly accept that the Catholic Church was guided by Holy Spirit to recognize and canonize the 27 books of the New Testament. I’m glad to hear that “Sola Scriptura” is a great album, because it makes no sense as a theological premise. Rock on!
David, I’m delighted to hear from you. Keep up the good work, and I hope that you’ll find time to visit us again. Prog on indeed!
Carl, thanks for bringing up the issues of Catholicism and triinitarianism. I don’t expect to write about this in any review I do, except to note the following:
1. There is nothing anti-Catholic or anti-trinitarian in Sola Scriptura. There is a good deal of criticism of false doctrines and wrong behavior on the part of the church in the past, and it is all valid stuff, most of which the Catholic Church itself has since acknowledged.
2. I think that we shouldn’t get stuck on the word “Trinity,” which has been the source of much confusion over the centuries. Surely it is a mystery, and I personally think that anti-Trinitarians simply fail to accept that mystery and are looking for an understanding of the Godhead that accords with the limits of their earthly imaginations. I believe that it’s an incorrect position, but in Neal’s case I think it’s decidedly unfair to suggest that he has insufficient veneration for Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Here’s what Neal says on his own website:
“. . . what I believe about the subject commonly called the ‘Godhead’ subject is this:
” ‘John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’
” ‘1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.’
“So, I believe in one God and his begotten son Jesus Christ. I believe the scriptures tell us that Jesus came forth from God.
” ‘John 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.’
“And that the Holy Spirit is God’s spirit. My favorite scripture about the Holy Ghost is:
” ‘Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.’
“So, I am not a Trinitarian, or oneness, or any kind of title. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
“I know there is a lot more to these subjects and I’m sure we will get into them. My new album deals with this subject indirectly and I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion. As we discuss these things let’s remember what God really cares about, ‘That ye love one another”.
“Love in Christ,
“Neal”
So, although Neal rejects the word “Trinitarian” as a self-description, he also rejects the term “oneness.” Importantly, he absolutely does not say or even suggest that Trinitarians are not Christians. In addition, his description of the Godhead does not in any way conflict with the Apostle’s Creed, and it may not conflict with the Nicene Creed. (The question is whether he accepts the phrase “being of one substance with the Father.”)
Hence, I think that it’s easy to make too much of this. Unless and until Neal starts foaming at the mouth and saying all Catholics are going to hell, which I am quite certain he is not going to do, and is in fact the very opposite of his intentions I think this a non-issue. It would be interesting to discuss theology with Neal, but it is not necessary to do so either to enjoy his music or to accept him as a Christian, in my view.
Great stuff, Sam, as usual. I actually didn’t buy too much prog rock last year; I’ve probably bought more in the past three months than all of 2006. And I’ve not yet heard Morse’s “Sola Scriptura.” I do plan on buying it, but am curious about the fact that he espouses views that are both anti-Catholic and anti-Trinitarian. Apparently he is affiliated with a group that is Oneness Pentecostal in nature and denies the Trinity. Regardless, he’s a fabulous musician and I look forward to hearing his latest.
Thanks so much and Prog-on!! David Scott McBee
S.T., for your information,the latest issue of Goldmine has what they claim are the greatest 25 prog-rock albums of all time, as well as a story on Spock’s Beard. The only bands I ever heard of from your list is Spock’s Beard & Focus. I think it’s a shame that new progressive rock doesn’t get the media attention it deserves, especially considering what has been receiving the hype & ink these days.