Noise Floor (Spock's Beard album)

Last updated
Noise Floor
Spock's Beard Noise Floor.jpg
Studio album by
Spock's Beard
ReleasedMay 25, 2018 [1]
RecordedMay 2017 – February 2018 [2] [3]
Studio
Genre Progressive rock
Length51:56 (Main album)
17:17 (Bonus disc)
Label InsideOut Music
Spock's Beard chronology
The Oblivion Particle
(2015)		Noise Floor
(2018)

Noise Floor is the thirteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. It is the band's first full album of original material to feature original drummer Nick D'Virgilio since X in 2010, although this time D'Virgilio is only as a session musician. D'Virgilio had previously recorded a new song with the band for the compilation album The First Twenty Years and a bonus track for the band's previous album The Oblivion Particle , both released in 2015. Noise Floor was released on 25 May 2018.

Contents

Background and recording

In October 2016, drummer Jimmy Keegan announced that he had left Spock's Beard in order to pursue other interests and the band's original drummer, Nick D'Virgilio, was drafted in to fulfill concert commitments. In March 2017, the band confirmed that they had begun writing for their next album, with plans to begin recording in May with D'Virgilio as studio drummer. [2] [5]

As with their previous three albums, recording and mixing for the then untitled thirteenth album was conducted at The Mouse House in Altadena, California, with additional drum tracking at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mixing was completed by Rich Mouser in February 2018. [3] [4] [6]

In March 2018, the album title and release date were revealed. It was also announced that the album would be released with a bonus EP of material from the same recording sessions, titled Cutting Room Floor. [7] It was released on 25 May 2018.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Express Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Keyboard Positive [9]
MaximumVolumeMusic8/10 [10]
Metal Nation9/10 [11]
The Prog ReportPositive [12]
Rock Hard 7.5/10 [13]
Sonic Perspectives9.1/10 [14]

The album received generally favourable reviews. In his review for Sonic Perspectives, Scott Medina praised Rich Mouser's production and the band members' musicianship, stating that "none of the material here may reach the Top 10 Spock's songs of all time, but they all hover within a good to excellent range". [14] Reviews for Keyboard magazine and The Prog Report both singled out Ryo Okumoto's contribution as particularly noteworthy. [12] [9]

Track listing

Noise Floor [15]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."To Breathe Another Day"John Boegehold, Ryo Okumoto 5:38
2."What Becomes of Me"Boegehold6:11
3."Somebody's Home" Ted Leonard, Alan Morse 6:32
4."Have We All Gone Crazy Yet"Leonard, Morse8:07
5."So This Is Life"Stan Ausmus, Morse5:36
6."One So Wise"Ausmus6:58
7."Box of Spiders" (instrumental)Okumoto5:29
8."Beginnings"Leonard, Okumoto7:25
Cutting Room Floor
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Days We'll Remember"Boegehold4:15
2."Bulletproof"Boegehold4:41
3."Vault"Leonard4:49
4."Armageddon Nervous" (instrumental)Boegehold3:32

Personnel

Spock's Beard

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] 47
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [17] 110
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [18] 101
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] 23
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [20] 24

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spock's Beard</span> American progressive rock band

Spock's Beard is an American progressive rock band formed in Los Angeles.

<i>Snow</i> (Spocks Beard album) 2002 studio album by Spocks Beard

Snow is the sixth studio album of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard, and the final album with main songwriter and vocalist Neal Morse, who left immediately after the release of the album due to his conversion to Christianity. It was released in 2002 on Radiant Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick D'Virgilio</span> American musician

Nicholas D'Virgilio, often abbreviated and referred to as NDV, is an American drummer, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the progressive rock band Spock's Beard. He was also one of two drummers chosen to replace Phil Collins in Genesis on the Calling All Stations album. He has also done session work with many artists including Tears for Fears and Mystery, and is an official member of Big Big Train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryo Okumoto</span> Japanese rock keyboardist (born 1959)

Ryo Okumoto is a Japanese rock keyboardist, best known for his work with American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. He joined the band in 1996 and has been a member ever since. When singer and keyboardist Neal Morse was in the band, Ryo played Hammond organ and Mellotron on the albums. Since Morse's departure, Okumoto has played all of the band's keyboard parts. He resides in Los Angeles.

<i>V</i> (Spocks Beard album) 2000 studio album by Spocks Beard

V is the fifth studio album of progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on August 22, 2000.

<i>Beware of Darkness</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Spocks Beard

Beware of Darkness is the second studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard, released in January 1996. The album was the band's first release following the addition of keyboardist Ryo Okumoto. The album was named after the song of the same name, originally written and performed by George Harrison.

<i>The Kindness of Strangers</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Spocks Beard

The Kindness of Strangers is the third studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on May 19, 1998.

<i>Feel Euphoria</i> 2003 studio album by Spocks Beard

Feel Euphoria is the seventh studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on July 8, 2003. It was the first album the band recorded following the departure of vocalist/songwriter Neal Morse, also the first full-length album to feature drummer Nick D'Virgilio as lead vocalist. It marked the beginning of a more band-oriented era of songwriting, as before Neal Morse had written the bulk of the band's material, now all of the remaining band members wrote for the band, including bass player Dave Meros, who picked up his first songwriting credit in the history of the band on the song "Ghosts of Autumn".

<i>Day for Night</i> (Spocks Beard album) 1999 studio album by Spocks Beard

Day for Night is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on March 23, 1999.

<i>Octane</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Spocks Beard

Octane is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard, released on 25 January 2005. The first seven tracks form a complete piece of work, "A Flash Before My Eyes", that tells the story of a man involved in a car accident who relives his memories in the moments following the crash.

<i>Spocks Beard</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Spocks Beard

Spock's Beard is the ninth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on November 21, 2006.

<i>Live</i> (Spocks Beard album) Live double album and DVD by Spocks Beard

Live is a DVD and 2-CD set released by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. The two versions are only available separately.

<i>X</i> (Spocks Beard album) 2010 studio album by Spocks Beard

X is the tenth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. Similar to what Marillion did for Anoraknophobia, the album was funded by pre-orders of a limited edition of the album before the album was recorded. Those who ordered the album's "Ultra Package" had their names listed in the CD booklet and included as part of the track "Their Names Escape Me", which is exclusive to the limited edition. The album was released independently in May 2010. A retail and digital release with Mascot Records was released in August 2010. This album is the last studio album recorded with Nick D'Virgilio performing lead vocals, who left the band on November 18, 2011, to focus on other commitments.

<i>Testimony 2</i> 2011 studio album by Neal Morse

Testimony 2 is a progressive rock concept album by Neal Morse, his eighth studio album. It was released on 23 May 2011 as a continuation of his first Christian prog album (Testimony) and contains three sections detailing the composer's life and conversion to Christianity. Morse returns with his normal solo-album bandmates Mike Portnoy and Randy George, but he also features many guests, including a vocal reunion of Spock's Beard in the song "Time Changer", which focuses on Morse's past with his original band.

<i>Live at High Voltage Festival</i> 2011 live album by Spocks Beard

Live at High Voltage is a 2-CD set released by the progressive rock band Spock's Beard recorded by Concert Live. It features the band's complete performance at the UK's High Voltage Festival on one CD, with a second blank CD provided to burn online content onto.

<i>Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep</i> 2013 studio album by Spocks Beard

Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep is the eleventh studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard released on April 2, 2013. It is their first album with new singer Ted Leonard and drummer Jimmy Keegan in place of Nick D'Virgilio, while former member Neal Morse co-wrote two tracks, including "Waiting for Me", on which he plays guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lo-Fi Resistance</span> American rock band

Lo-Fi Resistance is a project of guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Randy McStine. Formed in 2009, Lo-Fi Resistance has released two albums with many different guest features. The first album, "A Deep Breath," features guest musicians such as Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard and Doug Pinnick of King's X. The second album, "Chalk Lines," featured Gavin Harrison and Colin Edwin of Porcupine Tree, John Giblin of Kate Bush, and Dave Kerzner, of Sound of Contact.

<i>The Oblivion Particle</i> 2015 studio album by Spocks Beard

The Oblivion Particle is the twelfth studio album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. It was released on August 21, 2015. It was the last album with drummer Jimmy Keegan, who left the band in October 2016 for personal reasons. This album also features Nick D'Virgilio on one track as a guest musician. Only 3 songs on the album feature writing credits to the band members themselves, with the rest being credited to longtime collaborators Stan Ausmus and John Boegehold.

<i>The First Twenty Years</i> (Spocks Beard album) 2015 greatest hits album by Spocks Beard

The First Twenty Years is a compilation album by American progressive rock band Spock's Beard. The 2-CD and DVD set features tracks from each of the band's first twelve studio albums, as well as one newly recorded song, "Falling for Forever", written by Neal Morse, which features all current and past members of the band. The DVD contains live and archival footage of the band. All tracks have been remastered by Rich Mouser. It was released on November 20, 2015

<i>Troika</i> (DVirgilio, Morse & Jennings album) 2022 studio album by DVirgilio, Morse & Jennings

Troika is a collaborative album by progressive rock/metal musicians Nick D'Virgilio, Neal Morse and Ross Jennings under the moniker D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings. It was released through InsideOut Music on February 25, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Spock's Beard: : Announce 13th studio album 'Noise Floor'". InsideOut Music . 1 March 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 Munro, Scott (29 March 2018). "Spock's Beard bring back Nick D'Virgilio for new album". Prog . Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Ryo Okumoto". Facebook . 15 February 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Spock's Beard". Facebook. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Lach, Stef (12 October 2016). "Spock's Beard drummer Jimmy Keegan quits". Prog. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  6. ↑ "Spock's Beard To Release 'Noise Floor' Album In May". Blabbermouth . 1 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  7. ↑ Munro, Scott (1 March 2018). "Spock's Beard announce new album Noise Floor". Prog. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  8. ↑ Davies, Paul (29 May 2018). "REVIEW: The week's best Rock and Metal albums from Black Sabbath to Saxon and more". Express . Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  9. 1 2 Beaudoin, Jedd (1 May 2018). "ALBUM REVIEW - Spock's Beard's "Noise Floor"". Keyboard . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  10. ↑ Thorley, Andy (24 May 2018). "REVIEW: SPOCK'S BEARD - NOISE FLOOR (2018)". MaximumVolumeMusic. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Canatan, Oganalp (23 May 2018). "Album Review: SPOCK'S BEARD - Noise Floor". Metal Nation. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Spock's Beard - Noise Floor (Album Review)". The Prog Report. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  13. ↑ Rensen, Michael. "RockHard: Review review". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  14. 1 2 Medina, Scott (24 April 2018). "Spock's Beard - Noise Floor (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  15. ↑ Noise Floor (booklet). Spock's Beard. InsideOut Music. 2018. IOMSESCD 506.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Spock's Beard – Noise Floor" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Spock's Beard – Noise Floor" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Spock's Beard – Noise Floor" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Spock's Beard – Noise Floor" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Spock's Beard – Noise Floor". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.