I think I'd be more swayed if I saw more positive feedback about the new song, but most of the comments I have seen say it is good, but almost as an afterthought, making me think it is a "by the numbers" Neal Morse epic. Granted, I usually lap those up with a spoon , but I guess I was hoping for reviews of it that were a bit more...glowing.
Not trying to sway YOU personally, but my thoughts on the song, as I recall when I first heard it, was that I was blown away. It was definitely Neal, but not entirely by the numbers. The song opens with the usual instrumental overture, but the drumming by Nick in this part, as well as the keyboard and guitar parts, are definitely something fresh-sounding from Neal AND the Beard. The first few minutes definitely wows me with every listen.
When the vocals come, Neal handles the first part's verses expertly, but Ted's chorus parts definitely shine brightly, and he's got some soaring melodies that really stand out. The chorus just pops into my head every now and then, even when I haven't herd the song in a day or two. Nick's vocal section in the next part really really rocks, and it feels and sounds SO natural with the rest of the band, it almost felt as if he had never left and was "just away" for two albums. It was kind of surreal, but amazing to hear him sing with the band again.
The next part with the dueling drums is a highlight, especially if you're a fan of drums, drum solos/duets/battles, or a fan of Jimmy and/or Nick and their drumming. The split audio for their parts (I believe it is Nick on the left, Jimmy on the right) makes it easy to pick out their parts, and they play some sick fills in their solos. Jimmy went into further detail on the recording of the drums for the WHOLE song on Facebook, whcih was awfully nice of him to share!
The closing reprise of the song is typical, but handled VERY expertly as Ted's soaring and soulful vocals return, giving us an epic vocal send-off into some great guitar soloing from Al. The very end of the song is also kind of surreal, a very blissfully performed ending for an epic. It's not entirely bombastic as you'd might expect a Neal epic to be, but it fits for Spock's Beard, of ANY era and line-up.
Over-all, this epic is definitely SB, but still quite fresh-sounding. We don't get the usual Neal/SB-isms that you'd expect, like a Latin section, or layered vocal trade-offs a la Gentle Giant, or long, grandiose piano excursions, but what we DO get is some expert playing from the drummers, Al, and some tasteful keyboards, all balanced well, with some gret vocals from ALL THREE vocalists.
I say, if you get the chance to listen to it, and are impressed enough by it, buy the compilation. It'll be worth owning, and if you're a huge fan of the band, it's nice to just have as a capstone to the band's first 20 years of their career. I enjoy seeing it on my shelf with all of the other SB releases, and knowing I own the song, physically, makes me feel great. I've no regrets buying the compilation, and I hope others don't either. I'm just thankful that Neal even thought to write new music for it, because otherwise, I'm sure they would've just released it was it was without it!
-Marc.