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Neal Morse è sicuramente uno dei più importanti compositori nell'ambito del prog e i suoi precedenti lavori sono stati giudicati tutti dei veri e propri capolavori. Quest'album dal titolo enigmatico "?" (si dice che per gli amici è "Question Mark") è il sunto di quanto di buono questo artista è riuscito a fare in tutti questi anni.
Intanto vogliamo parlare dei musicisti che sono presenti in quest'album, roba seria: Mike Portnoy alla batteria, Jordan Rudess alle tastiere dei Dream Theater; Roine Stolt dei Flower kings e il leggendario chitarrista dei Genesis Steve Hackett. Già guardando i nomi la voglia di ascoltarlo viene e una volta fatto il risultato è garantito. Le canzoni sono molte (se ne contano 12) ma la maggior parte fanno da collante per le canzoni un po' più lunghe, ebbene sì perchè le canzoni sono tutte unite, quasi come fosse un unico brano. In questo lavoro i musicisti suonano ai loro massimi livelli e la voce di Morse che sarebbe più adatta per un pop ne canta le note. La prima canzone "The Temple In The Living God" è un bel brano che apre degnamente il disco. Dopo alcune canzoni di "passaggio" come le definisco io (molto belle e ben suonate) arriviamo ad "In The Fire" canzone prettamente dai toni rockeggianti dove si ha un primo assaggio della tecnica di Portnoy e compagni. Di Portnoy diciamo che nell'album sembra non esegerare così tanto come nei Dream Theater ma appare più d'accompagno anche se il suo repertorio lo sfoggia sempre in modo allucinante! Le tastiere di Rudesss suonano come sempre a mille all'ora e la chitarra di Neal Morse sprigiona note molto agressive e potenti. "Solid As The Sun" è una bellissima canzone, dove la chitarra con dei suoni particolari svolge un ruolo importante e il basso riempie gli spazi vuoti rendendolo un pezzo molto interessante. Da segnalare anche la presenza del sax suonato per l'occasione da Jim Hoke. "The Glory Of The Lord" dai contorni onnirici funge da gancio per la seguente "Outside Looking In" dai toni romantici e struggenti che si fa apprezzare per la sua melodia non difficilissima ma orecchiabile. "12" é il capolavoro dell'album che si fa apprezzare soprattutto nel pezzo strumentale che risulta essere qualcosa di veramente incredibile. Esordisce Rudess con le tastiere stile jazz per poi passare i rapida progressione alla batteria di Portnoy e per finire con l'inconfondibile suono della chitarra di Hackett. Ne nasce un pezzo letteralmente devastante che da solo vale l'album. Quello che più stupisce di questo pezzo è la velocità di esecuzione che si unisce ad una precisione fuori dal comune. Ti fa letteralmente venire la voglia di risentirlo almeno quaranta volte, mamma mia che musicisti! Toccato l'apice si scende di qualche gradino rimanendo sempre al vertice sia ben chiaro. Seguono "Enrance" che riprende i temi trattati nella prima canzone, "Inside His Presence", buona canzone in cui risalta prima la voce e poi la chitarra di Morse. L'album si chiude così come si era aperto con "The Temple Of The Living God" che come ogni brano di chiusura prevede, rende omaggio ai musicisti facendoli letteralmente esagerare (in senso buono!) con i loro strumenti e appare a chi la sente un vero e proprio trionfo di suoni che pone fine ad un disco molto ben riuscito e suonato a livelli eccelsi da grandi musicisti.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 The Temple of the Living God (06:13)
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God.
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
Suffer, trespass, stranger redeemed
Leviticus 21:18
The blind, the lame, the flat nosed,
superfluous
Broken footed on burning sand
The Priest, the seed, the blood stained hand
The leper testifies and turns to dust
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
Oblation, vows, the promise of faith
Atonement, the wine, oil and cakes
The sheep, the goats, acceptable in his eyes
The maimed, the blemished, the scurvy scabbed
The creeping things, the firstborn lamb
Avail his presence in the house of sacrifice
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
03 The Outsider (02:21)
I am no one
I hide outside
I must stay in the darkness
’Cause the sun, it burns my eyes
The scapegoat leaves the people shout [Lev 16:22]
With songs of mercy ringing out
But I am lonely
And dead inside [Eph 2:1]
Clearly God doesn’t love me
So I’ll just wait outside
Watching the procession pass
The glory streams to earth at last
06 Solid as the Sun (06:12)
A million people in the sun
A million people waiting for the one [Lev 16:34]
One solid reason to go on
One star that’s solid as the Sun
One pillar burning in the night [Num 9:16]
One man steps into the light
One went in with a mighty shout
All wait to see if he’ll come out [Ex 28:35]
It’s a sacrificial sojourn [Psa 50:5]
It’s the bomb, it’s all the rage
As the cloud fills the temple [1 Kings 8:10]
The wonder of the age
In a world filled with people
There was only One
Who could stand in the presence
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
A stranger had no place to stay [John 1:11]
A stranger made it all the way
Not once a year but every day
Now we can go – he made the way [Eph 2:6]
But it’s a sacrificial sojourn [Psa 48:9]
With our God at center stage
As the cloud fills the temple
With the wonder of the age
In a world filled with people
There is only One
The High Priest of the kingdom [Heb 9:11]
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
It’s a sacrificial sojourn
With God center stage
As the Spirit fills the people
The wonder of the age
In a world filled with temples
We can all be one [1 Cor 12:13]
As we stand in the presence
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
Solid as the Sun
But before you enter in
Nothing more can begin
All the darkness that we choose
Lay it down it can’t be used
Burn it in the fire
Burn it in the fire, burn it down
10 Entrance (06:22)
I see a man with hair as white as wool [Rev 1:14]
Whose tongue's a sharp-edged tool [Rev 1:16]
With feet like burning brass [Rev 1:15]
“Come”, he says, “I’ll be your guide of sorts [Psa 43:3]
Into the outer courts
I have made a way [John 14:6]
For the unclean ones
to come into the gate [Heb 9:24]
To the weakest ones
I will give my strength [Isa 40:29]
And the lowest ones,
they will be brought higher [Isa 40:4]
Let the unclean ones
be washed in the fire” [Mal 3:3]
I am afraid I’ll stay where I am
But the Spirit takes my hand
and gently leads me in [Rev 4:2]
There is the laver; He drops me in the bath
It’s like a sweet heart attack [Rom 8:11]
And I hear his voice again......
Let the unclean ones come into the gate
To the weakest ones I will give my strength
And the lowest ones, they will be brought higher
Let the unclean ones be washed in the fire
Sweet elation come on, come on
I’m part of the Holy Nation [1 Pet 2:9]
And the past is forever gone
Wash and see the looking glass [Ex 38:8]
Second heaven’s coming fast
Seven candles so bright, so right [Rev 1:13]
The incense burns on the mantle [Rev 8:3]
As we eat the bread of life [Num 4:7, John 6:35]
And in third heaven’s Holy Grail [2 Cor 12:2]
Awaits behind the final veil [Ex 26:33]
After all with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
After all with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
We seek the temple of the living God
11 Inside His Presence (05:30)
And in this place of gold [1 Kings 7:50]
The ancients walked this road
There is no death [2 Tim 1:10]
There is no time [Ecc 3:15]
There is a love unknown [1 Pet 1:8]
There is a scent of home
A rainbow wreath [Rev 4:3]
A blazing throne
From a grave of stone
to a world unknown
From the smoke and ash
comes true life at last [Isa 61:3]
Among earth and sod
the very life of God is here [Rom 8:11]
From a list of laws
seeing all our flaws [Rom 8:3]
To the blind, the lame,
we are all the same [Acts 10:34, 35]
Our High Priest has come
to make us all as one in Him [Gal 3:28, Heb 4:15]
The temple of his throne [Acts 7:48]
Is now not made with stone
Your very heart is now his home [1 Cor 3:16]
He will come and live if you’ll only give [John 14:23]
Him a place inside that the world can’t buy
And the Holy Place is now face to face in Christ [Heb 9:24]
When he died and was born
the temple walls were torn [Mat 27:51]
And God’s Spirit poured out to all the ones without
Now the temple of the living God is you [Eph 2:21, 22]
The temple of the living God is you [Rev 3:12, 1 Pet 2:5]
12 The Temple of the Living God (04:27)
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God.
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
Suffer, trespass, stranger redeemed
Leviticus 21:18
The blind, the lame, the flat nosed,
superfluous
Broken footed on burning sand
The Priest, the seed, the blood stained hand
The leper testifies and turns to dust
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
Oblation, vows, the promise of faith
Atonement, the wine, oil and cakes
The sheep, the goats, acceptable in his eyes
The maimed, the blemished, the scurvy scabbed
The creeping things, the firstborn lamb
Avail his presence in the house of sacrifice
And then after all, with our backs against the wall
We seek the temple of the living God
And outside the gate the cripples sit and wait
To see the temple of the living God
To see the temple of the living God
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