Thoughts after my 2nd listen...
Fallen Walls and Pedestals: Serves a similar function to "Out of the Body," except for being a little less odd. Not bad but doesn't leave much of an impression.
Beasts in Our Time: Doesn't really light my fire, although there's nothing really wrong with it.
Under the Eye of the Sun: This is the album's one real "I'm glad I bought this CD" moment for me. Not perfect but a definite highlight. Kind of reminds me of Yes -- or, perhaps, what I would imagine Yes to sound like based on the old Roger Dean album covers.
Underground Railroad: It seems odd that Steve would revisit the same subject matter as "Black Thunder" so soon, but I like to think of this being as that song's sequel. It loses points for meandering somewhat, but it does have some really good bits. (BTW, I'm going to guess that Durga McBroom is the sister who sings lead at the beginning, since she's the one who has her own Wikipedia page!)
Those Golden Wings: This is the one song on the album that most rubs me the wrong way. It's not an 11-minute song; it's a 4-minute song padded out with pieces that could be the basis for at least one other song, and which don't flow into each other very well.
Shadow and Flame: Not much to this one -- just a brief vocal section followed by an extended "Eastern"-sounding jam. Enjoyable for what it is, in sort of a "Rio Connection" or "Howl" sort of way.
Hungry Years: You know, I've often had the impression that Steve's been trying to learn, not quite successfully, how to write a simple, catchy pop song since 1981. ("Enter the Night" may be the one case where he just about nails it.) He does pretty well with "Hungry Years," though. It calls to mind "Loving Sea" and "Divided Self" (from Squackett), while being better than either. The ending reminds me of "Anything But Love" (probably my favorite post-OOTTM Hackett song).
Descent: This probably calls to mind different things to different people, but to me it's most reminiscent of "Under the World - Orpheus Looks Back". While Steve does occasionally let a song stay in one groove for a while (see "Shadow and Flame"), this one is especially hypnotic. Not bad.
Conflict: Like "Fallen Walls", this is pretty good but doesn't leave much of an impression. (BTW, on my Japan copy, at least, it seems the track division between "Descent" and "Conflict" is about 15 seconds too early.)
Peace: This album's counterpart to "West to East." Had potential to be a decent pop anthem but it's a little too unfocused.
