After the first two songs on this LP, "Point of Know Return" and "Paradox", it's abundantly clear, this is the Kansas high point. "Point of Know Return" was a huge hit for the band, they had perfected their progressive boogie rock and by the second track even found a way to make the fiddle work. While the first two tracks don't match the scale of "Carry On My Wayward, Son," they rock and that goes a long way.
The band get's super prog-y on the synth driven instrumental "The Spider," but it's not as aimless as the band's previous work. It gets in and gets out. Kansas get pretentious for only a brief minute before bringing the straight ahead rock of "Potrait (He Knew)", which also happens to be insanely Christian, but that was in vogue at the time. The first side rounds out with "Closet Chronicles", which when compared to the rest of the side is pleasant filler.
Song by song on Side 2 is further proof that this represents Kansas' best LP despite a few soft spots. "Lightning's Hand" is a bit silly at times, but its high tempo and guitar solos make it one of the band's heaviest outings and can be considered 70's heavy metal. The next track, "Dust in the Wind" is a ballad and was another huge hit from this album. "Sparks of the Tempest" is another heavy metal track and a bit over the top, obviously trying to compensate for the brief foray into sad, bastard music because another ballad, "Nobody's Here," follows. Its surprisingly good in parts, namely the bridge, but could have done without all the prog elements. The final track, "Hopessly Human," is based in baroque-era Bach (much of the album is), but it's made especially evident here. It's a bit too heavy for it's own good, but a decent closer.
Portrait (He Knew)
Point of Know Return
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