The story of King Crimson is an interesting one with which many are unfamiliar. The founder and backbone Robert Fripp has been recording albums since the late 1960s, enduring through multiple full-personnel changes. One of the pioneers of progressive rock, he has stuck to his specialty and passion, eschewing the influence of the popular music of the 1970s and 1980s in favor of his powerful, unique style.

Throughout the lifetime of the band, Fripp has recorded 13 studio albums and myriad live collections. His influence is far-reaching, and his technical ability is on a level few will reach.

Crimson’s latest album, The Power to Believe, is its third studio album with the current lineup, which includes Adrian Belew, Fripp, Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto. Each “era,” as the various incarnations of the band are called within obsessive fan circles, has its own very distinct feel, and this new effort adheres strictly to what we, the fans, come to expect from the Belew-headed quartet.

The album is largely comprised of songs from the EPs of recent years, including 2002’s Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With and 2001’s Level Five, with the title tracks from both making cameos.

Influence from 1999’s The Projekcts boxed set is also ostensible. If you liked those discs, then you now have a convenient $15 package that brings what one can argue are the best components from each neatly together.

For this and other reasons, however, the album is disappointing. I had hoped for some new material, and I am not Belew’s biggest fan. A lot of the time, it can be argued that his lyrics are cheesy, elitist, or both.

The most glaring manifestation of this is on the track “Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With.” Here the band plays a Crimsonesque take on what has been dubbed “1?4” metal while Belew proceeds to playfully and harshly criticize the style, using such lines as “I’m gonna have to write a chorus,” “this’ll seem to be as good as any place” and “then we’re gonna repeat the chorus” (you get the picture).

If you are not much of a fan of this overdone pop-rock style — and if you are a dedicated Crimsonite, then the chances of that are rather high — then you might get a kick out of listening to Belew rip on the style the first time you hear the song, but the repeat value of the track should be rather limited.

If you do like the style, then chances are you aren’t going to like listening to a strong criticism of it. Either way, the song is flawed, and it is never good to have a CD that requires a spasmic jump for the fast-forward button halfway through.

That is not to say that there aren’t wonderful components of the album. The track “Level Five” is an amazing, heavy, powerful tune that conjures up memories of Red and the Power Trio. Mastelotto beats the shit out of his drums, and at times I would doubt that the complex rhythms he pulls off at blitzkrieg speed were humanly realizable had I not saw him perform them in Chicago over spring break.

This brings up one of Crimson’s most attractive qualities: namely, that it is an amazing live band. Each band member has acquired a technical mastery over his respective instrument, and seeing them perform live was one of the most inspiring musical experiences I have ever had.

While it is true that technical prowess is not everything in music, it has been and probably always will be Crimson’s strongest faculty, and the members leverage that faculty with much might. The crowd at the three Crimson shows I have seen has been largely comprised of middle-aged, long-haired men who are so into the music that many are driven to shush their neighbors during and even in between songs.

It is probably safe to say that many of them are also closet guitar junkies and were blown away by Fripp’s solo in the middle of “Frakctured.”

In the end, this album should please the fans of the Belew era more than others. If you like the heavier Red/LTIA era, then maybe the Level Five EP would be more up your alley, if you can find it anywhere. I still lament my failure to purchase it when King Crimson was at the Barrymore last November.

If you like progressive rock at all, and you haven’t yet seen Fripp live, I strongly suggest making the effort before his guitar strap gets hung up permanently. His humbleness is one of the best parts of the show and the music, and that feeling is not radiated from the home entertainment center.

Grade: B