MUSIC REVIEW: Pain of Salvation - Road Salt One

Utter Garbage

Only the most diehard crazy Pain of Salvation fan can defend this album. It is terrible.

The problem with this album is not that it is "different", or that there is "no metal" in it, or anything like that. (In many ways, it's not really that different.) The problem is simply that it is unbelievably boring.

Some have said that many of the best PoS songs are simple, as if to vindicate the first Road Salt. That is a true statement, sure. But an important point is lost if one fails to realize that most simple PoS songs are actually good. They are not boring. Road Salt features songs that are simple and boring. Or complex and boring. They are all boring.

Others have said, "Well, people aren't giving it a fair chance because it's called Pain of Salvation. BUT, if it had a different name, people would judge it on its own merits and like it."

Um... No. If any band released this album it would be garbage.

A boring album is the last thing you'd expect from PoS, because they are genuinely NOT a boring band. They are usually exciting, full of surprises, and good, interesting writing.

"No Way" is the most dull Pain of Salvation opener in the universe. Why anyone thought it was appropriate to open an album with this tranquillizer song I will never understand. The middle section when Gildenlow is singing in a weird time signature sounds so bad. Really though you'll be lucky to fall asleep before this overlong, overwrought grandpa rock gets to the next song because it gets worse. "She Likes to Hide" is slow sleazy song of bluesy boredom, it would be "super boring" rather than "boring" but fortunately it is over in less than 3 minutes. "Sisters" is some kind of weird ballad and it's very long and boring. "Of Dust" will put you to sleep if you are still awake by this point, although you will experience a moment of uncomfortable laughter when the spoken word part kicks in, because you will think, "LOL this is so stupid, what was D/Gildenlow thinking???" "Tell Me You Don't Know" will be skipped every time because you are so embarrassed on Gildenlow's behalf. "Sleeping under the Stars" sounds a Tom Waits song with all the Awesome(TM) removed. "Darkness of Mine" is hilariously over-the-top and laughable. "Linoleum" sounds like extremely drunk Foo Fighters. I'm not even going to finish talking about these songs. This album sucks. The last four songs are all bad. Actually, I will mention "Innocence", the finale, because at times it ALMOST seems like it COULD HAVE BEEN good.

Disclosure: Entropia is my favorite. The first four PoS albums are brilliant. BE was mostly great with some terrible moments. I loved Scarsick, and completely fail to understand why it is so disliked.

MUSIC REVIEW: Symphony X - The Damnation Game

"Wimpy production blights intense, powerful music."

With a more powerful production, you know, a bit more "OOMPH", The Damnation Game could have been so much better than it is. It's sad that guitars buzz instead of crunch, drums click instead of slam, and the overall power just isn't there.

The Damnation Game, SyX's second album, brings god-like metal vocalist Russell Allen into the ranks. Although his ability never really shines through in this production, one can immediately see the promise in this man's pipes. Sounding like a younger, more vicious Ronnie James Dio, Allen fits SyX's aggressive music direction much better than the hopelessly bad Rod Tyler (from the debut).

In the song department, the band has their frantic songwriting more under control, with tighter arrangements and more intensity. The neoclassical element is still strongly evident, although the band is now exploring more interesting avenues. "The Edge of Forever" is a beautiful song with fast and slow passages, lamenting poetry, and inventive melodic progressions. It really sets the tone for the band's later brand of progressive/neoclassical metal found on Twilight In Olympus and V. Michael Romeo, one of the reigning champs of metal soloing, has his neoclassical leads coming fast and furious, with technique that might cause our good friend Yngwie to take notice. Romeo's partner in devastating soloing is the lightning-fast Michael Pinnella, whose blistering keyboard leads smoke through the song and arrest one's attention as much as any guitar solo. Songs feature trademark SyX features... majestic harmonies, symphonic textures, and killer leads, but the band has yet to explode. On the next several albums, they certainly erupt with all the ambition and quality hinted at here.

You've probably discovered SyX with either The Divine Wings of Tragedy or V. [Ed.: Or maybe one of their newest albums. This review was originally published a long time ago.] If that's the case, be sure to add The Damnation Game to your collection. It is flawed, but it's great moments give it the "must-have" status. And if you're new to Symphony X, start with one of the aforementioned albums.

MUSIC REVIEW: Metallica - Master of Puppets

"Proto-prog-metal milestone."

Master of Puppets illustrates why Metallica was one of the most important metal bands ever.

After giving birth to real thrash with Kill 'Em All, Metallica began refining their innovations with Ride the Lightning, which added a bit more maturity and compositional quality. Master of Puppets is a much larger step in the same direction, and had the band incorporating more progressive elements into their music. It'd be hard to count the metal bands doing half the pioneering things Metallica was doing.

The acoustic, quiet introduction to "Battery" explodes under an aggressive onslaught of hyperkinetic, muscular riffs and thick, heavy arrangements that characterize the entire album. That's not to say it's redundant, though. All eight songs are excellent, featuring enough variation of tempo and texture to ensure that they never get boring, which is crucial when some songs extend for eight minutes ("Master of Puppets," "Disposable Heroes," "Orion"). The result is like a thrash symphony of proto-prog-metal. Cripes, you could dissect the riffery of the title track and probably create half a dozen normal metal songs. That's part of Metallica's appeal: they cram a ton of ideas into their music, but all songs are perfectly crafted without the slightest sense of disjointed songwriting.

Speaking of the title track, it in particular sports a dynamic composition, where its middle section diminishes into a quieter, evocative guitar solo (one of the few played by Hetfield) before taking off all over again. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" mirrors "Fade to Black" in its progression of intensity. It starts with haunting melodies, turning up the crunch for the chorus, then kicks into high gear with a weighty, fast riff and a glistening lead that carries the song to its vengeful apogee. Hetfield isn't quite a master lyricist, but for the first time in Metallica's career, the lyrics were insightful with effective diction. Note the telling and vitriolic "Disposable Heroes" or "Leper Messiah." Hetfield was never a great singer, but he was a good metal vocalist. Although his ferocity was tempered by youthful pipes, he still managed to convey the viciousness required of music so heavy, so furious.

And even when the band eschewed words and singing, they could impress. "Orion" is a marvel of metal songwriting, being an eight minute instrumental with precise, articulate solos (including a short-but-sweet one from the late bassist Cliff Burton) and big, chugging riffs. Most metal bands wrote instrumentals that were three or four minutes long...never eight. But Metallica did it, and they did it well enough to make songs like "Orion" and "To Live Is To Die" (from ...And Justice) among my favorite metal instrumentals.

Add my voice to the many, many fans who have rated this album five stars. If Master of Puppets isn't the best metal album ever, it's very very close.

MUSIC REVIEW: Explorers Club - Age of Impact

"Largely bloviate ostentation with a few great moments."

Age of Impact is progressive songwriter Trent Gardner's side-project featuring some big name progressive musicians (Steve Howe, John Petrucci, Terry Bozzio, Billy Sheehan). Gardner comes from the band Magellan, who isn't my cup of tea at all, but this album's appeal came to me because of some familiar talent involved. Gardner seems to be writing an album about progressive rock, not just a progressive rock record. It's almost a form of oblation, where Gardner's songwriting tries to cover as much ground as possible and acknowledge the progressive greats of the past. In fact, it's more of a homage to prog than prog itself. There is some metal elements here, but I wouldn't call it a "prog metal" album. You can also pick up some interesting themes in the lyrics, like the challenges a contemporary progressive musician faces.

Musically, Explorers Club has a rich mine of talent. There's some stunning soloing from the eight (!) soloists involved, with John Petrucci's work being especially great. A pair of his wonderful solos illuminate the echoic "Fading Fast" with amazing emotional acuity, which help make it my favorite on this disc. Elsewhere, there's some unnecessarily flashy guitar and keyboard acrobatics undermine some interesting songwriting...I mean, there's more than 30 solos here and the album isn't even more than an hour long. An important lesson to learn is that there's more to "progress" than being a technical monster with lots of long solos.

The vocal talent, like the instrumental talent, is also here in spades, but I must say that the singers don't have much to work with. The vocal melodies are super-awkward, which is a defining characteristic of Gardner's writing. He doesn't write very interesting vocal melodies, and sometimes they are pretty rough on the ears. Like I said, "Fading Fast" is my favorite track...it's an interesting, ambient composition with a lengthy intro that uses some Arabic drumming and vibrant synths and guitars. Matt Bradley's the singer on this one, and he does a good job, sounding almost ghostly over those moody synths. On this one, the lyrics aren't too clumsy. James LaBrie is a fabulous singer, but given songs without hooks or good melodies, he's talent is squandered. (The production handicaps his voice, too.) DC Cooper has a good, rich voice, and he gives the best vocal performance on the album, I'd say, although his track ("Time Enough") is spliced uncomfortably by a discomfited solo from James Murphy that seems out of place.

While I am being critical, one must not lose sight of some great stuff here. The quiet, luminous solos (Garner, Sheehan, Bemesderfer, Howe) in the middle of "Time Enough" are sublime; some frenetic work on the final track "Last Call" is ostentatious but still captures an ingredient of amusement; and other bits scattered throughout.

Age of Impact is like a Big Mac meal. It's not great food, but it's good for a diversion once in a while, with "Fading Fast" as the burger, "Time Enough" the fries, and Petrucci's solos on "Fading Fast" as the toy. It's not a progressive masterpiece, but it's fun once in a while.

MUSIC REVIEW: Ozric Tentacles - Waterfall Cities

"The band from another dimension!"

When I listen to the Ozrics, I think that these guys are really aliens masquerading as humans. These aliens have a liking for many different styles of earthling music, and as such they blend the psychedelic space rock with many eastern influences, a mutated form of New Age, and some of the "watery" electronic textures of techno. Their music is out of this world, so unlike anything else that it's difficult to compare. Their music mystifies and excites like nothing else.

This is only my second Ozric Tentacles CD, as I am new to their music. I also own their newest, The Hidden Step, which I like better than this one. These songs are little more cosmic but a little less colorful. My favorite track is the hyperkinetic "Waterfall City." It's 11 minutes in length, driven by crystalline synth lines and ballistic guitars that swim atop a hammering layer of throbbing bass and electrifying drums. One thing I noticed about this disc is that the drumming and bass lines seem a little more repetitive. That's unfortunate, since it detracts some the dynamics of the songs. Still, this is an excellent release well worth owning.

MUSIC REVIEW: Eternity X - Mind Games

"Close to The Edge."

Mind Games is the bridge between the straightforward metal of Zodiac and the progressive masterpiece The Edge. As such, the band's progressive aspirations are gaining a little more of a foothold in the music. That's not readily apparent however. The album opens with the upfront, crunchy spitfire attack of "Firestorm," with vocalist Keith Sudano's plosive phrasing sounding dubiously like Geoff Tate (although his actual voice is very different). From there, the album becomes more challenging, with less direct approach to songwriting: the wet, gray textures of the sad "Despair"; the steady, suspenseful progressions of "Endless Journey." Thematically the album explores endless conflict within the mind. This exemplified best with the title track, punctuated by aggressive, crunchy riffs and cool lyrics... "I am your nightmare, I am you." Mind Games is an important album in observing the nascent potential ready to be commanded by Eternity X.

MUSIC REVIEW: Ozric Tentacles - Arborescence

"Beyond words."

If anyone's been paying attention, I've done four reviews for Ozric Tentacles albums to date, and each time I've struggled to describe their music. Again, I will give it a shot (futile though it might be). Most people put them together with the good ol' instrumental progressive/space rock category, but there's so much more to it. It's got that ambient factor of electronica and the "bumpin'" element of techno, but it's unmistakably rock music. Yet still there's the African, Eastern, and Arabic influences that further distinguish this wacky bunch of virtuosos.

So throw it all in the blender, and what do you get? Something truly unique and mystifying, served up smooth. Hell if I know what to call it, but it's damn cool. Although there aren't really hooks, the music is aurally addictive. Each song is weirdly evocative and intense, with unparalleled dynamics of tempo and texture. All songs are great, but ya gotta give special mention to the longest song, which in this case is "Yog-Bar-Og." It undulates in intensity, all the while building to a wicked climax! It's 10 minutes of what the Ozrics do best, but again, what that is is difficult to describe. Some words that come to mind when listening are: "Trippy," "Fuzzy," "Plosive," "Glistening," "Smooth," "Watery," "Magical," "Steamy," "Groovy," "Cosmic," "Spacey," "Celestial Jungle Power," "Rawkin,'" and "Monkeys." Yep, there's my helpful review...I'm sure it told you everything you wanted to know, hoi hoi.

MUSIC REVIEW: Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory (reconsidered)

"Progressive metal's finest hour (or 78 minutes)."

There are a lot of great progressive metal bands around these days. There's the symphonic and stylish Symphony X, the increasingly evolving Fates Warning, the original and daring Pain of Salvation, the technical powerhouses Power of Omens, and many others.

But among them all, Dream Theater remains the best. To me, no one else defines progressive metal like these five brilliant musicians. They strike an incredible balance of power, technique, emotion, and melody with a unified vision possible only with the remarkable degree of chemistry these guys share. And, in many ways, Scenes From A Memory is their best work.

Here's the skinny: It's a 78 minute concept album whose story stems from the original "Metropolis" mystique from their breakthrough album Images And Words. This is the album Dream Theater wanted to make all along, with no pressure from their label, and no regard for commercial success. It's a feast for the music lovers, with a good enough ear for composition and melody that the technique never overshadows the song. Dream Theater's critics love to attack them for going overboard with solos and instrumental sections, but it's never bothered me simply because they play with a lot of heart. John Petrucci is an outstanding guitar player who never restrains his technical ability, but most importantly he plays with a tremendous amount of soul. The encouraging heroics of his solo on "The Spirit Carries On" encapsulate this idea better than anything. It's pure beauty in music.

DT may not be able to repeat the greatness of SFAM in the future, but if they continue to make the music they love, there will never be another good-but-flawed Falling Into Infinity. They will continue to take great strides beyond their peers and continue crunching the mold to their image while making some of the best music out there.

MUSIC REVIEW: Tool - Lateralus

"Rich and challenging."

I'd always figured Tool was a lame "nu-metal" band with reams of angst and minimal talent.

However, this album had become the focus of a discussion among progressive metal fans whose opinions I highly respected. I was hearing some interesting adjectives applied to them: "intricate," "original," "intelligent," "progressive." I was interested, but still skeptical. These guys were popular, after all, and I assumed that they were appealing to the lowest common denominator like so many""nu-metal" bands.

My curiosity was compounded when I saw the phenomenal music video for "Schism" on MTV. It was a delightfully surreal pictorial essay with a theme of renewal and emotional interaction (I think). Although the video is excellent, the music also captured my ear. I was unable to get that final menacing line, "I know the pieces fit," out of my head. The song possessed interesting progressions, complex syncopations, and good deal of musical muscle. I could tell these guys were more than a "let's scream and bang on guitars and drums and sound angry" band. (Also known as a "nu-metal" band...if that stuff is your cup of tea, you are at this point invited to disregard this commentary).

So I bought Lateralus. Initially, it appealed to me because of the mystery of the compositions, and the understated imagination of their music. I found it self-consciously alienating, for it is very dark and eschews melodic hooks. I suspected the album was a challenge, so I persevered. The excellent production lends to that mystery...it is very bass-heavy and Keenan's distinctive voice is sometimes barely audible, like a forlorn spectre. At other times, he's incredibly visceral and venemous, with a telling, indignant quality that perfectly fits with music so oppressively bleak. With each listen, I found something new, and as I began to follow the lyrics (note: get them from the Tool's site), things began to click. I started understanding the deliberate austerity of the music and appreciating it from an artistic perspective. It's experimental, somewhat unsettling, and tense.

And this is not the kind of stuff that beats you over the head with a loud, raucous song in four minutes. The average song length here is 8 minutes or so (not including the segues and track 13). This allows the band to express more lush ideas with their music, and be more experimental. Many songs contain hard, crushing moments balanced by slower, quieter moments. It only rarely "rocks"...Tool likes to draw you in with hypnotizing rhythms, sweeping textures, and crafty orchestrations instead of "rocking out."

And I am tremendously impressed by their work. This isn't progressive metal in the same vein as Dream Theater or Symphony X. In fact, I hesitate to call it metal. It IS heavy, but it's very subtle and insinuating. However, it is _progressive_ in that it does new things, pushes boundaries of categorization, and challenges the listener. This is the kind of music that requires some effort to "get" (as in understand), but it's a satisfying achievement to experience it.

Probably the best album out in 2001, I'd say.

MUSIC REVIEW: Eternity X - The Edge

"A transcendental progressive metal masterpiece."

Before getting The Edge, I had read countless for reviews for it, and invariably they lauded it one of the best albums in the progressive metal category. With that kind of praise, I knew it was something I had to hear for myself.

Expectations were high, and I was in no way disappointed; The Edge encapsulates greatness in progressive metal. Lots of emotional power, grandiosity, virtuoso performances, incredible vocals, and great songwriting. It is a concept album about people on the "edge"; people who question the meaning of life, people who are pushed past the breaking point, a society on a precipice of aberration. Lyrically it is very good. Musically, very good. Vocally, also very good. But The Edge is better than the sum of its impressive parts -- this truly is an extraordinary musical work.

Lead vocalist and songwriter Keith Sudano is a very talented man. Superhumanly accurate, rich and narrative while evoking a romantic power, his voice is a marvel. He is like an actor who becomes different people with each song. At times, he sounds like Mike Baker (from Shadow Gallery), except with far more range, emotional expression, and power. As a songwriter, he has a great sense of complexity and melody and he commands a vast musical vocabulary.

"The Edge - Introduction" is the harrowing overture to this astonishing album. The gothic organ that opens this track sets a dark, haunting tone. In the middle interlude, the instrumental interplay is inventive and exciting. One might first suspect that the album is gearing up for nothing more than an accomplished foray into progressive metal's conventional territory. They would be wrong....

"Fly Away" is the paean of The Edge. Laden with piano and sweeping string synths that accompany the powerful guitars, this song is very moving. The chorus is memorable and beautiful, and Sudano's delivery is breathtaking. The heroic guitar solo is absolutely incredible. The high spirits of this one are very infectious.

"The Confession" had me thinking it was a lost song from Operation: Mindcrime. The thought of this song's premise gives me shivers: it's about a man who kills clergymen in confessionals to avenge his daughter, who was raped and murdered by a priest. Sudano's soaring vocal style of the first two songs changes completely here. Now he isolates the emotional distress of the character and sounds like a normal -- if mentally distraught -- fellow. The anger, the anguish...so perfectly captured by the Sudano's vocals and the cutting instrumentation. The inclusion of "Fortuna Imperatix Mundi" in the intro was an appropriate touch to set the tone.

"The Edge II - The Looking Glass" explores a medieval direction, both musically and lyrically. Jamie Mazur's keyboards establish the atmospheric orchestral backdrop, and Sudano's lyrics are cryptic metaphors for ethical issues. The spitfire guitar riffs build up the urgency before the vocals get start up. The chorus is shocking: Sudano sings an operatic falsetto. It's cool, but at that range Sudano's pronunciation comes apart. That is my only complaint with the entire album.

"A Day In Verse" begins with a sublime piano passage that I love. Sounds a lot like Styx's "Come Sail Away." Sudano's vocals are quieter and almost fragile, but he remains an expressive, visceral wonder. For the most part, "A Day In Verse" is a beautiful ballad, although the middle of the song is more aggressive. The instrumental interlude -- with the heavy throbbing bass, a charging guitar riff, and flamboyant strokes of piano -- is pure genius. It then returns to the quieter theme of the song that is oh so incredible in its evocative power and flow.

By now, Sudano and co. have proven to be infallible songwriters. It seems fitting that they now offer the difficult and mysterious "Imaginarium," which reminds me of Queensryche's "Roads to Madness." This 10-minute track opens with a dark acoustic guitar line, layered by a quiet mesmerizing synth, while the lyrics and vocals are elegiac. Slowly, almost teasingly, the song begins to build in intensity, then things explode into a speedy riff and fiery vocal lines. This undulating arrangement is repeated. Interesting melodic progressions and engaging, high-energy arrangements make this one great.

"The Edge III - Existence Chapter 1,000,009" is a quieter, eclectic piece with lushly pressing instrumental interplay and a subtle, galloping groove. The band shows off some dazzling instrumental interplay during the interlude where they quote classic Beethoven themes.

"The Edge of Madness" is the best recorded depiction of insanity you'll ever hear. Sudano effectively becomes the madman in the song, using close to ten different voices to convey unadulterated dementia. Melody shifts move from staccato guitar strikes to quiet piano passages to accompany the unpredictable change of bearing. It's stunning...but it gets better. In the middle section, Sudano starts cursing the band and the listener themselves! Who are they to tell his story and make money off it, or just sit their and listen to it to get some jollies? The leads in this song come hard, fast and furious.

"Rejection" seethes with anger, again conveyed perfectly in both a musical and vocal sense. You won't hear unqualified rhythmic violence or vocal fury like this from many progressive metal songs.

"Baptism By Fire" is compositionally colorful with mixes of exquisite piano, impassioned vocals, and mid-tempo riffery. Lyrically, it is about being enraged by the world but finding solace in the single, special person whom you love. It fits, given the way the song goes through so many melody shifts.

"The Edge, Legacy/Reprise" closes the album fittingly. By the time the reprise rolls around, you're almost saddened that the CD is ending. However, the dark, enigmatic tones of this album assures that it will prove fruitful for long-term exploration. You'll be listening to this one for a long time. In terms of diversity, the heterogeneous songs ensure that you'll never get bored. This album leaves an indelible mark, and is a must have.

MUSIC REVIEW: Dream Theater - Metropolis 2000, Scenes from New York (DVD)

"Astonishing live prog metal."

Dream Theater's concept album Scenes From A Memory is jaw-dropping on CD, but one gains a whole new level of appreciation for the work when one sees it performed. I mean, Dream Theater plays some really complex stuff here, and it's awesome to watch. "The Dance of Eternity" is insane, and the instrumental section of "Beyond this Life" has some really tough harmonization and unison lines. John Myung's dexterous bass playing is especially incredible to see because it's sometimes difficult to hear him in the mix on the CD. Jordan Rudess is truly a god among keyboardists, and I don't doubt that in a few years we'll regard him with the same deference as legends like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. It's almost uncanny how easily he plays everything. What's also interesting about him is that he doesn't use racks of keyboards; he controls everything from just one, and switches between sounds with a pedal. Very cool. For much of the show, I just sat there with my jaw constantly hitting the floor thinking, "How the freakin' heck do they do that?"

The band puts on an incredible show. The band usually has a sort of calm stage presence, but here they're gushing energy. LaBrie's vocals never miss their mark, and in some ways his performance is better here than on the CD. I hadn't realized he had this much live power (let's not forget that he's an operatically trained vocalist, too). The band recreates SFAM's story using images on the big screens, which is good for those who didn't quite grasp the plot. (I understood the story, but it was nice to finally see what the breaking glass was on "Finally Free.") The band also brings in the hypnotherapist, the gospel choir for "The Spirit Carries On," and Theresa Thomason to sing Victoria's lines on that same song. Here, they've essentially recreated the album better than I could have imagined.

The bonus material is great. Personally, I found the "Making Of" section very interesting, and the band's audio commentary for the concert is really quite funny. The "Deleted Scenes" are a dream come true. I never expected to see the band perform "A Mind Beside Itself" in its entirety, and the electric version of "The Silent Man" is an intense extension of the original song. "Learning to Live" is a great anthemic song, even better here because of LaBrie's vocal improvisation during Petrucci's heroic guitar solo (the one right after LaBrie's hits that high F). And the best of all... "A Change of Seasons" as an encore, with some fun embellishments during "IV. The Darkest of Winters.

What I'm getting at is...this DVD is incredible. If you're a DT fan, you absolutely need this.

MUSIC REVIEW: Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons

"Dream Theater's ultimate epic."

I think we can thank the bootleg The Dance of Eternity for this fantastic release. The Dance of Eternity was recorded during the I&W tour, and at that show they played "A Change of Seasons" in its entirety. As the bootleg was distributed, demand grew for an official recording of the band's magnum opus. The band finally conceded and released the song a few years later with some bonus live material.

This 23-minute track encapsulates Dream Theater's greatness. Emotionally powerful, often heavy, sometimes soulful, audacious, and technically challenging music. The production here is very good, perhaps Dream Theater's best studio recording up to that point from that perspective. More importantly, the band understands how the write a captivating epic that never seems boring... in fact, it's so enthralling that you barely realize it's over. Written in seven movements, the seasons parallel an semi-autobiographical story about growing up and coming to terms with mortality. It is very touching at times, especially with the heart-wrenching licks of Petrucci's solo on "V. Another World." The virtuosity also makes an impression, especially the lightning fast solos and unison lines on "IV. The Darkest of Winters." LaBrie's vocals never miss their mark, and he further establishes himself as one of progressive rock/metal's most emotive singer. What you have here is perhaps the best song by progressive metal's greatest band.

The bonus live material is great. It's very cool hearing an Elton John song (of all things) that gets Dream Theater's magic treatment. I'm no Elton John fan, but the cover is good! "Perfect Strangers," (Deep Purple) is a perfectly fitting song for DT to play, while the Led Zeppelin covers and the "Big Medley" are also enjoyable. They had a bunch of room left on the disc, so I'm disappointed that they didn't include more songs from this show. I would have liked to see Metallica's "Damage Inc." and Tori Amos' "Winter" included here, and maybe the excerpts from Yes' "Starship Trooper" and "Siberian Khatru." Ah well...there's always the bootleg...

(Ignore people griping about the covers. Like them or not, it's just bonus material...concentrate on the actual song from which the EP draws its name. It's stupid to judge an album based on bonus material.)

Quite simply, you cannot qualify as a Dream Theater fan until you add this disc to your collection.

MUSIC REVIEW: Iron Maiden - Brave New World

"Iron Maiden's restitution."

It's been years since Iron Maiden has sounded so vibrant and creative. Brave New World is a fine achievement of quintessential heavy metal songwriting; a return to form for one of metal's preeminent bands. Maiden shows considerable growth here, but the energy captured on this record is nearly concordant with their zenith of intensity (I refer to albums like Piece of Mind and Powerslave). This is the album Maiden fans have awaited for years, ever since they began to lose their fervor with No Prayer for the Dying.

So, Blaze Bailey out, Bruce Dickinson in. A good trade, to say the least, but even better with the canny melodic sense and creativity of guitarist Adrian Smith, who also returns. This ups the line-up to three lead guitarists, which might sound excessive, but it's remarkable how well they make it work. The arrangements don't sound cluttered at all, and overall the band handles this approach intuitively. If anything, they should have explored more complex guitar harmonies than they did. The production is stunning and gritty, and succeeds and isolating and preserving the ineffably energy of Iron Maiden's music.

As always, Iron Maiden is defined by the impetus of heavy metal's intensity with a shrewd melodic awareness unique among metal bands. The difference is that the band shows considerable progression here. While there are cuts that just ooze the classic Maiden sound (like "Wicker Man," "The Mercenary," and "Fallen Angel"), while others explore the band's more ambitious tendencies. Shades of these inclinations have often been evident ("Rime of the Ancient Mariner," "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son," "Heaven Can Wait," for instance), but here the band delves into them farther. Behold the Middle Eastern influences of the epic "The Nomad," the mix of quiet and loud passages in "Thin Line Between Love and Hate," and the lush orchestrations of "Blood Brothers." So, while the band retains their classic feel, they also expand on this with rewarding results. Truly, they are one of the most sophisticated heavy metal bands ever. (Steve Harris does enjoy many progressive rock bands, you know.)

My only complaints are that the band sometimes protracted the songs unnecessarily. "Mercenary" and "Fallen Angel" are ok, save for the fact that they are too repetitive. "Dream of Mirrors" is, again, a great song, but it should have been 2 or 3 minutes shorter because a lot of it is needless repetition. I'm left thinking that the band was trying too hard to impress at times.

Still, despite these complaints, I can't deny that this truly is a recovery for Maiden. Good job boys. (Sweet cover art, too!) Now how about another solo album, Bruce?

MUSIC REVIEW: Power of Metal [compilation]

"Awesome live Conception tracks."

I am a sick, sick Conception fan, evidenced by the fact that I paid an insane amount of money just to get the five Conception songs on this disc. Now this release is totally obscure and out of print. But if you can get lucky enough to find it, AND you are a mad Conception fiend, you need it. Hearing Conception live just affirms their stature as one of my favorite bands. Vocalist Khan doesn't seem like the kind of guy who'd be powerful in the live forum, but he rocks. All of these overt metal tracks are from the band's CD, Parallel Minds, which rocks, although the studio versions seem tepid in comparison to the awesome live ones. I know nothing about the other bands, so I won't comment, but I don't listen to them anyway. If you're a sick, twisted Conception fan like myself, get this. I will use the argument of intimidation: If you don't this, you aren't a *real* Conception fan (hehe).

MUSIC REVIEW: Vanden Plas - Far Off Grace

"Fine music, unfortunate singer."

Vanden Plas lingers in the ether realm between progressive metal and power metal, with tendency to lean more to the former, although some of the arrangements favor the forthright approach of the latter. Their musicianship shines and they incorporate some interesting ideas into their music. Being the fastidious listener I am, I found several deleterious factors beyond the prima facie virtues. My biggest problem with the album is the vocalist (and I'm really picky about that). He's a decent singer I guess. I just can't stretch myself to say he fits Vanden Plas' heavy, aggressive musical direction. His range is terribly thin, leaving him with a high, impotent sound. So, while he sings well, he lacks a fierceness that would have fit the music, or a soaring quality found in singers like James LaBrie and Geoff Tate.

The music, however, shines. Mostly. Well, sometimes. It features some beautiful piano quotes and some cool touches (like the Eastern influence of "Fields of Hope") among the fiery, relentlessly crunchy riffs. Even so, much of the music is disappointingly straightforward, almost mechanical in the way the band executes riff after riff with the requisite synthed accompaniment (which rarely adds anything to the song). Nearly every song is 5-6 minutes, which hardly keeps the album fresh from track to track...especially with music like this. Combined with the kind of muddy guitar tone, the things quickly grow tiresome. The corny ballad "I Don't Miss You" is totally lame.

Far Off Grace is might be worth checking out if you're into this kind of music (I know I am), but that recommendation doesn't change my admonition. Wimpy vocals and general tedium undermine the album's quality. Too bad.

MUSIC REVIEW: Ice Age - The Great Divide

"A band with promise."

These days, the most difficult challenge for a progressive rock/metal band is finding its own unique sound. While some bands succeed, but most fail. While Ice Age fails to generate originality, they are good musicians and they write good songs, evoking I&W-era Dream Theater (lots of string synths, keyboard-guitar unison lines) at times and Rush at others. The production, while muddy at times, complements the band's energy. The vocalist has talent, and at times he sounds great, but there's times when he tries to sing beyond his abilities (not cool).

"Perpetual Child," a heavy and crunchy song seething with energy... energy that much of the album lacks. Hard to follow up a song that good. That's not to say there's no other impressive material here. "Spare Chicken Parts," while perhaps unfocused and too ostentatious, is an exciting instrumental. "Ice Age" is great hard-edged progressive music, with all it's varied constituents molded together nigh-perfectly. "To Say Goodbye" is the appropriately grand album closer (lots of great piano in this one). (Note that these are all the album's longest songs, totaling nearly 40 minutes.)

I haven't really warmed up to the rest of the album. Maybe I won't. Although the band is skilled, I find the shorter songs fail to be all that stimulating. It appears that when the band is not writing epic pieces with ambition and lush orchestrations, they meet with less success. Still, this is a worthwhile album that makes a good impression, for the most part. I've heard that the band's follow-up, Liberation, is much better than this one, and I'm inclined to check it out. The Great Divide shows a band with promise, so it would be no surprise that Liberation reveals flowering ability.

MUSIC REVIEW: Spiral Architech - A Sceptic's Universe

"Anarchist metal."

Spiral Architect doesn't dig the concept of "boundaries" or progressive metal convention. They don't play by the rules. Deep, mega-complex, absorbing...not easy listening, and honestly it has taken a long, long time for me to even get sucked in by its excellence. Focus often hovers around the phenomenal bass playing of Lars Norsberg, and though your attention will often be focused on him, you'll also want to lend an ear to the amazing musicians complementing. Thinking man's metal? Hell yeah, even if you're Einstein. But you know what? Other than the heaviness, the vocals, and the general instrumentation, it resembles jazz-fusion more than it does your usual prog metal. Neil Kernon produced it, which is an accolade in itself. Buy it.

MUSIC REVIEW: Conception - Parallel Minds

"Great, but less ingenious than other Conception albums."

I didn't discover Conception until recently, and it was quite a discovery. The Last Sunset, Conception's impressive debut, featured many typical characteristics of a band's first record. While it shows a bit of youthful naiveté and enthusiasm, sometimes an imbalance between ambition and songwriting, but nonetheless, it is an excellent, distinctive release. Parallel Minds, Conception's second release, shows the band's budding maturity that would come to full bloom on the subsequent In Your Multitude and especially Flow.

Parallel Minds' rhythms are fairly straightforward, and song diversity is a slight problem, but it's still a great metal album. It has a solid punch of insatiable riffing, fiery tempos, and impassioned vocals (Roy Khan is one of the best voices in metal, in my opinion). The progressive tendencies demonstrated in the debut are more interesting this time around, especially in the 9-minute piece "Soliloquy," which offers a ferocious mix of ardent guitars, piano, and a mix of loud and quiet passages. Other than the largely acoustic ballad "Silent Crying," most of the tracks are carnivorous metal cuts. Check out the menacing riffs of "Wolf's Lair," the chugging viciousness of "Roll the Fire," or the crushing title track. You'll see what I mean.

I believe all Conception albums are now out of print. Even if it takes a bit more work than normal, I recommend hunting down all four of their releases.

MUSIC REVIEW: Mullmuzzler - Keep It to Yourself

"Great vocals with lots of diverse tracks."

James LaBrie's excellent solo project shows that he's more than just a phenomenally talented singer, but he's decent songwriter as well. He has some Magna Carta fellow travelers joining him to help write some of the tunes, and of course Trent Gardner still struggles to write decent vocal melodies. With Dream Theater, LaBrie's songwriting is rather undervalued among his virtuoso peers, but here you really see another dimension of him.

LaBrie sounds excellent, visceral and strong and confident, far better than Dream Theater's Falling Into Infinity, which was released not-so-long before this. His emotional expression is also impeccable, which is one of the reasons I love Dream Theater so much. Nowhere is this more evident than on the nondescript ballads. Mullmuzzler's trips into the tunnel of love may have been awfully banal had the vocals not brought them up a few notches.

The impassioned opener "His Voice" shows the album's principal feel: melodic metal/rock with a progressive leaning. There's some great quirky moments, like the Zappa-esque "Beelzebubba," with its use of brass, and the audacious "As a Man Thinks," which features melody shifts aplenty, bombastic vocals, and thoughtful lyrics. The sentimental rocker "Guardian Angel" and the mini-epic "Shores of Avalon" are also highlights. Each song offers something different thanks to considerable variety and tight musicianship. Overall, a great disc for James LaBrie fans.

MUSIC REVIEW: Queensryche - Promised Land

"The last great Queensryche album."

Queensryche has evolved considerably over the past 20 years of their prolific careers. They've gone from fiery heavy metal in the days of their EP to the lush rock-opera of Operation: Mindcrime, to the sublime perfection of the commercially successful Empire, to their current status as a more-or-less generic rock band. In the middle of these last two phases comes Promised Land. Compared to the remarkable accessibility of Empire, Promised Land is a little more unusual, and difficult to appreciate. Living up to the amazing success and quality of Empire is nearly impossible, and I do not envy Promised Land for what it tried to do.

The problem lies in the fact that Promised Land's excellent songs are not as densely packed as those on Empire. Most of the songs are good, but not all the songs are excellent. There are moments of mediocrity that drag the album down from levels of excellence. The superlative production alleviates some of the boredom associated with the passable tracks, as do the thick wall-of-sound arrangements. However, interspersed amongst the middling pieces are some of the best tracks they've ever recorded, including some of the finest lyrics. The acoustic balladry of "Bridge" made for a lucrative single that deserved all its enjoined success. The sad, thoughtful "Out of Mind," the ominous "Lady Jane," and the hard rock trappings of "Disconnected" are all great. The true standouts are the stormy title track, with those monstrous arrangements and the harrowing tone, and the moving closer, "Someone Else?" The latter is the most un-Ryche song they've ever done, consisting only of piano and Geoff Tate's emotive vocals. The memorable piano lines, thoughtful lyrics and Tate's passion are what makes this one special. Tate even strains on a note...guess he's human after all! Without the songcraft to elevate it to pure greatness, the production helps.

A good Queensryche. Mostly great, even. Still, it can't touch the monolithic status of Mindcrime and Empire. In terms of songcraft, those albums are the band's best. But this is still awesome enough for you to care, and wish the band was still churning out this level of quality in its newer material.