I recently presented Dream Theater's Images And Words in this blog. Coincidentally that was only a couple of days after their appearance in nearby Amsterdam, during which they played Metropolis Pt. 2 in its entirety (to commemorate the album's 20th anniversary). Friends who went to the concert had a lot of praise for the band's performance. Apparently the album was meticulously recreated onstage despite the absence of original drummer Mike Portnoy - not an easy feat, but perhaps the only way to listen to it: you don't want to mess too much with a concept album such as the one I am about to present.
Compared to Images And Words there is a direct connection but I also see an improvement in the following sectors: a) the concept album format makes the long instrumental passages and abrupt changes within the same song seem more palatable, as the songs aren't necessarily meant to stand on their own. Their lyrics, which I used to find indifferent, are now in the service of the story and therefore more meaningful b) La Brie doesn't constantly sing in the high register which allows him to interpret the various roles and display more sentiment c) The band seem to have added Pink Floyd to their list of influences, with Petrucci often trying a Gilmour-inspired psychedelic guitar style, in addition to his usual pyrotechnics d) the compositions seem to me to be better, no more over-reliance on generic metal riffs e) not that there was anything wrong with the previous guys, but new member Jordan Rudess on keys proves to be a perfect fit - and indeed has become their longest-standing keyboardist (currently in the band for 20 years). To return to the connection of Metropolis Pt.2 to Images And Words, that album contained a track named "Metropolis Pt. 1" that turned out to be very popular. The "Part 1" of the title was added playfully as an afterthought but fans took it seriously and kept asking for the sequel. So the band sat down to write "Part 2", and they had to devise a story to make sense of "Part 1"'s cryptic lyrics, which is how they ended up with a whole album of material. As it turns out, the story is about a person ("Nicholas") who has troubled dreams brought about by memories of a previous life (I know! let's just accept it, shall we?). So he goes to hypnotherapist who puts him under ("Scene One: Regression"). The album opens with the hypnotists' instructions followed by a short acoustic piece that sounds like a snippet ripped out from Pink Floyd's The Wall. The same can be said of two excellent ballads we encounter later ("Scene Five: Through Her Eyes" and "Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On"), especially regarding Petrucci's guitarwork (emotive rather than bombastic) and female backing vocals. "Scene Two: I. Overture 1928" is an instrumental with fancy guitar solos, while hard rocker "Scene Two: II. Strange Deja Vu" takes us back to 1928 where where our story begins: Nicholas learns that in another life he was a woman named Victoria. From here on, Victoria's story unfolds song after song: She was part of a love triangle with two brothers, until she and one of the brothers (I won't say who because I don't want to spoil the crime aspect of the story for you) was murdered. The murder was never properly resolved, which is why she keeps reappearing in Nicholas' dreams. "Scene Three: I. Through My Words" is a short piano interlude, while "Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy" starts off as a power ballad before getting overrun by heavy riffing. "Beyond This Life" is an 11-minute song with many changes, mostly heavy but with some nice slow segments. Ballad "Through Her Eyes" closes "Act I" of the album, and at that point I can say I'm satisfied, not only by the band's trademark excellent musicianship but also by the member I consider the weak link: singer La Brie delivers an histrionic-free performance, and even sporadically manages to put in some humanity and feeling in his singing. "Act II", which reveals another perspective to the story, opens with "Home", a marathon metal tune introduced by a playful oriental melody, followed by complex prog instrumental "The Dance of Eternity". "One Last Time" is a hard rock power ballad, slightly marred by a somewhat exaggerated vocal performance. After an excellent ballad "The Spirit Carries On", the album concludes with "Scene Nine: Finally Free". My final thoughts are that "Metropolis Pt. 2" stands out not only as Dream Theater's crowning achievement, but probably as the best showcase for the whole "progressive metal" genre. The band's playing is as dazzling as ever in its virtuosity and the storyline intricately structured. Then why not give it 5* you ask? The reason is that, despite the complex arrangements and time changes, I still find the compositions rather mundane at heart and melodies forgettable. It is nevertheless an essential album for any metal or modern prog fan.
Compared to Images And Words there is a direct connection but I also see an improvement in the following sectors: a) the concept album format makes the long instrumental passages and abrupt changes within the same song seem more palatable, as the songs aren't necessarily meant to stand on their own. Their lyrics, which I used to find indifferent, are now in the service of the story and therefore more meaningful b) La Brie doesn't constantly sing in the high register which allows him to interpret the various roles and display more sentiment c) The band seem to have added Pink Floyd to their list of influences, with Petrucci often trying a Gilmour-inspired psychedelic guitar style, in addition to his usual pyrotechnics d) the compositions seem to me to be better, no more over-reliance on generic metal riffs e) not that there was anything wrong with the previous guys, but new member Jordan Rudess on keys proves to be a perfect fit - and indeed has become their longest-standing keyboardist (currently in the band for 20 years). To return to the connection of Metropolis Pt.2 to Images And Words, that album contained a track named "Metropolis Pt. 1" that turned out to be very popular. The "Part 1" of the title was added playfully as an afterthought but fans took it seriously and kept asking for the sequel. So the band sat down to write "Part 2", and they had to devise a story to make sense of "Part 1"'s cryptic lyrics, which is how they ended up with a whole album of material. As it turns out, the story is about a person ("Nicholas") who has troubled dreams brought about by memories of a previous life (I know! let's just accept it, shall we?). So he goes to hypnotherapist who puts him under ("Scene One: Regression"). The album opens with the hypnotists' instructions followed by a short acoustic piece that sounds like a snippet ripped out from Pink Floyd's The Wall. The same can be said of two excellent ballads we encounter later ("Scene Five: Through Her Eyes" and "Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On"), especially regarding Petrucci's guitarwork (emotive rather than bombastic) and female backing vocals. "Scene Two: I. Overture 1928" is an instrumental with fancy guitar solos, while hard rocker "Scene Two: II. Strange Deja Vu" takes us back to 1928 where where our story begins: Nicholas learns that in another life he was a woman named Victoria. From here on, Victoria's story unfolds song after song: She was part of a love triangle with two brothers, until she and one of the brothers (I won't say who because I don't want to spoil the crime aspect of the story for you) was murdered. The murder was never properly resolved, which is why she keeps reappearing in Nicholas' dreams. "Scene Three: I. Through My Words" is a short piano interlude, while "Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy" starts off as a power ballad before getting overrun by heavy riffing. "Beyond This Life" is an 11-minute song with many changes, mostly heavy but with some nice slow segments. Ballad "Through Her Eyes" closes "Act I" of the album, and at that point I can say I'm satisfied, not only by the band's trademark excellent musicianship but also by the member I consider the weak link: singer La Brie delivers an histrionic-free performance, and even sporadically manages to put in some humanity and feeling in his singing. "Act II", which reveals another perspective to the story, opens with "Home", a marathon metal tune introduced by a playful oriental melody, followed by complex prog instrumental "The Dance of Eternity". "One Last Time" is a hard rock power ballad, slightly marred by a somewhat exaggerated vocal performance. After an excellent ballad "The Spirit Carries On", the album concludes with "Scene Nine: Finally Free". My final thoughts are that "Metropolis Pt. 2" stands out not only as Dream Theater's crowning achievement, but probably as the best showcase for the whole "progressive metal" genre. The band's playing is as dazzling as ever in its virtuosity and the storyline intricately structured. Then why not give it 5* you ask? The reason is that, despite the complex arrangements and time changes, I still find the compositions rather mundane at heart and melodies forgettable. It is nevertheless an essential album for any metal or modern prog fan.
***** for The Spirit Carries On
**** for Regression, Strange Deja Vu, Through My Words, Fatal Tragedy, Beyond This Life, Through Her Eyes , Finally Free
*** for Overture 1928, The Dance of Eternity, One Last Time
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