ROOM V

Wow, what a stunning release! In my brave review of "Octavarium" I wrote that there probably won't be a better album this year, after listening to "Room V" I must correct this point of view. THIS ALBUM IS THE PROG METAL MASTERPIECE OF 2005! I don't want to make the 5 star rating of the new DT album from my side as false disicion, because I still enjoy it, but the new Shadow Gallery record with it's bonus cd (including an phenomenal Pink Floyd medley called "Floydian Memories") really blows all recent stuff away in prog metal that I've heard since the last couples of years. The production is a pure hammer, the instruments (inclusive bass guitar) are all perfectly in presence. When they play fast forward, they sometimes sound like Dream Theater, but in quiet parts they really shine as a original. The songs are all on the same high level, it would be unfair to the rest of the songs to mention some single moments as highlights. I bought the limited edition double cd for a price of 18 ?, which is really worth the investment! If you are someone who is disappointed with the new Dream Theater record, this should be the record of the year to discover.

9/10 points = 92 % on MPV scale = 5/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 stars / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music