A CHANGE OF SEASONS

This, of course, is not a proper studio album -- even if it had intended to be. Of the five tracks, there's only one that is originally composed by the band. The remainder tracks are live cover songs recorded from the band's gig at a jazz club in London.

The band's original track, the 23-minute title track, is actually this album is all about. It's an impressive seven-part epic. Started with a strong acoustic guitar arpeggio, this is basically a composition with the heavy sound similar to the previous album, "Awake". The difference, and what makes it better, is here the band bring and blend varied style delivered with complex instrumental arrangements and fired throughout by jaw- dropping playing. James LaBrie (vocals) as well as the new keyboardist Derek Sherinian add their signature characters at their best.

The cover songs could have been a tremendous treat -- I guess they were for those present when they were performed. The materials include Elton John's "Love Lies Bleeding", Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers", Led Zeppelin's "Achilles Last Stand", Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". But putting them in the same package with one of the greatest pieces of music in the progressive rock territory, taking more than half of the total playing time, clearly is a self-indulgence luxury, if not a lack of direction effort.

As stated in the sleeve note, this is indeed something to cheer up fans until the band released their next full length album. Great, but not perfect.