METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

Dream Theater released their first concept album in 1999. It was their fifth studio album and was entitled "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory" so it is the prosecution of the song "Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper" which was released on the band's second studio album "Images and Words".

The album is a really strong release and often considered as the band's peak and indeed so far it is one of their best album I've heard from this band. Musically lots of instrumental passages are basing on "Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper". The album is in my opinion a perfect mixture of soft ballads and the typical intense ultra complex instrumental passages. The change between soft passages and intense and heavy moments is brilliant and the album delivers many great tracks like the beautiful ballad "The Spirit Carries On", the great instrumental "Overture 1928", the heavy "Strange Déjà vu", the fast n' furious "Fatal Tragedy", the epic "Home" or "Through her Eyes", another beautiful ballad.

The highlight of the album is in my opinion the final "Finally Free" a very intense song with beautiful acoustic passages, a great chorus and intense and heavy passages. The changes between this passages are coming without a warning and this really scared me when I've heard it for the first time and still gives me cold shivers.