SUSPENDED ANIMATION

That is how I feel about this album. I feel it is simply an outlet for Petrucci to say "Look at me, I'm fast!" now, this is not entirely true, as some of the songs can be quite pretty. I will say that he overuses the standard "Dream Theater" trademarked guitar solo. None of the solos really amaze or do anything different, specially not from his Dream theater work. This could easily be called Dream Theater - instrumental version.

Take Jaws of Life. It has such a thick and rocking opener, then shifts into a great "chorus" until ripping with a furious solo at the end. This would be great if the every song on the album (barring an exception or two) didn't follow this style. It is very repetitive, and I don't even think he utilized a rhythm section. It is there, but who cares? It adds no dimensions to the music, and could just as well not even be there.

The songs seem progressive, but only on a very shallow compositional level. Most of the songs are standard metal tunes, and this is pretty much a second rate instrumental metal album. To be fair, the melodies are pleasant, and nothing really offends, but this album won't be missed if you decide to pass it up. Two Stars

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