METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

Let me just start by saying that I have not been a DT fan. My son begged me to listen to this CD for years and I kept putting it off. Every time I heard Labrie come in with his awful acapella on Regression, I would reach for the stop button. All I could see in my mind was some Journey wanna be, and my aggro musical tendencies would not stand for that.

I finally got this CD for my B-day and could not put it off anymore. I sat down and popped it in to my stereo, prepared for the torment to begin. As a lover of concept albums, I told myself to just relax and take it for what it is(then if I still don't like it, I can make a coaster out of it!). The tick-tocking started and the hypnotist speaks....So far, so good...Oh God, here it comes....Labrie sounds awful still....How could they let this go on the finished album, I wonder....The overture kicks in and it is Awesome! Maybe this won't be so bad after all. Strange Dejavu...Singing is much better, and in key with the music..nice, not great but listenable. I allow myself to be pulled in to the story and the music. Phenomenal! I love the lyrics and the playing is fabulous. Maybe this really is as great as everyone has been saying... but the singing is just not as good as it could or should be...Oh, well....Arriving at the final track? Already? Wow! That was a fantastic journey! And I hardly noticed Labrie being off key after the opener!

My final impressions: This album is instrumentally and conceptually a masterpiece. The story is original and fascinating. Like PF-The Wall, the ending is unclear and it lets you wonder what the possible outcomes could be. I like that. So why not 5 stars, you ask? Labrie. His singing is uneven and, well, annoying for the first couple of tracks. It then improves, or fades into the background, as the album progresses. I am undecided as to which....I have since explored some other DT releases. The older stuff is very good instrumentally, but I cannot get past the castrati-setto of Labrie. Sorry. I know I should not let this ruin it for me, but it does. He has obviously toned this down since the success of Scenes. I am really enjoying 6 degrees right now and I think he actually sounds pretty good! I will get ToT next. I hear it is heavier and that fits my Prog-metal-aggro personality more than Awake.

So, If you are not sure about this release, and have put off not listening to it for years like me, I suggest you get yourself a copy and be prepared to be impressed. Just bite your hand and plug your ears thru Regression and you will be OK. I promise!