LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT 3

Well,it has finally arrived; after years of waiting,anticipating, and great expectations...it lands with a thud. I never thought this incredible line up could falter. But, here it is an exercise in musical misjudgement. All these wonderful musical virtuosos put this mess into a hodgepodge of riff rock and boring bomblast. It begins with HYPERSONIC a ridiculously fast speedball of blazing tempo drums and guitar. This thrill ride is not at all a pleasant listening experience. The song, THE PASSAGE OF TIME ,is for me the best track on the cd. It is a rocker of considerable weight; perfect guitar and keyboard interplay with outstanding drums by Mike Portnoy. After this piece it goes downhill fast. CHRIS AND KEVIN'S AMAZING ODYSSEY plods along going nowhere. This is a rehash of CHRIS AND KEVIN'S BOGUS JOURNEY from the SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION RELEASE. Then, they lay out another song from their past, Gershwin's RHAPSODY IN BLUE...A GREAT SONG; but another version brings the cd vibe down. It does not fit the rest of the music at all. SHADES OF HOPE and KEY TO THE IMAGINATION plainly show they have lost the key and there is no hope for this release. I love just about everything JOHN PETRUCCI, JORDAN RUDESS,TONY LEVIN, and MIKE PORTNOY have done in the past ; and this release does not reach the high standard of reserve for these great musicians. Sorry guys.