METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

First of all let me say that I am a big fan of Mike Portnoy, having become familiar with his drumming style through his work with Neal Morse.

Secondly, I'm not really into heavy metal so I haven't listened to some of Portnoy's other projects like Avenged Sevenfold or Sons of Apollo. Until recently, for the same reason, Dream Theater had also passed me by.

Then I heard Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory on Spotify and my mind was changed. I've now been given the CD for Christmas. This album is just the right side of melodic metal for me, in fact it doesn't seem to be any heavier than some parts of The Neal Morse Band's Pilgrim's Progress albums. Plus there are enough acoustic/ballady sections to even things out. I can detect some musical passages that remind me of those NMB albums, so I'm guessing Mike Portnoy had a fair bit of influence on the writing of those.

I won't go into the story told here because others have already done so, suffice to say I was disappointed that there is no summary of the story in the liner notes. If it wasn't for the internet I would find it more difficult to follow. As for the music, there are killer riffs, tremendous solos, and Portnoy's amazing drumming.

The lesson I would take from this is, don't assume you won't enjoy something just because it's not in a genre that you like. If you haven't heard this album, give it a go.