METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

This is my favorite album and one of the greatest prog realeases ever. Some people seem to think that Dream Theater is all about showing-off, but I'm here to tell you otherwise. DT's music may sound overblown to some people, but they put a ton of work into their music, and I think that this album, in particular, exemplifies that perfectly. It strikes an excellent balance of virtuosity and musicality without sounding too pretentious. Plus, it's just plain fun to listen to (when you have the time.)

-Regression: The opener. Sets the tone very nicely.

-Overture 1928: The true beginning to this album. Awesome opening with soaring guitar and keyboards admist Mike Portnoy's skillful drumming. A very dramatic sound to the whole thing. Great instrumental.

-Strange Deja Vu: Another awesome song. I really like LaBrie's singing as a whole on this album, but the lyrics of this song really make it stand out. Another thing that I like about DT is that their songs are so dynamic. If you don't like a certain part, chances are it won't last long anyways, and you'll be treated to something different. See, halfway through the song, it kind of shifts gears for a little while before returning to the chorus again.

-Through My Words: Short song that some might call "filler", but it's really quite beautiful and fits well with the rest of the album.

-Fatal Tragedy: Heavy, epic and twisted, it's hard to find anything even remotely wrong with this song. This song is just great. Just when you think you're nearing the song's end DT really steps it up, pulling out all the stops in a jaw-dropping instrumental section. Everyone does an outstanding job really bringing this song to life. There's also something vaguely foreign about it that adds to the overall atmosphere of the piece.

-Beyond this Life: This song matches an almost creepy, drawling, JLB with some really heavy riffage and does it well. On top of that, DT does once again what they do best: taking an already awesome song and filling it to the brim with awe-inspiring musicianship. There's a version of this on their Live at Budokan DVD/CD that is nearly 20 minutes long that you might also want to check out if you really like this song. My only gripe is that that solo section seems a little tacked-on and drawn-out but it's fun nevertheless.

-Through Her Eyes: Toanyone who says that DT can't do emotion, they clearly haven't heard this song. The only downside to this song might be the female singer in the beginning. There's nothing really wrong with it, but some people may not like it (although it does only last for about a minute.)

-Home: A foot-stompin', head-banging good-time. Great use of arabic rhythms and ambient effects. The main riff is also pretty damn wicked (can you tell that I'm running out adjectives yet?) My only gripe is the middle section with the sound bytes. Kinda unnecessary I think, but as far sound clips go, there's definitely nothing wrong with them (The whole orgasm thing makes some people uncomfortable, but whatever.) Good stuff. I just wish it wasn't so drawn-out. It starts to lose some steam after awhile.

-The Dance of Eternity: One of the best instrumentals they've ever done, along with Erotomania from their Awake album. Not too much else say; it's just a very cool song. Probably pretty unlistenable for anybody that isn't a musician, however.

-One Last Time: Another great emotion-fueled piece. Soaring vocals and great writing really make this song work.

-The Spirit Carries On: Think 'One Last Time' x2. The guitar solo in this one really shines.

-Finally Free: This is last song on the album and it really caps it all off. It's a great song if you can get past the sound clips (I really don't like having these in my music, no matter what the music is about or how well they fit.) At about 4 minutes in, the sound clips really start to show up, and although they do fit, the clips are pretty crappy/cheesy. Thankfully, they don't last too long. Overall, this is a really great ending song.

Overall score: Despite the inclusion of some questionable sound clips on the album, some unecessary wankery and some not-so-great lyrics, I really can't take away points from SFAM's overall score, simply because everything else is so amazing and fun to listen to. This is my favorite album and I'm pretty sure that it always will be unless Dream Theater somehow manages to top it. And, God, do I hope that they do.

5/5