Reviews that Stand Out |
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Trickster F.
Prog Reviewer Joined: February 10 2006 Location: Belize Status: Offline Points: 5308 |
Posted: April 11 2006 at 15:35 | ||||
Wrong thread - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3317&a mp;a mp;PN=0&TPN=92 -- Ivan Edited by ivansfr0st |
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Lofcaudio
Forum Senior Member Joined: November 04 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 444 |
Posted: April 11 2006 at 14:40 | ||||
I don't understand the most recent review made for Brain Salad Surgery since the reviewer doesn't seem to think too highly of the songs themselves, yet gives the album 5 stars. He rates the songs 8.5, 10, 6.5, 6.5, 7.5, 7 and 8.5 which averages out to 7.8 (or 3.9/5). I'd just like to understand why he gave masterpiece status to an album which he doesn't seem to like much other than Toccata. EMERSON LAKE & PALMER (ELP) Brain Salad Surgery The first track Jerusalem is a cover of old hymn with lyrics written by the great english poet William Blake. ELP treat this song with the respect it deserves while adding much needed life and a great level of emotion putting it on a new level. The hymn is strange start to an album with a sleeve that looks like it came straight out of hades. 8.5/10
Toccata, the albums masterpiece and one of my personal favourite song of all times. It starts of with quiet trumpets which decieves the listener with what lies ahead. Then with crashing passion comes the keyboards, drum and bass, with such agression and intense passion. When the keyboards are finished their thrashing, a drum solo by Carl Palmer finishes off the first "movement" of the song, then rumbling percussives noices of Palmer, and a windy sound effect take your emagination to outside the colleseum of ancient Rome ELP have taken you with this song to genre of program music, Greg Lake's bass plays and give the impression of a sneaking shadow in the vicinty an alarm is sounded with even more agression the musicians play strange experimental noises, and at a heightened climax of music we are taken back to the first "movement", and then the song ends leaving your mind blown away. I have never heard a more savagely intense song as this one. 10/10 Still...you turn me on and Benny the bouncer are two short tracks I treat as fillers, Still... is more a typical love ballad, for the ladies and most likely a single. Benny the bouncer is humorous piece about a bar fight, int the same vein as Harold the Barrel or the Battle of Epping Forest by Genesis, albeit not as good; although I know some people who like it. 6.5/10 each Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression parts one and two ; although I think this piece is a little dated, it still has some amazing solos by ELP, their trademark energy, and has the famous lines "WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS TO THE SHOW THAT NEVER ENDS", I listen to this piece quite regulary 7.5/10 2nd Impression is mostly a traditional jazz piano with influences of Coltrane etc on it. Has a bit of ragtime in it as well, great for widening your appreciation to more traditional jazz pieces. 7/10 3rd Impression Is a great piece with some very fascinating inventive keyboarding by Keith Emerson. Lake's voice really excels on this piece. This whole movement is based around computers taking over the world, with a robotic voice declaring war on humanity-played by Lake, there is strange whirlling hypnotic robotic noices with interesting keyboard effects to describe the battle between humanity and robots. The albums sleeve looks as if to give reference to this. 8.5/10 Overall an enjoyable journey and perhaps the finest ELP album to date. And if possible its better to get this on vinyl for the sleeve, the open up design is just incedible, HR Gigers painting is one of the most memorable works of art in the 20th century. This album is definately worth your time. |
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Trickster F.
Prog Reviewer Joined: February 10 2006 Location: Belize Status: Offline Points: 5308 |
Posted: April 11 2006 at 14:34 | ||||
I want his autograph. -- Ivan |
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Hierophant
Forum Senior Member Joined: March 11 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 651 |
Posted: April 11 2006 at 14:22 | ||||
Is that a review or an autobiography? |
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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: February 21 2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 15585 |
Posted: April 11 2006 at 14:02 | ||||
Did we all miss this one? Probably the first review on the site of their own album by a member of a band (unless you know better!). Not actually much of review by the way! KAAMOS Deeds and Talks Hello musiclovers!
My name is Kyösti Laihi and I was a keyboardplayer, basicly Hammond B-3 (in Takomo-studios, Helsinki Hammond C-3), piano and Minimoog synthesizer, which I could say is quite familiar to me. I was lucky to join the group in the age of 15 allthough other members were more experiented as professional musicians. Mostly we played are own material and few versions of songs (works) of Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Zappa, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and lots of other artists and bands we highly respected and loved. During the time of the recording of Deeds And Talks I was 17 of age, Ipe(Ilpo Murtojärvi), who composed the music was 22, Johnny Gustafsson 28, and Jakke Leivo 29. So the time has flown but each and every member are still musicians or involved to music in other ways. I had to retire on a pension because of MS, but I could say, that I'm happier, than ever. After Kaamos I formed a band of my own, what I can say was my lifework. It was named or titled The Boulevard and we were doing LOTS of different kind of projects in musicbusiness. TV-Shows, Nightclub performaces and thousands of groovy gigs... But anyway I sang to the same microfone than Celine Dion and Tommy Körberg, doesn't it make me a better man:) But still I think that winning the Finlands Eurovision Song Contest with Pepe Willbergs "Nauravat Silmät Muistetaan"1988 is propably THE thing that some people might remember. I personally refuse to remember...;-) Ipe (guit.&voc.) is working all the time as a topmusician everywhere in Finland (Recording, composing, arranging and been a session musician in recordings and TV-shows. Jakke Leivo (bass) had problems with his hearing and had to quit as a performig artist, and he is the most beloved and respected musicteacher in Oulunkylä Pop-Jazz conservatoire, Helsinki. What a fine man! Johnny Gustafsson (drums&voc.) was working as technician in studios and joined to the quite popular Disco&Dance styled pop-group named Bogart Co. and they did few records. Johnny is trying to get few earlier recordings pulished. Mabe this Posted Monday, January 31, 2005, 01:47 EST | Permanent link
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micky
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: October 02 2005 Location: . Status: Offline Points: 46833 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 21:16 | ||||
agreed though I must admit I chuckled at the Animals review. |
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The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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Tony R
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: July 16 2004 Location: UK Status: Offline Points: 11979 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 21:00 | ||||
Now then guys..I think this is the point where you agree to differ and exchange a few polite PMs...
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Ofur
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 17 2005 Status: Offline Points: 139 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 20:15 | ||||
Yeah right, what you really mean is that I'm stupid because I don't share your love of Pink Floyd. |
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Winter Wine
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 12 2005 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 1140 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 20:03 | ||||
Well I couldn't be bothered reading any more of your reviews if your that stupid, bye now |
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My computer's broke
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Ofur
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 17 2005 Status: Offline Points: 139 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 19:59 | ||||
I wonder why you didn't mention my Uriah Heep review that is currently on the front page and singled out the Floyd reviews I made? Could it be that you are blinded by your fanatical love of the Floyd? |
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Winter Wine
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 12 2005 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 1140 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 19:51 | ||||
Favourites albums? regardless. Your reviews are totally off the point! and when you do talk about the albums your arguements are just so weak! how long did it take you? twenty seconds? at least floyd put some effort in. |
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My computer's broke
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Ofur
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 17 2005 Status: Offline Points: 139 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 19:47 | ||||
Are you talking about my reviews? Are these your favorite albums and you are hurt by my comments on them or something? |
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Winter Wine
Forum Senior Member Joined: December 12 2005 Location: Ireland Status: Offline Points: 1140 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 19:37 | ||||
Don't mean to offend, well kind of, but some guy today reviewed animals, dark side of the moon and wish you were here, and could not have been more off the point if he reviewed the wrong record, absolutely shambolic reviews.........
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My computer's broke
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ClemofNazareth
Special Collaborator Prog Folk Researcher Joined: August 17 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4659 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 19:19 | ||||
I think I'll dash over to the hugging thread and give this guy/girl one! Edited by ClemofNazareth |
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"Peace is the only battle worth waging."
Albert Camus |
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horza
Prog Reviewer Joined: August 31 2005 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 2530 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 14:01 | ||||
Imogen/Starette likes to write epics |
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Originally posted by darkshade:
Calling Mike Portnoy a bad drummer is like calling Stephen Hawking an idiot. |
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Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin Joined: February 21 2004 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 15585 |
Posted: December 30 2005 at 13:52 | ||||
I thought I'd post the closing part of this review as a reminder to all of what we have here. It's only because of the contributions each and every one of you make, that new members make such comments! (Nice review by the way GoHF)
PALLAS "The Dreams Of Men" (see original review for full text)
As my first review I would like to say Progarchives.com is the bible of Progressive Rock, a fantastic site and resource! |
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RoyalJelly
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 29 2005 Status: Offline Points: 582 |
Posted: December 11 2005 at 15:52 | ||||
For some reason, Foxtrot seems to bring out some rather
peculiar reviews. The famous one quoted here is remarkable in its overtsubjectivity, as if the most important aspect of the album is her reaction to it: "GENESIS Foxtrot Review (Permanent link) by Imogen Reid @ 1:34:17 AM EST, 11/18/2005 PROG REVIEWER — Don’t let the three-star rating put you off, I do like this album but the rating comes more out of sheer disappointment than anything. In comparison with the surrounding Genesis albums of it’s time, this one just doesn’t have the same innovative melodies and composition- the type to strike one with awe. It comes as a bit of a surprise….a BAD surprise after what most other people have told me in their opinion (“Supper’s Ready is the best song ever!” etc..) However this album does have it’s strong points, despite its apparent lack of energy in the melody-section. The rhythms, the beats, the different time-signatures (and yes, I’m pretty much referring to the same thing here) in some certain songs, which I will highlight later, are probably the most inventive thing about this album. Watcher of the Skies: Though the intro seems to go on a bit, this is a fun pop-song with a very ‘atmospheric’ beginning. The complex beat of the bass-line once we really get into the song is quite catching. The voice, melody and lyrics are ‘happy feel- good’ style (“From life alone to life as one, Think not now your journey’s done.”) Could this be the album in which they let their mind relax and soak in pop? However- one must admire the funky guitar and organ solos. The melody thumps and repeats like an over-used anthem. The song ends rather depressingly, in contrast with the overly optimistic tune of the whole thing, with Hackett’s guitar-whine and then a very solid, banging chord. Timetable: A really CUTE piano solo to start with- reminiscent of my own little sisters practising in the next room. Then Pater Gabriel sings and the piano changes to block chords. Sure this is a bit of a pop-song but it does have its good points, such as it’s complex chordal progression and melody. Even the dynamics (loud to quiet) around the chorus give it a nice touch. The lyrics could be better…in the verse they aren’t so bad but the chorus just seems heard before, many a time. (Eg: “Why, Why can we never be sure till we die or have killed for an answer?”) Sounds like the kind of thing that I’d write if I were trying to hit some kind of sublime moment but just couldn’t make it. Get em out by Friday: This has a very catchy beginning but I think the organ running up the keyboard after each electric guitar strum is more annoying than enjoyable. Then the organ bangs chords reminiscent of ‘Giant Hogweed’ and the bass- work in the background is very snazzy. But Peter Gabriel’s voice…could be better. He seems to be sadly lacking in strength. However acting is seen in the changing of his accents: the story being of tenants who are kicked out of their flat/apartment. “Oh no, this I can’t believe. Oh Mary, they’re asking us to leave.” I love the flute in this. The story of the song matches the changing of tune as it depends of the changing of moods due to which character is represented by Peter Gabriel. Depression and Stress- the flute is my favourite tool to bring emotions out here. Probably my favourite line: ‘This is an announcement from Genetic Control: “It is my sad duty to inform you of a four foot restriction on humanoid height.” A sexy guitar solo from Hackett leads to a complete change in the tune and we’re stuck in a gentle meditation…Flutes! Then back to thumping organ and previous melody The ending is ethereal but a bit too much like that of ‘Watcher of the Skies’ for my liking. Can-Utility and the Coastliners: This has beautiful guitar-work at the start but I can never remember it when I think of the name of this song…which is bizarre, because the verse is just plain cute in the melody but when he sings “For from the north overcast ranks advance, fear of the storm accusing with rage and scorn…” the melody becomes deeper and is gorgeous. Things get even better when Hackett strums and Collins drums pick-up and the mellotron builds up, altogether. Gabriel sings and we’re lead into this great organ solo- gaining adrenaline again. Then the bass flicks like mad and a high organ (how typically early Genesis) dances away… then GUITAR! (Progitty- prog-prog indeed. It’s great when the song changes so suddenly like this.) What’s wrong with Peter Gabriel?! He’s not at his best in this whereas the other musicians certainly are. A catharsis occurs at the end with all band members contributing: “See a little man with his face turning red, though his tale’s often told, you can tell he’s dead.” Horizons: This is a gentle guitar instrumental, good enough for putting the babies asleep to. Anyone heard a certain Irish folk- song called The Currah of Kildare? I used to sing that when I had a celtic harp (Alas- I don’t anymore.) Anyway, I SWEAR Hackett heard that at least once and it came back to him in the composition of this. I say this even though it's music which is apparantly 'borrowed' from Bach or so Hackett said himself. Supper’s Ready: aHA! A twentythree-minute epic from Genesis that almost everyone seems to love and yet it’s not what I expected. It’s definitely a love-song at the start, and some say it’s based on a certain event in Gabriel’s first marriage in which his wife believed she was possessed. As is the case with twenty-minute epics, this is divided up into different sections… Lovers’ Leap: “And it’s Hey babe, your supper’s waiting for you. Hey my baby, don’t you know our love is true.” My mind is divided on this one. I am a woman and I love Progressive rock. I get f***ed-off when people point out that prog is a very guy- thing so therefore I’m an odd creature. The fact remains that not all women are the same and I resent always being placed in a particular ‘category’, so to speak. I’m pointing this out here because this is a prog song and a very *blatant* love song. If you think of such other prog love-songs, such as ‘Cinema Show’ for example, the desirable object of the singer is not sung to so directly as here in Supper’s Ready. As a woman, it’s somewhat comforting to have this change- the reason being that women do tend to want just *some* romantic attention in a relationship…otherwise it’s just not stable enough to them. (Somebody….save me.) But as a moderately devoted Genesis fan…this change just doesn’t do it for me. If the subject matter is love then being blatant kills the feeling a bit- I prefer poetic subtlety: ‘Cinema Show’ takes the cake! The guitar changes at “It’s been a long, long time. (spoken) Hasn’t it?” Then they all sing, using their voices as instruments (and I mean “Aah!”s) and the keyboard joins in with the building up of the guitar- which is a precursor for ‘Cinema Show’ in what it does. The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man: “You, can you see he’s fooled you all..” sounds rather 80s, don’t you think? Collins picks up with an amazing beat on the drums and, all of a sudden, Peter Gabriel’s voice is in much better form. Ikhnaton And Itsacon And Their Band of Merry Men: Children’s voices! They’re chanting…but whatever they’re chanting…I do not know. And I HOPE you don’t either- otherwise I believe I’m missing out on something essential here. An eerie chord plays…mixing with the little kiddie’s voices so it sounds quite spooky, then (MY FAVOURITE!!) a flute and guitar duet play the starting tune with the keyboard to back them up. Gabriel sings with great animation “Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest, we walked across the fields to see the children of the West…” and the organ dances away- building up adrenaline again. Genesis sing altogether “The fight’s begun, they’ve been released, Killing foe for peace…bang, bang, BANG!” so again it’s anthem-style singing, less authentic than the usual Genesis style but we all need a pub-style manly- man-man song once in a while. Hence ‘Twilight Ale House’! Ooooh- an eargasmal (sorry- had to fit that word in here somewhere) fast-driven guitar from Hackett with Bank’s keyboard in the back play a melody which is copied later after they sing! This gradually sinks down to delicate strumming. How Dare I Be So Beautiful?: Eeriness again with the synth playing slow chords, each with a slight crescendo, as Gabriel half-whispers and half-sings the melody. Probably the scariest lyrics are herd here (not that it’s *easy* to hear them): “A young figure sits still by a pool, He’s been stamped ‘human bacon’ by some butchery tool, (spoken) He is you.” Once again , as is the case with Genesis’ lyrics, Greek mythology is seen at this point- as he mentions Narcissus…..then the immortal two words: “A FLOWER?” Willow Farm: smash, smash, Smash, SMASH “If you go down to Willow Farm…” This is the bit that everyone loves to sings along to as it’s so off-the-top. It’s got fairytale conventions, history…general craziness. In my opinion- it’s meant to be what comes out of the mind of a very imaginative, if not extremely deranged, child. “The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick, the brick was an egg, the egg was a bird.” Now some English midget says “Fly away you sweet little thing, they’re hard on your tail!” and WHO IS THIS ENGLISH MIDGET??? I have a strange feeling it’s Tony Banks but I * could* be wrong. This section is a deep contrast with what we’ve heard so far. Then a whistle blows… ALL CHANGE!: Different singing solos from everyone- it’s very clever actually so it must be admired. Apparently “Dad diddley office” “Mum diddley washing” and everyone’s “full of ball.” You’d think Willow Farm was trippy enough, but no. What does this mean? Some kind of satire on the typical nuclear family? Watch out for the up-down plucking of the guitar- which we first hear at the end of Willow Farm. Tell you one thing though- this bit definitely reminds me of the circus. A long guitar strum down and the keyboard retains its riff then and echoing electric guitar come out of nowhere like an alarm. Apocalypse In 9/8 (With Gabble Ratchet): Twinkling guitar and flute duet, but this is a different melody from what we heard before. It’s lullaby-like and very gorgeous. It repeats about four times round then the guitar and drums pick-up while Peter Gabriel brings us back into a fantasy world: “With the guards of Magog, swarming around, The Pied Piper takes his children underground.” The organ is probably at its peak here. Afterwards, the flute takes over. Then we find ourselves in a constant army-march beat, I guess you could call this the climax of the song. “666 is no longer alone, he’s getting out the marrow in your back bone,” A mellotron comes down and bells are heard! The two melodies from the start are heard again- the first being “And it’s hey babe…” As Sure as Eggs is Eggs: And the second being “Can’t you feel our souls ignite?…” However these tunes are much more smashing than the beginning, as is the case with the end of a rather long song. Don’t get me wrong, this IS a good epic from Genesis but ,unlike The Battle of Epping Forest/ The Music Box/ Dancing with the Moonlit Knight, these different sections just don’t melt into one another. Willow Farm is great but it’s like a streak of red on white when matched with the rest of the song. To me, good prog is when a song has time-signature changes, melody-changes and etc. But if the theme changes…well…it can get a tad too pretentious for my liking. Especially if the different sections have titles that are a little *too* off the top. (As sure as Eggs is Eggs? Come ON Gabriel!!) All these changes in tone seem to suggest..what? Intimacy after a bad LSD trip?" That's only some of the highlights actually, it keeps going on and on...I guess those those Genesis guys know now, they should have concentrated a bit more on the melodies on that crummy album!!! And who WAS that English midget anyway??? |
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RoyalJelly
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 29 2005 Status: Offline Points: 582 |
Posted: December 11 2005 at 10:42 | ||||
Braindamage is the MAN!!! It seems his goal is to review
every album on this site, with such pearls of English grammar that become almost like Zen poetry: SOFT MACHINE Third Review (Permanent link) by Braindamage @ 6:17:33 AM EST, 7/7/2005 — Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music. Why this great board "Third" of SOFT MACHINE is not listened here collects mysteriously in me. 37 entries?It is too few. This album can be doing that enters best 10 in the Prog Rock album that has come out so that it is not possible to count. " The second work announced in 1978 "Please Don't Touch". It is a good work that can enjoy the music sense of Steve Hackett. The effect of the sound has a still peculiar tasting. "Icarus Ascending" is a wonderful famous piece of music that can be recommended with confidence in the GENESIS fan" "Work announced in 1999 "Darktown". It is "Darkness. " according to the title that the content of the album makes it image.It becomes good at the guitar play of Steve Hackett further. The musician ship of man who keeps challenging is impressed. It is possible to listen to the saxophone of Ian McDonald in "Omega Metallicus". Keep on proggin'! |
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Starette
Prog Reviewer Joined: June 14 2005 Location: New Zealand Status: Offline Points: 502 |
Posted: December 11 2005 at 03:12 | ||||
Sorry to ressurect this thread so randomly but I just felt like adding this one:
RADIOHEAD "Ok Computer" Largely and indisputably five stars. I own this album since two years, and there is not a lot of weeks who passed without listening to Ok Computer. I don't know... There is a very special magic in. A wondeful atmosphear where you can enter a little more on every listenning.
Fun fun spelling.
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50 tonne angel falls to the earth...
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MikeEnRegalia
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: April 22 2005 Location: Sweden Status: Offline Points: 21162 |
Posted: October 20 2005 at 10:01 | ||||
DREAM THEATER "Train Of Thought"
Review (Permanent link) by ProgressiveVoyage @ 6:39:36 AM EST, 10/20/2005 In 1979, Dream Theater performed for the first time an album they called Master of Puppets, later illegally downloaded by Metallica and recorded as a studio album. In response, Dream Theater released Train of Thought, to show that they were blatantly the creators of all of Metallica's riffs. Similar things happened with Tool and Muse.
So Train of Thought is A re-release of Master of Puppets. |
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