METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

A rating of 3.5 is much more accurate. However, I've rounded up for the sole reason that if you choose to only own one Dream Theater album this is the one to own.

Overall, there are some splendid songs over these 77 minutes. Overture 1928, Home, The Dance Of Eternity are all top notch. Unfortunately there are plenty of not so good moments to balance these out: Through Her Eyes, The Spirit Carries On, One Last Time. The shorter tracks (Regression, Through My Words) don't really add anything either, as they exist mostly to push the story. The others are somewhere in the middle. Strange Deja Vu is pretty good, but with some pretty poor lyrics, Fatal Tragedy has the same flaws, and the final piece doesn't feel good enough to be the conclusion in this story, even though it has its moments (and obviously wraps up the story).

All and all, this albums has its moments, some of them glorious, but has too many flaws to be considered a "great" album. But, to my ears, this is the best Dream Theater ever did in their career (at least up to 2011). I believe it to be their most progressive (stylistically), their most ambitious, and their most successful. If you want a good comingling of classic symphonic prog and metal this is a damn good choice.