03 A TRILOGY PART 2

It's not a surprise that the former singer of Dream Theater's music will sound something like Dream Theater. For this reason, I will not rip on Charlie Dominici for his DT-esque riffs and soloing. However, within this powerful gem, one can find many modern prog metal references. Obviously Dream Theater is foremost, but Symphony X, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, and other popular symphonic prog metal band's styles can be found compiled into one fantastic piece of music. The O3 trilogy comes back in this second installment, now actually rocking and progging along, unlike part 1. This part details the main character's experience after his parole and release after his hearing and the gut-wrenching decisions he must make. The music is powerful the whole way through, only slowing down to take a breathe when absolutely necessary. Although some of the songs sound uncannily like the singer's former band, but the music is still creative and powerful.

The Monster is a crushingly powerful instrumental track. Dominici is apparently one of the few solo singers who is willing to put an instrumental track on his album-- to great results! Although the soloing is extremely Petrucci-esque, the whole performance is very impressive. A lot of Vanden Plas sounding keyboard work is going on, adding to the whole traditional prog metal feel. You can see that Dominici has done a lot of listening over the near 20 year gap between this release and his last prog metal gap. At the end of the track, you can hear a sound bit that opens up the story for the next few tracks about the detective who arrested the main character.

Nowhere to Hide is the first track where we can finally hear Dominici's voice in its crushing power. In this track, the concept breaks away from the main character (see my review for Part 1) and tells the story of a troubled detective who has been chasing the terrorist. The song tells how the detective captured the terrorist, but he lost his temper and basically tortured him. Because of this, the court hearing let the terrorist walk because of tampered evidence. The detective muses about how he'll get back at the terrorist and convict justly. Musically, the song still has that amazing power, with a little more creativity behind the riffing. It shows Dominici has not only prog metal, but also a lot of traditional heavy metal influence behind his music.

Captured opens with a radio bit, saying that the government is becoming more aware of terrorist activity. The detective tells his griefs about the justice system and it's flaws. He thinks about how all the criminals who know the ins and outs of the justice system can avoid any contact with the feds and cops. Musically, the tracks slows down with the emotions of the detective, which shows the great attention to character development and conceptual basis. As the detective's anger grows, the song picks up and gets more aggressive, following the compassionate vocals. This track shows the more dynamic side of Dominci's music.

Greed, the Evil Seed starts again the crushing power of symphonic prog metal. We are now hearing from the main character, the terrorist, who thinks about the injustice of the system and the power of greed in our society. He thinks about how humanity tried to get along, but the greedy ones ruined it all (greed=evil). Musically, this starts again the Dream Theater influence, with some fantastic synchronization and great Petrucci-esque soloing again. Instrumental sections abound in this song, powerful, melodic, and fun.

School of Pain tells the main character's time in prison after he was captured and wrongly convicted. He talks about how screwed up the "school of pain" is and how he really learned nothing. Musically, the song is a slow bloomer, starting out slow and gaining momentum throughout the song. Once it picks up, however, it doesn't slow down, constantly ripping up the pavement with it's impressive power and musical might.

The Calling tells how the terrorist now understands that he has to do what he was originally told to do (essentially destroy humanity). He calls humanity the greatest virus and his chemical the solution. Musically the song starts off rather boring, but the verses are so incredible I really can't dis the straightforwardness of it. The choruses get a little more boring again, but that verse riff is incredible.

The Real Life is a melancholy and beautiful track consisting of piano and vocals. In this song, the main character has reached a breaking point. He muses on how he will be a martyr when he releases his chemical and how the afterlife is the "real life." Musically, it is melancholy and beautiful, with fantastic melodies and fantastic piano work.

The Cop tells of the deal the detective makes with the main character; the main character tells his entire story to the detective so he might be able to escape prison. Musically, the song rocks again. It has fantastic prog metal-heavy metal crossovers, with some great instrumental sections again.

A New Hope tells of the main character's journey to releasing his chemical. It displays his rise to some kind of a prophet or something along those lines, for you can hear crowds of people chanting after he speaks about humanity ending being a new hope. At the end of the song, a massive explosion is heard, showing obviously that he has succeeded in releasing his chemical. Musically, the song has some obvious influences more than ever to Dream Theater, at some points their modern work, at some points their classic work, but everywhere Dream Theater. As I said before, this is acceptable, seeing as the singer is a former member of that very band. If it were another band, I would give a much lower rating. The soloing is fantastic, showing all the members' musical capacity to really rip on their instruments. This track really leads nicely into the next and final installation.

ALBUM OVERALL: A really great symphonic progressive metal album. Dominici and his backing band have really hit it big here. However, musically, the album lacks in originality harshly. Now, influence is good, but when it seems like your listening to that particular band when you listen to the music, for example the extreme Vanden Plas and Dream Theater influence, the music sounds cheesier and cheesier. The concept, just like the last album, is fantastic, as are the vocals, but the one thing holding this album back is the unoriginality of the music. The players are technically over the top, but the music they wrote is disappointing. 4+ stars.

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