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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amalgamation Of Perfection, 22 Aug 2006
Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory is, simply put, a contender for the greatest album of all time. Not even Dream Theater's other much-lauded album, Images And Words, can touch it in my opinion. However, upon entering this site to see what other reviewers had made of this incredible work of art, I was disappointed to see that, for the most part, they seemed to be wrangling about the fact that Dream Theater had dared to put out a concept album, instead of on whether or not the music itself was any good. So basically, I've decided to give a track-by-track analysis.
Regression - An unusual start to the album, focused more on the plot than the music. However, once the hypnotist stops talking, the almost singer-songwriter, acoustic feel to the song is immediately good, leaving you hooked on the album instantaneously.
Overture 1928 & Strange Deja Vu - Overture is the instrumental part of this opening 'Scene', Strange Deja Vu is the lyrical part. Both are brilliant, solid guitar-based efforts, well-developed, and introduce you both to the story and the album well.
Through My Words & Fatal Tragedy - Through My Words acts as little more than a beautiful albeit forgettable interlude for Fatal Tragedy, the beating heart of the album. It feels slightly clunky at times, the pace feeling unnatural, but is nonetheless a great piece of musicianship that pretty much tells the story by itself.
Beyond This Life - Solid effort. It lacks something vocally for the first half of the song, but the instrumental perfection of the second half, particularly the astoundingly good guitar, more than make up for it. On any other album, it would be a highlight.
Through Her Eyes - Most beautiful song on the album. The first part of the song is tranquil, branching into almost gospel-like serenity before the steady, calming drum beat kicks in, and James LaBrie proves what a truly excellent vocalist he is. Truly astounding, and somehow manages to be the highlight out of an album literally full of contenders. I cannot say enough good things about this song.
Home - A great descension into chaos, following on from Through Her Eyes superbly, and at times even surpassing it. The chorus is particularly strong, and like so much of this album manages to add to the story yet still stand on its own as a song.
Dance Of Eternity - I'm not so keen on this instrumental as others seem to be, as it feels more like pointless showmanship than a well constructed piece of music. It is certainly impressive to listen to, if nothing else.
One Last Time - Falls into an unusual trap, simply because the length of the song is out of place. With Dream Theater, you get 3 types of songs - short ones that are mere interludes more than anything else; 6 minute songs; and 8 minute + epics. At an unusually normal 4:30 (roughly), it's out of place, as it feels more like a transition than a full song, but is too long to be one. However, this is unimportant, due to THAT piano. The opening to this song is one of the greatest piano solos you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing.
The Spirit Carries On - A beautifully developed, emotional song that is an undoubted highlight. It has an album-ender feel to it, and as such makes the next song even more standalone.
Finally Free - An absolute gem of a song. It is perhaps the most tied to the concept (with the exception of Regression), due to the break in the middle of the song for another 'Scene' - although it's not really a break, because awesome guitar work is in the background - yet it is still very standalone. It has an excellent, peaceful beginning, which is developed well (primarily by the vocals and drums) into a sprawling epic. I particularly love John Petrucci's unusually atmospheric here, and it at times carries this song. My only gripe is the ending, which is a bit of a "...wait, what?" moment. That is minor though, considering the overall fantastic nature of the song, and it is a fitting closer for a superb album.
The strongest attribute the album has is its flexibility - for the most part, you can listen to the songs by themselves and be wowed by them, as individually they are almost without exception fantastic. However, the true wonder is when you listen to the album completely, as the tracks flow together majestically, creating a soaring, epic tale that is so well-told in such an emotional - yet still hard - manner that it is almost frightening at times. It could have been a pretentious flop, and instead it is a genuine contender for the oft-thrown around "best album of all time" moniker. I would strongly recommend "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory" to anyone who is a fan of excellent instrumental ability, solid story-telling and having their emotions stretched to the limits - you know, MUSIC.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
challenging and rewarding, 16 July 2007
dream theaters fifth album released in 1999 is a concept album if ever you hear one,in fact this album can be viewed as an opera,there are characters inmvolved and the album tells a complex enough story about a guy named nicholas who under hypnotherapy finds out about a woman called victoria and the tortured life she led and indeed is there a connection,each character gets a chance to tell their side of events through the singing voice of john labrie,it all ties into together.
The album is an extension of metropolis part one which was on the classic album images and words and each song includes a segment from that one song,yes this is a classy album thought through with devout detail.
Dream Theater are a prog band so the songs can be very twisty and very detailed and this of course wont suit all,they play heavy music but also rely on strong ballads with lush instruments and female serenading.
The album is broken into two parts much like a play and is packed with truly epic wonderful songs,if im going to throw a stone at this album it would be directed at the fact that the odd song rattles on for a minute or two longer than it should but thats prog for you ladies and gentlemen,there are some stunning catchy moments here that will haunt your memory,all in all this is a challenging album,77 minutes of album in fact but its an album that can be served in one sitting or broken down although for full effect its best to listen to it in one go due to the subject matter,yes this is a great album.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS IS MUSIC, 29 Jan 2005
By A Customer
Im lost for words when it comes to describing this album. Alongside Images and Words, it represents the pinnacle of Progressive Metal (or whatever you want to call it) and I find it hard to believe anybody will ever better this. Its an absolutely incredible blend of storytelling, songwriting brilliance and instrumental virtuosity, from what I believe to be the best and most skilled musicians on the planet. Do yourself a favour and buy this. I find it sad that NINA from Moscow decided to write a completely ridiculous and vitriolic review of one of the greatest albums ever made. It was almost as if she was auditioning for a job at the NME. Well Im sure I speak for everyone else who has given this album glowing reviews when I say you can keep your Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell and whatever other insipid, boring and bland music you listen to because its "cool" to like it. We'd much rather listen to the inspiring, exciting, incredible Dream Theater.
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