METROPOLIS PART 2 - SCENES FROM A MEMORY

After the inconsistent mess that was falling into infinity, Scenes for a memory brings us back to the greatness of the first album. The metal is back as are the progressive compositions. Jordan Rudess gives the album a different sound than Images and Awake. Instead of having the keyboards as more of an atmospheric element, Rudess is often at the forefront with a more technically demanding style. Despite this, Jordan is still able to show some restraint and plays some very beautiful parts. Still this album is very much dominated by guitar

The album opens with 'Regression,' which is two minutes of setting up the album with the voice of the hypnotherapist.

'Overture 1928' is a solid instrumental which lays out some of the themes used later in the album.

'Strange Déjà vu' has some great heavy riffing in the former half, followed by some fantastic groovy guitar lines in the latter half.

'Fatal Tragedy' has continues with some more awesome melodies and riffs. The instrumental section beginning midway through is simply one of Dream Theater's best. Both Rudess and Petrucci alternate solos in a fashion that reminds me very much of Liquid Tension Experiment.

'Beyond This Life' begins with a chaotic mass of Rudess and Petrucci playing a very nice harmony that makes me wish Rudess was turned up a tad on this album. The rest of this song is just great riff and melody after another. What happens at 8:26 into the song is why I love Rudess in the band. His dissonant-sounding harmony with the guitar is very Gentle Giant like, and is something he has over Moore, in my opinion.

'Through Her Eyes' is shorter ballad which allows you to recover from the absolute chaos and energy of the previous songs. The song itself is ok in the context of the album, but probably wouldn't be nearly as good standalone.

'Home' is the meat of the album. It sounds different from the others and doesn't have as many ideas as the others; instead it is built upon and progresses really well. It has an interesting Eastern that is repeated throughout the album. Every musician is at the top of their game here and produces some really amazing melodies which make this the best song of the album.

'Dance of Eternity' is Dream Theater to the extreme. It showcases the band at their technical best. If one wanted to avoid stereotypes about Dream Theater being overly technical, avoid this song. There are over 128 time signature changes in the song and it often changes time every measure. Despite this, The Dance of Eternity is still very listenable, which is one of Dream Theater's remarkable talents.

'One Last Time' is another tasty ballad done right by Dream Theater. Nothing much more to say about it, it fits with the album well.

'The Spirit Carries On' is Dream Theater showing their inner Pink Floyd, which is especially reminiscent of Us and Them due to the wailing female vocals.

The album ends with 'Finally Free' which in evokes really strong imagery due to the gun shots and screams. It is probably the darkest song of the album. Musically it is as solid as the rest of the album and is a fine closer.

Overall, besides Images & Words, this is Dream Theater at their best. The music is amazing and the story is compelling. Though there are a few weaker tracks which are the ballads, this is one of those albums where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as they are integral to the story. Therefore, this album receives a perfect score from me.

10/10