DEMONSPELLS SONGS TO WATCH
DREAM THEATER SPECIAL
An Alliance Presentation
Written February 1, 2002
Greetings, devoted readers! This week, the Progressive News gets inside Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence but first, the songs. This week, Im going to go with a more random order instead of the alphabetical listing in order to emphasize the eclectic nature of this column and because of lack of planning. Except for the leadoff position
Pain Of Salvation Beyond The Pale, Waking Every God: For some people, Dream Theaters latest wasnt even the most anticipated album of January 29 let alone the year, thanks to the magnificent Remedy Lane. All indications point to it being another masterpiece. The latter song is full of the bands excellent keyboards and vocal harmonies, while the former is an astounding epic beginning with an offbeat hook and working its way through many emotional extremes before reaching a grim conclusion
Anglagard Jordrok, Sista Somrar: Swedish progressive rock act who has released two highly praised albums in Hybris and Epilog. Both of these songs are long instrumentals full of strange mood shifts and arresting keyboard passages, and almost no self-indulgent sections. A demanding but ultimately rewarding listen.
Sigh Diabolic Suicide, Scarlet Dream: The Japanese extreme metal act known for attempting to incorporate atypical influences at every turn is set to begin a short US tour soon. The former song contains one of the most bizarre arrangements Ive ever heard, and that includes last years aural hallucination Imaginary Sonicscape, from which the latter song, available at www.filosofem.com, hails.
Transatlantic Stranger In Your Soul, And I Love Her: The former is one of two nearly half-hour long compositions on Bridge Across Forever, and is a showcase for the talents of this prog supergroup, and has just as many moments of absorbing melody as instrumental flights of fancy. Be sure to at least sample the bonus disc, as the latter is an enjoyable and hilarious diversion, featuring a jam session and several amusing variations on the song
Mortiis Scar Trek/Parasite God, Towards The Gate Of Stars: The former Emperor bassist and man with an even more artificial nose than Michael Jacksons solo career has taken him far away from black metal. The former song from the Smell Of Rain is an electronic-based track that ends up being more upbeat than evil, while the latter track is an atmospheric instrumental that wouldnt have been out of place on the LOTR soundtrack
Threshold Voyager II, Life Flow: The British progressive rock act should release the followup to last years excellent Hypothetical later in 2002. The latter song from Clon, recently released domestically, is a nine-minute track showing their more atmospheric side, while the latter song is an energetic song featuring great vocals from Damian Wilson an acoustic version appears on a special edition of their latest.
Regency Fugitive, Alchemist: Reader suggested instrumental progressive metal act. Dont know anything about the bands background besides that theyre from France, but dont let that discourage you as both tracks are full of great guitar/keyboard interplay. The latter is highly recommended if you love instrumental prog
Novembre Come Pierrot, Venezia Dismal: A rare non-Scandinavian entry in the melodic death field, the bands fourth album Novembrine Waltz has received some excellent reviews, even attracting some Opeth comparisons. The latter track definitely lives up to the press, with some excellent musicianship and mostly clean vocals (as with Opeth, the growls arrive just at the right moment ) Former song available at www.mp3.com
Centaur Game Of Life, Land Of Gold: Reader suggested progressive metal act whose one album God Complex has received some Queensryche comparisons. The latter song illustrates the bands potential with a great chorus and some well-palced riffs, while the latter has a similarly memorable refrain
Veni Domine The Mass, Face Of The Prosecutor: This Swedish progressive metal act with strong doom and Christian (possible oxymoron?) leanings has released three albums to date. The latter song from their debut Fall Babylon Fall is very impressive, featuring some arresting vocals and a powerful arrangement with the keyboards adding to the epic feel
No-Man Housewives Hooked On Heroin, Days In The Trees: Progressive rock project initiated by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree (new album of theirs coming soon), on which he does everything except vocals. The former song could have fit on the last two PT albums and has a chorus fitting of its irreverent title, while the latter has a Floyd-like atmosphere
The Flower Kings City Of Angels, The Cinema Show: Regarded as one of progressive rocks best bands, their latest The Rainmaker has received many great reviews. The former track, a 12-minute composition with several great instrumental sections, is a rewarding listen. Latter cover of the Genesis classic appears only in limited release, but definitely try to find it
Eternity X The Edge Of Madness, Imaginarium: This progressive metal act recently disbanded after releasing three albums, of which 1997s The Edge is regarded as a hidden gem by many. These songs from it support that position, the former having an arresting vocal arrangement and the latter 11-minute epic featuring some well-executed time changes and powerful instrumental sections.
Onward Reawaken, Eye Of The Nightmare: Last years Evermoving received some good reviews and was a guilty pleasure of 80s-inspired metal. The latter song lets up on the shredding for most of the time, focusing instead on the vocals, which are much improved. The former song does have some impressive guitar work from Toby Knapp.
Dreamscape Alone, Shes Flying: Reader suggested progressive metal act who has released two-albums. Both of these songs are subtitled Panterei (nothing to do with the macho redneck imbeciles, I swear ), the former having some great keyboards and the latter having a strong arrangement. The vocalist gets on my nerves though, sounding like a more irritating version of Midnight
Autumn Tears The Grand Celebration, The Eloquent Sleep: Title of the latter composition does much to describe their sound (and the rest of Dark Symphonies roster), being slow moving but with flashes of beauty. Contains both male and female vocals and highly emotional. Former song available at www.mp3.com
Sleepless Lying In Wait, Winds Blow Higher: From sleep to sleepless, and from one growing label to another, as this is yet another thought provoking act on mailorder gods The Ends roster. Both of these songs have a very unnerving atmosphere to them, alternating between calm and chaotic passages, especially on the former. Both available at official website.
Galleon Let Us Be Amazed, Long Lonely Shadows: Veteran Swedish progressive rock act with a more traditional feel. Both of these songs are lengthy compositions with strong arrangements and some impressive instrumental passages, especially on the latter from King Of Aragon, which has a memorable keyboard hook.
United States Of Mind Beneath The Low, Kiss The Sun: I can remember reading an encouraging review of this bands album Silver Step Child on this site. The band is essentially melodic rockers Balance Of Power with a different vocalist and less keyboards, but still have memorable songs in tow, particularly the latter with its strong chorus.
Sinergy I Spit On Your Grave, Written In Stone: The sometimes ridiculed act returns with a third album, Suicide By My Side. The band still works on a less than serious level, but there are things to be recommended here, such as Alexi Laihos guitar playing, which shows he deserves better than Children Of Boredom. Some nice acoustic work in the latter song.
THE PROGRESSIVE NEWS, volume 5: The Seventh Degree
The numbers are clear. Two CDs. 96 minutes of music. One eight-part song. 42 minutes. Dream Theater has once again raised their own incredibly high standards for ambition with their latest album. Having followed the enormous pre-release speculation and having avoided hearing the monumental title track until the afternoon before their warmup show in New York, I had great expectation that we would soon be blessed with an effort of incredible depth and art of the highest measure. Let the truth be told: Six Degrees is music of the highest order, an album that reaches for impossible heights and succeeds. It is by far DTs most challenging and diverse work, and every member of the band plays to perfection. Before going into specifics, there is a very simple question, the test that stumped absolutely no one: what song were you looking forward to the most? The first disc is wonderful, from the raging Glass Prison to the heroically resigned Misunderstood to the languid Disappear to the triumphant Blind Faith to the contentious Great Debate, this is certain. But stupid questions deserve obvious answers, so here is an indepth analysis of disc 2 of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Like SFAM, it begins with an Overture. Unlike Overture 1928, which had John putting on a tremendous instrumental preview of things to come, this section attempts to be a full-on classical piece. It is a bit labored and drags in places, but has some moments of beauty, a great keyboard cadence at around 2:45, and is an entirely necessary component of the picture, especially towards the end. After the orchestral swelling, we soon learn we are About To Crash. This song tells the story of a girl born into an illusion of perfection, which leads her to depression from unrealized expectation. This song is the most warmly melodic of the eight sections, and the chorus is highly emotional. John delivers the first of many great solos. The instrumental transitions are among the finest points on the disc. Soon the music gains in tension and now we prepare to fight a War Inside My Head. A short piece about traumatic combat experiences, this is a menacing little track led by a killer keyboard riff. The chorus features a great backing vocal from Mike Portnoy, whose drumming dominates the next part, The Test That Stumped Them All. This is possibly the heaviest song Dream Theater has ever done, featuring a devastating lead riff. A chronicle of a rock star forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation, James vocals seethe with range and Portnoys drumming is lethal. The song also features some electronically treated vocals that add to the themes of insanity throughout the concept. After another great instrumental section, everything drops out and we receive a Goodnight Kiss. A disturbing lullaby about a mother who loses her daughter, possibly to drugs or a severe disability, this is arguably the emotional high point of the epic. If this doesnt touch you in some way, you probably have a heart of stone. A beautifully fluid guitar solo, added by rising tension in the drums and some sound effects, adds to the intensity of the piece, in contrast to the violent imagery and music of the last two parts. Soon acoustic guitars and warm keyboards break in, inviting us to the Solitary Shell. This is another great song, again highly emotional and deeply melodic and incredibly thoughtful, its lyrics telling a story about an autistic childs development this affected me the most out of any moment on the disc. An extraordinarily powerful composition in itself. Another great instrumental section closes out this part, building into a reprise of About To Crash, a more energetic counterpart to the first installment, here the characters determination to escape leads to disappointment and possibly manic depression. The band plays its asses off, particularly Jordan Rudess, who proves himself to be the most talented of DTs three keyboardists with amazing performances throughout. Parts first heard in the Overture begin to resurface here, reminding us we are Losing Time. This is a short piece before the Grand Finale, which unifies the themes of the previous sections and provides for a stirring and dramatic conclusion for a stunning work of art.
DREAM THEATER SPECIAL
An Alliance Presentation
Written February 1, 2002
Greetings, devoted readers! This week, the Progressive News gets inside Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence but first, the songs. This week, Im going to go with a more random order instead of the alphabetical listing in order to emphasize the eclectic nature of this column and because of lack of planning. Except for the leadoff position
Pain Of Salvation Beyond The Pale, Waking Every God: For some people, Dream Theaters latest wasnt even the most anticipated album of January 29 let alone the year, thanks to the magnificent Remedy Lane. All indications point to it being another masterpiece. The latter song is full of the bands excellent keyboards and vocal harmonies, while the former is an astounding epic beginning with an offbeat hook and working its way through many emotional extremes before reaching a grim conclusion
Anglagard Jordrok, Sista Somrar: Swedish progressive rock act who has released two highly praised albums in Hybris and Epilog. Both of these songs are long instrumentals full of strange mood shifts and arresting keyboard passages, and almost no self-indulgent sections. A demanding but ultimately rewarding listen.
Sigh Diabolic Suicide, Scarlet Dream: The Japanese extreme metal act known for attempting to incorporate atypical influences at every turn is set to begin a short US tour soon. The former song contains one of the most bizarre arrangements Ive ever heard, and that includes last years aural hallucination Imaginary Sonicscape, from which the latter song, available at www.filosofem.com, hails.
Transatlantic Stranger In Your Soul, And I Love Her: The former is one of two nearly half-hour long compositions on Bridge Across Forever, and is a showcase for the talents of this prog supergroup, and has just as many moments of absorbing melody as instrumental flights of fancy. Be sure to at least sample the bonus disc, as the latter is an enjoyable and hilarious diversion, featuring a jam session and several amusing variations on the song
Mortiis Scar Trek/Parasite God, Towards The Gate Of Stars: The former Emperor bassist and man with an even more artificial nose than Michael Jacksons solo career has taken him far away from black metal. The former song from the Smell Of Rain is an electronic-based track that ends up being more upbeat than evil, while the latter track is an atmospheric instrumental that wouldnt have been out of place on the LOTR soundtrack
Threshold Voyager II, Life Flow: The British progressive rock act should release the followup to last years excellent Hypothetical later in 2002. The latter song from Clon, recently released domestically, is a nine-minute track showing their more atmospheric side, while the latter song is an energetic song featuring great vocals from Damian Wilson an acoustic version appears on a special edition of their latest.
Regency Fugitive, Alchemist: Reader suggested instrumental progressive metal act. Dont know anything about the bands background besides that theyre from France, but dont let that discourage you as both tracks are full of great guitar/keyboard interplay. The latter is highly recommended if you love instrumental prog
Novembre Come Pierrot, Venezia Dismal: A rare non-Scandinavian entry in the melodic death field, the bands fourth album Novembrine Waltz has received some excellent reviews, even attracting some Opeth comparisons. The latter track definitely lives up to the press, with some excellent musicianship and mostly clean vocals (as with Opeth, the growls arrive just at the right moment ) Former song available at www.mp3.com
Centaur Game Of Life, Land Of Gold: Reader suggested progressive metal act whose one album God Complex has received some Queensryche comparisons. The latter song illustrates the bands potential with a great chorus and some well-palced riffs, while the latter has a similarly memorable refrain
Veni Domine The Mass, Face Of The Prosecutor: This Swedish progressive metal act with strong doom and Christian (possible oxymoron?) leanings has released three albums to date. The latter song from their debut Fall Babylon Fall is very impressive, featuring some arresting vocals and a powerful arrangement with the keyboards adding to the epic feel
No-Man Housewives Hooked On Heroin, Days In The Trees: Progressive rock project initiated by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree (new album of theirs coming soon), on which he does everything except vocals. The former song could have fit on the last two PT albums and has a chorus fitting of its irreverent title, while the latter has a Floyd-like atmosphere
The Flower Kings City Of Angels, The Cinema Show: Regarded as one of progressive rocks best bands, their latest The Rainmaker has received many great reviews. The former track, a 12-minute composition with several great instrumental sections, is a rewarding listen. Latter cover of the Genesis classic appears only in limited release, but definitely try to find it
Eternity X The Edge Of Madness, Imaginarium: This progressive metal act recently disbanded after releasing three albums, of which 1997s The Edge is regarded as a hidden gem by many. These songs from it support that position, the former having an arresting vocal arrangement and the latter 11-minute epic featuring some well-executed time changes and powerful instrumental sections.
Onward Reawaken, Eye Of The Nightmare: Last years Evermoving received some good reviews and was a guilty pleasure of 80s-inspired metal. The latter song lets up on the shredding for most of the time, focusing instead on the vocals, which are much improved. The former song does have some impressive guitar work from Toby Knapp.
Dreamscape Alone, Shes Flying: Reader suggested progressive metal act who has released two-albums. Both of these songs are subtitled Panterei (nothing to do with the macho redneck imbeciles, I swear ), the former having some great keyboards and the latter having a strong arrangement. The vocalist gets on my nerves though, sounding like a more irritating version of Midnight
Autumn Tears The Grand Celebration, The Eloquent Sleep: Title of the latter composition does much to describe their sound (and the rest of Dark Symphonies roster), being slow moving but with flashes of beauty. Contains both male and female vocals and highly emotional. Former song available at www.mp3.com
Sleepless Lying In Wait, Winds Blow Higher: From sleep to sleepless, and from one growing label to another, as this is yet another thought provoking act on mailorder gods The Ends roster. Both of these songs have a very unnerving atmosphere to them, alternating between calm and chaotic passages, especially on the former. Both available at official website.
Galleon Let Us Be Amazed, Long Lonely Shadows: Veteran Swedish progressive rock act with a more traditional feel. Both of these songs are lengthy compositions with strong arrangements and some impressive instrumental passages, especially on the latter from King Of Aragon, which has a memorable keyboard hook.
United States Of Mind Beneath The Low, Kiss The Sun: I can remember reading an encouraging review of this bands album Silver Step Child on this site. The band is essentially melodic rockers Balance Of Power with a different vocalist and less keyboards, but still have memorable songs in tow, particularly the latter with its strong chorus.
Sinergy I Spit On Your Grave, Written In Stone: The sometimes ridiculed act returns with a third album, Suicide By My Side. The band still works on a less than serious level, but there are things to be recommended here, such as Alexi Laihos guitar playing, which shows he deserves better than Children Of Boredom. Some nice acoustic work in the latter song.
THE PROGRESSIVE NEWS, volume 5: The Seventh Degree
The numbers are clear. Two CDs. 96 minutes of music. One eight-part song. 42 minutes. Dream Theater has once again raised their own incredibly high standards for ambition with their latest album. Having followed the enormous pre-release speculation and having avoided hearing the monumental title track until the afternoon before their warmup show in New York, I had great expectation that we would soon be blessed with an effort of incredible depth and art of the highest measure. Let the truth be told: Six Degrees is music of the highest order, an album that reaches for impossible heights and succeeds. It is by far DTs most challenging and diverse work, and every member of the band plays to perfection. Before going into specifics, there is a very simple question, the test that stumped absolutely no one: what song were you looking forward to the most? The first disc is wonderful, from the raging Glass Prison to the heroically resigned Misunderstood to the languid Disappear to the triumphant Blind Faith to the contentious Great Debate, this is certain. But stupid questions deserve obvious answers, so here is an indepth analysis of disc 2 of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Like SFAM, it begins with an Overture. Unlike Overture 1928, which had John putting on a tremendous instrumental preview of things to come, this section attempts to be a full-on classical piece. It is a bit labored and drags in places, but has some moments of beauty, a great keyboard cadence at around 2:45, and is an entirely necessary component of the picture, especially towards the end. After the orchestral swelling, we soon learn we are About To Crash. This song tells the story of a girl born into an illusion of perfection, which leads her to depression from unrealized expectation. This song is the most warmly melodic of the eight sections, and the chorus is highly emotional. John delivers the first of many great solos. The instrumental transitions are among the finest points on the disc. Soon the music gains in tension and now we prepare to fight a War Inside My Head. A short piece about traumatic combat experiences, this is a menacing little track led by a killer keyboard riff. The chorus features a great backing vocal from Mike Portnoy, whose drumming dominates the next part, The Test That Stumped Them All. This is possibly the heaviest song Dream Theater has ever done, featuring a devastating lead riff. A chronicle of a rock star forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation, James vocals seethe with range and Portnoys drumming is lethal. The song also features some electronically treated vocals that add to the themes of insanity throughout the concept. After another great instrumental section, everything drops out and we receive a Goodnight Kiss. A disturbing lullaby about a mother who loses her daughter, possibly to drugs or a severe disability, this is arguably the emotional high point of the epic. If this doesnt touch you in some way, you probably have a heart of stone. A beautifully fluid guitar solo, added by rising tension in the drums and some sound effects, adds to the intensity of the piece, in contrast to the violent imagery and music of the last two parts. Soon acoustic guitars and warm keyboards break in, inviting us to the Solitary Shell. This is another great song, again highly emotional and deeply melodic and incredibly thoughtful, its lyrics telling a story about an autistic childs development this affected me the most out of any moment on the disc. An extraordinarily powerful composition in itself. Another great instrumental section closes out this part, building into a reprise of About To Crash, a more energetic counterpart to the first installment, here the characters determination to escape leads to disappointment and possibly manic depression. The band plays its asses off, particularly Jordan Rudess, who proves himself to be the most talented of DTs three keyboardists with amazing performances throughout. Parts first heard in the Overture begin to resurface here, reminding us we are Losing Time. This is a short piece before the Grand Finale, which unifies the themes of the previous sections and provides for a stirring and dramatic conclusion for a stunning work of art.
