Artist: Dream Theater
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 10/26/99
Average Rating: 4.43
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Title: Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory Artist: Dream Theater Label: Elektra Release Date: 10/26/99 |
There are currently 7 Reader Reviews of this album.
Average Rating: 4.43 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album |
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Submitted by deadhammer on 10/24/02:
Hell Yeahhhhhh!!!!!!! This is a great album. Dream theater will make you fly to the sky with their music and story. Good melodic from Jordan Rudess. All the member in this band give something meaningful. 100 skulls!!!
Submitted by Mark zova on 8/27/00:
This album is very essential for Dream Theater to pull back those going-away fans and once again make them frenzy since after the perfect release of Images and Words. The power of "Fatal Tragedy" still make me dead. And the melody of Spirit Carries On" is just perfect with the solo. Get one, you'll never say NO!!!!
Submitted by Metal Mike on 8/19/00:
This is the best Dream Theater album since Images and Words. There is no denying that these guys can play. Sometimes overplaying can be thier downfall. Fourtunately, on this record, they stick to a more basic song writing concept. Which produces less complex, more catchy songs like "Strange Deja Vu". The best part of the album are the instrumentals in which the creativity of this band truely shines. Let's face it, if you don't like this band you never will. If you are a fan, like I am, you're sure to like it.
Submitted by Anonymous on 5/9/00:
As many a fan knows, DREAM THEATER went to the land of "radio-rock" with thier last album Falling Into Infinity. Said album had me doubting whether this album would even remotely touch the glory days of old. Well, lo and behold Scenes From A Memory. This album is the best DREAM THEATER album, hands down, PERIOD!!!!!First things first, Derek Sherinian is out. His replacement is none other than Jordan Rudess of DIXIE DREGS/LIQUID TENSION fame. The keys were the weak link of Falling Into Infinity; Derek couldn't even come close to Kevin Moore. Jordan is so much more than a formidable replacement for Derek, he is his superior!!!!
Add to that the fact that you have the best musicians in the world in John Petrucci, John Myung, Mike Portnoy, and James LaBrie, and you know this album is top rate.
The music is wildly progressive; so much more than Images and Words and Awake. Some of the guitar/drum/bass/keys work is inhuman!!!!! Each hand in the best possible performance.
The vocals are better than ever. LaBrie is hitting his stride as the single best vocalist in metal.
The lyrics are a zany concept of murder/suicide that is so complex that to this day, 8 months after release, I still can't figure it out!!!!
But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that this is the finest example of DREAM THEATER. Of all the albums released in '99, only two (EMPEROR's IX Equilibrium and KATATONIA's Tonight's Decision) were better, but not by much.
There are no standout tracks; each one is immortal!!!!!
HAIL DREAM THEATER!!!!!!!!!! 5 FUCKING SKULLS, NO QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by Anthony Syme on 11/16/99:
Scenes delivers the musical talent I would expect from a band of this caliber, but my overall impression is fairly "ho-hum." The record as a whole is pretty boring in content and feels uneven in its appeal. I've never been a big fan of Pink Floyd, and the rather blatant nod to this band on tunes like "Regression" and "The Spirit Carries On" is a bit hard to get into. "Overture 1928" is a good track to start off a concept record with: its majestic feel kind of reminds me of "Anarchy X" off Mindcrime. The record's strongest asset is its variety of moods and textures: the Floyd stuff, a little Sabbath and Hendrix here and there, gospel in "Through Her Eyes," you get the picture. Diversity is good, but sometimes DT pushes it, like the ragtime thing in "The Dance of Eternity." "Fatal Tragedy" features a rip-ass solo by Petrucci and a cool guitar/key/drum staccato part. "Home" is the heaviest track on the record and the most fun to listen to. "Finally Free" and "Strange Deja Vu" feature some great melodic ideas, but "One Last Time" is definitely one of the most beautiful pieces DT has ever done. More tracks like this one and "Home" would have made me happier. Scenes doesn't totally suck, but I expected more.
Submitted by Musashi on 11/4/99:
I find it extremely difficult to set aside an hour or more to LISTEN to a single CD. Moreover I find it extremely difficult finding a CD that is worth sitting down and LISTENing to for an hour. Scenes From a Memory is one of those rare CDs that is really worth your investment in time and money.It is fascinating the way a good "concept record" can bring people together. The Wall, Operation: Mindcrime, and Joe's Garage are classics that are part of our collective consciousness. Hopefully Scenes From A Memory will stand the test of time and bring DT to the people and the people to DT.
One of my favorite things when listening to music is hearing the influences that are brought together. DT are not bashful about wearing their influences on their sleeves. You hear nods to Floyd, Queensryche, Queen, King's X, Metallica, Zappa, Kansas, the Dregs, Vai, and many many more.
The real question is whether the album is any good. YES! It is a shredding album. John Petrucci is better than ever. His solos are awesome. The songs are great. The drums are nice and punchy. I have some criticisms about DT which, although they may detract from my all-out love of the band, I will not let them interfere with me enjoying this album fully. If they follow the album with a concept tour, we'll be all set for a great millenium!
What lessons can be learned from this album? Buy a metronome and Practice! Practice! Practice!
Submitted by Garth on 11/4/99:
I can honestly say that this is the most exciting album I've heard in years, and instantly is one of the best albums I've ever heard. There are so many levels to hte album, a cursory listen simply can not do it justice. The album, though it's hard to figure out how it relates to any story from &Metroplois Part1", weaves an intriguing tale of murder and past-lives that becomes a deeper, more twisting tale as the album progresses. The storyline is very personal, staying away from the themes of revolution and society that past "epic" concept albums have focused on, instead telling a tale of love, betrayal and murder. I won't go too much into the plotline, as it's vague enough that each listener can bring his own interpretations to it to further the interest.The lyrics are fascinating. The story turns inside itself and keeps you engaged throughout. Even though lyrics to individual tracks on the album were written by different members of the band, songs pick up lyrics from previous tracks, and often mirror and echo lyrics from "Metropolis Part 1". Much like the Simpsons, Dream Theater rewards the listener for paying attention.
But all of this is nothing if the music isn't any good. And that's where the album soars. The music perfectly sets the mood of the different parts of the story. Dream Theater doesn't thrash for the sake of thrashing, but because it fits the current scene of the story. They don't rely simply on hooks to draw you in, but rather on frantic storms of sound and hauntingly beautiful melodies and harmonies. I'd describe some of the songs in more detail, but the whole thing is meant to go as an album, not as individual singles, and that's the best way to experience it. This is truly music as an art form.
The most interesting part to me is how successfully they managed to turn their album into a rock opera. The album has different characters, with James LaBrie singing each character in a slightly different voice, so as to let the listener know when each character is speaking, but not different enough to make the changes jarring, or to even make you think it's a different vocalist. And the songs are structured like the best of any Broadway story-telling musical. Multiple characters sing the same refrains and choruses, with slight changes to the mood or lyrics to show the different sides of the story. Pure genius.
The rest of the band is also in top form. Petrucci has never smoked so much, Portnoy is a madman (as always), Myung's bass sounds like liquid, and Jordan Rudess's keys beautifully walk the line between bombastic and delicate. I really don't know how else to say it than this is the most talented group of musicians playing today.
I can't say enough good things about this album. I was totally and completely blown away. Pick it up now, if you don't have it already, turn the lights down and truly listen to the album, all in one sitting, with no other distractions. It's completely amazing. I'm going to have to start lopping people's heads off, because I simply don't have enough skulls to give this album.
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