Manifesto for Futurism

Dali's Dilemma | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 20, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B0000562VQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,835,030 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Dream Theater Tribute, December 14, 1999

By 

Antonio Figl "RockSLUG" (Fremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manifesto for Futurism (Audio CD)

This CD really blew me away. Other reviewers on the net were really slamming this album. Now I wonder what all the fuss is about. This album is an absolute wonder.

Then again, Dream Theater are an obvious reference. You can hardly play a note in prog metal today without having the DT moniker dropped next. But it is not unfair to compare DD to their more famous brethren DT: 5 members; 1 vocalist, 1 guitarist, 1 keyboardist, 1 drummer and 1 bass player. To top it all off, DD play in the same style: syncopated rhythms, frequent meter changes and plenty of soloing. But despite the similarities, DD have released an excellent album. I think that DT fans will simply adore it, but prog and metal fans alike will love it as well. What I particularly like is that the singer, who is not in James LaBrie's (DT's singer) league, has multitracked and overdubbed the vocals to great effect. He harmonizes with himself essentially, and the effect is marvelous. I also like the melodies in the songs. the solos are not overbearing and the lyrics are good. The two short instrumentals, one on guitar and one on keyboards also score very highly.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I think Salvador Dali would be proud!, November 23, 2003

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Manifesto for Futurism (Audio CD)

I think Salvador Dali would be proud if he heard Dali's Dilemma. This band, just like Salvador Dali, creates art without limits. They are very expressive and constantly explore new ground. Needless to say it's a fitting name, since Dali, despite being a very good surrealist painter, had a cult following. And as Dali's Dilemma is a prog band, no matter how good and experimental they are, they will never appeal to the masses becoming a part of popular culture. And they don't have to. It's best to let those who can appreciate art beauty be exposed to this CD.

Manifesto for Futurism is their only album and an excellent one at that. I don't care about the never-ending Dream Theater comparisons; I've heard so many DT-influenced bands over the years that I feel, even if the guys in Dali's Dilemma were influenced by them, at least they managed to pull it off successfully. The worst thing you could do to a piece of art is writing it off or degrading it by naming it a rip-off, Manifesto for Futurism is so much more than that. Like many of their contemporaries they do have their influences, but it is my opinion that they have managed to blend them all seamlessly and the final outcome is the current sound of Dali's Dilemma. Furthermore not many bands come out with such strong debut albums. I feel ashamed that it took me so long to check this album out, for I feel I've missed out--a lot.

Additionally, Dream Theater is just one of the many bands that has had some impact on these talented guys. I hear a good dose of Rush, some Deep Purple and Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen, Pink Floyd, and even U2. It's no wonder that they played on tribute albums of two of these bands (Rush, Pink Floyd). Some old Queensryche and Fates Warning also seems to have been buried in their compositions. How can a band with such amazing influences disappoint when they each member is also technically advanced? So Manifesto for Futurism doesn't let the listener down. On the contrary it's an album that asks you to play it over and over again, cause there's something about their songs that simply demand your attention.

Drummer Jeremy Colson has fast wrists and his rolls are produced excellently, besides his neat tone, his rolls pan from left to right on the speakers, so it's a great feeling when you listen to the album with headphones. More than half of the songs kick off with his sometimes fiery and sometimes laid back drumming and they're quite central to the music. Another unusual quality is Steve Reyes' bass work. While America has always produced the best bassists, unfortunately most of the bass in prog music has usually been mixed too low (John Myung anyone?), but Reyes doesn't conform. I don't know if that's because he's a founding member or because he too realised it was about time to bring more life to the rhythm of the music. The singer has got to be one of the most underrated singers in this genre. It's hard to place the roots of his voice; all I can say is he contains a lot of passion and character. His Bono-esque vocal delivery in "Hills of Memory" is simply awesome. The keyboardist generally displays a minimalist approach but he knows when to give the song what they need. He has a slightly more updated sound than most other American keyboardists; he layers the sounds perfectly behind the music and keeps up very well with the rhythm section. His short instrumental ("Whispers") shows he isn't interested in showing off, but communicating with the listener on a deeper level. Guitarist Patrick Reyes has a tone quite reminiscent to John Petrucci's but stylistically he also does some Malmsteen-like sweeps and Morse-like picking. The fact that no matter what he retains his classic hard rock roots gives him a vibe all his own.

I've had this album for less than a week so I never had the chance to give much thought to their lyrics, but I do think they sound very cerebral and full of depth. I've barely scratched the surface of the iceberg so I know I'll give this CD many more spins to get more of it. By the way "Miracles of Yesteryear" is my personal favourite, but I don't think there's a single song here I would skip. Those who aren't into prog music may think that Dali's Dilemma sounds like every other band out there, those who can see beyond it are no doubt going to appreciate this band's endeavours. I know I do. Lemur Voice, Sun Caged, Vanden Plas, and Divided Multitude are also recommended for this kind of prog music.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good band, but lets wait and see, January 8, 2001

By 

Orlando Gomez (The Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manifesto for Futurism (Audio CD)

This is a great album, with very good songs, sometimes it gets boring but it hits you back from time to time, they all are very talented, although I like the vocals, they are pretty much on the same level as LaBrie`s voice in I&W wich is much lower than his voice on SFAM where he did his best job for any DT album. But anyways back to DD, it's right they are a little similar to Dream Theater on Images & Words, even Patrick Reyes guitar tone is similar to Petrucci, and I picked some similarities to Petrucci`s work on some of his fast runs.

The keyboards are also very good, also very similar to Kevin Moore on Images & Words but it has variables through some tracks, it's like Kevin Moore with a more updated sound. The bass work is very good also, in this department there are very few similarities to DT.

This CD is a very good one and I suggest you buy this and see how this band evolves, wich I hope, so they gain a sound of their own.

About DT, what`s with DT being overrated or not having emotions, that`s got be one of the dumbest statements I've read, please becareful with what you say, if you dont like a band doesn`t mean it lacks feeling or they are bad, you just dont like them...