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Being that James LaBrie is the lead singer for one of today's premier progressive metal bands, Dream Theater, comparisons to that band are inevitable. I'm a big DT fan, so if anything I write from hear on out sounds like a DT putdown, it isn't meant that way.
Having said that, I can say this: Want to know what this album is? Basically, take all the fantastic, heavy guitar riffing from DT and concentrate on that. Minimize the progressive tripping but still make the songs long enough that they leave you feeling fulfilled. No 3 1/2 minutes-and-I'm-gone stuff here.
I'm a hit-or-miss prog-metal fan, so for me this album is simply fantastic. So often when listening to DT, out slams this wonderful, chunky, deep guitar riff and I'm jammin' along. Then, 8 seconds later, it's completely abandoned as they go off on some tangent. That's the nature of prog-metal and not a criticism of DT (remember my first paragraph above), but not always what I want. Much of the time I WANT THAT RIFF. James serves them up, song after song, with a truly talented guitarist and backing band.
That's not to say the songs are one-dimensional, either. There's variety here, and he tries a few things you might not expect (turntable scratching on a metal song? Whod've thunk it? *chuckle*). I've read criticisms of his voice, but I don't know what planet those people live on. James has a great voice and uses it well throughout this album.
This is metal how it should be done, in my humble opinion. Heavy but not annoyingly fast, great drums that don't overwhelm, an excellent groove and great singing. And solos, for crying out loud! Nu-metal fans probably won't know what they're hearing. Hey guys, guess what those skinnier strings on the guitar are for!
Oops, got a little silly there, sorry. I just love this album. The songs are distinct and fresh. The vocals are excellent. The lyrics aren't about breasts, beer and partying 'till you drop. Highly recommended!
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