Scenes From A Memory

Performer: Dream Theater
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Dream Theater: James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar, background vocals); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion, background vocals). Additional personnel: Theresa Thomason (vocals); Mary Canty, Shelia Slappy, Mary Smith, Jeanette Smith, Clarence Burke Jr., Carol Cyrus, Dale Scott (background vocals). Producers: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Terry Brown. Engineers: Doug Oberkircher, Terry Brown. Recorded at Little Bear Studios, Suffern, New York and Metal Works Studios, Toronto, Canada between February & August 1999. "Metropolis Part I," a track featured on Dream Theater's breakthrough, IMAGES AND WORDS, left many progressive rock enthusiasts with what seemed like another unfinished chapter in a story never to be completed. Seven years and five albums later, Dream Theater returned to its majestic beginnings with METROPOLIS PART II--SCENES FROM A MEMORY. Keyboard virtuoso Jordan Rudess, who was a logical replacement for Derek Sherinian, revitalized the band's sound. Rudess's collaboration with guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy stole the attention of Dream Theater fans in the instrumental project, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT. METROPOLIS PART II is an epic concept album that makes a powerful artistic statement. The band is impressive in its ability to weave a suite of pieces together that share a common thread of recurring musical and lyrical themes similar to those first presented in "Metropolis I." The heart of the tale is revealed in "Fatal Tragedy," which centers on a murder mystery. The main character, Victoria Page, sees the man she once loved turning evil and in refusing his affections, she pays with her life. The lyrical point of view shifts from character to character, bringing about powerful results.

CMJ (11/8/99, p.25) - "...pushes the metal envelope...a pretty, orchestral prog-rock album that has so many intricate layers that you're guaranteed to uncover something new with every listen..."

Dream Theater may not have been the very first to combine heavy metal's biting guitars with progressive rock's complex structures and virtuosic displays, but they were certainly at the vanguard of the prog-metal paradigm in the late '80s. By the '90s, they had become the definitive avatars of the genre. They were also the nexus for numerous prog supergroup offshoots, such as Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, and Explorers Club.

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