This was recorded some 15 years after his first solo album, Suspended Animation, and would also be the first time that he had recorded with Mike Portnoy after his somewhat acrimonious departure from Dream Theater. Well, the experience must have been a good one, as they resurrected Liquid Tension Experiment and recorded an album for that project also. They are joined on bass by Dixie Dregs’ Dave LaRue. There is no doubt that Petrucci is at the top of his game when it comes to tech metal guitar players, and he shows off his talents as you would expect here. I happen to think that Petrucci is responsible for one of the most beautiful solos committed to vinyl on the track, Lines In The Sand, from the Falling Into Infinity record. He can play with feel with the best of them, so I expect more than the usual shred-fest.
The album starts with Terminal Velocity and The Oddfather, and they sound just like Dream Theater instrumental tracks and they aren’t straying too far from the path as this is what most people expect, very technically perfect and very well played. Happy Song is a tech metal version of Weezer with a bit of Satriani thrown in. Out Of The Blue is the first track where he steps out of his comfort zone and into the blues – it’s a nice sidestep. Glassy Eyed Zombie sounds as though it’s been around since Six Degrees as it has that vibe with a nice and chunky fat sound. The Way Things Fall has a very Rush sounding intro and the guitar parts are playing what would be the vocal part. Snake In My Boot is almost eighties hair metal with the hand claps and everything. The last track, Temple Of Circadian, is full of fat riffed d-tuned goodness with the heavy grooves to support it, and is the best track on the album.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
