This is the follow up to the very metal album: The Warning. It was the birth of what would later be coined progressive metal. A lot of reviews were less than favourable. Some said that the band had sold out, and even called them a glam metal band. Whoever wrote that review had never listened to the album and chose to review the record by just looking at the band’s pictures on the cover. Which admittedly, were a tad glam but that was record company stupidity.
I’m not a lover of Operation Mindcrime. This is a better album, as the songs gel a lot more and it feels as though I’m listening to a BAND. If you want to know where Dream Theater took a lot of influence from check out The Whisper and tell me how many DT songs that reminds you of.
The best tune on the record is Screaming In Digital. The band are pushing boundaries on this tune and it is as far removed from The Warning as you can get. Tate’s voice is incredible and I love the arrangement. The only gripe is that the production is so quiet and you have to really crank it to hear it fully.
An album that gave birth to a genre.
9/10 from The Grooveman.
