Review Summary: A very solid and near-perfect outing from one of metal's most respected guitarists.
John Petrucci needs little introduction, as the virtuoso guitarist of Progressive Metal titans Dream Theater, he is highly influential in the Metal world, especially among guitarists. His playing skills speak for themselves and are hidden in plain sight on Dream Theater albums and especially on their side project Liquid Tension Experiment. Suspended Animation is his first solo release, and unlike in DT or LTE, John has absolute free rein on what and how he writes his music, the result is an eclectic album that showcases a wide range of styles, some of which he would not have been able to bring to the table in his main band, it is no surprise he is the most invited third member on the G3 tour alongside Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. While his technical skills are undeniable, people who say that he is all shred and no feel will be proved wrong here.
The opener "Jaws Of Life" immediately starts things strong, John uses his 7 string to great effect for the heavy riffs, it's a mid-paced metal chugger with an absolutely crazy shredding solo in the middle of the piece where John goes all out. It's heavy, melodic and technical, a very powerful and fitting introduction to the album. The aptly titled "Glasgow Kiss" is a very lively and upbeat piece, drawing on Scottish music influences, the main theme of which strongly invokes images of Scottish dances, it is in 6/8 time and a standout of the album.
Things start to get slight techno in "Tunnel Vision", utilizing some interesting sound effects at the beginning of the piece, Tony Verderosa drums on this track only, using an electronic drum kit to reinforce the techno effect of the piece. This piece would fit quite perfectly as part of an action game soundtrack, and there are some very interesting modulations in the middle of the piece. John mellows out on "Wishful Thinking", one of the two ballads on the album, he plays some of his most tasteful melodies on this track, especially during the "verses", he rounds off the piece in a more blue-sy style.
"Damage Control" is another highlight, it is also one of the heavier and more varied pieces on the album, showcasing some very creative melodic lines and modulations. Around the 3 minute mark, the piece takes a drastic turn and launches into high gear with a thrash riff reminiscent of early Metallica, Megadeth and other thrash metal bands of the 80s, one of the many ways John pays tribute to those who have influenced his musical upbringing, the piece also features a nice bass solo from Dave LaRue (who plays live with him on the G3 tour and a great bassist himself). Through several more modulations, he shifts gear into a more "exotic" feel before returning to the main theme. "Curve" is a musical nod to Joe Satriani, one of his guitar idols. Composed in Lydian mode, John plays a repeated melody over an underlying riff that repeats for most of the piece before going into a breakdown in the middle. Musically, I feel it is not as strong as the other pieces on the album, but it showcases some of John's fastest sweeps in the middle of the piece.
"Lost Without You" is another ballad shows John at his most lyrical, sensitive and intimate. The song seems to be portraying a character who gets lost, the tension builds as the character John is portraying gets more and more confused, and it ends in hopelessness as the character is ultimately "not found". "Animate-Inanimate" is the final and longest song on the album, it is more progressive and it draws from more Oriental or Middle Eastern music influences, depending on opinion, it's quite a long drawn out piece and lasts about 3 minutes longer than it should be.
So there you have it, a very solid and near-perfect outing that is marred only slightly by some over-composed sections in the compositions themselves, other than that, I have no complaints. Suspended Animation is an excellent representation of John Petrucci's guitar talents and I highly recommend this to all metal fans.
Recommended songs:
Jaws Of Life
Glasgow Kiss
Damage Control
Lost Without You
