Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

"His solos sound more heartfelt, less show off."

Petrucci is an amazing skilled guitar player but in my opinion his weakest point is the lack of true emotion (feeling) on his performances. He just played the "same song" here.

Album Rating: 3.5

You have a good point there. My favorite guitarists are not the ones who can display 1,000 notes per min. but more the ones who can both be melodic at will and transmit emotions through it. I immediatly think about both Andrew Latimer, Steve Hackett or Steve Howe for instance.

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

The final solo in Octavarium is pretty emotional. The Best of Times also comes to mind.

Album Rating: 2.5

Man, I can't get over that frog-like croaking at the beginning and end of "Bridges in the Sky."

Album Rating: 3.5

@Yazz, I take good note!

@Irving, mon ami; Same here.

Yeah that frog croaking thing pisses me off.

And I swear I thought I was listening to some nu-metal when the opening riff of Build Me Up came on.

I'm glad somebody else noticed the stupid noise in Bridges of the Sky. Dream Theater, what the hell, it sounds like you're taking turns farting into the microphone...

Album Rating: 3.0

Build Me Up, Break Me Down is so bad.

Album Rating: 3.5

Rudess shouldn't be allowed to use LFOs if the sounds come out sounding like farts.

Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off

I really like the ballads on this honestly.



About to rank this on a list LOOK OUT

i liked all of it actually

The Best of Times also comes to mind.

Album Rating: 2.0

I rather enjoyed "Build Me Up..." sure it's unfitting, but it came off to me less cheesy than "Dark Eternal Night".



And another emotional solo would have to be "Goodnight Kiss".

Alot of these songs were really not cheesy, to me at least. BCaSL was pretty cheesy.

Album Rating: 3.0

Breaking All Illusions is fantastic...



The rest, not so much.



And Build Me Up [etc] had me thinking of Linkin Park [sic].

^ That song just screams Nu-Metal

Album Rating: 2.5

And Build Me Up [etc] had me thinking of Linkin Park [sic].



TRUE, that. It sounds a bit like Meteora's "Don't Stay", doesn't it? However, the first thing I thought of was that it sounded like Disturbed's "Inside the Fire".

Album Rating: 3.0

^Yeah that was my thought too, the riff reminded me of a Disturbed riff.

Album Rating: 3.0

"Not a single track on here that even approaches being as good as Best of Times or Count of Tuscany."



Absolutely right. This Is The Life and Bridges In The Sky are really the only songs that are growing much on me. At first I was excited that I was actually getting into the album a bit, until I realized that none of these songs can touch a number of songs that appeared on their last two albums.



As much as it's true that Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds were not the strongest efforts and had a lot of missteps, there are a number of great and redeeming moments that keep me coming back from time to time. I just can't see me getting to that same place with this disk.

Album Rating: 2.5

TAKE YOUR PLACE INSIDE THE FIRE WITH HURRRR