Label: Elektra Records
Release date: October 26, 1999
Production: Mike Portnoy & John Petrucci
Album length: 77:06 min
Genre: Progressive Metal
From the opening chords of Regression, the fifth studio album by American quintet Dream Theater, Scenes From A Memory, whisks us off into a startling world, the kind only the champions of modern progressive rock and the leading shapers of its standards can create.
Scenes from a memory is a real treat for anyone who loves demanding music like the stuff Dream Theater play, since the title track is a textbook symphony, the kind only these guys can write and play in modern rock. Scenes From A Memory was produced by drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci, who already visited Slovenia back in 1998 at the invitation of a rep from Ibanez guitars and pulled in a nice crowd of admirers with his show. “We always wanted to write a concept album,” says Mike. “All my favorite albums are built around a concept: Pink Floyd’s The Wall, The Who’s Tommy, Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime; they’re all major influences.” John Petrucci continues: “The biggest challenge was picking a theme that was interesting enough to cover a whole album. We followed a story about reincarnation, which lets us feed our own curiosity too, since it’s a phenomenon that’s fascinating to everyone.”
The main character is Nicholas, who suffers from nightmares about his various lives, and thorough psychotherapy reveals that he is actually the reincarnation of the soul of a young girl, Victoria Page, who lived in the early 20th century. Nicholas digs further and uncovers the tragic story of Victoria’s love triangle with two brothers (the characters from the song “Metropolis Part 1) ,which ended in the girl’s violent death. John explains that they drew inspiration from exploring numerous ideas and concepts about reincarnation, since every religion wrestles with the question of life after death. “One of my favorite songs on the album is ‘The Spirit Carries On’, with the central question of where we come from and where we’re going. That gives the song a real gospel quality. We used a choir. It’s a dramatic moment of decision for the hero, when he discovers that we all carry on…Beyond This Life is another highlight, telling the story of Victoria’s murder in the style of a 1920 newspaper report.”
Scenes From A Memory was written and recorded entirely at the tried-and-true Bear Tracks studio in New York State, with no demo recordings, which gives the music and the creative process a fresh, spontaneous feel. New wind blew through the band with the arrival of keyboardist Jordan Rudess, whom Mike and John, after good experiences working together on two Liquid Tension Experiment project CDs, invited into the permanent Dream Theater lineup, and he plays a big role on the current record. The keyboards add an important dimension to the dynamic color that has defined the unique Dream Theater sound for more than a decade. Sound engineer Kevin Shirley, known for his work with Aerosmith, Billy Squier, Joe Satriani, Journey and The Black Crowes, helped pack the album with real rock power, punch and bite. The almost scientifically precise arrangements of the individual tracks really come through, as does the outstanding mastery of every member of the band. Singer James La Brie says that the hard rock’n’roll life of the past decade had a huge influence on the recording and creation of Scenes From A Memory. You can feel a lot of pain, anger, awareness and fear in some of the tracks. In the second half of the record, though, the guys heal those troubles with a positive, upbeat view of the problems of the people around them. The record is unique in their career, as it’s their first time going for a concept, and it contains songs that swing from fairly melodic stuff to almost thrash metal. Petrucci’s riffs and amps pushed to the point of squealing, the earthquake curtains of Mike Portnoy’s drums, the dazzling keyboard sounds of Jordan Rudess, the virtuoso bass of Japanese-American John Myung and the versatile voice of singer James La Brie make a combination that’s one of a kind in the rock world.
Dream Theater wove the musical styles that surge through Scenes From A Memory into their identity with real thought. Even though most of it is hard, sharp rock and metal, it’s no guitar orgy; it mixes in just the right amount of jazz, progressive, almost classical-style playing and, in a few tracks, lyrical acoustic passages. The emotional peak of Scenes From A Memory is the twenty-three-minute title track. In the words of singer James La Brie, we can slowly wrap up our walk through Scenes From A Memory: “On the new record we’re talking about being aware of our existence. People need to get closer to themselves, figure out what’s best for us, and then apply those discoveries in everyday life.”
by: Jernej Vene
rating: 9.5 / 10
Tracklist:
Act 1:
Scene One: Regression (2:06)
Scene Two: Part I. Overture 1928 (3:37)
Scene Two: Part II. Strange Deja Vu (5:12)
Scene Three: Part I. Through My Words (1:02)
Scene Three: Part II. Fatal Tragedy (6:49)
Scene Four: Beyond This Life (11:22)
Scene Five: Through Her Eyes (5:29)
Act 2:
Scene Six: Home (12:53)
Scene Seven: Part I. The Dance of Eternity (6:13)
“Scene Seven: Part II. One Last Time (3:46)
“Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On (6:38)
“Scene Nine: Finally Free (11:59)
Lineup:
James LaBrie – vocals
John Petrucci – guitars, backing vocals
Jordan Rudess – keyboards
John Myung – bass guitar
Mike Portnoy – drums, backing vocals
