voila une review de l'album:
1. "Jaws of Life"
Very heavy opening riff using the seven string, good melody reminiscent of Satch's melodies when he uses a crybaby. Nice unison guitars. The solo is pure John Petrucci and reminds me of the best parts of Liquid Tension Experiment's second album. Mind you, I'm much more a fan of John Petrucci's rhythm playing than of his solo playing. His solos are incredible, but his true strength lies in his rhythm playing, in my opinion, and the rhythm guitars are incredible on this track.
2. "Glasgow Kiss"
Sounds very Steve Morse-ish, and that's a very good thing. Although not my favorite track on the album, it's still very good. The clean interlude and the following buildup also sounds like Liquid Tension Experiment's second album. The end of the song sounds like "The Introduction"-era Steve Morse, with heavier guitars.
3. "Tunnel Vision"
By far my favorite track on the album. The intro seems inspired by Satch's "Engines of Creation", quasi techno. Some serious open-string riffing ensues, which reminds me of Satch's "Banana Mango". Dave DiCenso absolutely shines on this track, and it's a good thing John Petrucci has him playing instead of Mike Portnoy. The part at 2:40 is absolutely amazing! It reminds me of old-school videogame music, the kind of stuff you heard on the Commodore 64, composed by Benn Daglish et al. Amazing open-string work there too, I think this is the part that must've inspired the cover of the album.
4. "Wishful Thinking"
A ballad with passable melodies. Not only am I a fan of John Petrucci's rhythm work more than of his solos, I am also a fan of his heavier stuff more than of his ballads. I understand the point of ballads if it's 1987 and this is one of the first solo guitars out, i.e., one might expect to get minimal airplay. But on this record, I really don't know why there is a ballad... It's all right, but definitely not my favorite. There are some tasty bluesy licks in the end solo, however...
5. "Damage Control"
Another heavy-riffing song. We all have heard this one before, and it does not disappoint in its album version. The fast part in the middle is also very Steve Morse-ish. There is some serious alternate picking going in the solo that's in the middle of this part. The part that has been posted as an exercise on PowerTabs.net is there, played flawlessly and very fast. Amazingly so, in fact!
6. "Curve"
The weak point of the album, in my opinion. It's something that you would expect from Satch's latter albums, but not from John Petrucci's first solo album (more on this later). The song is essentially in the Lydian mode. There are some fast unisons, with amazing alternate picking, but the song leaves me a bit indifferent. I know those of you who attended the clinic at RMA loved it, but I don't know. Nothing to write home about.
7. "Lost Without You"
Another ballad, but this one is strictly better than the fourth track. Tasty bluesy playing. For some reason, it reminds me of Satch's cover of "All Alone", the Billie Holiday song, up to a certain point. There's an almost jazzy part in the middle. It's not bad, but as I said, this type of song is not my cup of tea, so I know that in six months, when I listen to the album again after not having listened to the album for a while, I'll skip the fourth and seventh track and go for the heavier stuff.
8. "Animate-Inanimate"
The Harmonic Minor song on the album! The opening riff is heavy and dark, and although it did remind CudBucket of "Home", it doesn't remind me of it. This is the most progressive song on the album, as it clocks in at over 11 and a half minutes... The second part, which begins at around 4:20, is very trippy (no pun intended), sounds almost like Led Zeppelin. The opening riff then comes back in, and it then sounds very much like something off of "Scenes from a Memory"... This is the song that is closest to what we are used to, i.e. it's very close to something that Dream Theater would play.
"I'm just inspired by everyday life. I find it very wondrous. There is so much to reflect upon, to write about, to dream about, and to hope for."
Joe Satriani
