•
Rating: The first time I listened to this CD, I realized that something in the sound of Dream Theater, at least for this record, had changed.
The album didn't follow a single thread interspersed with very calm songs, but literally spanned across many musical genres. By relaxing and closing one's eyes, you can hear the melodic "Regression", two minutes of sweet and passionate guitar. However, there is no time to relax before "Overture 1928" starts, and immediately after, "Strange Deja Vu". Songs with the same sound and recurring theme, aggressive but with a logic as coherent as it is expressive. And so we get to "Through My Words", a sweet prelude to the beautiful "Fatal Tragedy". So far, the CD is magnificent, and the third track is the one that has left the strongest impression on me so far. "Beyond This Life" is a song in the style of "Images And Words," nothing short of abrasive and captivating. Then comes "Through Her Eyes", the first single of the album, splendid but much more beautiful live as demonstrated by the DVD "Scenes From New York." "Home" is a 13-minute song with an initially oriental vibe, where, along with "The Dance Of Eternity", the four musicians showcase their technical skills. Then comes "One Last Time", a very beautiful song, where the chorus particularly stands out. We then arrive at "The Spirit Carries On", the true gem of the CD that I immediately fell in love with. The song is splendid, with immense emotional impact, and its words are deep and meaningful. "Finally Free" is the track that concludes the album, where the motif of "One Last Time" is revisited in the central part.
This album, (even though calling it an album is reductive since it's a true opera divided into acts) captivates from beginning to end, flowing light and seamless. It is an exciting album, a gem in the global music scene.
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Status Seeker (05:09)
Heart sick at the sight of the
Status Seeker
In a sense I'm not beyond reproach
The aspiration to drop a name
When any rose might smell the same
Maybe you'll figure it out someday
'I want to know you now...
You know I've always believed in you.'
Nothing is sacred...
You draw the bottom line
With a dollar sign
Change of opinion...
At the drop of a dime
Graceless intrusion...
Are you sanctified in your judgment of me?
All that I deserve is what you were unable to see
In the garden where the seeds were spilled
I favored the few that stood strong in the sun
As I reached for the profit of my prize
I found I had trampled the forgotten ones.
Nothing is sacred...
You draw the bottom line
With a dollar sign
Change of opinion...
At the drop of a dime
Graceless intrusion...
Are you sanctified in your judgment of me?
All that I deserve is what you were unable to see
You're running in circles
And I'm turning away
You refused to believe
Now I'm turning away
Nothing is sacred...
You draw the bottom line
With a dollar sign
Change of opinion...
At the drop of a dime
Graceless intrusion...
Are you sanctified in your judgment of me?
All that I deserve is what you were unable to see
You're running in circles
And I'm turning away
You refused to believe
Now I'm turning away
04 The Killing Hand (08:59)
An Angel's kiss now fallen
Descending scarlet cuts the sky
Faded names left on the wall
Honor the fighting leave life to die
Remembered is the sacrifice but
No praisal of blood still flowing
Who were the leaders?
What controlled the Killing Hand
That caused this mourning?
Crossing over...
05 Eve (05:03)
''Chapter One. Once upon a time, and a very good time it was,
There was a moo cow coming down along the road.
So He came Himself in weakness not in power
And He sent thee, a creature in His stead,
With a creature's comeliness and luster
Suited to our state.
And now thy very face and form dear mother,
Speak to us of the eternal;
Not like earthly beauty, dangerous to look upon,
But like the morning star which is thy emblem,
Bright and musical, breathing purity,
Telling of Heaven and infusing peace.
O harbinger of day! O light of the pilgrim!
Lead us still as thou hast led.
In the dark night, across the bleak wilderness
Guide us on to our Lord Jesus, guide us home.
"Tower of Ivory?" they used to say, "House of Gold?"
How could a woman be a tower of ivory or a house of gold?''
08 Caught in a Web (05:33)
Silence disguised
I watch you
Show me the hurt
That haunts you
Would you despise the thrill
If all you hide were mine?
I can't hold on any longer
These feelings keep growing stronger
Echoes that deafen the mind
Will bury my voice in their wake
Caught in a Web
Removed from the world
Hanging on by a thread
Spinning the lies
Devised in my head
I've seen the path
The one you take
Shows the truth
For you to make
This turn of phrase
We might not see
Is the thirst of desire
Found so easily
Try to push me 'round
The world some more
And make me live in fear
I bare all that I am
Made of now
Attractive I don't care
'Cause even when I danced with life
No one was there to share
Does this voice the wounds of your soul?
Does this voice the wounds of your soul?
Caught in a Web
Removed from the world
Hanging on by a thread
Spinning the lies
Devised in my head
Tried to live the life
You live and saw
It doesn't work for me
I bare all that I am
Made of now
Attractive, I can't be
Inside the Dance of Life is one
I'll never hold to me
You can't heal the wounds of my soul.
You can't heal the wounds of my soul.
Caught in a Web
Refused by the world
Hanging on by a thread
Spinning the lies
Devised in my head
Caught in a Web
Refused by the world
Hanging on by a thread
Spinning a cage
Denied and misread
09 A Change of Seasons (17:13)
I remember a time
My frail, virgin mind
Watched the crimson sunrise
Imagined what it might find
Life was filled with wonder
I felt the warm wind blow
I must explore the boundaries
Transcend the depth of winter's snow
Innocence caressing me
I never felt so young before
There was so much life in me
Still I longed to search for more
But those days are gone now
Changed like a leaf on a tree
Blown away forever
Into the cool autumn breeze
The snow has now fallen
And my sun's not so bright
I struggle to hold on
With the last of my might
In my den of inequity
Viciousness and subtlety
Struggle to ease the pain
Struggle to find the same
Ignorance surrounding me
I've never been so filled with fear
All my life's been drained from me
The end is drawing near...
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By Dreamtheater
When you listen to 'Scenes From A Memory' for the first time, you can already understand that you are in front of one of the most beautiful works, not only in progressive metal, but in the entire modern musical scene.
'Finally Free' is the last track: beautiful, a melody that gives you chills, a song that stays with you... a real masterpiece.
