| CD Reviews Last updated: 11.10.05 Liquid Tension Experiment Liquid Tension Experiment 2 Tracklist: 1. Acid Rain (6:35) 2. Biaxident (7:40) 3. 914 (4:01) 4. Another Dimension (9:50) 5. When the Water Breaks (16:58) 6. Chewbacca (13:35) 7. Liquid Dreams (10:48) 8. Hourglass (4:26) Total: 1:13:55 (All music written by Liquid Tension Experiment) Introduction: This is the second album from the all-instrumental progressive metal outfit, Liquid Tension Experiment. The line-up once again features bass guitar legend Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel), Dream Theater members John Petrucci (guitar) and Mike Portnoy (drums), and ex-Dixie Dregs and, after this album, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess. With the release of their second album, these guys once again prove that they are among the best on their respective instruments. Synopsis: The album starts off with the highly energetic �Acid Rain�. Like �Paradigm Shift�, the opener on the first LTE album, �Acid Rain� just astounds the listener. If you want to hear how talented these guys are, take a listen to this song. Featuring fast and crunching guitar riffs, grooving bass lines, thundering drumming, and amazing keyboards, this song will just blow you away. I really dig that middle section where everyone just starts going crazy on their instruments. �Biaxident� has a very Latin-inspired and jazzy vibe to it. �Biaxident� is a calmer tune than the opening track, but it is still a great one. There�s some pleasant keyboard work on this one, as well as a great guitar solo by Petrucci towards the end of the song. Here�s a little tidbit: the name of this song comes from the prescription drug Biaxin, which was prescribed to John Petrucci because of headaches from the noise from these sessions. �914� is a cool improvised jam between Portnoy, Levin, and Rudess. This track features an inescapable bass line from Levin, and is mostly based around it. Rudess provides some really cool keyboard sounds as well. Overall, this isn�t a particularly great track, but it�s not bad. It�s the shortest song on the album, and is sandwiched between two great songs. It does however serve as a bridge in between �Biaxident� and �Another Dimension�, which is the next track. �Another Dimension� is in the same vein as �Acid Rain� in the sense that it is very fast and heavy. The song starts off rather slowly, but quickly builds up after a great guitar riff from Petrucci. Rudess comes in with some LOUD, awesome keyboards, and Petrucci delivers an amazing guitar solo. Mid-way through the song, the tempo slows down a bit. All the instruments slowly build up and then segue into an� accordion solo! That�s right! Surprisingly, it fits in quite well with the song. After a cool little Spanish guitar interlude, the main riff comes back in. The ending to this song is amazing and really loud. After the song ends, Mike Portnoy yells, �Yeah baby! YEAH!� Clocking in at nearly 17 minutes, �When the Water Breaks� is by far the longest song on the album. The song�s odd title was inspired by the birth of John Petrucci�s daughter, Kiara (as indicated in the album�s liner notes), which incidentally happened during the LTE2 recording sessions! The song really has this vibe to it that really seems like it is the soundtrack of giving birth, in a strange sort of way that I possibly am the only that thinks this. You kind of get that feeling through the constantly changing tempo and time signatures. Anyway, Petrucci delivers several great guitar solos throughout the track. And the song ends with a hilarious keyboard tune, which is also the same one Jordan used to close �Universal Mind� from the first LTE album. �Chewbacca�, another improvised jam, is up next. This one has a space-like feel to it, so the title of the song is fitting. Aside from some great guitar work from Petrucci, this track doesn�t really interest me that much. The middle section of the song is kind of boring and doesn�t go anywhere. With the weird title aside, �Liquid Dreams� is a relative calm track that is mostly keyboard dominated. Most of this track was also improvised between Portnoy, Levin, and Rudess, like �914� and �Chewbacca� before it. �Hourglass� is a beautiful peace that is an acoustic guitar and keyboard duet. This is a very soothing and relaxing way to close the album, the polar opposite of the song that was used to open the album. This song is in the same vein as �State of Grace� from the first LTE album, although �Hourglass� is a little shorter. Highlights: �Acid Rain�, �Another Dimension�, �When the Water Breaks� Overall: Liquid Tension Experiment 2 is another great album from this progressive metal �super group� (I use that term in a light sense). Fans of Dream Theater, jam/instrumental bands, and progressive rock/metal in general should definitely check this album out. Final Score: A- Any questions, comments, submissions, or anything related to the site should be e-mailed to me: shadowdragonxx [at] hotmail [dot] com. Don't take anything from the site without permission. |
| Liquid Tension Experiment 2 Album line-up: Tony Levin � Chapman Stick and Bass Guitar John Petrucci � Guitars Mike Portnoy � Drums and Percussion Jordan Rudess - Keyboard Additional Personnel: N/A Release Year: 1999 Label: Magna Carta Produced by: Liquid Tension Experiment |
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