"Not for the musically faint hearted" (Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment)

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment
Date:	06/04/09 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent musicianship, some killer riffs and exciting

Disadvantages: A little relentless feeling at times

Liquid Tension Experiment (or LTE for short) are an instrumental progressive rock super group consisting of guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist Jordan Rudess and bassist Tony Levin. Fans of progressive metal band Dream Theater will no doubt recognise those first three names. All four of these virtuoso musicians know exactly what they're doing on their own instrument of choice - but can they hold a tune together?

One of the most frequent complaints I hear about Dream Theater are James LaBrie's vocals. Many listeners say that they cannot abide his unique vocal style and much prefer listening to the purely instrumental sections of Dream Theater's work. You would think then that LTE is the answer - no vocals, just pure "riffage" from start to finish. The style of LTE is (unsurprisingly) very similar to that of Dream THeater - we're talking complex time signatures, wailing guitar melodies, breath-taking shredding and a distinctly 80s feeling melodic cheesiness in some tracks! Jordan Rudess (keyboardist) incorporates all the functionality of his Korg keyboards into the songs - changing patches every few moments from full-on orchestral arrangements to ripping lead saw waves to gentle grand piano sounds. John Petrucci (guitar) is equally matched for diversity of style and precision of execution. In fact, the whole band is a well oiled machine that plays together like a dream. But we return to the all important question - can they write a good tune?

Listening to some of their work, if I am being frank, it can sound a little bit like a joke. For instance, they finish one of their tracks with a excerpt from "Entrance of the Gladiators". Other tracks feature whistling and some seriously whacky percussion sounds, which I can't identify. If you can bear the moments of insanity then there are some very rewarding riffs and melodies to look out for. Notably, "Universal Mind" blends sweeping grand piano classical music with heavy rock riffing and super-solid drumming. "Kindred Spirits" sports an excellently smooth keyboard solo towards the end with a melody that reminds me uncannily of the Gardener's World theme tune - you'll have to hear it to believe it! Other highlight include the quirky funk rock track "Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure" and the blissful "State of Grace" which has an almost hymn-like quality to it. Certainly one for the lighters to come out at concerts.

What I feel the album lacks is, quite simply, breathing space. Even though the "racey" tracks are interspersed with quieter interludes it seems the four musicians can't help but show-off at every opportunity. At least they acknowledge this themselves with a footnote on the album art noting that the last track is "not for the musically faint hearted". It's just a non-stop onslaught of notes. But then, this is three quarters of Dream THeater we're talking about here - it wasn't exactly going to be a relaxing experience! Liquid Tension Experiment holds together, but only just.

Summary: Brilliantly executed instrumental prog-rock with no shame