Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Magna Carta
Catalog Number: MA-9023-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 73:54:00

This is a good instrumental release by two of the fellows that gave us Images & Words CD so many years ago, along with Jordan Rudess and Tony Levin. This is an example of what FII[Falling Into Infinity] could have been if they had continued that direction. Overall it's a wonderful album and a great "experience," but there are a few details I would like to pick on.

The album starts out very abrupt, almost a little too harsh for my ears. With a riff sounding very much like Stratovarious did on Fourth Dimension, more or less on one of the songs off that album I don't like. That's the bad news. The good news is Liquid Tension turns into a great album after the first few minutes. The nine minute opener is not my favorite kind of guitar playing, but it is sure to please the Petrucci worshippers. There is a nice mellow "instrumental" section well in to the song. Ok, the whole thing is instrumental, but this would be the instrumental part if the album featured a vocalist. One part of the song I do love is half-way through this section is the switch to something that reminds me of "Strange Ways" off Deep Purple's House Of Blue Light.

The second song starts out with some bongos or something. It sounds pretty cool whatever it is, with some new age sounds mixed in. The next one starts with a heavier riff, with "A Change Of Seasons" sound to it, but has a lot of other stuff thrown in. Not that this was thrown together, though. This is one of my faves of the album. It's called "Kindred Spirits." This song is the one where you realize that this is a progressive effort.

The fourth song, "The Stretch," is a two-minute guitarish solo with some crazy jazz drum beat to it. "Freedom Of Speech" is pretty heavy on the keys and tends to the progressive style and is a showcase for each of the players to display their techniques. Somebody can even whistle. This one is over nine minutes in length. Then we have a short ballad type, with slow guitar and some lovely keys in the background. One of the better tunes here, and it leads right in to "The State Of Grace," a faster paced song with some great melodies.

The 28 minute song at the end "Three Minute Warning" can be a little waily and whiny at times - but what do you expect of a song that long with no lyrics? They're mostly at the beginning and once past those parts the song has some great musicianship. Not too much off this album you're going to walk away with after one, two, or even half a dozen listens. But it will defenitely keep you busy listening for new things, and entertain you like a good disc should.

This review courtesy Jeff Keifling, perhaps originally appearing at Perpetual Motion, but republished at AudioVision, which PW absorbed in 1999 -ed. 8/05

Tracklisting:
Paradigm Shift (8:54) / Osmosis (3:36) / Kindred Spirits (6:29) / The Stretch (2:00) / Freedom Of Speech (9:19) / Chris and Kevin's Excellent Adventure (2:21) / State Of Grace (5:01) / Universal Mind (7:53) / Three Minute Warning (28:21)

Musicians:
Tony Levin - basses and stick
John Petrucci - guitars
Mike Portnoy - drums
Jordan Rudess - keyboards

Discography:
Liquid Tension Experiment (1998)
Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin US

Added: July 25th 1999
Reviewer: Jeff Keifling

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Language: english