 |
| |
| Track by Track Review
|
|
Above the Grass - Part 1
This is a 43-second acoustic prelude that gets revisited at the end of the album. |
|
The Gene Machine
In a rather abrupt change, the song gets off to a fast-paced start and mirrors LaBrie's home unit, Dream Theater. |
|
Spiders
Funk meets power metal on this track. There are several good moments, such as the a cappella vocal passage and a well-placed guitar solo that burns while keeping a good sense of melody. |
|
River Out of Eden
One of the softer tracks here, but not too soft. The backing synth adds a hypnotic arpeggio as the backing riff, and the song balances between acoustic piano leads and lead guitar. |
|
Message from the Mountain
An intro like early-80s King Crimson starts this song, and short but nimble orchestral accompaniments appear throughout. Nik Guadagnoli's bass solo punctuates the proceedings. At 9:56 this is the longest song on the CD, and one of the tracks most influenced by the writings of Prof. Dawkins. |
|
Your Eyes
Perhaps the most conventional song in structure, "Your Eyes" is acoustic-based and has a very catchy hook in the chorus, showing LaBrie's excellent vocal range. |
|
La Mer
The softness continues on the start of this one with LaBrie accompanied primarily by a piano before unleashing itself at the end. One doesn't find too many songs about examining the origins of life in a shell found on the beach, but Prof. Dawkins was a neo-Darwinist, and the song keeps to that. |
|
Nice Guys Finish First
This is a lively cut where drummer Marvin gets to show his considerable chops. The middle section offers a bit of a respite before going back to the chorus and LaBrie's multi-layered vocals. |
|
Arms Races
A rather semi-gothic feel is the basis throughout this piece, but there are parts of bold metal strut here as well. |
|
Origins and Miracles
This is a mid-tempo piece, quite a bit relaxed. There is a slightly jazzy feel in the break, and the lyrics give a nod to the "infinite number of monkeys" theory. |
|
Off The Ground
A Hammond organ kicks this one off, and Frameshift kick into high gear. Though the song is a high-tempo rocker, the use of acoustic guitar and tambourine in the chorus take a little of the edge off the song.
|
|
Walking Through Genetic Space
Another restrained song here, and LaBrie's vocals, rich in harmonies, are the real driving force. |
|
Cultural Genetics
Frameshift kick it back into high gear with crunch chords and staccato rhythmic backup. |
|
Bats
We have another muscular rocker here, and LaBrie's growl is in full force. A soprano sax solo, courtesy of Steve Katsikas, adds a bit of a twist. |
|
Above the Grass - Part 2
There is a majestic opening to this, like a grand march. The song, though, returns to the theme found at the beginning of the CD. There is some good acoustic guitar work. The composition is developed a bit more on this melodic theme. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
|
|
© 2024 Music Street Journal
Site design and programming by Studio Fyra, Inc./Beetcafe.com |
