The album has been out for a while now, and this song still sounds as incredible as it did on day 1. Perhaps even more so. The first verse is brilliantly chilling, and the part after the vocal sample always gets the hairs on my neck to stand on end.
A Dream Theater song hasn't made me feel like this since Lines In The Sand. The reason is that not only is the musicianship incredible - the instrumentation on BAI is incredible, there is emotion pouring out of every aspect of it - but the lyrics are fantastic. I was very skeptic when the album was about to be released, and I didn't want to get excited because there was no way that Myung's lyrics could live up to expectations. I expected something that wouldn't be as good as his previous outings, and what I got was incredible.
What I heard when I got to this track was a song so beautiful, that when Beneath The Surface started, I already had an enormous smile on my face. Every track (except maybe BMUBMD or OTBOA) would stand out as best on the album if it were on any of the previous two albums, but the majority seem like filler compared to this song. I couldn't believe it when I heard it. The kings are back.
This song is a perfect farewell to the Portnoy era (the drums right at the end very much feel like a tribute to him), and a stunning debut of the Mangini era. The spirit definitely carries on, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Thank you, DT, for this spectacular performance.
In the chant part for BMUBMD, the backing vocals go up very, very high.
F5 - Under A Glass Moon
Higher than that..
F#5 - Learning To Live
Even higher...
G5 - Octavarium
Yes, it's higher than that...
G#5 - Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Insanely high! But wait...
A5 - Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Yep. The backing vocals in BMUBMD are mainly G#5 (already a record), but they reach an astounding A5, a whole step higher than the previous highest note, from Octavarium. The only time I've heard James LaBrie reach A5 before is on the bootleg recording of DT's cover of Number of the Beast.
He's 48 years old, but he's still got it.
Is there any swearing at any point? I plan on blasting it through my speakers real loud when I get it, and my parents probably would not appreciate it if my younger siblings were to hear a swear word played loudly through my sound system. Yeah...
Because, honestly guys, it's fantastic. Yeah there are a few bad songs on there (You Not Me *shudder*) but Hell's Kitchen and Lines In The Sand are the two best songs DT have written. Also, Peruvian Skies is up there. Trial of Tears is pretty badass too.
Thoughts on FII?
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