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  Line-up: see the review. Release of: see the review All songs by Liquid Tension Experiment. This is a special article where I try to voice my own opinion regarding present-day projects like this. LTE is another all-stars-spur-of-the-moment project from "Magna Carta" label. Well, we can see very familiar faces: Tony Levin (bass, famous not only for King Crimson), Jordan Rudess (keyboards, ex-Dixie Dregs, Dream Theater, now in Rudess / Morgenstein Project), guitarist John Petrucci, and drummer Mike Portnoy (both of Dream Theater, not counting their participation in various projects of that kind). The album considered here was well played but not quite as well composed (was it possible in the course of eight days?). Nevertheless, both main virtuosos, Petrucci and Rudess, supported with a very dynamic rhythm-section show some excellent jam, though the majority of the interplays between the musicians are just jazzy improvisations, not specially composed arrangements. They work quite effectively with musical intervals and harmonies to create more or less strong compositions. On the whole, "LTE" makes an impression of another Dregs' album with Petrucci instead of Morse on guitar.
Summary. This express-album is better, in my opinion, than the off and on openly poppy "Falling
into Infinity", a new studio album from Dream Theater after "Awake" of 1994, though the level
of complexity and the other ingredients of progressive rock represented by these Big Four under
the title of "LTE" bears no comparison with the best albums of Dream Theater or Dixie Dregs, to say
nothing of the well-known classic works of the genre from the titans like Yes, Genesis, and the same
King Crimson. One and a half month after this release, I heard that the second album from Liquid
(maybe, it's simply water?) Tension Experiment is ready already for our ears (CD), eyes (a regular
world tour is coming soon), and ... ooh! purses! Just for once their second work was, let's say,
composed for twelve days. Well, a big step forwards... another "green" harvest (regarding dollars
as well as music!). As to the latest craze of the projects like this... "The big money goes
around the world" (Rush).
VM. 7.11.1998 |
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