Liquid Tension Experiment

Liquid Tension Experiment 3 (InsideOut Music)

Rating: 8/10

Prog supergroup’s long-awaited third release

This quartet is basically classic Dream Theater minus James LaBrie on vocals and with the addition of Tony Levin on bass. With eight tracks on offer, LTE’s third album (over 20 years since their second) is full of virtuosity, bravado and intensity. Opener, Hypersonic, lives up to its name as the eight-minute-plus blazer opens with 30 seconds of fiery unison-note spitting. The frenetic blazing doesn’t really let up until the ballad-esque middle section where John Petrucci soars with his trademark Boogie-and-MusicMan humbucker tone. Beating The Odds is a great play with a memorable rock riff and colourful chord changes: nice Vai-style solo, too. The arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue could seem an unusual choice, but the tones and creativity on show make it a very stimulating listen. On the basis of this, a fourth album surely beckons? [JS]

Standout track: Hypersonic

For fans of: Dream Theater, Petrucci solo projects