LaBrie made a clever choice positioning "Crucify" on the opening spot for his new release, as it is symbolic of the entire work. Luring the listener with its initial mellow acoustic guitar playing, it then transforms into an attack of distortion, with a guitar solo leading into a Metallica inspired territory of thrashing rhythm, filled with dry drums (courtesy of Mike Mangini) that sound like a machinegun on "auto." Some light seconds later, gentle keyboards appear, suggesting of the electronica touch ahead with LaBrie’s declarative vocals gradually moving higher, reaching his high scream register on the chorus. The speedy mid-section of the song, which is also a bit classically oriented, is impressive and serves as evidence to the wonderful musicianship throughout.

Sounds Dream Theater-ish to you? Well, the songs may be shorter than the average Dream Theater compositions, and the electronica and sampling procedures give a slight distinctive color to the work (this is highly noticeable on "In Too Deep"), but the basic formula is definitely adapted from Labrie’s main band.

If that wasn’t enough to encourage you to give it a try, LaBrie’s strong vocal performance should give you another reason. In addition to his usual high pitched or aggressive singing (which can get tiring quite fast, as is the case with "In Too Deep"), he also offers a wider than ever range of his heartfelt, breezy and slightly breaking vocals, which is much more gratifying, as evident on the ballad "Smashed."

It is unclear why LaBrie could not incorporate his material into a Dream Theater album, injecting the band with some freshness. But this is not said in order to belittle this fine achievement, which should excite every Dream Theater fan, and perhaps some others who prefer their music less conceptual and a bit pointier. (8/10)