Well, here we are with yet another review of a release from the Magna Carta label. This time around I'm listening to "Dali's Dilemma", and their CD titled Manifesto for Futurism. And much like other Magna Carta projects I've listened to, its an exciting CD that's chock full of shred. Axe man Patrick Reyes serves the shred here up on a sizzling platter. Reyes reminds me of John Petrucci and Alex Lifeson, in the way that he is able to mix his way of playing "comfortably" into a CD that's also packed with his blazing fretwork. He's just plain talented. While the band are newcomers to the prog-metal scene, their playing is definitely not. This disc is a finely tuned example of what today's prog-heads want to hear. Hearing it for the first time makes me think of the first time I heard Rush's "a farewell to kings", or Dream Theaters "Images and words". They have a very tight sound, one that would lend itself well to live performance. But hey, what separates good prog-metal from great prog-metal is the live performance. I'm willing to bet that a live Dali performance would be great!

My favorite song by far is titled, "Hills of Memory." Mathew Bradley's powerful voice slices through the driving rhythm with force. I just love his voice. Any prog band would KILL to have him belting out the shredding vocals! While there's plenty of songs on the CD with a higher degree of "shred" than "Hills of Memory," the overall song is great. Rhythm is a big part of the entire disc. The band really captures a "groove" on every track, as the songs mesh together in a very comfortable way. Matt Guillory's keyboard playing is becoming legendary in the annals of prog-metal. James La Brie knew this, as he selected Matt to play the keys on his "Mull Muzzler" project. The drumming of Jeremy Colson reminds me of vintage Ian Paice, laying down a bed of precision thunder. But the crème of the crop here is the tightness of brothers Patrick (guitar) and Steve Reyes (bass). A couple of friends of mine who are brothers have the same uncanny tightness. I think the whole "brother" thing clearly gives them an edge over other musicians. They are so tight and precise... it seems like they just know what the other is thinking, and they use this to build thick layers of shred. It's really something to hear!

Manifesto for Futurism is a mainstay in my car now; it's a great crusin' disc. I find myself cranking it more and more, and then when I come to a stop, I realize that people are staring at me because it's so loud. I'd like to apologize to all those other drivers whom I've forced Dali's Dilemma on... NOT! This CD is great, but I can't wait to hear the next one. I would REALLY like to see these guys do a concept album... they seem to be well-equipped for it!

Reviewed by Thingfish

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