Every once in a while a recording comes out, and from the first moment you hear it, you're captivated. Not a moment passes while you listen that you aren't overwhelmed by the sheer excellence of the music. A fine mixture of talent and experimental nature blend together to produce a masterpiece. The Liquid Tension Experiment 2 is one of those rare pieces.

LTE2 is John Petrucci on guitar and Mike Portnoy on drums, both of Dream Theater. Tony Levin, who is best known as Peter Gabriel's bassist, is on bass. And Jordan Rudess is on keyboards. Jordan got his name while playing with the Dixie Dreggs, and has recently joined the ranks of Dream Theater. Regardless of whether or not you like any of the aforementioned bands, if you're a fan of progressive instrumental rock, this is the cream of the crop. It is easily one of the best CD's I've ever listened to. This CD doesn't just peak your interest, it reaches out and grabs you by the throat, and doesn't let you go until the extravaganza is completed 73:59 minutes later. I let a friend borrow it, as the first song entitled "Acid Rain" started, a smile grew across his face. Before the stranglehold captured him, he was able to murmur, "oh Yeah, wow, WOW". If you are a true fan of shred, this CD demands your undivided attention within the first seconds of the first song.

LTE2 is a collection of 8 songs, which were basically improv in the studio. When you put talent of this stature together, an improv jam session easily turns into a complex overture. I found myself trying to discern whose "turn" it was to let it rip, only to go crazy realizing that they all rip through the entire CD. I would also like to slip in a comment about the mixer, Kevin Shirley. He deserves recognition. For anybody who has ever worked in a studio before, you how difficult it can be to mix the good from the bad. But everything is great; it gets even harder to mix without losing essence. Hats off to the effort of everyone involved with the final production of this CD.

As you may have noticed from the title, this is a sequel to LTE1, also on Magna Carta Records. Which CD is better you ask? I really can't tell you that. They seem to be one CD, which just so happens to span 2 discs. I could go on and on about every song on this disc, but in the time you've already taken to read this much, you should have been buying the CD.

DO NOT MISS THIS CD! It is an anthem of progressive rock. It is definitive collaboration of musicians that want listeners to be blown away by every note. If I could give this a rating of 11, I would.

CUL8R,
Thingfish

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