Dream Theater: James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar, background vocals); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion, background vocals).

Additional personnel: Theresa Thomason (vocals); Mary Canty, Shelia Slappy, Mary Smith, Jeanette Smith, Clarence Burke Jr., Carol Cyrus, Dale Scott (background vocals).

Producers: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Terry Brown.

Engineers: Doug Oberkircher, Terry Brown.

Recorded at Little Bear Studios, Suffern, New York and Metal Works Studios, Toronto, Canada between February & August 1999.

Dream Theater is almost aggressively out of fashion in 1999. Few bands subscribe to their dense blend of progressive rock and post-Halen metal, and those that do usually don't have major-label contracts, the way Dream Theater does. There was a point where they tried to straighten out their sound somewhat, as they flirted with straight-ahead, laid-back metal on 1997's Falling into Infinity, but with its 1999 studio sequel, Scenes from a Memory, Dream Theater delves straight into old-fashioned prog rock. Scenes from a Memory is an unabashed concept album, told in two acts, about the 1928 murder of a young woman and how a modern man is haunted by the crime. A convoluted, difficult tale is told in a convoluted, difficult fashion, with no less than four tracks clocking in at well over ten minutes and three others ranging from 6:30 to 8:50. Clearly, this is intended as some sort of masterwork, and what's remarkable is that Dream Theater comes close to creating a masterwork with Scenes from a Memory. The album plays more like a suite than a collection of individual songs. At times, that means the album can bog down slightly in its own flights of fancy and long instrumental sections, but concentrated listens reveal the intricacies of the song structures and the musicianship. Occasionally, it can seem as if James Labrie oversings, but that's a minor point -- the overall end result of the album is quite impressive indeed. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"Metropolis Part I," a track featured on Dream Theater's breakthrough, IMAGES AND WORDS, left many progressive rock enthusiasts with what seemed like another unfinished chapter in a story never to be completed. Seven years and five albums later, Dream Theater returned to its majestic beginnings with METROPOLIS PART II--SCENES FROM A MEMORY. Keyboard virtuoso Jordan Rudess, who was a logical replacement for Derek Sherinian, revitalized the band's sound. Rudess's collaboration with guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy stole the attention of Dream Theater fans in the instrumental project, LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT.

METROPOLIS PART II is an epic concept album that makes a powerful artistic statement. The band is impressive in its ability to weave a suite of pieces together that share a common thread of recurring musical and lyrical themes similar to those first presented in "Metropolis I." The heart of the tale is revealed in "Fatal Tragedy," which centers on a murder mystery. The main character, Victoria Page, sees the man she once loved turning evil and in refusing his affections, she pays with her life. The lyrical point of view shifts from character to character, bringing about powerful results.

CMJ (11/8/99, p.25) - "...pushes the metal envelope...a pretty, orchestral prog-rock album that has so many intricate layers that you're guaranteed to uncover something new with every listen..."