James LaBrie - Impermanent Resonance (2013)

With few months to go before we got a new Dream Theater released for 2013, James LaBrie offered an earlier 'teaser' with his solo album, released earlier than his bandmate's album. Impermanent Resonance is by all mean James LaBrie third solo album under a simpler 'James LaBrie' moniker. It's seem like James has established a permanent formation as he keep band mate pretty much the same from previous albums. Guitarist Marco Sfogli and keyboardist Matt Guillory had been permanent there, Peter Wildoer and Ray Riendeau in their second term now. Looks alike also, James is the only member of Dream Theater that had a solid less-changing second band. Good thing is this band stay away pretty much from Dream Theater music, in fact James works quite serious to put another style of music away from DT in this album.

Agony is kind of blend between death melodic and progressive metal. A minor resembling of DT's Scenes of A Memory-era singing mnemonic. The combination of Peter's growling vocals and James are things many to be found later, but I hope this is not only a quick tricks to stay away from Dream Theater music. Undertow and for many rest of album to follow is going into modern metal direction. Undertow still featured some metalcore in action with James doing the clean singing and Peter on the 'core' part, the groove is kind of Shadow Falls, Trivium alike. Slight Of Hand begin to has the better ratio of progressive put more in front compare to the first two. The most softened moment could be Back On The Ground, which is completely a modern hard rock mid tempo song. On the other hand, I Got You is a decent progressive song, potential as hit for being radio friendly as well. Explorations on this album of course hardly can't stay away from being sounds Dream Theater, so the closest similarity track I can recommends is Destined To Burn. Last notes, Say You're Still Mine is a sweet piano ballad, something that fans deserved to heard once in a while James singing something like this.

Impermanent Resonance is compacted with exploration of James LaBrie in modern metal, with lots of 'popular' elements such as growling/metalcore, hard rock, even Evanescences-feel (as in Amnesia) that not possible being tolerate if put in Dream Theater music. Band member to spotlight is drummer Peter Wildoer who put aggressive prog drumming into each songs, that actually prevent this album to fall into 'normal' heavy metal category. Marco Sfogli who is a virtuoso guitarist seems enjoying his rather 'easy' task for 'only' providing rhythm and riffs, the guitar solos are not really has enough 'air-time'. Then Matt Guillory put the most important elements, to provide layers of synthesizer sounds that also make this records stand by his own, especially when compared to Dream Theater. Compare to Static Impulse? Impermanent Resonance is a lighter works, delved more into metalcore exploration than as 'technical' as Static Impulse. By now, it's a good 'opening' for our long waited Dream Theater album.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

James LaBrie - Impermanent Resonance (2013)
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01. Agony (4:22)
02. Undertow (4:03)
03. Slight Of Hand (5:21)
04. Back On The Ground (4:05)
05. I Got You (3:46)
06. Holding On (4:53)
07. Lost In The Fire (3:53)
08. Letting Go (4:18)
09. Destined To Burn (4:01)
10. Say You're Still Mine (3:33)
11. Amnesia (3:44)
12. I Will Not Break (3:53)
bonus
13. Unraveling
14. Why

James LaBrie - vocals
Matt Guillory - keyboards, background vocals
Marco Sfogli - guitars
Ray Riendeau - bass guitars
Peter Wildoer - drums
Peter Wichers - writing, additional guitars
Jens Bogren and Tony Lindgren - mixing, mastering
Gustavo Sazes - cover art

James LaBrie Impermanent Resonance album review