Track 1 ‘Burn’

 A strong opening to this ‘collection’ of songs built around a pounding rhythm that immediately encapsulates the intensity and force of this band’s intention.

Nicely structured guitar work, which works well in terms of its overall shaping as a melodic line and adding harmonic interest. If this track had a weak point, I would say that the vocals needed to be much stronger in the chorus (sung above the descending and anchoring bass line) perhaps benefiting from additional harmony (3^rd above?) and being panned to either side of the stereo image to mirror the highly and carefully thought out guitar work.

Track 2 ‘Shapeshifter’

Without doubt, this is the strongest and standout track on the album, effortlessly gliding through time signature and key transitions. The ethereal opening leads into a pounding verse, during which the lead vocals soar with power and clarity. The careful building of textures show careful consideration to the overall stereo soundfield and the space it occupies. The ‘progressive 70s rock’ section provides a calm moment in a complex yet thoroughly engaging, well-crafted sonic experience.

 Track 3 ‘Never’

 A beautiful, slower paced track that avoids being too banal and introspective, offering a delicate sonic palette of colour and texture. The overall sense of momentum created by the guitar work, which provides texture and movement glides the listener through each ‘scene’, which is carefully punctuated and accentuated by interjections of strings.

Track 4 ‘They don’t believe me’

Strong vocals that Mr LaBrie would be proud of! This track demonstrates a simpler approach to writing a heavy rock song, with its straight forward driving rock beat. The intricate guitar solos, however, are not omitted and do much to provide the signature nuances, including the off-beat emphasis picked out by the guitar arpeggios that have become synonymous with their overall sound.

 Track 5 ‘Potential’

 The heaviest opening on the album the most progressive of tracks in terms of overall structure and form. The dissonant and powerful guitar chords of the opening descend into quiet reflection later on in the track, dissolving the hard rhythmic drive that set the scene at the start. The rather punchy bass line provides an interesting addition after more ‘searching’ in the contrasting guitar-driven sections, perhaps displaying the ‘potential’ of this track to engage the listener and deliver more than initially was thought possible.