Band:	James LaBrie
Album:	Static Impulse
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	September 2010

01. One More Time
02. Jekyll Or Hyde
03. Mislead
04. Euphoric
05. Over The Edge
06. I Need You
07. Who You Think I Am
08. I Tried
09. Just Watch Me
10. This Is War
11. Superstar
12. Coming Home
13. Jekyll Or Hyde [demo] [limited edition bonus]
14. Coming Home [alternate mix] [imited edition bonus]

Throw everything you think this sounds like out the window. Following the excellent Elements of Persuasion, Dream Theater's singer James LaBrie teamed up once more with Matt Guillory to record one of this year's best albums for sure.

The musical base remains the same along with Italian prodigy Marco Sfogli handling the guitar duties with brio. However, Static Impulse takes a new direction with the rhythm section. Sweden's Peter Wildoer [of Darkane fame] brings his mathematical drumming knowledge to the table as well as a huge dose of screams and a rejuvenating Death Metal inspired undercoating. But don't be afraid, as with its predecessor, the songs on this album are heavy and catchy as hell. There is actually an elusive dichotomy in the sound, maybe between the radio-friendly choruses and the overall extremely heavy and aggressive bridges. It is hard to figure out what the hell is going on, while being swept away by the songs at the same time. And this pretty much resumes why this album should make your shortlist.

It is a Progressive Metal album, so don't be fooled by your first listen. It is bound to grow on you very quickly. Once more, Marco Sfogli blinds listeners with his guitar mastery, especially on tracks like "Mislead" or "Over The Edge". James is singing his heart out on this album and shows us he's not afraid to lay down vocals on more aggressive songs than for Dream Theater. Here is an idea. How about bringing Peter Wildoer on board with Dream Theater and blow the shit out of all clichés and help DT write a new page of history? I'm just saying. This guy's influence on Static Impulse is so huge.

While very different from my beloved Elements of Persuasion, this new James LaBrie album is a force to be reckoned with. I still don't understand how I can both love both albums, seeing that they are so different. But that's the magic of insanely good musicians. And those guys are top of the barrel. Enjoy this new offering, Static Impulse.