What happens when you’re stuck in quarantine for months? Well, for John Petrucci it was putting the wraps on his second solo album ‘Terminal Velocity’. After 15 long years the guitarist has finally found the time to put 9 more solid instrumental guitar tracks to tape, and if that wasn’t enough, he’s also joined for the first time in 10 years by Mike Portnoy. If you’re a fan of Dream Theater, this is a big moment. Portnoy left the band 10 years ago, and while he and John had remained friends, there was always a question as to when they would work again. Portnoy delivers incredible drumming as is expected, and the trio is rounded out by bassist Dave LaRue, who’s worked with Steve Morse, Satriani and more.
The album starts off with the title track “Terminal Velocity”. The main riff hearkens back to a song on Petrucci’s first solo album ‘Suspend Animation’, called “Glasgow Kiss”. One thing I thought I should bring up, is that even though Petrucci is known to create a bunch of heavy riffs and grooves, I feel like he really played way more rhythm guitar on this album than I was expecting. This song in particular has rhythm that sounds very Satch-esque. The song was the only single released before the full album, and it has been in high rotation while waiting for the full length. The song is filled with ear candy, from the way the rhythm guitar and snare sounds at 1:26, to 4:13 where Petrucci really lets loose on the solo, the production is awesome.
The second track is the aptly titled “The Oddfather”. The song starts with an eery clean tone, and moves in to a rhythm part that brings back memories of John’s side project, Liquid Tension Experiment. The song slips in and out of different time signatures and has some of the most head bang-able rhythm parts on the entire album. I especially like the AM radio sounding guitar at 3:51 which leads into a beautiful legato/tapped solo. The playing on this track is just incredible.
Track three is “Happy Song, whose main chord progression could be from any pop punk band’s catalog. The playing is of course great, and if you’re looking to get into a good mood with an instrumental guitar song, this is a great candidate. Otherwise, not so much to write home about on this track.
“Gemini” is a song you might recognize if you ever had the iconic “Rock Discipline” VHS instructional tape from Petrucci. The lead playing here is beautiful, and the whammy bar phrases remind me of Satch a ton. I wonder if it was because he recently got off the G3 tour? At 3:28 the song takes a detour into some beautiful flamenco guitar playing. This has to be one of my favorite tracks on the album, as it really feels like a story as you’re listening through it. I keep coming back to this track again and again on repeated listens.
“Out of the Blue” gives us a break from all the shredding, and lays back in a very David Gilmour style blues for the first couple of minutes. Petrucci does throw some “shreddy” lines in at the end. This reminds me of Yngwie’s recent ‘Blue Lightning’ album.
For “Glassy-Eyed Zombies we’re back to Dream Theater style metal, with a great flanger intro. This song has a bunch of great angular lines, and one of Petrucci’s speediest solos on the album. Portnoy is in full double kick mode, and I feel like this could have been on any Dream Theater album had James LaBrie done vocals for it.
“The Way Things Fall” clocks in as the longest track on the album at seven minutes and thirty three seconds. If you’re a fan of any of the more uplifting, really old school Dream Theater tracks, then you’ll enjoy this song. I love when the song breaks down at around 4:14 where Petrucci gives us some great pentatonic lines.
“Snake In My Boot” has to be another favorite. It’s short at just over four minutes, and reminds me of all my favorite 80’s guitar rock that I loved growing up. The claps really add to the arena rock sound of the track, and I really enjoyed the rhythmic change at 2:04. Even the little laughs thrown in now and again, remind me of something David Lee Roth would do. We haven’t spoken about it much in this review, but can we all agree that Petrucci’s tone is pristine throughout this entire album?
The album is closed out with the track “Temple of Circadia”. This track feels more like newer Dream Theater music to me. On this track and many, I always love how Petrucci makes lead lines soar. That’s the only word that truly describes how they sound. I love the beautiful acoustic guitar that comes in at 2:42 of this track, and the tone of the bass by LaRue. This is truly another song that feels like a story, rather than just a shredfest. Harmonized lead lines lead into some of the final solos for Petrucci that build to some wild rhythm, and one final very live-sounding ending.
’Terminal Velocity’ is one of those albums that has been fun on each listen, where I’m finding new bits and pieces I like each time. I hope we don’t have to wait another 15 years between this album and the next, because whenever we get new music from Petrucci, whether it be on his own, with Dream Theater, or even a guest spot, it’s something to celebrate.
Would love to know your thoughts on Petrucci’s sophomore effort. Reach out on Twitter, and let me know what you think!
Musicians:
John Petrucci – Guitar Mike Portnoy – Drums Dave LaRue – Bass