Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory

Untitled

Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, released in 1999, is Dream Theater's fifth studio album. It is a concept album that deals with the story of Nicholas and the discovery of his past life, which involves love, murder, and infidelity as Victoria Page.

The album was ranked number 95 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time .

History

As its name implies, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory is a sequel; it follows "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper", a song from the band's second album, Images and Words. However, when naming Metropolis Pt. 1, the band's intention was not to write a two part epic - it was intended as a joke. Only after continuous pleas from fans did the band begin working on "Part 2". Initially, the band started work on Part 2 as one song rather than a whole album. It was during the Falling Into Infinity sessions in 1996/97, the group's fourth album, that Part 2 began to take shape. The song was never polished up however, largely due to the record company's reluctance to release a double album at the time (which would have been necessary to include it) and it was left off.

The band recorded a 23 minute demo with Derek Sherinian on keyboards to return to at a later date. Only 12 minutes of this demo are available to the public via the internet and even then Mike Portnoy, founder of YtseJam Records, which sells official Dream Theater bootlegs, has insisted that it not be shared. However, a 21:25 live instrumental run-through (with Sherinian on keys) can be found on the Falling Into Infinity demos, which were recently made available through YtseJam Records. When the band came to work on their fifth album, they returned to the song and made it a whole album.

While on tour following the record's release, Dream Theater played the album live in its entirety. In 2000, the final show of the North American leg was recorded and released on DVD as Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York on which the band members discuss the story of Scenes From A Memory.

This album is also the first by Dream Theater to feature Jordan Rudess on keyboards.

On the inside artwork, there is a picture showing the newspaper article and "suicide note" quoted in the lyrics. In the background of that shot, there is a copy of the book The Plumed Serpent by D. H. Lawrence. The title refers to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl who represented, among other things, resurrection and reincarnation. This fits with the theme of the album. Additionally, The Plumed Serpent is about a love triangle between a woman and two men – again, a theme of the album.

Songs

• The final album track started a musical experiment on Dream Theater's part. The static heard at the beginning of "The Glass Prison", the opening number of 2002's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, is the same static heard at the end of "Finally Free", this album's closing track. Similar connections would be featured on the following album Train of Thought, ending with the end of Octavarium's title track in 2005.
• Musically, this album is similar to Dream Theater's earlier albums Images and Words and Awake. Their previous studio album, Falling Into Infinity, was criticised by fans for having a very mainstream sound, and in response, this album was made in an extremely progressive fashion, featuring odd time signatures, and constant changes between them, as well as long instrumental sections.
• Throughout the album, sections of the song "Metropolis Part 1" are quoted frequently. For example, the keyboard heard in the opening to "Overture 1928" is the same as heard in the opening of the original "Metropolis", except tuned one full step down.
• As of today, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was the last album that bassist John Myung wrote lyrics for.

Track listing

Act 1

1. "Scene One: Regression" (music and lyrics by Petrucci) – 2:06
2. "Scene Two: Part I. Overture 1928" (Dream Theater, instrumental) – 3:37
3. "Scene Two: Part II. Strange Deja Vu" (Dream Theater, Portnoy) – 5:12
4. "Scene Three: Part I. Through My Words" (Petrucci) – 1:02
5. "Scene Three: Part II. Fatal Tragedy" (Dream Theater, Myung) – 6:49
6. "Scene Four: Beyond This Life" (Dream Theater, Petrucci) – 11:22
7. "Scene Five: Through Her Eyes" (Dream Theater, Petrucci) – 5:29

Act 2

8. "Scene Six: Home" (Dream Theater, Portnoy) – 12:53
9. "Scene Seven: Part I. The Dance of Eternity" (Dream Theater, instrumental) – 6:13
10. "Scene Seven: Part II. One Last Time" (Dream Theater, LaBrie) – 3:46
11. "Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On" (Dream Theater, Petrucci) – 6:38
12. "Scene Nine: Finally Free" (Dream Theater, Portnoy) – 11:59

Chart performance

Billboard 200:

• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory - #73

Billboard Top Internet Albums:

• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory - #2

UK Album Chart:

• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory - #131

Credits

Band

• James LaBrie – Lead vocals
• John Myung – Bass guitar
• John Petrucci – Guitars, backing vocals
• Mike Portnoy – Drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Jordan Rudess – Keyboards

Guests

• Theresa Thomason - Additional vocals on "Through Her Eyes" and "The Spirit Carries On".
• Theresa Thomason, Mary Canty, Shelia Slappy, Mary Smith, Jeanette Smith, Clarence Burke Jr., Carol Cyrus, Dale Scott - additional backing vocals on "The Spirit Carries On".
• Choir arranged and conducted by Jordan Rudess
• Terry Brown - the voice of the hypnotherapist.

Production

• Doug Oberkircher - Sound engineer
• Brian Quackenbush - Assistant engineer
• Michael Bates - Assistant engineer
• Terry Brown - Vocals co-producer
• Kevin Shirley - Mixing engineer on tracks 2-8 and 11
• Rory Romano - Assistant mixing engineer on tracks 2-8 and 11
• David Bottrill - Mixing engineer on tracks 1, 9, 10 and 12
• Shinobu Mitsuoka - Assistant mixing engineer on tracks 1, 9, 10 and 12
• George Marino - Mastering engineer
• Eugene Nastasi - Assistant mastering engineer
• Lili Picou - Art direction and design
• Dave McKean - Cover illustration
• Ken Schles - Still life photography
• Andrew Lepley - House photography

Characters

Present Time

• Nicholas
• The Hypnotherapist
• The Old Man

1928

• Victoria Page - "Metropolis/Love"
• Sen. Edward Baynes - "The Miracle"
• Julian Baynes - "The Sleeper"

Story

Act 1

Scene One: Regression -- The album opens with Nicholas relaxing to the sounds of the Hypnotherapist's voice and entering a hypnotic state in the pursuit of regression therapy.

Scene Two: I. Overture 1928 -- Nicholas is in a hypnotic trance and marveling at the surreal peace and comfort. As he settles into his trance, he begins to focus on the subject of his regression therapy, a girl named Victoria and a life that feels strangely similar to his own. The beginning of the overture bears a strong likeness to parts of Metropolis Pt. 1.

Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu -- We hear a little more about previous dreams that have led Nicholas to his therapy, and also continue deeper in the current trance. We learn that every time he closes his eyes, he is taken to this very vivid, recurring dream of another (yet just out of reach of conscious understanding) life. We understand that it is what he's been dreaming previously that has led him to his regression therapy.

The dream is as follows: there is a pathway to a house. Inside the house and upstairs is a room where a girl appears in a mirror. All of this seems very familiar to him, but it logically shouldn't. In this dream, probably because this is actually a hypnotic trance and not just a regular dream, some things seem clearer than ever before. He can see the face of a young girl and poses the question, "Young child, won't you tell me why I'm here?" He sees that she has something to share with him, that there is a reason she is leading him here, a story to be told, and this story is of something terrible that is "tearing at her soul".

Victoria now expresses her first hint at why she is haunting Nicholas. She has been searching for a way to reveal the truth about her murder. She also expresses great lament, "tears my heart into two". This along with the next line, "I'm not the one the Sleeper thought he knew", is her guilt that Julian Baynes (in the story also called The Sleeper) never knew about her relationship with his brother, Senator Edward Baynes (called The Miracle), which we learn about much later. She feels guilty for what she did to Julian.

Now Nicholas is out of his therapy and back in real life. Even though he is awake, the thoughts and events of this other life are beginning to permeate every second of his day, and this is the beginning of his obsession with resolving this whole thing. He desperately wants to know why this is happening and would cross over to this other world consciously if he knew how. Nothing in the current day matters to him, only learning more about his new obsession. It is here that he has his first inclination that he may have actually lived in the world of which he dreams. He knows that this dreamland holds the key to his peace, and he will not rest until he unlocks that door.

Scene Three: I. Through My Words -- Nicholas realizes the link between Victoria and himself. He now knows why he feels so drawn to her and her world as they share the same soul.

Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy -- It starts with Nicholas 'alone at night'. He knows who Victoria is now, but not why she is so torn or how he is involved. Sometime later, he goes to visit an older man, who the story makes a point to tell us is 'alone'. Whose house this is, and who the old man is, are things that are never made clear throughout the story. The importance of the older man is that he knows a little about a murder that happened a long time ago and shares what he knows with Nicholas. We learn that a girl was murdered, and that she was young. Nicholas sits and listens to the older man's tale and finds that it is still a mystery today.

Nicholas is then realizing that until he unveils the truth about what happened to Victoria, he cannot live his current life. He is stuck in this obsession and cannot turn back. We learn then that Nicholas understands that without faith and hope, 'there can be no peace of mind', therefore Nicholas encourages himself to be strong and have faith that he will find the truth, because without the truth, he will never rest. This song ends with the Hypnotherapist speaking. The next session starts with taking Nicholas back to the point of the murder of Victoria.

Scene Four: Beyond This Life -- We learn the newspaper account of what happened in 1928. The story is that a witness, Edward Baynes heard a horrifying sound and upon reaching the scene of the sound he discovers a woman who's been shot dead, and the shooter standing over her. The witness tries to help and the shooter commits suicide and falls on top of the dead woman. The newspaper account talks of a sad close to a broken love affair. This indicates that the victim and the murderer are identified as previous or maybe even current lovers.

The paper goes on to explain that Victoria and Julian were recently broken up due to Julian's decadent lifestyle. There are many possibilities regarding what evil way he had fallen into, but the DVD (Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York) suggests that gambling and/or drug addiction might be of significance. Later, he also drops a liquor bottle in scene 9, so it's possible his habit was drinking. It's also indicated that she would have taken him back if he'd straighten up his lifestyle. Then the newspaper asks whether it was a premeditated murder.

Next we read an account of the physical evidence at the scene. There is evidence of a 'violent struggle' and a switchblade is found. The switchblade causes some confusion, because the victim is a young girl and typically you wouldn't expect a young girl in 1928 to be carrying a switchblade, unless she was anticipating a need to defend herself. Also found, in the killer's pocket, is a written note. It clearly reads that Julian would rather take his own life than live without Victoria, but it mentions nothing of harming her.

Lastly, there is the repetition at the end of Beyond This Life. These lines are deepening Nicholas's belief that he and Victoria share the same soul. They also indicate that not only souls reincarnate, but they also carry the same personality traits with them, and deeds will follow each soul throughout eternity.

Scene Five: Through Her Eyes -- Nicholas is awake again. He has learned that Victoria/he was brutally murdered in 1928. He feels compelled to visit Victoria's grave. He expresses the sorrow he feels for her, and how helpless and innocent she was. Not only that, but since he's learning about his life by looking through her eyes, he realizes that this happened to HIM also and the unfairness of it begins to nag him.

Upon reaching her grave, he is overcome with sadness. Even the words on her stone indicate that she was a sweet innocent girl who had her life brutally taken from her at a very young age. He is startled by how much her death feels like his own. He compares it to losing someone you love. He continues to let images of her wander through his mind as he just wallows in his sadness for a while. He thinks of how much more he's lived and again is stricken by the injustice of her young death. Then as the song ends, Nicholas begins to regain his composure and is comforted by the realization that by facing this tragedy and mourning the loss, he can now move on. This time of pain was necessary to accept his death in a previous life and fully comprehend why this other life has beckoned him.

Act 2

Scene Six: Home -- We hear Julian talk of his obsession with decadence and how he is only living a charade. Ultimately, as we have learned earlier, Victoria leaves him because of his addiction, considered by some to be a combination of cocaine and alcohol (possibly hinted at by the lyrics "Lines take me higher"). It is also possible that gambling is a facet of Julian's addiction, based on the sound of coins and money during the instrumental section after the next verse. Next we hear Edward, giving his account of Victoria crying on his shoulder over her break up with Julian. He finds himself falling for her, and at first even feels guilt over deceiving his own blood. But his obsession for her becomes stronger than his guilt and he seduces her in her vulnerable state.

Lastly we hear from Nicholas again, back in present day, and awake. So far he only knows what the older man told him, and what he learned about the newspaper article in his last therapy session. He knows there must be more to the story and he is obsessed with solving this mystery. He yearns for regression, cannot wait for his next therapy session so that he can get back to solving the mystery.

There are several lyrical similarities between "Home" and "Metropolis Pt. 1," such as references to "the city's cold blood" and a "lake of fire," the lines "I was told theres a new love that's born for each one that has died". Also, "Home" contains the lines, "Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles/she's taken me to my home", while "Metropolis" features, "Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles/she's taken you to your home."

Scene Seven: I. The Dance of Eternity -- As last line of "Metropolis Pt. 1" says, "Love is the Dance of Eternity". This represents when Victoria and Ed make love, The dance because of the movements and eternity as the endless memory of that moment.

Scene Seven: II. One Last Time -- This song begins with Nicholas going over it in his head. He is not convinced, from the evidence given so far, that the newspaper account is the truth. He also appears to have heard some rumors, most likely rumors of Victoria's affair with Ed. Did Victoria wound Ed's soul and bid him farewell? Then we see Victoria, in the past again, saying "One last time, we'll lay down today." This may be Nicholas hearing Victoria telling Ed goodbye, that this will be their last meeting.

Nicholas visits Edward's house, where he and Victoria had their affair. The house seems to hold many clues and he feels that he is finally shown some confirmation of what he's been thinking. Though he is now awake, as he enters the bedroom, he experiences a sort of revelation, almost as though he's slipped right out of consciousness. The cold returns, as he felt in his recurring dreams before, and he's suddenly outside and hears a woman screaming and a man pleading forgiveness. It is possible that Nicholas at this point suspects Edward and Victoria were having an affair. That is the suspicion to which the home holds many clues. In his current state of dual consciousness, he is seeing Victoria's memories of the fatal meeting, but he doesn't get enough info yet and the scene fades to black.

Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On -- Nicholas is again, and for the last time, under hypnosis and reiterating his belief that his soul will transcend, and that he need not fear death. He believes now that Edward was involved in the murder. He plans to expose the truth behind a crime that happened over 70 years ago. Victoria pipes up, in the present this time, and tells Nicholas that he should move on now, she has revealed the truth to him, but he should never forget her. At this point he basks in the peace that he feels as he has appeased Victoria's nagging and his own obsession. Nicholas now feels that the reason all of this happened, the ultimate message, is that death is not the end, but only a transition, as the Hypnotherapist has already pointed out.

Scene Nine: Finally Free -- The last scene holds information Nicholas is not aware of, because the Hypnotherapist brings him out of his last hypnotic trance and we hear him get in his car and leave. What we learn is that Victoria and Julian meet by chance and decide to meet up later in secret so they can talk. She is obviously excited because Julian is the one she has always loved, and she's going to break it off with Edward. She is no longer torn between Edward and Julian, who she would rather have been with. But she knows Edward would "kill his own brother if he only knew" of her relationship with him.

So they meet up without anyone knowing, or so they think. Edward shows up, begins struggling with Julian who drops a bottle of liquor out of his coat pocket and pulls out the knife, Ed shoots Julian, Victoria screams, Edward tells her "Open your eyes, Victoria", and he shoots her also. Julian crawls over to her, collapses on top of her and utters his last lines ("One last time..."). Edward plants a suicide letter on Julian and then gets help and plays his part as the witness.

We then are transferred back to Nicholas. He's driving home and thinking about how he is free of the haunting that has plagued him. Also he has learned about his life, that it will carry on after death, through Victoria's nagging. Nicholas then arrives home and goes inside and begins relaxing. Another car pulls up, the Hypnotherapist enters the room and says, "Open your eyes, Nicholas", the phonograph gets bumped as Nicholas is startled by the Hypnotherapist. Then we hear static noise, which fades to black. The Hypnotherapist, Edward's reincarnation, has killed Nicholas.

The static noise is also the beginning of "The Glass Prison" which is the first track on Dream Theater's next album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.

External links

• Brief summary of the story (from mikeportnoy.com FAQ)
• Very detailed analysis of SFAM music and lyrics