Liquid Tension Experiment is a powerhouse combination of musicians where the music they make defies description. The band is Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) on bass, Jordan Rudess on keyboards, John Petrucci (Dream Theater) on guitars, and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) on drums. The music isn't quite what I expected: it's far less progressive and leans more towards symphonic speed metal. With two members of this band also in Dream Theater, I expected a strong representation of that band in the sound, but fortunately Levin's bass work and Rudess' keyboards, together with the combined songwriting mutate this record into something novel and original. The guitar work by Petrucci is what I like most about this album, followed by Rudess' keyboard work. I highly recommend this release for any progressive rock or heavy metal fan.