Lie

"Lie" is one of the heaviest tracks played by Dream Theater (as of 1994, of course wiped out by anything in "Train of Thought"). In the past, heaviness wasn't a focus for them, but in "Awake" they took this direction. It became accepted and even got called the masterpiece of prog metal. Now, lets see what's up with this single.

"Lie" compiles some good stuff. The title track, "Lie", is, as mentioned, one of their heaviest tracks. It was composed by Kevin Moore, their ex-keyboardist. There isn't a great standout of the keyboards in here. The passion that LaBrie has on this song while singing is remarkable. Petrucci riffs extremelly heavily and does an amazing solo, backed up by Myung who keeps a steady rhythms while adding heaviness. Portnoy does some nice, progressive drumming with complex rhythms and several tempo changes.

The other tracks on the single are much slower. These songs are "Space-Dye Vest", "To Live Forever" and a live version of "Another Day". These songs are much more focused on the synth and piano, especially "Space-Dye Vest", considered to be Kevin Moore's masterpiece. "To Live Forever" is a classic among the fans, it was never released on an album but was played pretty often live. It is much more progressive, relaxing and groovy, with everything in the song being complex with the exception of the time signature. There is a nice solo by Petrucci in here and a unison with Moore. LaBrie isn't a huge highlight, as he sings rather calm. As for the live version of "Another Day", it is a great performance. Moore also stands out in here. It was recorded properly and has a good quality.

I wouldn't say this is a must, not even for diehard fans of Dream Theater. Even though the songs are good, I would recommend "Greatest Hit... and 21 other Really cool songs" over this, as it has all the songs that appeared in here (except Space-Dye Vest) in a better quality and has even more songs.