Tim Donahue

The famous guitarist TIM DONAHUE, who already became popular throughout the Prog-Metal scene with his last record Into The Light (feat. Kelly Hansen) recorded a new album with James LaBrie from Dream Theater as vocalist on all tracks. Those of you who read my review of the last Dream Theater album probably remember me saying that I was looking forward to a new Mullmuzzler (James’ side project) album, as the latest Dream Theater record was not as good as it could have been. It’s always nice to be able to refer to previous reviews to underline new statements or to draw new conclusions, and this is just what I am going to do here. Madmen & Sinners sounds very much like Train Of Thoughts from Dream Theater, with the exception that TIM DONAHUE wrote some true killer songs and that there are many different styles on the album, which make it sound more interesting and ambitious. It starts off with the great riffs of Million Miles and continues straight with Let Go, one of the two beautiful ballads on the record which sounds like a very warm welcome to all the fans of the older Dream Theater albums. The ballads, which I surely missed on Train Of Thought, showcase James’ abilities as a vocalist in a wonderful way, while the harder songs like My Heart Bleeds or Master Of The Mind create a contrasting position with very good hook-lines and choruses. Some Gregorian chants add to the ambient atmosphere which takes the listener on a trip throughout the whole album. It all sums up in the 15 minute epic Madmen & Sinners which is a very well-chosen closure to the album. TIM DONAHUE’s guitar playing is very decent, and even though there are some over-the-top guitar solos on the record, they never sound too exaggerated. His qualities as a songwriter seem to be more important for him than his (very good) instrumental qualities. The drums are played by Mike Mangini, who also worked with James on Mullmuzzler, and they always fit the music properly. As a matter of fact, the drum volume is not too high, either, which surely will be appreciated by a majority of Dream Theater fans. Well, all in all, Madmen & Sinners is a very good record which is a must for all Dream Theater fans and friends of progressive metal in general. It is not perfect in some places, as for example Feel My Pain is a rather boring song, but I sincerely think that it is much better than the last two Dream Theater outputs. Maybe these two exceptional musicians should think about working together again in the future. And now I really want another Mullmuzzler album!