Pelata Original Dream Theater vocalist Charlie Dominici returns with the third installment of his epic, conceptual trilogy. I must confess to ignoring the first two chapters strictly based on Charlie Dominici’s presence. I never liked his vocal style in Dream Theater, so I surmised that I would not like it in his own band either. I am happy to announce, in this case, that I was wrong.

Dominici (the band) are a well-lubricated Prog-Metal machine, vocals included.Much of what is present here is your standard Prog-Metal fare. There are loads of shredding solos, from both guitars and keyboards. The music is a strong mix of metallic riffage and syncopated, choppy rhythms. They never get so chop-happy that they lose the groove, either. The melodies, both musically and vocally, are strong and memorable. We even have a post-apocalyptic, quasi-spiritual storyline. What makes this album enjoyable, aside from the standard elements, is that while they’re treading well known ground, they’re doing it with energy and conviction. This is a band that truly means it. The production is crystal clear, the tones are rich and the energy level is high. I dare any Prog-Metal fan to not be sucked in by the mood and sincerity of these performances.

Songs like “March Into Hell”, “Revelation” & “Liquid Lightning” are simply massive in both intensity and catchiness. The albums’ power ballad “So Help Me God” is strong and moving. The albums two 10-minute epics, “Enemies Of God” and closing cut “Genesis”, entertain, energize and never once get close to boring. There, I’ve said enough. Fans of Dream Theater, Threshold & others of this ilk should be grabbing this one up fast.

Andyman1125 A brilliant show of continuity and traditional metal.

*And a note, I'm rating this on it's progressiveness...* At last, we have the final installment of Dominci's epic trilogy, 03, the story of a terrorist who's mission was to essentially end the world by converting 02 (oxygen we breathe) into 03 (ozone, poisonous to breathe). From each edition, Dominici tweaks and messes with his sound. On the first album, he debuted as a solo acoustic guitar/singer, on the second he debuted his top-notch Italian prog metal band in an epic foray of great progressive metal, and on his third album, he continues this prog metal, but mixes a great many spices (some of them a wee bit stale) of traditional metal and thrash metal that dampens the great taste he had on the last album. Now, the last album was essentially another Dream Theater album with Vanden Plas mixed in, but it was still a great album. On this album, he tales all that and adds some not-so desirable influences. The album as a whole is good, but it's not spectacular. For the plot, it has broken completely from the main character (who has presumably died) and focuses on the entire world as an omniscient character, with some focuses on the detective (apparently named Anthony Dam).

The King of Terror outlines the current state of the world at war. It talks about the absolute chaos the population is currently in, after the massive explosion/terror attack that the main character had initiated. Musically, the song is quite diverse, starting out as a slow and somber track, but at one point it blasts into a metallic fury, which is actually quite a blast. The music is a little boring at times, but the lyrics, as always in this trilogy, are actually quite creative and poignant.

March Into Hell continues with the story of the chaotic state of humanity, delving deeper into the fact that the apocalypse is coming quite soon (if it hasn't already happened). Musically, the song is a little harsh. Dominici really strains is vocal chords this time with some crunchy vocals in the verses... it's a little alienating. The music sounds a little traditional, with some interesting instrumental sections and some pretty simple soloing, not like the complex solos heard in the last album.

So Help Me God focuses on the Detective Anthony Dam. Dam is praying to the Gods who he blames for the most part for the tragedy. He prays to stop it and get him out of this, which is legitimate. Some really great lines can be found in here lyrically, with some fantastic meanings. Musically, this track is another "eh" track. Of all the tracks, it is the most "eh" track. I mean, it borders on pop. Everything about it screams cheesy ballad, which is a little sad for the great metal man Dominici.

Liquid Lightning is one of my favorite tracks on the album, with some actually pretty cool riffing and instrumental and vocal pieces happening through the album. This track details how the armies of the world are experiencing the first signs of divine or extraterrestrial influence in the wars. This shows how the Anti-Christ wars detailed in the book of Revelation (I'll get to that in a second) are beginning. Musically, as I said before, this song for the most part ends the trend of boring tracks on the album. However, this track is one of the more Metallica-inspired tracks with a little but more thrashy roots, with much more "prog spice" thrown in as well, making this one of the better tracks on the album.

Enemies of God (the first 10+ minute track he's made! hooray!) is the next in line for this album's better tracks. This track details someone's (most likely the detective's) experiences with some kind of capture (most likely of a divine nature). Musically, it is again pretty interesting, with a lot more divergence from the typical thrash metal of the rest of the album. Typical of any good "epic", there is some really nice dynamic changes, from the hard metal to a softer proggish sound. Overall, this is one of the better tracks on the album.

Revelation is, sadly, an "eh" track in a chain of great tracks. Lyrically, it is essential, detailing how the detective dug "deep" and found a long lost (gasp) bible! In the bible, he found the (gasp!) book of Revelation, which essentially told the same story as what was happening around him. Musically, I call it an "eh" track only because the tracks surrounding it are bounds better than it, but it is bounds better than the tracks before Liquid Lighting (the "very eh" section). The music can get a little but traditional pop-metal at times, but then it breaks into some really cool experimental soling and prog metal-sounding soloing.

Hell on Earth is a good track, although Dominici's vocals sound rather strained again. It tells of the Gods' disappointment with humanity because of their failure to do anything they (he? she? it? I don't know) told us to do. Musically, the song is rather interesting, with some rather creative sections, and some more traditional sections, which continues the amazing continuity of traditional metal throughout the album.

Genesis is no doubt the best track on the album. Nearly no boring repetitive metal sections are found in this quintessential track. This track, lyrically, is purely amazing. The God's take Anthony Dam, the last living human on earth to a secluded garden where he is to live the rest of his days. His name tag when he is first captures reads "A. Dam," so the divine figures refer to him as Adam. They take some human DNA from his ribcage to make a female counterpart for him so they can live in harmony, restarting the cycle of life. Musically, it is spectacular, opening with an infective little proggy riff on the keyboards, which quickly is matched by the guitar, bass, and drums. This creative riffing changes throughout the song, but is still incredibly proggy and creative. The song puts such a great twist to the story and ends the trilogy spectacularly. Bravo!

ALBUM OVERALL: The epic conclusion to an epic trilogy is... not as epic as I just made it sound. At the forefront of this album, one may begin to believe Dominici had fallen into the grasp of popular metal. The music is a stale combination of the prog metal that most of us love, and the thrashy metal that most of... don't. As the album progresses (how fitting), the music gets progressively (ha ha) more progressive! Traditional song structure breaks down, songs get longer, all that good stuff. The story line is really what holds this album up above a lower rating, however. Dominci's lyrical skills haven't diminished since he helped Dream Theater way back in 1989, and this album's great lyrics and story really hit a chord. Overall, 03 part 3 is good, but it's not a must-have. 3+ stars.

Andyman1125 Eclectic prog metal for the win! It's not a surprise that the former singer of Dream Theater's music will sound something like Dream Theater. For this reason, I will not rip on Charlie Dominici for his DT-esque riffs and soloing. However, within this powerful gem, one can find many modern prog metal references. Obviously Dream Theater is foremost, but Symphony X, Kamelot, Vanden Plas, and other popular symphonic prog metal band's styles can be found compiled into one fantastic piece of music. The O3 trilogy comes back in this second installment, now actually rocking and progging along, unlike part 1. This part details the main character's experience after his parole and release after his hearing and the gut-wrenching decisions he must make. The music is powerful the whole way through, only slowing down to take a breathe when absolutely necessary. Although some of the songs sound uncannily like the singer's former band, but the music is still creative and powerful.

The Monster is a crushingly powerful instrumental track. Dominici is apparently one of the few solo singers who is willing to put an instrumental track on his album-- to great results! Although the soloing is extremely Petrucci-esque, the whole performance is very impressive. A lot of Vanden Plas sounding keyboard work is going on, adding to the whole traditional prog metal feel. You can see that Dominici has done a lot of listening over the near 20 year gap between this release and his last prog metal gap. At the end of the track, you can hear a sound bit that opens up the story for the next few tracks about the detective who arrested the main character.

Nowhere to Hide is the first track where we can finally hear Dominici's voice in its crushing power. In this track, the concept breaks away from the main character (see my review for Part 1) and tells the story of a troubled detective who has been chasing the terrorist. The song tells how the detective captured the terrorist, but he lost his temper and basically tortured him. Because of this, the court hearing let the terrorist walk because of tampered evidence. The detective muses about how he'll get back at the terrorist and convict justly. Musically, the song still has that amazing power, with a little more creativity behind the riffing. It shows Dominici has not only prog metal, but also a lot of traditional heavy metal influence behind his music.

Captured opens with a radio bit, saying that the government is becoming more aware of terrorist activity. The detective tells his griefs about the justice system and it's flaws. He thinks about how all the criminals who know the ins and outs of the justice system can avoid any contact with the feds and cops. Musically, the tracks slows down with the emotions of the detective, which shows the great attention to character development and conceptual basis. As the detective's anger grows, the song picks up and gets more aggressive, following the compassionate vocals. This track shows the more dynamic side of Dominci's music.

Greed, the Evil Seed starts again the crushing power of symphonic prog metal. We are now hearing from the main character, the terrorist, who thinks about the injustice of the system and the power of greed in our society. He thinks about how humanity tried to get along, but the greedy ones ruined it all (greed=evil). Musically, this starts again the Dream Theater influence, with some fantastic synchronization and great Petrucci-esque soloing again. Instrumental sections abound in this song, powerful, melodic, and fun.

School of Pain tells the main character's time in prison after he was captured and wrongly convicted. He talks about how screwed up the "school of pain" is and how he really learned nothing. Musically, the song is a slow bloomer, starting out slow and gaining momentum throughout the song. Once it picks up, however, it doesn't slow down, constantly ripping up the pavement with it's impressive power and musical might.

The Calling tells how the terrorist now understands that he has to do what he was originally told to do (essentially destroy humanity). He calls humanity the greatest virus and his chemical the solution. Musically the song starts off rather boring, but the verses are so incredible I really can't dis the straightforwardness of it. The choruses get a little more boring again, but that verse riff is incredible.

The Real Life is a melancholy and beautiful track consisting of piano and vocals. In this song, the main character has reached a breaking point. He muses on how he will be a martyr when he releases his chemical and how the afterlife is the "real life." Musically, it is melancholy and beautiful, with fantastic melodies and fantastic piano work.

The Cop tells of the deal the detective makes with the main character; the main character tells his entire story to the detective so he might be able to escape prison. Musically, the song rocks again. It has fantastic prog metal-heavy metal crossovers, with some great instrumental sections again.

A New Hope tells of the main character's journey to releasing his chemical. It displays his rise to some kind of a prophet or something along those lines, for you can hear crowds of people chanting after he speaks about humanity ending being a new hope. At the end of the song, a massive explosion is heard, showing obviously that he has succeeded in releasing his chemical. Musically, the song has some obvious influences more than ever to Dream Theater, at some points their modern work, at some points their classic work, but everywhere Dream Theater. As I said before, this is acceptable, seeing as the singer is a former member of that very band. If it were another band, I would give a much lower rating. The soloing is fantastic, showing all the members' musical capacity to really rip on their instruments. This track really leads nicely into the next and final installation.

ALBUM OVERALL: A really great symphonic progressive metal album. Dominici and his backing band have really hit it big here. However, musically, the album lacks in originality harshly. Now, influence is good, but when it seems like your listening to that particular band when you listen to the music, for example the extreme Vanden Plas and Dream Theater influence, the music sounds cheesier and cheesier. The concept, just like the last album, is fantastic, as are the vocals, but the one thing holding this album back is the unoriginality of the music. The players are technically over the top, but the music they wrote is disappointing. 4+ stars.

Andyman1125 Melodic, but not much else. After Dominici was fired from Dream Theater for musical differences in late 1989/early 1990, he disappeared from the music scene for nearly 15 years. His power-hungry vocals were not heard again until Dream Theater invited him back to play the 15th anniversary of When Dream and Day Unite show, where his piping voice sang To Live Forever and Metropolis, Part 1. This expose back into music inspired him to begin anew in the music world, starting with the 03 Trilogy, a triple concept album about a terrorist sleeper cell. The first issue into this trilogy was an entirely acoustic solo album of Dominici singing, playing acoustic guitar and harmonica. The music is pleasant and melodic, but lacks anything else. The concept is clear and creative, at some times haunting, which is, for the most part, the only good part of the album.

Introduction is a nice, well, introduction to the concept of the trilogy. A sleeper cell has been placed a shoe repairmen until his terrorist group contacts him to activate. The music is repetitive but pleasant; it's relaxing and soothing to listen to, but lacks any prog element, or any rock element for that matter.

Unwilling Visitor is almost identical to the last track, with soft pleasant acoustic guitar, lacking any rock or very much prog. The lyrics tell the main character's background, saying that he was abducted when he was only 10 and trained as a terrorist to attack the "first world," probably America. Again, the country acoustic music really makes this song pretty boring. The lyrics are haunting, however, and show the cruelty of many of the terrorist groups today.

My New Land is yet another soft pleasant acoustic song (for future reference, every song on the album is soft pleasant acoustic, so I'll stop saying that). In this song, we learn that the main character has discovered the opportunity of the first world. He starts questioning his sleeper training and wants to stay in the country and find a wife and start a family.

I Found Love is the same musically. In this song, the main character has found someone he loves (what a surprise). He obsesses over her and can't stop thinking of her. He muses about all the thinking he does about her throughout the day. The song is a traditional love song, aka a boring pop song.

The Dream is a little more interesting. Clocking in at nearly 7 minutes, it is the longest so far, and we hear harmonica for the first time (which really only furthers the country sound of the album). The main character has a dream about the elders of his terrorist groups. He dreams he is flying, showing that he feels free in the new country and does not want to conform to the elders. When he begins to fall to the ground, he lands back in the camp, where the elders confront him again and tell him he is the chosen one for this task. He then escaped the camp and goes back home through a great terrain. He sees Moses and Picasso in a boat in the ocean that he walks across, who reject his conversation. When he gets back home and tried to tell the authorities about his plan, his teeth fell out of his mouth, showing he is doing something he should not be. He then sees various other things, such as Normandy, Hitler having tea with Queen Mary, and other things, symbolizing many things, most of them bad.

A Day of Conflict is (as always) the same musically. This song details the main character's day after his prophetic dream. He feels something is coming, but he isn't sure what. His doubts about his supposed orders are churning.

The climax of this installation is The Order Comes. In this song, his order to activate was brought to the main character by a mysterious figure. He has a life-changing decision. Follow his orders and carry out his task and risk capture by the government, or try to escape his terrorist cell and risk their assassins. He only wishes his god would kill him to ease the decision.

The Plan, in my opinion, is the best song on the album. Musically the song is actually pretty interesting, and lyrically the song is perfectly horrifying (in a good way!). In this song, the main character meets with a man who tells him the plan on what he would do. He learns that his assignment was to set off a chain reaction that would convert all O2, oxygen gas, into O3, ozone, which is poisonous to breathe. It would also convert water into trioxidane, a poisonous liquid, thereby crippling the entire world. Before he can even accept the task, the FBI captures him and arrests him, abandoning his family and shop.

I Will Return is just another country song. The main character muses about what he will do while in prison, and what he will do after he returns to life. He observes the world he lives in and all the injustices that the terrorist attack would "solve." He starts to have second thoughts on his loyalty to the first world, now made clear that it is America.

The Hand of God is the last track, where the main character muses over the power he has over humanity with the knowledge of the reaction; he has the power to save or kill all life, or the "hand of god." He now is for the most part accepting of the fact that he needs to carry out his orders.

ALBUM OVERALL: Musically, this album is extremely boring. The acoustic work is extremely nice to listen to, but it gets very repetitive after a while and the songs blur into each other. The melodies and lyrics, however, are fantastic. The vocals are easy to hear and the concept is easy to follow. However, the country western influence that is so obvious really outweighs most of the up points to this album. It would be a great acoustic country album, but as a prog rock album, never mind a prog metal album, it fails. 2- stars.

Valarius I accidently stumbled upon this band on Myspace. While viewing Dream Theater's Myspace page, I saw the name Dominici in the Top Friends section. Is that THE Dominici? I wondered. I clicked on the link and was taken to the page of a relatively new Prog Metal act. The song ‘Greed, the Evil Seed’ started playing, and I instantly became a fan.

Charlie Dominici is a name most Dream Theater fans will be familiar with. After recording their debut album way back in 1989, Dominici pretty much dropped off the face of the planet, until now.

After performing live with Dream Theater in 2004 on the 15th anniversary of ‘When Dream and Day Unite’, Dominici decided he wanted to get back into music. One solo acoustic album later, and the man exploded onto the scene with a new band, and a whole new attitude.

This album, part two in the ‘03’ trilogy, should be in the collection of every Prog Metal fan. Full of bone- crushing riffs, complex song structures and dazzling musicianship, this band has the potential to be one of the big names of Progressive Metal over the coming years. If you like concept albums this is not to be missed. The story is so grand and epic that it just wouldn't fit on one disc!

If you like Dream Theater, you NEED to check out Dominici. If you don't like Dream Theater, check out Dominici anyway... you won't regret it!