Dominici
O3 A Trilogy – Part 2

April 2007
Released: 2007, Insideout
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Rick

I profess to not having heard anything from Charlie Dominici except a few songs from the debut Dream Theater CD. For a guy who has been around since the 70s there is a decided lack of material that bears his name. Dominici was a member of Franke and the Knockouts in the early 80s and by 87 had auditioned for Dream Theater. He appeared on Dream Theater’s debut disc WHEN DREAM AND DAY UNITE but parted ways with the band after it was felt that his vocal style was not right for the material the band was writing. Little was heard from Dominici until he resurfaced for the 15th anniversary of WHEN DREAM AND DAY UNITE where he joined his old band on stage.



O3 A TRILOGY – PART 2 is the second in the 3 part series that revolves around the story of a religious group that strives for the annihilation of man and, with him, the end of the world. The end of the world will bring about a reunion of God and his people and deliver them to heaven. To their end, they have abducted one person and trained him him how to bring about the final judgment. “Nowhere to Hide” sets the tone for the whole disc with its aggressive, riff driven sound the meshes perfectly with Charlie Dominici’s voice and shows that he has lost none of his vocal talent. “Captured” is the perfect counterpoint as the intensity is taken down a notch and the music is allowed to breathe. Dominici has a very smooth and strong voice that fits this type of song perfectly. The knock on Dominici was that his voice was considered too poppy for Dream Theater, but his voice is anything but poppy. It is engaging, full of character and takes the songs to another level. Many singers in this genre aim for technical prowess over feeling yet Dominici is all about the feel and that suits this material perfectly. Other standout tracks include “The Cop”, a gritty almost Dream Theaterish track and a minimalistic ballad by the name of “The Real Life”.



This CD has been intriguing right from its appearance in the mail. A former vocalist for progressive metal’s gods resurfaces after years of obscurity. What could be expected from this CD? Well whatever I expected, Dominici delivered it and more. Though I catch hints of Dream Theater in places, there is not an overabundance. Unlike some former vocalists from bands who went on to bigger and better things, Dominici prefers to let his own material do the talking. Prog metal is often lifeless and stresses musicianship over solid songwriting. That is not the case with O3 A TRILOGY – PART 2. Charlie Dominici has assembled a group of great musicians but has made sure the songs are memorable and that he isn’t remembered as just "that guy who sang for Dream Theater".