This is the first solo album that Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie has released under his own name, as his previous two solo efforts go under the extremely silly name of Mullmuzzler, and it’s an album that is well worth checking out whether you are a Dream Theater fan or not.

This album contains some of the heaviest guitar riffage ever to appear on an album that features James LaBrie. The sheer quality of the first half of this album is staggering, with a barrage of songs that mix heavy duty guitar riffs that Machine Head would have been proud of with electronica and other assorted contemporary sounds that add a different (and very un-Dream Theater) atmosphere to the songs. Not to mention choruses that are infectiously catchy. Together with James’s melodic vocals and impressive songwriting all of this creates a very compelling start to the album. The first 6 songs are a definite must hear for anyone that likes Heavy Metal, with a special mention being made for “Freaks” which is definitely my song of the year so far. I did find the final 6 songs to be much more of a mixed bag quality wise, with “Pretender” being of the quality of the first half of the album, but my attention wandering a little during some of the others.

The second half of the album is a bit more eclectic than the first and has 2 softer songs that either don’t fit in with the rest of the album or provide a welcome contrast to it depending on your point of view. The first - “Smashed” - is a ballad that reminds me a little of Dream Theater’s more mellow moments. It was a bit too mushy for my tastes, but I have no criticism of it other than that. It doesn’t really fit in with the other material though, and does feel a bit like a slamming of the brakes, emergency stop style, which spoils the flow of the album where it is placed. The other song is “Slightly Out of Reach” that is a song that I can almost imagine Robbie Williams singing and which would certainly appear in the charts were he ever to do so. Again the main problem here is not with the song itself but with it not fitting in with the heavier songs and thus slightly spoiling the flow of the album, although this is not as much as is the case with “Smashed”.

For those of you that only know James from Dream Theater, on this album the material is much more song orientated and to the point than Dream Theater tend to be. The standard of musicianship on display here is every bit as good as you would expect from musicians who are working with a member of Dream Theater, and there is as much room for solos as is normal for Heavy Metal here, no more and no less, which still gives both keyboard maestro Matt Guillory and guitarist Marco Sfogli plenty of opportunity to show their skills here, but without this ever posing any threat to taking over the songs.

A special mention must go to the production on this album which has been excellently done by LaBrie and co-producer (and keyboard player) Matt Guillory. This album simply sounds great, and if James ever lost his voice then he certainly would be able to have an equally glittering career as a producer as he currently has as a singer.

“Elements of Persuasion” is an album that will both satisfy Dream Theater fans, while also appealing to non-fans. If the quality of the opening salvo of songs had been maintained throughout the album, then this would be hard to beat as my album of the year and a definite 10/10. Still, the quality of some of the songs means the album is well worth a look.

Standout Tracks:  Freaks, Undecided, Pretender.

Overall Score:   7 /10