Daniel Jakubovic, who prefers going by the name Daniel J, is a young Israel-born musician and multi-instrumentalist. Now residing in the USA, he was first heard of when he played guitars on Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess' solo album Rhythm of Time along with other amazing musicians including Joe Satriani, Steve Morse and Vinnie Moore. As mentioned in the booklet by Rudess himself, he was so pleased with Daniel's performance on the CD that he decided to guest on his debut release, playing on a couple of tracks with his signature sound. Although it is obvious Daniel J is heavily influenced by John Petrucci and prog metal, two of the songs Rudess appears on are the most unmistakably Dream Theater-alike ones. "End of Summer" opens as a slowly building piece where Rudess mingles with a pretty synth motif before the song is steered into a more retro prog area and it conjures up images of Yes during their heyday. Great instrumental breaks, awesome vocals, and outstanding guitar harmonies lead to a beautiful piano intermezzo featuring Rudess playing one of his classical influences pieces. Daniel J's guitar tone is simply gorgeoous and he has a tremendous vibrato sound that will leave a lot of guitar fans in awe. The song particularly takes on a Dream Theater vibe as Rudess and Daniel J play off of each other, exchanging licks, duelling with sweet melodies, and simply shredding their hearts out.Besides singing, Daniel J plays all lead guitars, drums and bass, except where noted in the liner notes. Though his vocal style may not be every proghead's cup of tea, he does possess a warm timbre that renders the songs somewhat more personal. His drumming is top notch too. On the groovy classic rock beats of "Black", the snare sound is excellent: very tight and powerful. The song develops into a great prog number at the end though, mostly because of its exquisite synth patterns and outstanding orchestration. I have to especially mention bassist Iyasu Nagata without whose intense playing these songs would be nowhere near their current brilliance. Simply put, Nagata's playing is rich and dense. He is also very versatile, as he lays the foundation of the big rocker "Theories in Her Head" (with a monster guitar riff by Daniel J) or the relatively more vocal-based title track which concludes with some sick Steve Vai whammy bar licks. On "Insane", the bass work is at its wildest. Nagata steals the show while Daniel J retreats to his earlier prog rock roots with a sweet lead tone. Pretty much every tune contains amazing lead guitar work too. From Petrucci to Morse, Daniel's vocabulary is extensive and his speedy picking and sweeping are truly impressive. "Xited" and "Replaced" both kick in with early Metallica-inspired Bay Area thrash but that's about where the comparison ends. The songs then take on their natural vibe as they are filled with some of the finest guitar work you'll hear and terrific rhythmic anchor. The slower ballad-type of songs range from the King's X style acoustic piece "The Best" to the piano ballad "Out of Reach" or the haunting "All the Same for You" which also features Daniel's renowned father Jaroslav Jakubovic on tenor saxophone. My personal favourite is the 10-minute "Rush", again with Jordan Rudess on keys. Its ambient and acoustic intro sounds something like Kevin Moore would write during Awake if he was a guitar player. Daniel J's vocals are at their emotional best here as well. The song is highlighted by top-notch musicanship, fantastic keyboard and guitar leads, a harrowing bass, awesome 70's prog moments, and so much more.Daniel J has made a great start as a solo artist. If he keeps up the good work, he is bound to become bigger in the future. By the way, the mix on this disc is fantastic. The sound engineer deserves a medal for that.(Check out Daniel J's new band Against The Wall if you want to hear him in a more modern-sounding musical environment chock full of melodic hooks and catchy vocal parts.)