Progressive metal giants, Dream Theater, hit turbulence a few years back with the departure of founding member, key songwriter, and drumming legend Mike Portnoy. Doubts were promptly cast about the band’s future, before Dream Theater responded in the best possible way – getting back to business by recruiting new drummer Mike Mangini and recording a new album. The result was 2011’s solid A Dramatic Turn of Events album. This self-titled 12th album builds from the groundwork of their first album minus Portnoy, whilst symbolising the band’s unity and durability in keeping their prog-metal juggernaut rolling forward.
Dream Theater is a darker, heavier and more organic sounding album than its predecessor, consolidating an exciting new chapter in the band’s proud legacy. The impeccably produced album features a heavier slant and is littered with superb musicianship and generally thrilling and well-balanced song-writing.
Although his performance on A Dramatic Turn of Events was exemplary, this time around Mike Mangini has been fully integrated into the writing process for the album, putting his own stamp on the songs, with a remarkably fluid array of technical rhythms, expressive fills and driving grooves. The rest of the band is in typically outstanding form across the board, upholding Dream Theater’s incredible musicianship, which has long defined their career. The interplay between John Petrucci (guitars) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards) bounces back and forth with tremendous cohesion and skill, their shared chemistry providing much of the lifeblood of Dream Theater’s intricate, progressive arrangements. And sure, those listeners unable to stomach the more bombastic and self-indulgent aspects of Dream Theater’s formula will find little to change their minds on this latest album, yet importantly, amidst all their technical fireworks and theatrics, Dream Theater continue to value a song-based approach, entwined with catchy riffs and soaring melodies.
Of course a Dream Theater album cannot be discussed in detail without mentioning the presence of their stalwart leader, James LaBrie. I have long been an admirer of Dream Theater’s incredible musicianship and amazing compositional skills, however, LaBrie’s vocals have always been a sticking point. There is no doubting his skills as a vocalist on a technical front, but I’ve often found the lighter, sappier side of his singing at odds with the band’s instrumental base. Not to suggest his voice doesn’t suit their sound, there are just nagging moments where they can dull Dream Theater’s more metallic edges, detracting from the stunning musical component of the band. The same problems I’ve always found frustrating in LaBrie’s performance are present during parts of this album, though in fairness he delivers plenty of rousing moments as well. And really it’s just a personal preference that will probably have hardened Dream Theater fans up in arms.
Solid instrumental opener ‘False Awakening Suite’ begins the album in grand style, blending dramatic orchestral embellishments with hard-rocking metal rhythms, condensed into a compact 2.42-minute timeframe. The quality of the album’s first “proper” song is evident from its storming intro as ‘The Enemy Inside’ couples hard-edged metal grooves with tricky time signatures and killer instrumental chops, revealing the sharp and heavy guitar tone present on the album. Mangini’s drumming is forceful and nuanced, while LaBrie delivers a powerful and catchy vocal performance. The song wraps-up with terrific soloing and interplay between the musicians, including some dazzling keyboard action.
‘The Looking Glass’ is rather concise by Dream Theater standards, featuring a lighter tone and huge arena rock hooks punctuating the song’s bouncy cadence. Jaw-dropping musicianship, killer grooves and plenty of “holy shit!” moments pepper astounding instrumental, ‘Enigma Machine’, before things get a little too weepy during the epic semi balladry of ‘The Bigger Picture’, despite a handful of engrossing moments.
Thankfully the edgier riffing and darker hues of the album return for the excellent ‘Behind the Veil’, which counterbalances the song’s heavier moments with a soaring melodic chorus. Unfortunately the album loses a bit of momentum during back-to-back tunes, ‘Surrender to Reason’ and ‘Along for the Ride’. Both songs, particularly the former, offer some genuinely thrilling moments, but are bogged down with uneven moments and some light and fluffy balladry. 22-minute closer ‘Illumination Theory’ closes the album on a stronger note, with a frequently engaging and complex arrangement, featuring some of the drama-tinged orchestral links from the much shorter opener.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta3nqHK1wgE
I confess to being more of a casual Dream Theater fan, rather than part of the rabid, diehard portion of their huge fan-base. That being said my knowledge of their material goes back a long way and this album represents one of their stronger efforts in recent years. This will be a blind purchase for Dream Theater fans and not a bad starting point for the uninitiated.
8/10
Reviewer: Luke Saunders