Dream Theater
A Change of Seasons

THE REVIEW

Boring, ephemeral, useless, insipid, cloying, irritating, egocentric, narcissistic, arrogant, cold, diluted, insensitive, deleterious, discordant. These, and not only these, are the "adjectives" that my poor ears have heard from some individuals.
Criticisms? Opinions? Tastes? Points of view? Ideas? Evaluations? No, my dear sirs. This is just hypocrisy. Why? Try to listen to "A Change of Seasons." Not the whole album, even just the single and only title track. But perhaps it's wrong to simply call it a "track or song." What do you think? Overzealous fan enthusiasm or is it just pure truth about the many earmuffs around? It's up to you to decide. OK, that was a little outburst. But let's get down to business.

Formed in the distant 1989 to accompany the masterpiece "Images and Words," "A Change of Seasons" gave life to this album, composed of live covers, only in 1995. Live covers (Ronnie Scott's in London) not performed optimally, but with a class that many bands lack. "Funeral for a Friend and Love Lies Bleeding" by Elton John, "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple, "The Rover," "Achilles Last Stand," and "The Song Remains the Same" by Led Zeppelin, up to the melting pot called "The Big Medley" ("In the Flesh?" by Pink Floyd, "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'" by Journey, "Cruise Control" by Dixie Dregs and "Turn It On Again" by Genesis). Stuff that's hot and demands to be played with a certain elegance and instrument mastery.

But an album based on covers, even if of immense quality, cannot be considered a masterpiece. And that's why the entire ensemble goes back to that single, splendid song. Petrucci invents, Portnoy directs, Myung implodes, Labrie moves, and Derek Sherinian simply joins in the magic of the dream theater. Thus is born "A Change of Seasons," a succession of emotions, harmonies, and sounds that for 23 minutes and 9 seconds manage to keep in the listener's mind that inexplicable sensation of pure musical delight. A time space that of "A Change of Seasons," which flows fast like time, changes like the passing of seasons, reserves surprises like each of our lives. And it's no coincidence that the themes of this sonic gem are based precisely on these points. A pearl composed of seven fragments, each with different qualities and merits, but never discontinuous. Fragments of technical nature, fantasy, balance, sweetness, class, of dark and light atmospheres, of simple melody.

Probably those who think that Dream Theater are "boring, ephemeral, useless etc." have not listened, or have not done so with the right premises, to this little diamond, set among the gems of an album that further showcases the greatness of an extraterrestrial band. You either love or hate Dream Theater. Those who hate them don't know what they're missing out on...

"Dedicated to all those who... remain dreamers, for this increasingly alone"
(Eros Ramazzotti).