Dream Theater
A Dramatic Turn Of Events

The anticipation for the first album by Dream Theater after the departure of drummer and co-founder Mike Portnoy had become overwhelming for the most avid fans, and probably even the fiercest critics were waiting to listen to it to confirm their poor opinion of the band or possibly change it based on any major changes in the band's sound following the arrival of the excellent drummer Mike Mangini, a worthy replacement for Portnoy.

The album is not officially released in stores, yet the songs have all been uploaded (without the band's or label's knowledge?) on YouTube, making it easily accessible online to anyone with a good internet connection. Let's proceed with the album analysis. If one expected major changes in the sound of the American band, well, they haven't arrived. However, the qualitative gap from the subsequent productions "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" (in the opinion of the writer, one of their best works) is clear both for creativity and production. The (alleged) growls introduced by the previous drummer have finally been abandoned here and there without particular integration with the sound or lyrics of some songs from their most recent works, in favor of LaBrie's only voice, overall "clean" but sometimes modified by well-introduced distortions in the sound context.The sound is much more balanced, the drums are less "pumped" than previous albums and the band seems to have found a greater balance, with a finally more present Myung. Surprising is the foray into the world of electronics (dear to Jordan Rudess) that the band makes in the excellent track Build Me Up, Break Me Down, a sort of Caught In A Web revisited in a contemporary key.

From a technical standpoint, the album stands out for the remarkable complexity of many of its tracks, overall more elaborate than in the past, often a bit hypertrophic, but rich in solos with interesting sounds, both guitar and keyboard, indeed Rudess's work is particularly interesting precisely from the point of view of the effects used, often new compared to previous works. The vocal lines of LaBrie are not always easily assimilated but are inspired and well adapted to the sound context. Mangini's drum work is particularly effective in supporting the powerful guitar riffs and accommodating the whims of the Rudess-Petrucci duo. Probably from a drummer of his technical value and experience, something more and a greater personality was expected, for the moment shelved in favor of the "historic" members of the band; from this point of view, he is awaited in the future work and live. I skip the track by track to make the listening of individual tracks more unexpected, however, I feel I must spend a few more words on Breaking All Illusion. The penultimate song of the album cannot but, at least in the opinion of the writer, be considered not only the best song on the album but rather the best Dream Theater song at least since the aforementioned Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. The opening riff of Petrucci-Rudess, splendidly supported by a continuous and well-highlighted bass line and an insistent and essential drum leads into the main theme of the entire song, here resumed by the only keyboard, but which will later be the subject of LaBrie's vocal harmonies. After an enthusiastic start, the band's distinctly progressive yet always metal "fury" stops to allow space for an almost whispered first verse, where the bass-drums combination acts as a backdrop to a never before inspired LaBrie. The song continues for another 10 minutes among guitar and keyboard chases, soft openings, odd times, seventies and classical keyboards, riffs that recall progressive sounds worthy of the band's best works in a whirlwind of emotions that leads to the precious harmonies traced by a magnificent reverb and delay solo by Petrucci. It doesn't end here, there's still time for arpeggios and soft atmospheres enriched by still very inspired work by Petrucci. The song continues returning to the heavier sounds of the beginning with new intricate and fascinating riffs and a goosebumps return of LaBrie. It alone would probably justify the album's purchase. Noteworthy is the presence of three ballads: This Is The Life, Far From Heaven, and Beneath The Surface, on whose inspired and elegant guitar arpeggio the latest work of the American band concludes.

In conclusion, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" is one of the most beautiful albums of Dream Theater, uniform in the tracklist, consistent in the stylistic choices with what the band has produced so far, which finally ceases to limit itself to a pleasant (for fans) self-referencing, finding new inspiration in the "dramatic" turn of events of their recent past and instilling new life in a darker and more reflective sound than usual, although never as leaden as in Train Of Thought, in which unusual sounds and harmonies for the band also find space. A sound that is still very recognizable and a true trademark of a band that, with ups and downs, has undeniably contributed to the history of Metal.

Rating: 8/10