Dream Theater
Dream Theater

Preface: it's quite unusual that a month after the release of a new album by the much-loved/hated Dream Theater, there isn't even a single review discussing it on this site! So much so that I started wondering if the site I was browsing was the one I usually visit or if I was mistakenly browsing, overwhelmed by my unyielding carelessness (and I can assure you that, among things misunderstood in a spectacular manner, objects dropping from my hands, bumping into various furniture, and other similar situations, I am clumsier than Caterina Balivo), eheheheheheheh! But since the proverb says there's always a first time, I'm stepping up to finally review this new work (I should be the first unless in the meantime my friend Mattone or someone else has beaten me to it).

It had been years since a new Dream Theater album was so anticipated. Already, the previous one was much awaited due to the lineup change behind the drums, which many said would steer the band away from the excessively virtuosic/metalhead/modernist/trendy/brash direction that Portnoy was leading the Dream Theater towards; a cycle they would have been destined to remain in if such a change hadn't occurred (even the other members talked about the drummer's bossy behavior and how his departure would bring more compositional freedom, which indeed happened). In fact, "A Dramatic Turn of Events" marked a return to a greater balance between metal, melody, and instrumental creativity that even impressed the last DT detractors. But now Mike Mangini is present from the compositional phase, and everyone was curious to see how he would organize his drum parts and note an almost certain renewal.

Another curiosity was the rather unusual fact of calling the album simply "Dream Theater" as a sign of a new beginning for the band. Would it really have been a new beginning???

Then the first rumors began circulating from those who had probably already heard the album. There was talk of a hard album similar to "Train Of Thought" but with a more evident symphonic and progressive vein. Some looked at the rumors with enthusiasm, while others were already frowning, convinced that "too much metal" didn't benefit the band, given the precedents in the last Portnoy period.

Then finally, the release. And there, it becomes natural to wonder who had listened to the album in advance and with what ears! "Dream Theater," in fact, is not a hard album as was said, nor is it dominated by technique. On the contrary, we find ourselves in front of an album decidedly less metal, which emphasizes melody, and moreover with shorter tracks and much less room for long instrumental sections. It's not a novelty, given that less metal, less virtuosic albums more focused on melody have already come with "Falling Into Infinity" and "Octavarium," but here they never touch too commercial territories as happened in the two albums mentioned above.

Then it's worth noting a certain rapprochement to many melodies of the '90s Dream Theater, so dear and often evoked by fans. Listening to Petrucci's guitar, I notice that the melodies he plays remind more of the old Dream, but I also hear Rudess playing melodies that recall those of Kevin Moore. However, Rudess prefers an accompaniment role more in line with the melodic approach of the album; and I think it fits, it's nice to hear a less pretentious Rudess, especially after in the previous album where he delivered perhaps the best performance since joining Dream in terms of imagination, variety of sounds and effects. James LaBrie has found himself after some probably not exciting performances. And the special one, Mangini, so praised by Petrucci? Maybe he doesn't dazzle exactly as said but for the most part reinvents Dream Theater's rhythms and undoubtedly offers some really interesting ideas; in any case, you can tell he's not Portnoy. But the real surprise is John Myung! If there were complaints about his lack of presence in previous albums, here one cannot complain, on the contrary, we perhaps have the best Myung ever, or at least the most present and incisive, with a sound and approach that is quite reminiscent of Geddy Lee of Rush. And mentioning Rush is not such a casual choice: the influence of Rush in many riffs and melodies is evident here as never before, enough to make us think that the album, instead of "Dream Theater," could easily have been named "Rush." Even someone on Facebook thought it wise to take the "Moving Pictures" cover and insert the Dream Theater logo for an interesting crossover between covers. But the Dream Theater imprint is very much there.

Let's move on to the tracks. It had been 10 years/4 albums with no instrumentals in a Dream album, and now we have 2! The introductory track is the "False Awakening Suite": a 2 minute and 42 seconds suite divided into three sections, something not an everyday occurrence, not even in a genre as unpredictable and crazy as prog. Even the title talking about "false awakening" seems to be a metonymy indicating we're facing a false suite. In any case, it's a rather unusual track for Dream Theater, demonstrating how the band can still offer some surprises; a symphonic metal with a cinematic flavor, typical sounds more of their colleagues Symphony X. It's one of two tracks featuring the string ensemble conducted and arranged by Eren Basbug, which meshes wonderfully with the guitar parts.

Right after, we have the album's launch single, "The Enemy Inside." Here we have prog-metal quite typical of the band, led by a sharp guitar but without exaggerating (not a ToT style as it might seem); the style is somewhat like a slightly darker "Scenes From A Memory," but you can also spot some resemblance to "Acid Rain" by LTE. Rudess indulges in his typical imaginative riffs, and Mangini shows his best with unpredictable rhythms with sudden changes.

But it's one of the few occasions to hear the classic Dream Theater prog-metal on this album. In fact, the next "The Looking Glass" is the track you don't expect. It's the track where the Rush influence mentioned above is most felt; the riffs aren't too hard, at most close to moderate hard rock (except in the second verse with a riff style "Under A Glass Moon") and the melody seems to prevail. The track could be compared to "Limelight," the structure seems to recreate it quite strictly (especially in the intro but also for the softer breaks and the part of the solo), and some similarity in the verses can also be found with "Time Stand Still." But the hand of DT is still there, and the melodies smell more than ever like old DT. Mangini is also superlative here.

And here comes the real instrumental, "Enigma Machine." Introduced by very particular technological sounds, the track focuses on virtuosic abilities in an album where this characteristic is secondary. And even here, the Rush-tribute is not lacking: the virtuosity is fully DT school, even here the melodies (including Rudess' accompaniments) feel like old DT, but the really heavy riffs are few, and many leading guitar and bass riffs remind a lot of Rush. I call it "the YYZ of 2013" and you'll discover that I'm not entirely wrong when analyzing its structure... Mangini surprises here with his fast and sudden rolls.

"The Bigger Picture" instead dives headfirst into the melodic side, offering a track with calm rhythms dominated by Rudess' orchestral layers. The sound is quite modern, but the solo part still feels like the old Dream. 

"Behind the Veil" is more aggressive but here, too, it seems that the melodic side always wants to prevail. The intro is one of the most interesting things ever seen, with Rudess offering interesting space/psychedelic effects quite unusual for the band. The verses are led by a fairly distorted riff which, however, never becomes excessive, perhaps closer to a cavernous hard rock (as cavernous is also LaBrie's voice) covered by keyboards, while the chorus has a bright and open melody.

"Surrender to Reason" is a track where melody still prevails but remains quite varied in structure and sound. Here too, Petrucci's guitar has an imprint looking much at the past, as does LaBrie. There is some tougher riff, well accompanied by Rudess' distorted organ, but without exaggeration. And here too, the influences of Rush are felt, especially in the intro (accompanied, among others, by some nice just-audible synth riffs, very "Tom Sawyer" style) but also in the part of the guitar solo accompanied by the heavy bass, which almost inevitably recalls "A Farewell To Kings." Perhaps the best track on the album???

"Along for a Ride" (the second track chosen to present the album) further elevates the melodic side, being a semi-ballad. Petrucci once again looks at the sounds of the old Dream, and Rudess delights the ears with a beautiful synth solo similar to "Beneath the Surface."

With the 22-minute suite "Illumination Theory," however, we return to the more classic recent Dream Theater prog-metal, without ever exaggerating in terms of hardness. Petrucci returns to play more aggressive, bringing back long instrumental sections, bringing back the more imaginative riffs of Rudess... but the most interesting part is the quieter central one; it seems a bit forced, a tad detached from the rest of the suite, but it's truly particular and suggestive: first spatial/psychedelic sounds similar to those already heard in "Behind The Veil," and then the orchestral section once again arranged by Eren Basbug. The suite would actually last only about 19 minutes, but there's a piano-guitar easter egg that comes in at the end of the track.

In conclusion, I am fully satisfied with this new release from my favorites. An album that escapes the classic standard but shows a band capable of playing with soul, something many don't recognize in the band. I was very struck by the underlying idea because it wasn't what I expected; it seemed we were going to witness a new "Train of Thought," but better elaborated, and instead, we have a new "Falling Into Infinity," less commercial. An album that perhaps doesn't completely revolutionize the band's approach, but it knows how to give us interesting cues and new ideas.

If you love the more classic and elaborated Dream Theater, you'll probably be disappointed, while those who haven't appreciated the recent too technical and metallic works might find it acceptable, especially if nostalgic for the old melodies. But especially to those who see only coldness and technicism in them, this album is highly recommended because there's so much soul in it.

It seems that once again, positive comments prevail, proving that for many, the bad apple was Portnoy in the last years. The reputation of Dream Theater is thus gradually returning to being good. Anyway, it's pointless to say that once again there is no shortage of criticism, and many of them, in my opinion, come from those somewhat narrow-minded pseudo-fans (and there are...) who criticize the band if it doesn't make an album that mirrors exactly "Images And Words" and "Awake" (who thus appreciated "Scenes from a Memory" and "A Dramatic Turn of Events" for obvious reasons while criticizing everything else). Not to mention those who automatically hate the band (just look at the many negative definitions right here on Debaser, as well as the spam on many reviews) and do everything to belittle them. But Dream Theater is practically the Silvio Berlusconi of music. That is, hated by large segments of the public, belittled, laughed at for their self-indulgence, ridiculed but always ready to welcome people who love them, not caring about the criticism, to garner wide approval and thus fill arenas every time, which they will undoubtedly do on the next tour. Assago, January 20th... I think I'll be there!!!