Dream Theater
Falling Into Infinity

It's needless to say, but all bands, at some point in their career, become commercialized. And it's equally needless to say that this happens even to the legendary Dream Theater. It happens with "Falling Into Infinity", their fourth studio album, released in 1997.

An album that left a bitter taste in the mouth of many fans. Many, when they found themselves in the shop buying the record, expected another masterpiece on par with "Images And Words" and "Awake" but were disappointed when they inserted it into the CD player.

Previously, DT delighted us with complex riffs, complicated structures, and lightning-fast changes in style and speed. This album is quite different: in fact, the album features a less aggressive sound and especially simpler and more catchy structures. The tracks seem to adhere more to the song form of verse-chorus-bridge, and the creativity of the musicians diminishes somewhat, but there are still more complex tracks where their timeless abilities shine... Perhaps an attempt to win over the broader public? No! If you believe that this attempt at commercialization was their inspiration, you are very wrong; their intention was to create another album in their own way... but then the record label forced the five to modify some songs and discard others.

But I have to say that this is still a good album, and even though it is not at the level of its two predecessors, it nonetheless has every right and merit to be part of the Dream Theater discography.

Very experimental and innovative is no. 1 "New Millennium": almost oriental sounds, excellent keyboard loops that prevail over the guitar, a great rhythm, marked by John Myung's chapman stick, his new acquisition, and also a good dose of virtuosity. A track where melody prevails.
"You Not Me" (You Or Me originally) is a decidedly pop-rock song characterized by an excellent rhythmic guitar by Petrucci and a good melodic line from Derek Sherinian's keyboards (his only album with Dream Theater), as well as from Myung's bass in the verses.
"Peruvian Skies", on the other hand, is a song with two faces: calm, psychedelic, and Pink Floyd-ian in the first minutes, aggressive in Metallica style in the second half. And to think that when hearing it initially, many believed they were facing a ballad.
And that very ballad is found on track no. 4 with "Hollow Years": a sweet and soothing song, perfect for the more romantic; an acoustic guitar that today immediately reminds one of Gigi D'Alessio; if you love Gigi, you have to hear this song.
More lively is no. 5 "Burning My Soul", a song also with a quite simple and catchy structure. Worth appreciating in this track are the well-crafted intro with bass and keyboard and a keyboard solo right after the second chorus.
An absolute masterpiece is the instrumental "Hell’s Kitchen": dreamy guitars and a good dose of virtuosity marked by excellent guitar solos and a beautiful guitar-keyboard unison before the finale.
And from the fading of "Hell's Kitchen" emerges "Lines In The Sand", one of the gems of the album, a track that detractors surely cannot disdain. 12 minutes, splendid intro performed with keyboards, first five minutes lively, then another four slow and psychedelic minutes with a long and splendid solo by Petrucci, then lively again after the 9-minute mark where bass and keyboard duet perfectly before the final riff. Truly a gem.
And here is another ballad, the sad "Take Away My Pain", dedicated to Petrucci’s deceased father, to whom they once prayed to stay alive with "Another Day" (condolences, of course). Melancholic guitars and keyboards that create a dark atmosphere. Petrucci, however, doesn’t miss out on a solo.
And immediately we are also moved with "Just Let Me Breathe", characterized by frantic guitars, a funky rhythm, and excellent keyboard riffs in the instrumental parts.
And it’s time to delight ourselves with another ballad, "Anna Lee", supported by a piano seemingly inspired by Elton John.
But here we are, ready to conclude with the real highlight of this highly-contested album, "Trial Of Tears": 13 minutes for an experimental, dreamy, and not very aggressive track; atmospheric beginning almost in fantasy style with super-inspired keyboards, very efficient percussion and nice Petrucci melodies; then we move into a more rhythmic section characterized by the excellent bassline created by Myung but always with impeccable melodic sensitivity; and then we transition to one of the most beautiful instrumental sections ever created by Dream Theater: a beautiful solo by Petrucci for technique and melody, followed immediately by a splendid solo by Sherinian on the keyboards; to finish, riffs with acoustic guitar preparing for the finale, a bit stronger and more rhythmic compared to the rest of the track; the song then ends more or less how it started.

Come on, this album isn’t that bad; if you don't like it, it means you are too traditionalist and not open to innovations. I hope this review serves as an invitation to reassess this album.