Dream Theater
Systematic Chaos

That Dream Theater keeps churning out albums one after the other, this has been known since 2002/2003. Many criticize this rapidity in writing and recording new pieces, thinking that perhaps, due to too much haste, Dream may not be able to do work worthy of their name. Yet, this new CD, "Systematic Chaos," manages to rekindle the hopes of both old and new fans of the American Progressive Metal band.

"Systematic Chaos," the name of DT's ninth work, sets the stage for a new and exhausting world tour planned for 2007 and 2008. Dream is like a train; they seem never to want to stop. In fact, during the previous tour, they already began writing the new pieces for this album, recorded and mixed in 5 months, which then saw the light thanks to the new record label Roadrunner Records. The album, on the whole, is truly a well-crafted work. The songs range from melodic Progressive, passing through the heaviest metal, reaching compositions with styles of artists like Muse and Pink Floyd, something already seen with previous albums ("Octavarium" among all). But let's get straight to the songs on the CD, analyzing them one by one.

The album starts and finishes with an epic song, divided precisely into two parts: In The Presence Of Enemies. The first part contains a very technical introduction, progressive and melodic at the same time, which makes room for James LaBrie's voice. In those 9 minutes, the first part of the epic song does not tire at all. Dream seems to have resumed the path already undertaken with "Six Degrees," fully showing their capabilities in an album where such spirited and energetic Portnoy and Petrucci, a more present Myung, a more pissed off (but also more expressive) LaBrie, and a more experimental Rudess (although less emphasized compared to his companions) were much needed. The first track ends like this, with the sound of the wind, as if wanting to recall Shine On Your Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd, which, besides being divided into two parts, closes and reopens the dances precisely with the sound of the wind. It moves on to Forsaken, the second track of the album, which starts with a piano by Jordan Rudess that gives way to Petrucci's distorted guitar and an aggressive rhythm of drums and bass. LaBrie's voice in this piece is very expressive and at times suffering. The chorus does justice to the song, which, however, does not happen with Petrucci's solo, very rushed, and gives way again to the chorus. This is certainly not one of the best tracks on the album. At times, it strongly recalls the style of Evanescence. Nonetheless, it's not to be discarded either; indeed, I repeat, LaBrie's voice is very warm and expressive, which characterizes this piece, making it more listenable.

Constant Motion, with its guitar intro, gave the idea of being a good instrumental song, akin to the style of Erotomania, a song from the album "Awake." Yet, it is not so, because that initial guitar riff is only reprised at the end of the song. In the meantime, we find DTs playing at being Metallica. A piece that closely resembles the style of the mentioned band. According to fans, it's the worst track on the album, if not the entire Dream Theater discography, but then again, it's also a matter of taste. The chorus certainly isn't better than the rest, and perhaps the only part that is saved is the instrumental one, with a well-composed Petrucci solo, followed by Rudess, with a rather disappointing solo. LaBrie (joined by Portnoy in vocals) can't bring out what is his true style, being forced to sing in a manner very different from how we usually hear him.

Moving forward, we find the most aggressive track of the album, and this is understandable given that the lyrics, written by the guitarist, talk about monsters. You'll understand why by listening to the track. It's certainly not every day that you hear LaBrie and Portnoy duet and sing in such an aggressive and growly manner. This is The Dark Eternal Night. Upon first listening, you might wonder if it really is Dream Theater you are hearing, but it is in the following minutes that you will realize you are indeed listening to Dream! The chorus is one of the most beautiful on the album, and the instrumental part is the best to continue a track like this. Overall, this song closely resembles "Train Of Thought," especially the instrumental part which picks up Endless Sacrifice and In The Name Of God, but because of the setup rather than the writing and thematic. And perhaps the most disappointing part of this song is the ending. Indeed, after the classic chorus, the band reprises another theme that lets the song end, bringing it to nothing with the classic fade-out. The song could have taken other directions that were closer to the previous setup, yet it did not, but never mind. And here we move on to the soft moment: Repentance, the new track that continues the theme of Alcoholics Anonymous proposed by Mike Portnoy. Indeed, the song begins with the theme from This Dying Soul, which is a bit strange, considering that The Root Of All Evil was the last song that followed the A.A. theme after This Dying Soul. According to James LaBrie, this song is like a breath, a moment of relaxation, to then be able to return to newer, more aggressive parts with the following songs.

A peculiarity of this album is the participation of no less than 11 special guests, lending their voices not to sing, but to cite some of the phrases they have written, obviously picking up the A.A. thematic. The participants are: Mikael Akerfeldt (singer/guitarist of Opeth), Jon Anderson (singer of Yes), David Ellefson (bassist of Megadeth), Daniel Gildenlow (singer/guitarist of Pain of Salvation), Steve Hogarth (singer of Marillion), Chris Jericho (famous wrestling fighter/singer of Fozzy), Neal Morse (former singer/keyboardist/guitarist of Spock's Beard and Transatlantic), Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Corey Taylor (singer of Slipknot and Stonesour), Steven Wilson (singer/guitarist of Porcupine Tree and also of Blackfield, I.E.M, and Bass Communion).

This is the moment, then, to pay homage to Muse, writing a song that tries to get as close as possible to their style. This could describe Prophets Of War, the sixth track on the album, which manages to pick up Muse's mentioned style in every respect. Nice guitar riff, although quite commercial. Overall, Prophets Of War isn't bad at all, on the contrary, I personally consider it a beautiful track, but of course, Dream has done much better in their career. It's also obvious that you can't help but think of Muse when listening to this song. Even in this track, as in the previous one, there are guests: 50 Dream Theater fans, who showed up in front of the studios at Mike Portnoy's request and lent their voices for some phrases later added to this song and the second part of the epic song. Something Dream Theater had never done before, and that characterizes not only this song but the entire album.

The seventh song, The Ministry Of Lost Souls, could be defined as one of the best tracks on the album. Almost 15 minutes of pure progressive and pure Dream Theater compositions. It had been a while since such sounds were missing. This song, by itself, manages to range from an intro and a very soft sung part to a very aggressive instrumental part. The song has the right sounds to make it a perfect track in every respect. It seems that here Dream was also very inspired by "Train Of Thought," with a very long instrumental part that certainly doesn't tire the listener. The song then picks up the same initial theme, thus closing as In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 1 closes. The sound of the wind returns and makes room for the last track of the album. In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2. The bass start wants to be a tribute to One Of These Days by Pink Floyd (the sound seems identical even). But the song doesn't take that direction, actually, a LaBrie (once again) expressive begins to sing and carry forward, together with Rudess and Petrucci, this second part of a fantastic epic song. From the 6 minutes mark onwards, the song takes a new direction, becoming heavier and more aggressive. The song is accompanied by the 50 guys and their "Hey!" "Fight!". The proposed theme at this point closely resembles The Glass Prison. LaBrie never betrays, presenting various very interesting vocal themes. New instrumental part, once again inspired by "Train Of Thought" and which takes up the theme of the first part of the epic song, follows like a river until it accompanies the return of James's voice, giving way to the four players who close the 25-minute epic & monumental song, and consequently the CD, in the manner they deemed most appropriate. Judged entirely, Systematic Chaos is certainly the album that comes closest to what Dream Theater is today.

"Train Of Thought" and "Octavarium" definitely embarked on a path that for many distanced them from the Dream Theater we have always listened to. Certainly, this album is one of the best produced so far with Jordan Rudess on board. "Scenes From A Memory" and "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" are in battle with this album, which, however, manages to find space between the two albums, positioning itself as one of Dream Theater's best. An excellent work by a band that has been providing great music for over 20 years, hoping there will be much more in the future.