Tag: dream theater (Page 1 of 3)

I guess it was inevitable that MP would rejoin Dream Theater at some point. I mean, if you are totally cynical, you can look at the last couple of DT albums and say they haven’t been up to standards, that the attendances may not of been that great, and that they needed something to boost their creative juices. A lot of the press and blurb that appeared before the album’s release mentioned that this record was a follow up to where they left off after MP’s last album with the band (2008’s Black Clouds And Silver Linings). But, I’m not sure that’s the case. This is a very slick and polished record, maybe too much so, whereas Black Clouds was quite a heavy affair, but I do get the point they are trying to make.

There is the usual awesome musical interplay between Petrucci and Rudess which, since Jordan’s arrival in the band, has been a highlight for me, but it’s Petrucci who is the star of the show here. I know all eyes and ears were on Portnoy to see what he was going to inject back into the band but I have to say, he is quite restrained for the most part, but Petrucci on the other hand is just incredible.

I know you may need a lie down here, but the “ballad” Bend The Clock is my favourite track. Petrucci’s solo starts at about five minutes in and goes to fade out, it is breathtaking. So much tension, feel, and emotion in the song, and the picking is so clean I’m just in awe. No one else can inject so much emotion into their playing and at the flick of a switch be one of the best shredders around.

I am pleased that they are “back,” and it’s their best album since Black Clouds that’s for sure, but if you’re a DT fan there is a lot of recycling of melodies and lines from past DT albums. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not but I’ll leave that as a quiz for you all. Anyhoo, I do like this album and maybe you will too.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

This was album number twelve and the second to feature Mike Mangini on drums. “The emphasis is on shorter more concise songs.” Really?! llumination Theory is twenty two minutes long! Not that I’m complaining, I’m a big lover of the DT that write songs that leave and don’t comeback for days.

Nice cinematic intro with the False Awakening Suite and the two more commercial efforts The Enemy Inside and The Looking Glass. Enigma Machine is my favourite track on the album (did they channel their inner Inspector Gadget when composing the main riff?). It’s what DT do best: lots of widdle and intricacies but in a more concise way.

Illumination Theory is the centre piece of the whole album. It’s about what things people will live, die, or kill for. It’s a well written and performed piece with a full orchestra inserted, but it does feel as though I’ve heard it before. To be honest, the latter day albums do all feel like that, apart from The Astonishing (which I didn’t like at all).

DT are a great band, they just need invigorating and hopefully the return of MP will give them a boost.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

This is the album where Dream Theater pushed everything as far as they could. The main album is just five songs, and the second disc is all one song split into eight parts. I hope they go back to this type of record now that Portnoy is back in the family.

I have seen this band more than any other live. I remember the release of this album very well and the tour that followed, I hope that they can rekindle a bit of that fire. The Glass Prison is one of the heaviest tunes that the band have ever done and it’s one of favourites. It as a lot of D-tuned riffing and heavy grooves to keep the die hard metal fan happy while pushing that progressive boundary. The title track is just freakin’ epic, and it’s hard to comprehend that it’s just one song.

In their day, no one could touch them. They have done a few 10/10 records, and this is one. Ytsejam forever!

10/10 from The Grooveman.

This is technically not an album, it was an EP slotted in between the albums Awake and Falling Into Infinity, but the main and title track weighs in at over twenty three minutes. The rest of the piece is put together with cover tunes recorded at Ronnie Scott’s in London, a bit of a legendary show amongst DT die hards.

A Change Of Seasons is all that was great about DT at the time, a huge song split into seven different parts encompassing a varying of styles. A very personal piece for Mike Portnoy as it’s about the cycle of life and is a reference to the death of his mother. The date on the calendar on the sleeve that is circled is November 16th, the day she died. An absolute joy to listen to. The covers are from Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and Kansas to name a few but the best of the bunch is a ripping version of Funeral For A Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding.

This is a great look back to a band approaching the height of their powers.

9/10 from The Grooveman.