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The Gauntlet: Dream Theater |
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Dream Theater Album Review
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Tracklist
1. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.1
2. Forsaken (5:36)
3. Constant Motion
4. The Dark Eternal Night
5. Repentance
6. Prophets Of War
7. The Ministry of Lost Souls
8. In The Presence of Enemies Pt.2
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Sophisticated metal fans have followed Dream Theater closely since the band’s Mechanic Records days and its well-regarded debut When Dream And Day Unite. Tagged as being the sort of music that’s made for musicians, the inventively progressive Long Island quintet has always allowed ample room for artistic animation. Systematic Chaos, the band’s Roadrunner Records debut, finds Dream Theater further testing exploratory limits while offering a fastidious range of sonic sensations. While critics tend to highlight the similarities between Dream Theater and bands like Rush and Metallica,Systematic Chaos is much more varied in terms of style than simple stereotyping will allow.
It frightens the non-musician types away when the words “virtuoso” or “arpeggio” are tossed around. While this record finds Dream Theater shredding when need be, the band is focused primarily on strong melodies and the flow of the song. Songwriting-wise, you can sum up this record as being the band’s most mature effort. After nine studio releases, extravagant amounts of touring and endless hours in the presence of each other’s company, this group has enough familiarity with each other’s creativity to put the music in front of any single individual’s performance.
Obviously, the band has overcome the pressure to be successful commercially that was holding it back on its previous two releases. Naturally, there will be a strong tendency to liken Systematic Chaos to the group’s most recognized record, Images And Words. But will the diehard Dream Theater fans find this album to be as compelling or captivating as Awake, which is considered by most fans to be the group’s shining achievement?” Certainly, many will, based simply on the fact this is the unquestionably the best we’ve heard from Dream Theater in a long while.
Look toward “The Dark Eternal Night” for huge Korn-like grooves, Steve Vai mechanical inspiration, speed metal accents and a soaring, memorable chorus that’s surprisingly succinct. Dream Theater can pack so many different emotions into a single song, it boggles the mind. Somehow, they make each piece fit the ornate puzzle that is their musical vision. From funk to fusion, every base is covered in terms of style, including an entertaining dueling piano/guitar segment that finds into the mix from out of nowhere. It’s almost quirky, but it works. Here, the group’s complexity of unrestrained inspiration fused with skillful instrumentation is most profoundly persuasive. John Petrucci really pulls out his bag of tricks on this track. Even though the guitarist runs pell-mell through a gamut of styles, he brings everything together brilliantly.
First single “Constant Motion” may be the singular incidence when the band’s just trying too hard to impress upon the fact that they’re heavy as well as progressive. It takes a moment to warm up to the band’s direction here. While you’ll find some excellent playing and more than one headbanging groove here, the band is too all-over-the-map for the average Joe not to get lost halfway through the track. Repeat listening uncovers a quantifiably solid chorus, but a great deal of confusion as well. LaBrie’s voice seems unnatural during the heavier interludes. He’s trying to be very aggressive, but it sounds like he is trying to sing in a voice that isn’t really his style. It would have been interesting to see if the group could pull off a heavy track without the fluff. Likewise, LaBrie would do well to brush up on his more aggressive vocal persona. Either way - this song isn’t bad, just a touch distracted.
Epic and intensely dramatic, “Forsaken” would have been a much better choice to represent the record as a single. James LaBrie’s voice here is simply stellar, especially on the track’s mighty, full-sounding chorus. This tune is one of the high points of the entire record – the band minimizes flash in order to achieve emotional impact, and the result is a powerfully moving piece of music. As the shortest track on the album, “Forsaken” is much better adjusted to suiting a radio format. That said, at five-plus minutes, there’s enough happening to separate the track from more formulaic material that’s infecting the airwaves.
There’s a touch of Freddie Mercury in the voice of LaBrie during the introductory segment of “Prophets Of War.” Even so, the track is staring deeply into the future as opposed to looking back, even though you’ll hear a strong disco reference during the track’s bridge. Meanwhile, “The Ministry Of Lost Souls” aims for a much grander emotion, focusing on ringing chords and a soft-handed John Petrucci’s warm six-string undertones.
“In The Presence Of Enemies” is a colossal undertaking, the near twenty-five minute piece being split into two parts in order to allow for album continuity. Thus the entire track is divided into bookends for the other six, with each of the two parts being equally enjoyable by themselves or cued up together. Both are once again split into two movements and the entire affair could have been cut into four separate pieces, but the continuity gives the record plenty of substance. A very wide amount of ground is covered here, enough for its own review but suffice to say that the song is everything fans long for from Dream Theater, there are intense moments of shredding, brilliantly unique twists and turns and a plethora of highlights.
Exactly the kind of album Dream Theater needed to produce in order to reclaim its progressive metal crown, Systematic Chaos is not only mandatory listening for those who have had even a passing interest in the band in the past, it’s the type of make-or-break record that finds the band re-energized, refocused and rejuvenated. To sum it up, this is one spectacular record.
Review by: Erin Fox
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