Monday, November 11, 2013

Dream Theater's "Dream Theater" Review



In an industry where legendary feuds and destructive break-ups are the rule rather than the exception, it's reassuring to see a band like Dream Theater still relatively intact after nearly thirty years of toruing and recording. The band's history is definitely an abnormality in the age of instantly-created pop stars and Youtube sensations – from taking two years to find the right vocalist after firing their first one following the completion of their first album, to the recording of their landmark Images and Words three years after the release of their debut album, the revolving-door history of their keyboard players (the current one, Jordan Rudess, is the third), to the most significant event in the band's history since the addition of James LaBrie in 1991 – the departure of founding member, drummer, and songwriter Mike Portnoy in 2010. It's fitting, then, that the band chose this year to release a self-titled album to mark their time together, celebrate their career so far, and (hopefully) silence any naysayers who have doubts about the band's future in these uncertain times.

With all of this turbulent history, it makes the band's massive legacy and acclaim even more impressive. Dream Theater is a progressive rock band that managed to swim against the current of alternative and grunge rock in the early nineties with their own special blend of highly technical instrumentality, their ear for hooky riffs, and their unquenchable thirst to continually push their limits. Having any kind of success as a progressive rock band after Nirvana's Nevermind seemed like a long shot at best – but not only did their 1992 album Images and Words gain them significant critical praise, they only attracted more attention as they honed their unique prog formula down the years – no small part owed to their legendary reputation in concert: their shows regularly reach the three hour mark, with no intermission and no opening act, and they're probably the most heavily bootlegged band in recent history thanks to their penchant for performing a rotating set list crafted to ensure as few repeats as possible during the tour and a habit of surprising fans with spectacular covers and goofs – anything from randomly playing the theme to “The Simpsons” mid-song to diving into renditions of Elton John and Metallica songs without warning. Nowadays, they're considered giants who forged a new genre of music imaginatively dubbed “progressive metal” and have inspired countless bands with their unabashed love for obscure time signatures, intricate (sometimes purposely so) instrumental passages, and poetic lyrics.

And does Dream Theater live up to this challenge? Well, yes and no. Any fans expecting a radically different sonic experience stemming from the addition of replacement drummer Mike Mangini (formerly of Annihilator and Extreme among others) will be disappointed. While Mangini and Portnoy undoubtedly have very different techniques and habits, the percussion here sounds eerily similar to what we've come to expect from the band, and much credit is due to the band as a whole for integrating Mangini into their sound so deftly. As a whole it is a bit lower key than previous albums, but anyone worried about Mangini's placement into the band's greater sonic picture will be reassured by this record.

As for the songs themselves? Well, this is still a Dream Theater album. While the opening numbers “False Awakening Suite” and “The Enemy Inside” make for a promising start, the mid-tempo “The Bigger Picture” abruptly ends any fond memories of righteous headbanging by upping the Rush influence to “obvious to someone who doesn't even listen to Rush” levels. This template is repeated for the remainder of the album until the final track, the twenty-two minute epic “ Illumination Theory”. One of Dream Theater's longest endeavors, the track lacks the cohesiveness of past long-players like “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” and “A Change of Seasons” - rather than consist of a series of shorter songs sharing a single thread (like the former) or follow a single long-winded theme (like the latter) it just feels patched together. Periods of total silence or lightly ambient instrumental sections jarringly give way to LaBrie's vocals, which are unremarkable on this record. It's surprising, given a band of Dream Theater's ability, that so many of these songs are so consistently tame – you would think with increasing influence from both old-school icons like Rush and younger, fresher talent like Bring Me the Horizon (LaBrie has admitted to being a fan of newer hardcore bands, unlike most of his bandmates) that each track would be memorable or distinctive in some way. That isn't the case here though, with “The Looking Glass”, “Behind the Veil”, and “Surrender to Reason” all blending into one another – and not in a good “they're all part of a suite” way, either. “Enigma Machine” deserves special mention as the first instrumental track since 2003's Train of Thought and is one of the highlights of the album.

The rest of the band sounds fine, although considering each member's prodigious musical talents, “fine” for Dream Theater is more advanced than most bands will ever dare to attempt. John Petrucci's guitar playing is certainly mind boggling, but after nearly thirty years it's no longer as interesting as it once was. The same can be said for Jordan Rudess' keyboard work – this time opting for a more subdued performance unlike his more explosive past efforts. The bass guitar is quiet, as is the way for most metal albums – an unfortunate genre cliché that really should be reversed.


Dream Theater is a strange record. While it has been proclaimed as a “musical re-invention” by the band, the material here is some of the most vanilla and toothless they've ever put out. Everyone slows down with age, and Dream Theater certainly aren't in their twenties anymore. With the amount of talent they possess, they could do anything musically – and if they want to slow things down, that's fine. That's ultimately the best and worst aspect of this album – it checks all the boxes that Dream Theater albums have always checked, but without much new ground broken. It could be argued that they've already broken so much ground that they've barely got any left to stand on – and no band is more deserving of a break than this one. But whether Dream Theater will reinvigorate or solidify an already slowed-down band remains to be seen. 

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