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Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos
Unquestionably one of the greatest metal based bands of the last 15 years, New York's Dream Theater have been setting the standard for others to follow for a long time now. In the dark days of grunge, I remember hearing 'Images and Words' and it being a beacon of light for me. The follow up album 'Awake' was their best, in my 'umble opinion, but then they got caught up in the shifting musical sands of the industry and struggled for a while.
Since 1999 the band have been building on their fan base again with a series of strong releases, and have steadily gained in popularity all other the world. A truly international act, Dream Theater are prog metal pioneers par excellence and have survived all musical trends to stand tall as a symbol of integrity and musicianship.
Style of music
Epic Prog Rock/Metal
Website:
Track By Track!
This album is not for the faint hearted. It clocks in at 79 minutes and is the bands longest single album ever! Here is a run down on what's on offer!
'In the Presence of Enemies Pt 1' (9.02) kicks of proceedings in fine style and begins with a very Rush style intro. The theme of the lyrics are religious in nature and continue the ideas laid out by 'In The Name Of God' from the 'Train of Thought' album. Overall the track is what you have come to expect from the band. It features some blistering duelling guitar and keyboards from Petrucci and Rudess and is heavy as hell! Not a classic opener a la 'Pull Me Under' but a solid start.
'Forsaken' (5.37) This track is a real grower and has a spooky keyboard intro that reminds me of the theme to Halloween! A 7/8 time is used for part of it and it contains a top Petrucci solo that is fiery and neoclassical in style. I like the straight ahead nature of this song. It's the shortest on the album and all the better for it.
'Constant Motion' (6.57) Recalling the heavier moments of 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence', this song has double tracked vocals and a sound that is, shall we say, more! 'contemporary; in style. Featuring some grunting, it is seriously metal and the mid section features some fusionesque Phrygian dominant madness that segues into a string skipping frenzy. 'Bombay Vindaloo' – via Silpknot – is how I would describe this one! It is definitely one of the albums most interesting tracks and the band is to be saluted for experimenting with aspects of their sound.
'The Dark Eternal Night' (8.55) begins with an atonal riff and again this track is very heavy. This is the closest the band will ever get to sounding like Sabbath! The lyrics are very dark and seem very 'metal' in style. Howevr, in my view the mid section is nothing we haven't heard before from DT, and I feel this is one of the albums weakest tracks.
'Repentance' (10.45) recounts Mike Portnoy's battles with alcoholism, this track owes a debt to Pink Floyd and, in particular, 'The Wall' album. This is the standout cut for me. It is a brooding piece of musivc that makes excellent use of spoken testimony from the 12 steps programme. Petrucci's solo features some excellent modulations, and James Labrie delivers a heartfelt vocal performance. Again the band experiments with their sound and delivers an intense musical meditation on life's darker avenues. Weirdly enough, the final section reminds me of 'Demon's and Wizards' era Uriah Heep!
'Prophets of War' (6.02) – the dreaded Muse influence off the 'Octavarium' album rears its head again on this one. Come on guys, Muse are a good band but they're not fit to polish your boots so stop doing tributes! The lyrics are all about George W's and Tony's (soon to be Gordon's!) litte problem in the Middle East. It features some Linkin Park style spoken bits. Why copy a band who plays riffs with one finger? Along with 'The Dark Etenal Night' this is the albums weakest track – but it does have a really good groove and is never the less a solid number.
'The Ministry of Lost Souls' (14.48) begins with a brooding Randy Rhoads style picked acoustic part and is a typical Theater epic. It ticks all the boxes… but again brings nothing new to the table. There is a nice guitar part at the end that sounds very slide like with cool changes. A good track.
'In the Presence of Enemies Pt 2' (16.30) is another long song to conclude the album. Jordan Rudes shows more of his Ken Hensley inspired histronics, and Petrucci chips in with a nice legato fuelled solo. The re-emergence of the main theme from 'Pt 1' is a real highlight and once again Labrie pulls out all the stops. There is no doubt that, overall, this track is strong, but again I personally feel that it adds nothing new to the ever-burgeoning portfolio of DT epics.
Conclusion
This being Dream Theater it goes without saying that this is a quality album; but apart from a few moments, it brings nothing new to the Dream Theater feast. In this respect it continues the legacy, but isn't a defining moment, of the bands career. All the band contribute the kind of brilliant performances that we have come to expect from them and the production is as solid as ever. Die-hard fans of the band will probably not be disappointed – and new recruits will certainly find much to inspire and enjoy. At the end of the day, even an ‘average’ Dream Theater album is better than almost anything else out there; it's just that I kind of expected more!
For fans of:
Metallica
Rush
Muse!
Symphony X
Genesis
ELP
Pink Floyd
Yes