Dream Theater, Systematic Chaos
Roadrunner
www.roadrunnerrecords.com
www.dreamtheater.net
When it comes to Dream Theater, fans take a Goldilocks approach.
Octavarium? Too soft. Train of Thought? Too heavy. Let’s face it: nothing but Images and Words will ever satisfy everyone, and Systematic Chaos will not change things.
But Dream Theater’s latest comes the closest in quite some time, wrapping Train of Thought’s heaviness around Octavarium’s diversity without skipping a beat. Still, those seeking radio-friendly should look elsewhere.
In The Presence of Enemies – Part 1 makes no concessions. It is what it is: epic prog- metal on a grand scale. Charging out of the gate with a killer melody, guitarist John Petrucci and keyboard phenom Jordan Rudess tackle unison harmonies that recall their Liquid Tension Experiment days. If anything, the duo ratchets up the virtuosity.
But dexterity for its own sake is boring, and the guys seem to realize that, as genuine hooks and foot-tapping melodies underscore all eight tunes, no matter how dense they become. And dense is the word, as seemingly nothing isn’t thrown to the proverbial wall.
Arguably the most accessible track, Forsaken uncorks gentle piano quickly overtaken by a killer guitar hook. But each instrument shines, making Systematic Chaos’ production leaps and bounds better than Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence or Train of Thought, whose muddy mix improved with Octavarium and gets even better here.
Not only musically, but vocally, the guys make notes and words sing the same narrative, a cohesion rare in rock circles.
For metal fans, Constant Motion hits a bulls eye. Sure, James Labrie fails at sounding pissed off (prog-metal’s Pavarotti will never be convincing spitting bile: Dream Theater’s sole Achilles heel), but he does his best. And it’s refreshing to hear Petrucci shed the linear picking that overstayed its welcome on Train of Thought.
Check out the arpeggios and alternate approaches the shredder takes throughout these new tunes, sounding great through a different amp setup. Guitar geeks will rejoice.
Metal heads should appreciate ‚Constant Motion’s insistent groove and what has to be a Pantera tribute (there’s no way Vulgar Display of Power’s No Good [Attack The Radical] or Rise didn’t influence this song, at least subconsciously).
Even non-metal aficionados should dig Rudess’ slinky keyboard riff midway through the song, followed by a Petrucci showcase that’s short, sweet and to the point.
Rather surprising is John Myung’s bass tone on The Dark Eternal Night, another barnburner appealing to everyone from King Crimson acolytes to Tool fanatics. As for Myung, just close your eyes and tell me that’s not Primus madman Les Claypool!
Then we have Repentance, the latest in Mike Portnoy’s Alcoholics Anonymous suite. This is beautiful, soulful stuff, not unlike Animals-era Pink Floyd. And with Labrie expressing Portnoy’s struggles, not to mention Rudess layering some trippy Mellotron texture, understatement drives home this emotional journey.
More aggressive is Prophets of War. With keyboard intro and propulsive beat echoing Muse, this seems ideal for dance clubs and mosh pits alike (well, maybe not mosh pits!)
Slowing things down is The Ministry of Lost Souls, a mellow set piece conjuring Six Degrees mood, only not as opaque.
Wrapping the package is In The Presence of Enemies – Part II, concluding the Petrucci-penned struggle between good and evil. In this case, Labrie succeeds at sounding sinister: Dark Master, I will fight for you. Darth Vader, Labrie is not, but when it comes to spoken theatrics, he’s a prince of metal front men.
And Dream Theater remains avowed foot soldiers of music, not just metal or progressive rock. Systematic Chaos takes a few spins to wriggle its way into your brain, but when it does, chaos reigns