SYSTEMATIC CHAOS

The album starts off with a true progressive sound, with the full band kicking in for In the Presence of Enemies: Part 1. James doesn't appear for quite a few minutes, and personally i think this is a slight downside of the song, but everything else, from his raspy vocals to the sweet guitar/key unison at the end garner this song a 9/10.

The second track, Forsaken, starts with a light piano melody that reminds me a bit of Wait for Sleep. Then the guitar kicks in, and while the riff is sweet, it does seem pretty standard rock. LaBrie's vocal lines are again fantastic in this song, namely the line "I have to know your name, where have i seen your face before!" which is delivered with a ferocity I haven't heard since the Awake days. Petrucci creates a stellar solo (a common theme on this album), so this substantially boosts the song to a 7/10.

The third song is the first single off the album, Constant Motion, and is the first heavy metal song - a third genre from three songs. The comparisons to Metallica are definitely valid, especially in the vocal lines. For me this is the weakest song on the album, but it more than saved from the intense instrumental section. Everything from Myung's bass lead to the backing riff at 4:00 is amazing, and then Petrucci delivers one of his finest solos, period. A quiet start that builds up into quick pull-offs, a tap or two, great alternate picking and finally some amazing shredding arppegios to close. Easily one of his best solos in my opinion, and overall the song garners a 6.5/10 from me.

Continuing the heavy metal genre, we have The Dark Eternal Night. Definitely one of Dream Theater's heaviest songs, ever, in terms of drums, bass, guitar and most noticeable the vocals. The 'screams' from Portnoy and LaBrie are a new foray from them, and when in a rocking mood, sound great. The lyrics here aren't to my liking at all, but luckily i listen to DT for their musicianship and not their literacy. The instrumental section here is top quality, with great time signature, wicked bass (especially around 4:00 to 4:20!) a bit of ragtime from Jordan and clean gutiar from Petrucci. I felt the solo was not needed, and the backing riff to it did nothing for me. Overall, not quite The Glass Prison, but still a great heavy tune, getting 8/10.

Another track and another genre, this time what I'd call light prog. Definite vibes of Pink Floyd. Some of the best lyrics on the album, but musically is where this track shines. Cool relation to This Dying Soul and a moody chorus, with another fantastic, melodic solo from Petrucci. The voices add real emotion to the song and the outro, while it does drag on for one round too long, is melodically fantastic. One of my favourite DT 'slow songs', with a 9/10.

Hey look it's Muse! The next track, Prophets of War, starts nearly identically to Muse's Take a Bow. The similarities are hard to forgive until the crushing guitar riff comes in, joining with the bass and drums which is unarguably Dream Theater. The disco feel of the second verse draws comparisons to Pain of Salvation's 'Disco Queen' in style, but shares no melodic resemblance like the introduction does to Muse. The song continuously improves and peaks with Mike Portnoy's rap - a spoken word interlude with an atmospheric background and breathtakingly emotional delivery. "Your empathy, means nothing if there is no honour" is one of the highlights of the album. The only song without a Petrucci solo, and it didn't need it. Overall a 7.5/10, but this varies to an 8.5 depending how annoyed i get with the Muse introduction.

The album moves into stunning territory with the final two tracks - The Ministry of Lost Souls is another prog epic by Dream Theater, a definite fan favourite already. The song delves straight into a beautiful Rudess riff, before Petrucci takes over with melodic acoustic chords that remind me of A Change of Seasons. Lyrically one of the best songs on the album, the chorus outro mimics the verse chords, with Petrucci showing tremendous restraint and focusing on melody over techinicality. The outro to the second chorus builds with a bridge, and some stunning bass/guitar unison work, even if it only lasts 10 seconds, before a pickslide leads into the heavy instrumental section. While this transition seems slightly forced, it is not unbearably so, and the song makes up for it with some blinding solo's and one of the best key/guitar unisons the band has done (that trill at the end is amazing.) Petrucci then reprises the intro Rudess melody, before the band stunningly cuts out to allow LaBrie the final verse. This reminds me of Finally Free when the acoustic guitar cuts in, and the similarities to this song continue as the song ends with Portnoy slamming the drums behind a Petrucci riff, akin to the drum centred closing of Finally Free. A true classic - 10/10.

The album closes with Part 2 of the opening track, and it doesn't disappoint. Some of Myung's best bass work is on show here, from the first 2 verses which have him leading the tune, to the little bass 'fills' he concocts during the epic closing (behind "My soul grows weaaaaaker"). Although i did laugh, literally, when I heard 'Dark Master within, I will fight for you!", I again reiterate that DT is all about the music for me, so i could look past these (embarrassing) lyrical flaws. The reprises to Part 1 in this section are many, and they are fantastic. From the "servants of the fallen" to the vocal lines echoing Petrucci's previous guitar work...it's a true masterpiece and an incredible way to end a great album - 10/10.

In closing...this album for me is definitely DT's best since Scenes From a Memory, and probably sits 3rd or 4th overall (behind Scenes, Images and Words, and Awake). The diversity is the highlight here, as there is truly something for everyone. The album gets 5 stars for this very reason: it truly is progressive, and showcases DT's talents across many a genre.

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