THE ASTONISHING

Dream Theater has pulled out all the stops when it comes to the production on 'The Astonishing'. The sound is perfect right from the guitar squeals to the splashes. John Petrucci oozes feeling into every note he plays, and you can clearly hear it in his solos. His guitar tone is much meatier than that of the last album, kicking you in the gut in the more aggressive sections. John Myung on bass along with Jordan Rudess on the keyboards expand the sound-scape of the album to create this rich, creamy, textured sound that lingers just long enough before fading away. Rudess' keyboard work is apt as he lends an important sense of emotional depth to the songs, which only James LaBrie's vocals can match. Mike Mangini on the drums never misses a beat, and his critics from the tail-end of DT's Portnoy-era may well be silenced by his performance on this album. But the real prize goes to LaBrie; portraying 8 characters is not an easy task, but he somehow manages it without compromising on quality or emotion.

With 'The Astonishing', Dream Theater has brought to fruition what they have said is their most ambitious project. 'The Astonishing' tells us a story about the importance of music through music, and what better story-tellers are suited to this task than Dream Theater? The band has given fans, old and new, an album which they will cherish for a long time. This is the kind of album that people will look back on with fond memories; I know I will. I'll be looking forward to seeing this album performed live in some form or the other, for that is how this album was meant to be heard and seen. (metalwani.com)