FALLING INTO INFINITY

It is hard not to consider this the most mainstream release from the band. I would not say that the compositional skill was lost, but definitely the band indulged (apparently it had to, according to some pressure received from their producing label at that time) in pop, ballad and straight rock songs in abundance here. Petrucci reportedly said the band's sound wanted to become a melting pot of influences, showing they were able to produce good even simple songs. Luckily, we are still given a bunch of first rate pieces.

New millennium starts with a bright, rather esotheric keyboard intro by Sherinian (who had been touring with DT during the Awake tour substituting Moore and also recorded A change of seasons) and develops smoothly on a fragmented bass line throughout, with some interesting braek in between; not a bad one. You not me is pop rock; Myung himself regarded it as poor. Peruvian skies is a good one, with a discernible floydian feel in the first part, before transforming in a Metallica-like riffed metal song. Hollow years is a pop song. Burning my soul is a filler song, again riff-driven. Hell's kitchen is a jewel of an instrumental song, delicate and short, with distinct groove to it and a carefully developed structure; it leads directly into the best song of the album, Lines in the sand, very well arranged and crafted, which together with the previous rise the quality of the album. Another pop ballad in Take away my pain before a tough but uninspired metallish Just let me breath and yet another pop ballad, Anna Lee. Finally, a groovy delicate atmosphere introduces Trial of tears, a kind of tripartite jam song with some good playing but not scoring high among DT's epics.

Nonetheless, the band plays very fine everywhere, arrangements are normally above the average and the production is fine too. This is the only real shot Sherinian had with DT, his personal sound (still in progression, before his great solo debut 2 years later) indeed influences here the band and adds some cool color. Personally, I would have liked to see him playing in a tougher DT album as well.

Overall, it amounts to 2.5 stars because of the 2 outstanding tracks. Luckily, DT knew still how to write great works, as the following album stated.