A DRAMATIC TURN OF EVENTS

I purchased the new DT album and had the chance during this week to listen to it many and many times while driving my car...What to say? I can't get enough of it! All songs are excellent (probably the weakest one is Beneath The Surface, a slow ballad which frankly leaves me indifferent) and show a new vein from this band which has lost part of the Heavy side of their music. DT remains a Heavy Progressive band without any doubt, but this album show much more the presence of Keyboards (making it more symphonic). New drummer Mike Mangini has made an excellent job showing MP departure has not been a big loss (except live on stage where we all miss him). Even James Labrie shows an improvement in his voice which is now less heavy than ever, with a more harmonic sound. What to say about John Petrucci? All words have been already spent! Is this all due to a regeneration of the band after MP departure? Don't know but I am afraid this is the reason (sorry Mike we love you anyway!). This is an excellent album which will be probably disliked by heavy metal prog fans of Dream Theater, but will probably be welcome by symphonic prog fans like me .