SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE

(Well, it used to be until "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" came out)

It seems to me that this is a very medical and disease related album, but more on that later. The real juiciness begins with "The Glass Prison", the beginning of 5 songs that would be a part of Mike Portnoy's Twelve-Step Suite. The entire song begins and ends with a brick through your skull. It's a straight up heavy tune, and it's all metal from beginning to end. But while Rudess did begin his debut in '99 on "Metropolis, Pt. 2", he lights up this track, shredding with Myung late in the track in a dual solo session. Add to that the cheesy (but incredibly interesting) turntable action by Rudess, and you get one of the best songs Dream Theater has ever made.

Quite a departure from "Blind Faith", which I think is one of the best driving songs by far from the outfit. This is really a song that makes you stare out into a setting sun and wonder about life and what's to come. It's a catchy chorus, and funky with a blusey guitar solo and funky organ by Petrucci and Rudess. It's a great combination with "Misunderstood". The radio edit version would definitely be on the radios if only they knew that the term "metal" didn't just refer to a steel beam. It's a catchy chorus that everyone can love and, for prog fans who think it's a sell out, is followed by two sections of atonal chords and massive noodling, especially by Rudess, which is almost a prelude to his acquisition of the Continuum.

That segues into "The Great Debate", another very underrated Dream Theater track. It, like the title track, is very medically based, on the subject of stem cell research, and it's a very clever and well composed track around the subject. Only LaBrie and Petrucci can create a song about an obscure topic like stem cell research and turn it into an amazing track. Finally, "Disappear" ends the first disc. Although I don't know what makes those sounds in the intro, it's a very haunting track, and something about it just draws me towards it every time. There's some sort of hypnotic effect with this song, and it's fascinating.

Then we get to the main course. "Six Degrees Of Seperation". As stated once before, I am a personal fan of overtures, and this one is no exception. The structure around this epic is wonderfully composed and each theme fits each song, as each track is structured around a fictional character with a disease or mental illness. It's a 42 minute ER show, without people dying, nurses crying and pale, white hallways everywhere.

This is a fantastic album everywhere you look. Yes, "Metropolis, Pt. 2" defined a true concept album in the modern era of progressive metal, but this is just an evolutionary step above that. This is development, this is progress, this is continuously developing music at work and another album that has helped define the genre as we know it. A must have for anyone and everyone.

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