SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE

This is Dream Theater's... *counts*...I believe seventh album, and if you thought they couldn't improve on Scenes From a Memory, boy, you were wrong. This is by far dream Theater's proggiest album, sometimes experimental like on The Great Debate, and very much so symphonic like in the 42-minute MASTERPIECE (yes, it truly is) Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. Wait, what? Dream Theater, experimental? Symphonic? What? Last time I checked they played straight Prog metal. This is true, they did, up until this album. And boy, I hope Octavarium is up to par with this album with more symphonic cause it turned out GOOD. For example, the transition from Goodnight Kiss to Solitary Shell is some of Dream Theater's best. It basically flows from dark and desperate to simple acoustic, beautiful and flowing with somethign that sounds like a flute or something playing a great theme in the background. Greatest tune, I can't stop listening to it. In contrast, Overture is where a lot of symphonic undertones come in, while About To Crash is much like Solitary Shell in the symphonic feel. In fact, the whole song is symphonic besides possibly The War Inside My Head, which sounds a lot more like Images and Words with a darker tone. God, it's impossible to describe, it changes so quick. Sometiems it's prog metal, sometimes Symphonic Prog, sometimes it even sounds experimental like I said. I'm not even gonna try, it will just come out convoluted. Quick attempt: it's proggy, experimental, power metal, symphonic, metal, all meshed into one, and the end result is a damn fine album. God, I'm listening to SDOIT the song right now and it just flowed into a nice salsa-like part with some great acoustic and piano work going on, and it was AAA!

What about flaws? They all come in the first disc. "The Glass Prison" while good, gets repetitive and stale after about eight minutes, but is otherwise good. "The Great Debate", I have no complaints other than it dragging as well. "Misunderstood" is the album's only weak point, with forgettable lyrics and weak chords and transitions. The other two, Blind Faith and Dissappear aren't excellent like the second disk, but they are definitely good songs.

4.4/5.