SYSTEMATIC CHAOS

Hmmm, so. This album gives me very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I appreciate that this was overall a better effort than the last record, with quite a few classic DT moments. On the other hand, some songs took a direction which I cannot describe in any other way except mainstream. I'll review each song individually:

1. In The Presence of Enemies Part1: The song starts with a classic DT run to a classic DT riff. The intro of this song is one of the best DT turned out lately. The lead break at circa 2:10 is nothing but mesmerizing. This might not be one of the usual proggy, technical solos of old Dream Theater, but I find that giving the listener a slow guitar melody to latch onto is a very effective songwriting tool. The changes are fluid and neither too sudden nor too predictable. The delivery of the vocal lines is classic. The fast guitar/synth solos towards the end are perfect, blending in beautifully. Overall a solid song, very good, but perhaps not exceptional. [8+]

2. Forsaken: This is quite a balladish song. It has a mixture of quiet moments and heavy guitar riffs. I find some of the stop metal riffs with dubbed synth lines to be quite cliched, as are some of the vocal lines. The change at ~3:20 is welcome, along with the solo, which sounds quite fresh. Overall the song is not so dynamic, with several repetitions, and quite some cheesy synth. [7]

3. Constant Motion: Here starts the trouble. I didn't like the song from the beginning. The first riff lacks any kind of dynamics, and sounds too heavy metal for a prog band. This, along with the Metallica singing put me off almost completely. I cannot understand why Dream Theater are still trying the idea from Train of Thought, which obviously did not work out. As I said, the vocals are a huge turn off in this song, along with the backing and the occasional distortion. The muted riff at ~ 3:50 is too cliched to have a place in a prog album, although the solo right after does give back some dignity. A cheap song which is not up to par with others as regards songwriting. [5+]

4. The Dark Eternal Night: The heavy intro is quite memorable, along with the distortion as soon as the drums kick in. I dislike the sound and delivery of the distorted vocals. 3:40 gives us one of the classic heavy DT riffs, and goes into a medley of sorts, the kind that we always associate with Dream Theater. It is very welcome, perfect delivery. This is where Dream Theater shine. The changing guitar tones are also very interesting. The 'medley' goes into a not-so-much-inspired riff with fast drumming. You can hear the pumping on the compressor, which is good or bad, depending on your outlook. The slow paced riffing which starts at about 7:35 sounds very welcome to my ears, albeit a bit repetitive. During the outro you can hear hihats coming from the right which sound out of place, at least to me. Anyway, overall a good song marred with the bad vocals in the beginning and some uninspired riffing. [7]

5. Repentance: The song starts with a part from Train of Thought's This Dying Soul. I found this shocking on the first listen, thought that it was a bit too much, but this has since then grown on me, especially considering the spacey effects used and the way it perfectly blends in the new part afterwards. The singing is beautiful, the key and mood depressing. The song will start to feel a bit repetitive until it changes at 4:39, with a perfect solo, a slow melody which the average listener can relate to. Then comes the "sorry" bit. You can hear some of the great contemporary stars, such as Mikael Akerfeldt and Steve Wilson, mention an event in life for which they feel sorry. Interesting. After that is the 'aaaaah'ing and 'ohhh'ing chorus part, which sounds unusual coming from a band like DT, though not in the negative sense. Nice song, could have been a bit shorter, but very good and fresh material. [8]

6. Prophets of War: This is the other mistake. Again, this struck me negatively as soon as it started. The riff that starts at ~1:15 is too cliched. Then you get the stadium vocal shouts, which were a huge turn off. Some of the clean vocals by LaBrie are ok, even nice, but there definitely were no memorable parts anywhere. [6]

7. The Ministry of Lost Souls: Here comes the highlight of the album. The song starts with one of the dark haunting guitar and synth lines that never cease to amaze, and goes on into a guitar arpeggio reminiscent of older Dream Theater. Beautiful composition, never feels repetitive. Beautiful vocals and backing. A mesmerizing change at 3:22, with another haunting lead that causes the hair on your neck to stand. Right when you start wondering where all the proginess has gone, you get another confirmation that the band's members have not lost their abilities to create unpredictable music. This happens around the middle part, followed by a syncopated riff reminiscent of some of Opeth's works. The synth solos are also great and well played, as always. This goes into the the haunting guitar line played in the beginning, followed by soft singing. Unfortunately James sings a note off here, which bugs me everytime I listen to it, though its a one-off thing. The ending is nothing short of brilliant, similar in style to Finally Free's drum madness at the end. Overall, a great song, worth every listen. [8+]

8. In The Presence of Enemies Part 2: Starts slowly. Maybe a bit too slow. The tune at around 2:28, which is repeated throughout the album, sounds a bit strange, tending towards the power metal genre, which fits the lyrics perfectly. Some of the riffs here are uninspired. On the whole I disliked the first half of the song, especially the overly grandiose power metal setting and vocals. There are more of those stadium shouts here too. This all changes at the 9 minute mark, with a beautiful riff transitioning into another extended instrumental prog moment. Then comes a fast solo in the old Petrucci style, and a synth solo which is no less amazing. After the three minutes of technical doodling comes a slow melody. Great moody vocals. There is no power metal here, except at the end, where we get the same melody from earlier on. I would have given this song an 8+ except for the first half. [7]

A good album, representing a good effort by the band, with some pitfalls every now and then. OVERALL, 7+.