Maelstrom
1. Nature's Bounds (Myung, 11:39)
2. Desperate Cries (Petrucci, 8:58)
3. Mind of the Soul (Petrucci, 6:30)
4. The End of the Road (Petrucci/Myung, 7:00)
5. Ecclesiastics of Deception (LaBrie, 13:13)
6. Maelstrom
i. Discovery (Myung, 5:15)
ii. Flame of Passion (Petrucci, 4:36)
iii. Sandstorm (instrumental, 2:45)
iv. The Desert Sea (Myung, 7:49)
v. Oasis (LaBrie, 6:20)
vi. The Rekindled Fire (Petrucci, 5:00)
vii. Forever Reaching (Petrucci, 1:45)
"Nature's Bounds" is a mystical piece, with very ambiguous lyrics, akin to Lifting Shadows Off A Dream. The theme is man's connection with the natural world. It opens with quiet wind chimes, with JLB softly coming in around the :45 timemark. The song flows in a very stream-of-consciousness manner (not like the song SoC, but the actual writing style). It never gets heavy or bombastic. To compare with another song, most of the song's mood would be like a combination of The Best of Times and Erotomania.
"Desperate Cries" is, on the other hand, extremely metal. Think Train of Thought merged with Static Impulse. Blazing drums, br00tal guitar, sinister vocals. The theme is from the perspective of those that are suffering, crying out for help, and how their entire society and lifestyle has been reduced to an animalistic, anarchic state.
"Mind of the Soul" is a song whose style I would relate to Take The Time's. It is lighthearted, whimsical, and uplifting. Not only are there many time signature changes, but there are also very many tempo changes. The theme is simply following one's heart.
"The End of the Road" is a somber song, very much in the vein of Transatlantic's "Bridge Across Forever" and Porcupine Tree's "Stop Swimming." It looks to the future, and realizes that the dream can't go on forever, and that everything must one day come to an end. It is a sad song, but at the same time very nostalgic.
"Ecclesiastics of Deception" is the second really metal song on the album. Think of the song structure of Sacrificed Sons in the style of This Dying Soul. It is an extremely sinister, nasty song, written about the corrupt religious leaders that sheperd people around to fulfill their own lustful, greedy desires.
"Maelstrom" is the epic, of course. It is a song that metaphorically portrays DT's entire history.
"Discovery" is about how they explored various bands in their youth, and really came to love music.
"Flame Of Passion" relates how DT finally got together, producing music, got a record deal, and seemingly made it big. It talks about how everything went great, and how the fans really exploded after Images and Words, and just how much fun touring was.
"Sandstorm" puts an end to their youthful euphoria. It is a chaotic instrumental very much like Neal Morse's "Storm Before the Calm" and Symphony X's "Scylla and Charybdis."
The instrumental lands us in "The Desert Sea." Their very lives are sucked out of them, and they cannot see the fruit of their labor. There is no end in sight as they wander aimlessly. Worst of all, they don't know where to turn. It is a very melancholy song, very much like a combination of The Wasteland and Vacant.
"Oasis" marks a point of rest and reprieve, but is in no way the light at the end of the tunnel. It is in this movement that they clear their minds, meditate, and come to some real conclusions about what they are called to do.
"The Rekindled Fire" is where the band finally stands up and decides to brave the maelstrom of being a musician. They rediscover their love of music and know in their hearts that this is what they were born to do.
"Forever Reaching" is a reprise of Discovery, and the conclusion of this epic. It leaves an optimistic note that DT will keep going on, despite the trials that await.
Topic: Dream Theater's Untitled 11th Album: Make a fake tracklist / title (Read 86518 times)