I've been trying not to discuss the new album for at least a week now, for two reasons. The first one is that I wasn't really impressed with it initially. The second one goes along with the first one, and that is that it usually takes me some time to digest music, especially when it comes to progressive rock. So I knew there was a chance that the album will grow on me, or at least some of it, so I decided to take some time and try to give it a few more fair listens.
The biggest issue I had with the album was that it wasn't A Dramatic turn of events. That album, in my opinion, was absolutely brilliant and I already think of it as a classic. So, of course, it would be extremely hard for a band to impress me like that once again in their 28th year. Truth be told, this album is very different. It's heavier, darker and much more modern sounding. Also, its strong focus seem to be the choruses and melodies, which is logical when you consider the length of most of the songs. For me, they absolutely nailed it in some of the songs, but some other ones didn't work for me as much.
False awakening suite – Not a great song on its own, but it really sets the mood for the rest of the album nicely. There are some really cool ideas all around, and it does sound to me like Rudess and Petrucci had a great time putting this intro together. I think it will work amazing as a concert intro as well.
The Enemy inside – At first I thought the chord progressions and vocal melodies on here were predictable and a bit too simple. I expected I would get tired of the song quickly, but that didn’t happen. I still find this song insanely catchy, with the chorus sticking with me in particular. One of my favorites on the album.
The Looking glass – Within the first five seconds, it becomes obvious that the band was heavily inspired by Rush while writing this one. I think it’s amazing to hear such a Rush influenced song on a Dream Theater album for the first time in maybe 20 years. It’s a really solid song all around that might grow one me even more with time.
Enigma Machine – Now this just does it for me. It’s another one of their over the top instrumentals. The riffs and solos are killer throughout, but the melodic moments give it a nice balance. I can totally hear the spy movie vibe that they were going for and it certainly is one of the more cinematic souding songs on the album. It’s a lot of fun.
The Bigger picture – This one seems to already be a fan favorite and the band expressed their satisfaction with it, but I’m still not sure about it. The chorus doesn’t really move me, and the expansive verses in the second half don’t strike me with any particular melody. I do like LaBrie’s performance as well as some simple piano chords Jordan plays in the middle.
Behind the veil – The intro for this song is beautiful, followed by some murderously awesome riffs. The rest of the song kinda follows an ordinary pattern, which probably wouldn’t be an issue if I weren’t so underwhelmed by the chorus. I didn’t really dig the Megadeth verse neither. It’s probably my least favorite song on the album.
Surrender to reason – More Rush influences can be heard here, but the song goes its own places as a whole. The guitar solo is insane, even more so because of what Myung and Mangini play in the background. The ‘’Restless angels’’ section is truly gorgeous. It’s one of the more fascinating songs on the album and another possible grower. It also has my favorite lyrics on the album.
Along for the ride – This is another song where I’m still on the fence with the chorus, because it might be a bit too happy sounding for my taste. What saves it is the verse that preceedes the keyboard solo, as well as some neat background vocals by James in the last chorus that give it a nice touch.
Illumination theory – As expected, Dream Theater strikes a chord with me pretty much whenever they tackle the task of creating an epic. This song is filled with the goods in every way. The flow is incredible, the orchestral bits quite moving, and James impresses me here the most, utilising so many aspects of his voice throughout. Also worth mentioning is the easter egg that comes at the end – a wonderful piece that contains only piano and guitar.
Overall, I’m glad I didn’t give up on the album too early, because I would miss out on some good music. The self titled record certainly wouldn’t be one of my favorite Dream Theater albums, but I am still satisfied with it and will definitely be returning to it. It will also be great to hear the stuff live next year, and I’m pretty sure the band will use the ‘’an evening with’’ show format to play all of it, being that they really seem to be proud of it and the fan response in general has been amazing so far.
Grade: 8/10
Topic: Self Titled Album Discussion thread [Expect Spoilers] (Read 224635 times)
