Like some others, the return of MP has prompted me to go back and revisit the, now finished, Mangini era to see how I feel about it. It’s been a long time since I listened to Dream Theater, probably not since the View tour so I wanted to see how the MM songs had settled. Did it still feel like “new” DT or were they now old familiar tunes that were just part of the catalogue?
I found it was the latter, these now just felt as much like Dream Theater as any albums in the Portnoy era. The two which really felt like old friends to me were ADTOE and (bulletproof vest on) The Astonishing. I’m guessing that’s still not a favourite around here! I think they are the two most inspired albums although, in the case of The Astonishing, not necessarily the best albums.
I think ADTOE probably is the best album of the MM era. They felt really refreshed, like everyone was raring to go, Myung back in the writing fold, La Brie given more to do. Just felt like everyone was full of ideas. On The Backs Of Angels was a brilliant introduction to the new lineup and Breaking All Illusions remains the standout song of the Mangini era to me, one of the best DT songs full stop.
The self-titled didn’t fare as well for me which is strange as I really used to like it. It feels like it needed a bit more work to polish it a bit. Some clunky transitions, abrupt intros, some choruses that don’t quite fit with the verses. Lots of good bits but not all of them go together as well as they could. The album cover is a little non-descript too and they didn’t even come up with a title. It’s not a bad album, DT don’t do bad albums imo, but not their best. Illumination Theory though is clearly a standout here, so many cool ideas and moments. I just wish the ambient/orchestral bit didn’t go on quite as long. An undoubted DT classic song though for me and lifts the album as a whole.
The Astonishing is a conundrum as I think it’s absolutely the most ambitious, inspired, imaginative MM era album with catchy melodies, imaginative riffs, incredible playing and singing. I also understand a lot of the criticisms though. It is a slog to get through, there are too many piano led ballad moments, it does go into cheesy musical theatre stuff at times and I straight up cringe at some of it. For all those reasons, it’s clearly not their best album in my opinion but it’s their most creative and inspired one.
Distance Over Time is very much back in their comfort zone which they probably always intended to do after TA. I wouldn’t say it’s DT by numbers as that has negative connotations, it’s just a very, very solid middle of the pack DT album for me. More concise songs, more modern metal sound, very consistent throughout but nothing to blow me away. At Wits End and Pale Blue Dot probably the standouts here although I think Out Of Reach could have been really great if it was a longer song, I love that chorus and it’s a shame it’s a one and done.
The last one is kind of a mixture of the first two Mangini albums. The songs are not concise like DOT, they allow themselves to play around like on ADTOE but it also suffers a little from some things not quite sounding like they fit together. I think the title track is brilliant apart from the weird ending which kind of spoils it a bit. I think Answering The Call is one of their best more commercial sounding songs, I really enjoy that one. The Alien has grown on me a lot too. Others though sound a bit similar to each other or have a chorus that comes a little out of nowhere or go into pointless noodling.
Overall though it’s been an enjoyable trip down memory lane and Mangini can be proud of the DT albums he was a part of. I think all the albums have things to offer and are enjoyable to listen to. ADTOE is probably the best and The Astonishing is probably the least enjoyable but I could probably come up with an abridged version that is one of the best! It’s such a mixed record. I hope one day Petrucci really tries something like that again where he locks himself away and spends that time intricately planning out an epic album full of great riffs and musical ideas. Just maybe stay away from the musical theatre tropes and keep it to one cd!
Topic: DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY (Read 124720 times)