Review Summary: An album that has not stood the test of time. Held back by a lack of variety and vocal melodies. Has hints of what Dream Theater will become but is leagues below their future efforts.
I recently did a Dream Theater album tier list with my friend and found it somewhat agreed with the opinions held by most DT fans. However, I found myself struggling to justify why I ranked certain albums above others and I was afraid I was just blindly following the general consensus. I had lost count of how many times I had listened to each DT album (with the exception of WDADU, which I hadn't even listened to until I decided to do this), but I felt I had never really given them the full undivided attention they deserve. So, I decided to sit down with each one (still in the process at the time of writing) and devote my full attention to it. And guess what? I am having such a blast. I am going in chronological order so that I can appreciate the evolution of the band and the different directions they were heading in. For each one, I picked what I deem to be the best song, and just for a little fun, I picked the track that I think has the coolest title. I rank each song out of 10 and then take the average for the overall score of the album. I want to stress that for each song I wrote down my thoughts in real-time as I was listening (hence why the English is more of a thought process at times rather than full sentences), so I may have missed some of the nuances that you love in the song. I also want to stress that these are my opinions, and what I personally don't care for, you may love. That is the beauty of music, right? Anyway, this "intro" is starting to drag. Let's get into it.
1. A Fortune in Lies: The intro doesn't blow me away. I do like that picked riff before the intro solo, however. I got a serious shock when I heard Charlie Dominici’s voice. Not what I am used to when hearing Dream Theater, but it suits the 80’s thrash power metal vibe this song has going for it. Keyboards are very 80’s. Solo reminds me of Iron Maiden mixed with Jason Becker. This honestly sounds more like a Dream Theater wannabe than Dream Theater. SCORE: 5/10
2. Status Seeker: Cool rush like intro. I can hear more of what they will become in the future here. A bit of Looking Glass vibes. Dominici even sounds more like Labrie here, which is a good thing in my opinion. Seems to follow a simple intro verse chorus verse style. Better than the first track, but not mind-blowing. Can hear those big rich Petrucci chords. Very catchy chorus. SCORE: 6/10
3. The Ytse Jam: Instrumental. A lot of interesting time signature changes going on here. John Myung is allowed to shine a little more in this song as his bass cuts through the mix and his bass lines are slick as usual. Again, has that 80’s thrash sound and old-school tapping sound in the solo section by Petrucci. Incredible alternate picking as usual. Myung’s bass solo and Portnoy’s drum solo are both brilliant. They’re firing on all cylinders here. I don't however rate this instrumental as highly as other people do. SCORE: 6.5/10
4. The Killing Hand: Has a sort of medieval vibe going on in the intro with Petrucci’s picked acoustic part. The distorted riff reminds me of something else. Ah it’s Megadeth, but I can’t remember which song. Holy Wars I think. Sounds more epic than the previous tracks. I’m not loving his voice though. Personal preference. Reminds me of Symphony X. I don't really know what good and bad production is and I hear it thrown around a lot. I just know which guitar tones (I play guitar so mainly listen out for this) I like and those I don't, and there are some tones here I don't like. Nothing wrong with their playing skills, even if the songs are a little generic. Myung has a bass solo at the end which again showcases his virtuosity. SCORE: 6.5/10
5. Light Fuse and Get Away: Sounds a bit like an intro to some 80’s action or cop movie. Not really digging this one. Quite forgettable like A Fortune in Lies. I like the riff in the verse though. Lyrics are a bit juvenile. The dissonant chord part sounds a bit like under a glass moon, but unlike that song, this one failed to hit the mark. Petrucci’s solo is solid though. SCORE: 5/10
6. Afterlife: Again, the intro kind of just sounds like all the others. It’s like theirs no real separation or distinction between the songs. All his vocal melodies sound the same too. Pretty one-dimensional. Chorus is cool. This song actually has some really cool parts but it’s like they don’t gel with each other to form a cohesive track, which is a shame because it could be really good. It would be interesting if they went back and rewrote this track now. I think that sums up the album pretty well to be honest. SCORE: 6.5/10
7. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun: The ending of the afterlife going into this song is too abrupt and a bit jarring. Has those Myung harmonics in the bass line which are always cool. Actually, a very sick bass line as it progresses further into the song. There’s that open chug riff that is played the same but sounds like it changes because of how Portnoy is drumming underneath, like what they achieved in The Mirror on Awake, at least I think that's what is happening. Again… this suffers like Afterlife in that there are some cool parts that just aren’t gelling well together. Petrucci showcases at the end of the song his unreal talent. This one takes the cake for the coolest song title on the album. Maybe I’ll make that a recurring theme SCORE: 5.5/10
8. Only a Matter of Time: Cool, heroic keyboard intro. Sounds like they’re going for an epic outro to close the album. Some vocal melody variation in this one is much appreciated. One thing I think about this whole album is that there is no chance for any of the songs to breathe. They all seem around the same tempo with similar riffs and vocal melodies. The keyboard solo toward the end is great though. Has that classic Moore sound. SCORE: 6/10
Best Song: The Killing Hand
Coolest Song Title: The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Overall Score: 5.9/10
Thank you if you read to the end. I'd love to hear your opinions on this too.
