Review Summary: A mesmerizing sophomore effort. The Mount Everest of their catalogue.
This was the second Dream Theater album I listened to in its entirety (the first being Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory). I remember thinking "How on earth have I not listened to these guys before." I had seen John Petrucci countless times in Total Guitar magazines and had seen him play on a G3 concert DVD with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. He was also cited as being a massive influence on some of my favourite guitar players, but for some strange reason, I was never compelled to listen to Dream Theater. I think I had listened to one song (I don't remember which) and wasn't keen on Labrie's vocal style (something which I now love). Thankfully, I gave them a second shot, and boy am I glad I did. They have since become my favourite band and opened my eyes to the world of progressive metal. Without these guys, I never would have listened to Haken, Periphery, or Opeth. As much as I do love them, I have been making an effort to try and not let it cloud my judgement in what I like to call "true listens," where I sit back and relax with my headphones and focus solely on the music. I have found it very rewarding (and surprising!) to do this. As in my previous review of WDADU, I listen to the album, write my thoughts on each song in real-time and then score it out of 10, taking an average over all songs as the final score. In doing this, I may miss some of the nuances you personally love, but don't worry, this album is constantly in my "go-to's" and I'm sure I'll pick up on them eventually. Anyway, here goes.
1. Pull Me Under: The guitar tone and mix are leagues above the previous album. No one is lost in the mix. James LaBrie suits the band so much more than Dominici. I like the lyrics, especially “Every breath leaves me one less to my last” and then after that when the “Watch the sparrow falling” line kicks in the pause in the instruments into the heavy riff is so sick. They really homed in on their songwriting skills. Again, this has some amazing parts and it never feels like one section doesn’t fit so well unlike songs on When Dream and Day Unite. The chorus does get the head nodding. Moore brings something different to Rudess, I can’t really explain it but I like what I’m hearing. Love the abrupt change after the solo to lead back into the chorus. Heavy outro slaps. But it ends a bit abruptly. Quite Jarring. Solid opener. SCORE: 8.5/10
2. Another Day: Beautiful intro into Petrucci’s soaring lead. The piano over James's starting lyrics is beautiful and complemented well by Petrucci’s volume swells. This is one I truly can belt the lyrics out to. I don’t know why this wasn’t as commercially successful as Pull Me Under. I love the teasing snippets of saxophone. The "woahhhh" before the solo is tight, and Petrucci’s lead is emotional. No notes are wasted in my eyes… or ears? The saxophone outro solo is beautiful. SCORE: 9/10
3. Take the Time: Pounding drums into the opening guitar riff is wicked, especially with the harmonics which I am a bit of a sucker for. Moore’s keyboard work serves the songs so much better on this album. John Myung is finally allowed to shine on this one. So groovy and the lyrics and James’s vocal melodies bring something different to the table. So good. The part which begins “Unbroken Spirit” onwards is just yessss! I can’t explain why I get some Michael Jackson vibes from this song, but I do. So much variety in the tempos and dynamics. Classic Dream Theater instrumental break about halfway through the song weaving through time signatures. The trade-off solo between Moore and Petrucci and then into that staccato funky riff is amazing. Sounds like they are really having fun with this one. Love the "fake out" outro and then starting something new. The bass is driving this song. Anyone who claims to like prog music should like this song. The highlight of the album so far. SCORE: 10/10
4. Surrounded: I’ve always liked the dreamy, suspended chords in the intro to this one. It could go anywhere; will it be happy or sad? James Labrie really shines in this one. You can hear how good his voice is. This era man. Damn. Turns from melancholic sounding to joyful. Reminds me of stadium filling good vibes man. Love the synth riff in this one. I also like the “Story telling” aspect of this song. The outro going back to the intro is also great. But I feel like the chords are no longer suspended and they sound more minor? Maybe minor 7ths I don’t know. Top quality song again. SCORE: 9/10
5. Metropolis – Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper: Oh, baby that intro. I love how it brings back memories of me listening to a completely different album (Scenes). The most epic intro so far. Harmonics again… love it. The tone sounds so good again. Everyone is so clear. The keys are a bit quiet in the first verse section but I feel like that’s the way they wanted it and how it should be. I don’t normally analyse or give extra points for lyrics but they do stick out on this song. Very cool. That classic middle section instrumental part that nobody thought they’d be able to recreate live. Very cool, and again, staples of Dream Theater. I feel like every note is chosen with purpose. Petrucci will always be my favourite guitarist and it’s for compositions like these. Myung’s bass solo is sick. Tapping maestro. Oh and the keys guitar trade off is so video game like I absolutely love it. Listening to this song and the previous tracks really makes me think how did they go from WDADU to here? And I’m not ***ting on that album, it’s probably better than some artists whole discography, but it is meh at best in terms of Dream Theater. SCORE: 9.5/10
6. Under a Glass Moon: I feel like the intro to this has some eastern flavours which I dig. I love the inverted powerchords Petrucci uses too. So heavy… and it is in E standard. The root to flat 2 riff is sick and then the dissonant chords provide so much tension before the final release of the chugging groove riff. Love it. Songwriting at its finest. Crystal clear chords provides the breathing room while the bass drives the song. Petrucci is doing so much in this song that probably goes unnoticed unless you really sit down and listen. It pains me that the average person on the street won’t know who he is. Hands down the best solo on the album. Possibly one of my favourites of all time. Whammy bar tricks are always cool. Following on from the previous album I’ll give this one the trophy for the coolest song name. SCORE: 9.5/10
7. Wait for Sleep: I think the piano melody is haunting and beautiful. This song’s lyrics seems to be about the girl on the cover. I know this should be thought of as a prelude to the next track, but I don’t class this as a hardcore concept album like scenes so I’m going to judge it on its individual merit, and it is definitely weaker than the previous tracks. SCORE: 7.5/10
8. Learning to Live: Cool syncopated intro riff followed by a nice, odd meter-picked octave riff. Sounds dark and ominous but also has a wonderous nature to it. John Myung shines again here. Again, some sections of this sound so heavy for E standard. There’s a bit in the middle that reminds me of Princess Zelda. Like walking through Gerudo Town. The acoustic solo is a nice change of pace. There’s a section around 6:50 where Myung is playing a minor key bass riff but then the full band joins In and it switches to major. Very cool. Solo after that is emotional and fits the bill. I like the use of different keyboard sounds Moore went with on this piece. A little reprise of Wait for Sleep is cool and will make people go wait a minute… didn’t we just hear this in the previous song? That’s cool. It is an epic track… but to be honest… it doesn’t always do it for me with this song and I must be in a specific mood. But it is nonetheless a brilliant track that closes a magnificent album in style. When you sit back and really listen to this album you realize how good it is. SCORE: 9/10
I realise I haven't really mentioned Portnoy in any of my thoughts on each song but believe me I think he is fantastic in every way here, particularly on Metropolis and Under a Glass Moon. I am a guitar player so naturally listen out for that more and see the drums as a complement to what they are doing. I'll try to include more on him in the future because he deserves a lot of credit.
Best Song: Take the Time
Coolest Song Title: Under a Glass Moon
Overall Score: 9/10
