Album Rating: 1.5

Yeah the dvd is surprisingly good.

Overly pretentious band is overly pretentious. And boring.

Album Rating: 2.5

The last 2 tracks make this album worth, but the rest is pretty boring, specially Repentance.

Album Rating: 3.0

the nfirst and last songs are good

Album Rating: 2.5

Where´s the love for The Dark Eternal Night? That song´s main riff and drum fills are bananas.

Album Rating: 3.0

The Ministry Of Lost Souls has made it into my top 10 or 15 Dream Theater songs. Listening now, so fantastic.

Album Rating: 3.0

constant motion and repentance are sooooo bad

Album Rating: 2.5

i actually really like repentance

Album Rating: 3.5

so I like this... sue me.

Repentance is good for the first half.

For me In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 1 is the best on here

Album Rating: 4.0

Maybe you might have missed the idea of some of these instrumental sections. You know what Ministry is about, I assume?



When I was listening to this, it felt like going in a circle. At this point in the song, the woman character is transitioning to the other world. This would indeed be like a circle, and it would indeed have a different mood than the first 7:30. The final solo for Ministry keeps reaching higher and higher, which says that the two characters have finally arrived at peace.



Try to imagine a reason for an instrumental section. The Dark Eternal Night, 6:00 section contains a very heavy riff, and then some cymbal chokes, and now some of MP's heaviest drums. At this point, the evil forces have broken through and are laying waste, accompanied by a dissonant solo. The final riff is a show of power over this world, as JR wails with the Continuum.



And about Repentance. You know forgiveness is a long process. That's why the choir-like singing is in the background for the remainder of the song after 7:00. Listening to this the right way feels like each of your sins are lifted off you one by one.



Hopefully that might shed a bit of light on what some of the "noodling" is. While this isn't their best album, simply because they've put out so many classics (Images, Awake, Six Degrees, 8, and BCSL are all masterpieces), it is largely equal on most fronts. I've put this at a 5 on occasion because there really is no filler. If there's such a possibility, BCSL has even less filler.

Album Rating: 3.5

best two songs on here IMO are 'Repentance' and 'In the Presence of Enemies: Part 2' .............yes i said it, i think the ending song sounds pretty cool

Album Rating: 4.0

I disagree with your review, but it's your own opinion and you are actually able to explain it, so I guess it's okay with me. The one thing I do agree with is that this is certainly not their best album; that respect goes to Train of Thought, Six Degrees, and A Change of Seasons.



Oh, and I thought Repentance and Constant Motion were the best songs.

Album Rating: 4.0

I think this is one of DT's worst releases, but for vastly different reasons. Dream Theater's solos and technical work is their greatest (or at least one of their greatest) aspects. The reviewer completely misses the purpose of instrumental segments:



"Anybody who knows the band knows that they are all very talented musicians, and such a fact renders the long, interweaving passages rather useless."



The point of instrumentals is not to prove a point or engage in some form of competition, or to compliment the lyrical matter (which are completely separate from the music in judgment; though some bands blend lyrical matter and music to add emotional punch, that is not the goal of DT). It is to complement the song with crescendo, and is a service to the listener. Technical proficiency is something to be savored and enjoyed; to appreciate technicality is not 'masturbation' but discernment.



No, my complaint lies on the other side of the spectrum; this album is their most mainstream effort: too simple, not progressive enough, and not creative. Nonetheless a great piece in comparison to most other groups and certainly not lacking in redemptive material ("In The Presence of Enemies" (put both parts back to back) is in my opinion DT's greatest epic short of 6DoIT), this album was a disappointment by DT standards.

Album Rating: 3.5

AnEpicDeath, how can you think it is one of their worst releases, yet still rate it a 4. and about it being mainstream? listen to the song 'the dark eternal night' and tell me that is mainstream. still not as good as their other releases? yes you could argure that point, but to say it is their worse releases, only really like 2 songs on the album and rate it a 4? it just doesnt make sense to me with what points you are trying to make

Album Rating: 2.5

I loved this at first, but with age and experience I have found that it isn't that great

Album Rating: 3.5

It's a good album, not their best but still a solid release

yeah their best album is definitely 6 Degrees

Album Rating: 3.5

Nope, it's scenes

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Yeah. Scenes ftw