Review Summary: Dream Theater showcase their amazing musical abilities in studio as well as on stage.
It may be hard for some to see how A Change of Seasons can be classified as an EP when it extends well over 50 minutes long, but the truth is there’s really only 1 track on here. You see, while the live covers of rock classics are a nice addition to the EP, ‘A Change of Seasons’ is the real reason why it was released.
From the opening few strings it becomes clear that this is a Dream Theater epic. In fact it’s similar to the beginning of ‘Pull Me Under’ - Dream Theater’s biggest hit. The song takes its time to build-up (and at 23 minutes long it can afford to), which allows it to gain full momentum before reaching its thrilling climax. Probably the greatest thing about this song though, is its ability to change musical styles many times, while still maintaining a constant musical theme throughout. It’s something that Dream Theater have always done well and despite constant criticism for being too self-indulgent, in my opinion it is the key feature to their music. John Petrucci packs the song full of memorable riffs and melodic solos which gives the song its appeal, while never going over-the-top or losing sight of the song’s purpose. James LaBrie is at his best here and his vocals are top-notch, delivering a 23 minute performance filled with raw emotion and genuine sincerity. The rest of the band work perfectly together and give their full contributions to the track.
Credit must go to the band for producing a song that manages to flow so effortlessly. Other groups that have attempted making such long compositions inevitably end up losing the plot, and the song sounds disjointed, making it easy for the listener to pick out the individual parts. But ‘A Change of Seasons’ seems just like one song that happens to be very lengthy. The constant changes in emotion are very apparent, which makes it a very ‘human’ song, and one does not feel as though the band is the upper-class while the listener is the lowly peasant. A Change of Seasons really connects with its audience, allowing the listener to be part of the experience and truly get involved in the music.
Besides the brilliant title track, there are 4 ‘bonus’ live covers. I say bonus because firstly they are live and secondly they are cover versions, which in my opinion tells me that they are not intentioned to make the EP into an album (in other words they are not meant to be listened to as an entity or as one idea or theme). There is not too much that can be said about these songs except that Dream Theater do a very good job of playing them, and it is clear that these bands and artists were Dream Theater’s influences as musicians. Elton John, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin are all covered as well as bands that obviously influenced Dream Theater’s progressive side (Pink Floyd, Kansas, Queen, Journey, The Dixie Dregs and Genesis in ‘The Big Medley’). They are a nice addition and show the band’s ability to play many different varieties of music.
In conclusion, the cover tracks give the EP a little more value for money, but it is ‘A Change of Seasons’ for which it was released in the first place. ‘A Change of Seasons’ is maybe Dream Theater’s prog-rock masterpiece and will go down as one of their best songs ever.
Recommended:
A Change of Seasons
The Big Medley
