Review Summary: A fantastical Train Of Thought with added instrumental excess
Dream Theater is a band that is generally at their best when they place structured composition over individual showcases. It is a common misconception that progressive music implies a complete lack of structure; rather, it tends to involve it in a way that breaks the confines of typical music. Historically, Dream Theater has often been criticized for their supposedly pointless instrumental meanderings, which some claim serve no purpose in the songs themselves. Fans of the band (myself included) know that this is not the case nearly as often as naysayers would believe there to be. Many of their more virtuosic sections actually prove to be quite catchy, and even emotional, after multiple listens. However,
Systematic Chaos achieves this much less often than previous releases. When the vocals die away, listener interest frequently follows suit, altogether making for a mediocre album with enough engagement to lift it ever so slightly from the depths.
The most immediately noticeable aspect of
Systematic Chaos is the epic of the album, “In The Presence Of Enemies,” a two part suite that comprises the first and last tracks, and spans a total of 25 minutes. Unlike all previous Dream Theater tracks of this type, “In The Presence Of Enemies” utilizes extremely fantasy-based lyricism in an attempt to convey some sort of evil aura. This is somewhat effective in Part I, which dabbles in sacrilegious themes and imagery. It comes off as acceptably genuine, disregarding the unmemorable instrumental section preceding the lyrics. Yet, this is no indication of what is to follow in Part II: James Labrie selling his soul to Satan. Providing what is probably the most laughable debacle of Dream Theater's catalog so far, Labrie graces us with a flattering ode to his “Dark Master”. The rest of the band follows up with a musical talent show so forgettable that I struggle to recall any of it, despite having listened through this track dozens of times. These two portions could have been easily trimmed to half their combined length with no harm done; however, their combined effort turns out to be an enaging, albeit bloated listen.
As if one was not enough, Dream Theater include yet another overly lengthy fantasy story, this time relaying the tale of a woman's burdened soul or something to that extent. I don't really care. All I know is that “The Ministry Of Lost Souls” is quite bipolar. The first half wants to be a melancholy gothic ballad, an ode to lost love, of sorts. It is successful in this effort, and proves Dream Theater capable of legitimate emotion and feeling. The latter half makes an attempt at some kind of progressive thrash something-or-other, but it is far more accurate to simply refer to it as a mess. This section wins the award for conforming to every stereotype made about the band in the last decade. Not only that, but it is utterly irrelevant to anything that occurs in the song, previously or afterwards. It's sad really; the bookends are highly enjoyable, and some of Dream Theater's better ballad-esque moments.
“Prophets Of War” and “Forsaken” are both shorter, more commercially potent songs. Progressive song structures are temporarily laid aside in favor of a more accessible approach, proving beneficial for both of the songs. “Forsaken” is the better of the two, sporting a catchy piano melody and trendy vampiric atmosphere.
Systematic Chaos was released after the advent of the infamous Stephanie Meyers novel, so it may be possible this had an effect on the lyric choice here. It would also draw into question John Petrucci's literary tastes and priorities as a whole. Nevertheless, that carries roughly the same amount of relevancy as a good fraction of the music on this album, so I'll leave it be for now. There's not much to be said of “Prophets Of War”, except that Mike Portnoy raps. That is all.
The addition duo of similar songs on
Systematic Chaos is “The Dark Eternal Night” and “Constant Motion”. Thrash is the order of the day here, and both deliver in spades. After
Octavarium, some fans needed a reminder that Dream Theater is, in fact, a metal band, and these tracks should prove adequately convincing, with “Constant Motion” even leading some to believe that James Hetfield has made a guest appearance. Labrie makes a more experimental decision: adding “ah” to the end of every word and drawing out the final syllable of each phrase, harkening back to “Blackened”. As it turns out, his voice is about four octaves too high to achieve the menacing tone that Hetfield does, and it ultimately falls flat. The musical side of the song isn't overly memorable, but contains a cool spirally riff and decent solo section. The single most disappointing moment of the album comes in the final minute of “The Dark Eternal Night”. It's nothing more than a riff played repeatedly until the song fades out, but this isn't merely any riff. Oh no. This is a riff of a rare caliber, a riff that is undeniably metal, and most importantly, a riff that had the potential to be as memorable and influential as those from “Enter Sandman” or “Symphony Of Destruction”. Petrucci was apparently unable to see this, and slapped it on to the end of the track where it would languish, forgotten along with the rest of the album. R.I.P.
Systematic Chaos's greatest victory comes in the form of “Repentance”, the fourth entry to the Twelve Steps suite, and the softest portion of Portnoy's recovery from alcoholism. Many claims have been made of it, most asserting that this is nothing more than an Opeth attempt, and a boring one at that. I beg to differ. “Repentence” brilliantly recalls themes and lyrics from songs past, but with a more balladic presentation than previously used. This allows for an emotional outpouring not accomplished in former entries, a type of feeling unattainable while remaining purely on the metal side of things. Musically, the song is a giant crescendo, culminating in both a riveting guitar solo and a plethora of guest appearances, including that of Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth) and Corey Taylor (Slipknot). Seldom has Dream Theater accomplished something like this, and it certainly proves itself worthy of the suite in which it is contained and the roster of other stellar Dream Theater ballads.
Systematic Chaos is certainly gratuitous.
Systematic Chaos is certainly confused.
Systematic Chaos is certainly bloated. But
Systematic Chaos is also certainly enjoyable. Barring Portnoy's rap, there is nothing offensively unlistenable on here, and it stands head-and-shoulders above a significant amount of contenders in its genre. The album has many shining moments, “Repentence” being the most complete of them. Despite being stuck in an apparent identity crisis, Dream Theater has managed to pull themselves together and release stellar triad of albums since and, if this is what it took to lead them to that point, so be it.
Systematic Chaos is a terribly disjointed album, but the rays of light that shine through are enough to remind us all that Dream Theater are the kings of progressive metal, and that crown is not going to be inherited anytime soon.
