| I was eagerly waiting for this one, having seen them live a few weeks ago with Mangini (and it was amazing to say the least). The album didn't disappoint me at all. I would tend to say it's Dream Theater at a mature point, intentionally leaving out some of the metal parts they had on albums like TOT or Systematic Chaos, and trying to regain some of the melody of Images & Words or Falling Into Infinity (some of it, at least).rAlso, you can feel that, with Portnoy leaving, Jordan Rudess now has a more important to say in terms of writing. He seems much more present here.rI like LaBrie's vocal parts even if there's less high-pitched singing on this one. "Beneath The Surface" has one of the most soulful performances he has ever done (and he has done quite a few).rA very solid album, beyond my expectations. They've managed to prove that there is life after Portnoy. |
