1268. Dream Theater / Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory. 1999. 4/5

Over the previous decade, Dream Theater had begun to break the mould of what progressive metal could achieve, especially through one of the most difficult decades that that style of music had ever had to negotiate. Against the tide of grunge, and then alternative metal, and all of the other changes during the 1990’s, Dream Theater had stuck with what they knew and what they were great at and kept putting out albums that continued to be noticed despite the mass of opposing rapids. With albums such as “Images and Words”, “Awake” and “Falling into Infinity”, not to mention the game changing EP “A Change of Seasons”, Dream Theater mad their music and captured their audience with their excellence.
Moving into their new album, and two major events occurred to set the direction that their next LP would take. Firstly had been the insistence from their fans to produce a sequel of sorts to their song “Metropolis - Part 1” from their “Images and Words” album, though the band had no intention to do so, as the Part 1 had been added as a joke by guitarist John Petrucci. Despite this the band recorded a 21 minute instrumental demo called “Metropolis - Part 2” for the “Falling into Infinity” album which subsequently didn’t make the cut. However, there were musical pieces within this demo that would eventually become parts of the following album, one that the record company had given the band free reign on, and which they then decided to create as a concept album on the basis of the demo and the story that became entwined with it.
During this process, the band also made another change. Derek Sherinian, who had been a part of the band as the keyboardist since Kevin Moore had quit after the “Awake” album, had found his own differences of opinion over the direction and music that the band was headed in, in the same way Moore had previously. At the same time, both Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci had been in a side project called Liquid Tension Experiment with keyboardist Jordan Rudess, and once this was completed, they convinced both John Myung and James LaBrie that they needed to make a change, and Sherinian was sacked by phone hookup not long after, with Rudess his replacement.
It was from this that Dream Theater then entered the studio to record the album that firmly established their credentials as one of the leading progressive metal bands in the world, with “Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory”.

As it turns out, the storyline of this concept album does not truly follow the path as a sequel to the original track “Metropolis - Part 1”, but more closely mirrors the story told in the 1991 film “Dead Again” that starred Kenneth Brannagh and Emma Thompson, the plot of which deals with past life regression through hypnosis, and of a tragedy in one lifetime occurring once again in the future. That is how the story of “Scenes from a Memory” plays out.
The basis of the story is as follows: Nicholas, going through regression, discovers that he was a woman named Victoria in a past life who was murdered, and she is trying to show him who that murderer was. The story of the album shows that Victoria was pulling away from her lover Julian, and began an affair with his brother Edward. According to a newspaper article and eyewitness Julian murdered Victoria and then himself, but Nicholas begins to doubt this. He also realises he must solve this or never be able to move on with his own life. Nicholas believes he has solved the mystery, where Julian begged Victoria to forgive him, and when she didn’t, he killed both her and Edward and acted as the eyewitness. Nicholas, believing he is now free, bids farewell to Victoria’s memory, even as she tries to call him back.
The story then cuts to Edward’s perspective, which sees Victoria looking to reconcile with Julian, and Edward instead killing them both, and becoming the eyewitness. Back in the present, Nicholas is followed home by the hypnotherapist who it turns out is the reincarnation of Edward, and Nicholas is startled by a request to ‘open his eyes’, before he is murdered, thus closing the circle once again.
Sounds confusing? Perhaps. As it turns out, there is a book being released in time for this 25th anniversary of the album’s release that relates the tale, so perhaps you could read that and see if it does the story more justice than me.
To create the story and lyrics is one thing. Putting it to music is another, and that task is masterfully done here. In saying that, the length of some tracks, extended by long winded solo breaks of keyboard and guitar, may not be to some people’s liking. The plateaus of rising and falling moods in music, and of the softly spoken emotional periods of the music to express the change in the story, and then the more expression energised pieces of songs where the story is on the crux of discovery, makes for a journey in itself.

Dream Theater is another band that was introduced to me by my heavy metal music dealer, who had discovered them on this album (I think... I’m sure he will correct me if I am mistaken). And what I remembered most about that time was him saying to me almost every time we got together for a three month period “Have you heard Dream Theater?! You have to. They are amazing!” Which of course I eventually did. The album that actually grabbed me the most though was “Awake”, an episode on which you can catch on this season of this podcast if you are so inclined.
But when it came to this album, something didn’t always click. The fact that it is a concept album didn’t phase me, and the opening tracks are just amazing, the musicianship and the music, and the vocals from James LaBrie, are wonderful. And that stretches throughout the entire performance. But I don’t deny that when I first got this album, a number of the songs didn’t grab, didn’t find what I wanted from the music. Progressive metal does sometimes do that to me. Often, I love it all, but there are certainly albums and/or band of this genre that I find are not for me. And when I first got the album, it is how it felt to me then. I even bought the DVD where they performed this in full, along with “A Change of Seasons”, and it is just terrific... but it didn’t make me feel any more enamoured about the WHOLE album. To me, it didn’t compare to another concept album, Queensryche’s “Operation: Mindcrime”. And it is probably an unfair comparison because that is one of the finest metal albums and concept albums of all time. But on that album the story flowed easily, and the music from song to song offered the perfect mood and music to create the atmosphere required to tell the story. And on this album, I don’t think that is quite the case. And it is quite possible this has always played in my head when it comes to this album. Like I said, not a fair comparison.
So here we are, some 25 years after this album’s released, and I am sure there is a great deal of fawning going about its 25th anniversary, and so there should be, because it is a landmark album in the band’s discography. And I have had this album going around again over the last two weeks. And you know what? Nothing much has changed for me. Those songs and parts of songs that I have always loved, I still love. And those other songs and parts of songs that left me slightly ambivalent in the past? I guess I feel the same way about them now as I did then. It is not a bad album, and it contains no bad songs. To listen to the musicianship of the entire album is to appreciate just how amazing these individuals are on their instruments. None of that has changed. But for me it just doesn’t hold my interest like other albums do. And I am sure that for the big Dream Theater fans out there, what I have said here would be considered blasphemous. I am happy to accept that. Immersing yourself into the story that is being told does actually draw you in to the album more, making you more attuned to the music and lyrics as they are playing around you, and over time I have found that actually following the story has improved my enjoyment of the album as a whole.
For me, the truly great Dream Theater albums were still to come, the ones where there was more songwriting in the style that I enjoy more. This may be the band’s landmark, but for me it is what followed this that truly caught my attention.

1146. Dream Theater / A View from the Top of the World. 2021. 4/5

Anyone who has heard of Dream Theater and has listened to them should know what to expect here. As far back as their first single, “Pull Me Under” off the Images and Words album from 1992, Dream Theater has provided a blueprint that they continue to stretch and weave. Mixing brilliant musicianship with soaring vocals, each album provides a stability yet varied environment musically.A View From the Top of the World is no different to that. In many ways, it all feels so effortless. To be fair, there is nothing ground breaking from what the band has been producing for 30 years here, it’s just that they continue to do what they do so well... so well!

Opening with the brilliant “The Alien” offers plenty of ingredient's fans crave – it’s fast-paced in spots, technically proficient and wonderfully melodic. It doesn’t offer any real surprises, but it certainly gets the job done. That’s a sentiment you could apply to much of the record, too – exceptionally well-played, with real attention to detail, albeit with precious little that diehards haven’t encountered before. Indeed it could be said of ‘Invisible Monster’, a reasonable mid-tempo cut with a key message about the effects of anxiety, that it is a touch... average... for their catalogue. Not poor, just bland in a brilliant musicianship kinda way. “Answering the Call” is a better song that still seems more simplified than most Dream Theater work, but not in a bad way. You then move into “Sleeping Giant” which resumes normality, filled with lots of guitar, drums and keyboard changes to really keep you guessing as to where the song is going. Petrucci in particular stars in this song. “Transcending Time” has been mentioned in dozens of reviews as being Dream Theater’s tribute to Rush. Apparently it was something the band wanted to attempt, a song with a major key structure without trying to sound too much like a pop song. I don’t know, I just read that in places. There are traces of 1980’s Rush if you listen hard, so maybe they succeeded on both fronts. “Awaken the Master” is another good song, while the closing title track feels like the Dream Theater of old, a 20 minute monster with three suites. Excellent stuff.

As always, all five members are awesome. James La Brie’s vocals continue to defy time, soaring in places as wonderful as he has ever done. Because of the pandemic he was unable to be with the band when they wrote the album, only able to tune in through Zoom calls, but his vocals on recording are still top shelf. Mike Mangini on drums continues to drive each song perfectly – does anyone think the band has missed Portnoy? Jordan Rudess on keys still defies the instrument at times with the effects and atmosphere he is able to create. John Myung still plays things on the bass guitar that defies any normal human from trying to replicate them, while John Petrucci remains at the top of the tree as a guitarist, even breaking out an eight string version on a couple of songs. I’d like to see him playing on that live, just once.

While I have been a fan of Dream Theater for quite some time now, I am the first to admit that when it comes to throwing on one of their albums for a casual listen... it doesn’t happen too often. As much as you can love their music and appreciate the amazing musicianship time and again, generally when I’m looking to grab something to listen to, I’m not just going to the D section and pulling out one of their 15 albums. Why? Because your mood dictates the music you want to listen to. And with Dream Theater, you need to be in the right mood to appreciate everything that is being thrown at you, because it is a (no pun intended) theatrical experience.
So for me, some Dream Theater albums miss the mark slightly, and while I still think they are great I just don’t ever think to drag them out for a listen. However, that wasn’t the case with their previous album Distance Over Time which I played for a lengthy period of time, and that also is not the case with A View From the Top of the World. I don’t deny I love the heavier periods of Dream Theater more than I do the progressive periods of the band. Most fans hail the awesomeness of Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory while I will always point towards Train of Thought as my favourite moment in their career. This new album doesn’t quite scale the same heights for me as that album did, but I have immensely enjoyed the past two efforts. Is there a reason behind this? Not one I can put my finger on, apart from the fact I think that despite the length of each song continues to be in the higher echelons as with most of their albums, the actual crafting of the songs feels right to me. Sometimes with Dream Theater it can feel as though they are just being too clever for themselves, and it is the song length rather than what is crafted that becomes the main artefact. Is it too much to say that sometimes that gets boring? Because in essence that is what it becomes. However, here on A View From the Top of the World I think they once again get that balance right, and that is what is important in getting into the album and being willing to get it back in the CD player and crank the stereo to get the most out of it.
Will you all enjoy it? Well no, because if you don’t enjoy long-winded progressive metal rock songs stretching out beyond the ten minute mark then this will probably become tired for you pretty quickly. On the other hand, those of you willing to give it a go and let the music flow around and through you, I think that you’ll find this is another excellent entry into the Dream Theater discography, and one that will find itself on rotation as it has done for me over the last couple of months.

1111. Dream Theater / Distance Over Time. 2019. 4.5/5

While many would disagree with me, my love of Dream Theater has run along two quite distinctive sections. Apart from one or two exceptions I love the era up to and including Train of Thought. These are the albums that I discovered in a short space of time and devoured them. Since then, I have found the albums a bit hit and miss in regards to my love of the music despite the still high level of musicianship. I still look forward to each album being released hoping for something that will reignite that true love of what the band can do. I think I’ve found that with Distance Over Time.

There are certainly two ways to take this album, and I guess in the long run I can only go with the way I have listened to it. From the very first time I put the CD on my stereo I was hooked. It had songs that were just songs, not pieces of a larger conglomerate of story interspersed with talky moments and interconnecting interludes. I could put this album on and just get ten songs coming at me that I either loved or didn’t - and loved them I did. Is it an attempt to reconnect with those fans who, like me, loved those albums from a different age? If indeed this was part of their package this time around, they succeeded with me from the outset.
While The Astonishing was a production and for me often a struggle to get through the whole double album in one sitting, Distance Over Time is a wonderful collection of the duelling keyboards of Jordan Rudess and the guitar of John Petrucci, the amazing bass lines of John Myung, the metronomic drumming of Mike Mangini and the silky vocals of James LaBrie. The combination here of the heavier guitar sound in many songs and the soaring vocalising of LaBrie is perhaps the winning direction. It differentiates itself from other recent releases by doing so. I love each member’s contribution to this album again. Mangini may not be Mike Portnoy but he does his job well. Petrucci’s guitaring is superb and continues to defy belief in sections. So too Johnny Myung’s bass playing, which is still so integral to Dream Theater’s sound.
Does it hold up though? Well, it has been a month now since its release and I still have it on my daily playlist, and that probably says that it has held up well. Having said that, I am not as ecstatic about it now as I was for the first couple of weeks. As the songs have become more familiar, I have found myself picking up on the similarities to other Dream Theater songs, just riff progressions or keyboard fills or even rhythm pieces that blend into other parts of the catalogue. That’s not meant to be a criticism as such, just that as with some other Dream Theater productions, some of it becomes a bit samey as the album progresses, and it is noticeable where the break out pieces that grab your attention more fully are placed on the album.
What will strike most old school fans is that the whole vibe of the album is more favourably directed towards the way those great early albums were written. None of the songs are as deliberately complicated or have 72 time changes every minute of every song however. In that way there is a more manageable way that they songs have been written to suit the course that sets this album apart from recent releases. What these songs do have are the perfect combination of having each member have their moment within each song. There are still those brilliant solo breaks where the musicians have their way and enhance the track, while when the vocals come in it is left to LaBrie to carry the song with his wonderful voice. No one person dominates on this album, every member contributes equally to each song, and this is what creates the best Dream Theater material.

I haven’t felt this way about a Dream Theater album since Train of Thought, and perhaps that comes from both albums having been focused on being heavier albums that the band’s usual output. It’s not all smash and bash, it is still Dream Theater doing what they do best, and revitalising that prog sound that they were such a big part of emphasising during the 1990’s. If you have quietly moved away from the band in recent years, then this would be a good album to come back into. It is a return to form.

Best songs: “Untethered Angel”, “Paralyzed”, “S2N”, “At Wit’s End”, “Pale Blue Dot”, “Viper King”

Rating:  “The world keeps turning as we latch on to the wheel”.  4.5/5

828. Dream Theater / Official Bootleg: Covers Series: Master of Puppets. 2003. 4/5

When Dream Theater set up their Ytse Records site to release their own soundboard recordings of studio outtakes, instrumentals and rare live performances, I was looking forward to the material that would be available. The first release I went for was this one. Back in 2002, I had been able to get my hands on the bootleg recording of this gig, Master of Metallica, the review of which can be found at that link. This though was the band's soundboard recording of that performance, which I was interested in hearing.

This gives a different perspective of that night from the bootleg recording. While the audience bootleg has a full interpretation of the audience reaction on the night, this album barely has the audience in it at all, with only minimal noise being able to be picked up by the microphones being used to record the band. While that's fine, it does tend to detract from the atmosphere of the night and therefore the album. But that's just a small thing.
What this album does showcase is the musicianship of the band. This gives a clear indication of the part played by Jordan Rudess as the second 'guitarist' being played on his keyboards. As can be expected, in some places it comes across a little flat, but in some places, such as through "Orion" it melds in seamlessly with the song and sounds terrific. There is also often criticism of James LaBrie's vocals, but I still think he does a sterling job. No doubt John Petrucci is the star, while John Myung's bass work is great as always, especially on an album where Cliff Burton's bass was so prominent.

This is an excellent recording of a significant moment in the history of the band, and beyond. It was one of the first real moments where a band had played an album from start to finish in a live setting (though Dream Theater had done so with Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, and even here it wasn't even their album). It was something that, from this moment on, happened quite a bit in the metal community over the next decade, and of course was not the last time that Dream Theater did so in tribute to their own influences.

Rating:  Slashing through the boundaries, lunacy has found me.  4/5

827. Dream Theater / Master of Metallica [Bootleg]. 2002. 5/5

Towards the end of February in 2002, on whatever music forums I was currently following and a member of, there began to be some interesting gossip concerning the band Dream Theater, and the possibility that they were going to do something "very special" at a concert they were performing in Barcelona in the coming days. Few details were being given, but as the day approached there was a rumour going around that they would be performing some songs that weren't necessarily their own. What that meant, and any significance, was never really touched on.
So the day, February 19, 2002, comes and goes, and then amazing reports are posted online everywhere. "DREAM THEATER DID THE ENTIRE MASTER OF PUPPETS ALBUM!!! LIVE!!!"

Wow. This is huge. I mean, bands had always performed cover versions of songs from artists they loved before, but this was on a massive scale. Not only had they performed an entire album live, it was actually an album that wasn't their own, it was someone else's! Amazing. And what's more -  everyone wants to hear it! OK. So, now the real ability of the internet at that time was about to be tested. Because with the advent of the internet, the tracking down and possessing of bootleg albums was suddenly becoming a lot easier than trying to trade with people from overseas. Now, with any luck, someone in the audience that night will have recorded the performance, and then hopefully someone will post it somewhere so that puerile novices such as myself on the other side of the world would be able to locate it and download it.
Well, surprising enough, a week later to the day Blabbermouth.com posted two links to where a bootleg of that performance had been uploaded online. So it was that only a little more than a week after the gig I was able to invite some mates around to listen to a performance we had been talking about for most of that time.
This is an amazing bootleg that records a significant moment in music history, and it does so brilliantly. Not only is it an excellent audience recording, it is enhanced by being so. The excitement of the crowd when they recognise the start of "Battery" is terrific, and their rapturous applause at the end of the song signifies that. But that pales compared to the roar when they hear the start of "Master of Puppets", and the singing from everyone is loud and raucous. Terrific. Then, when they hear the first two notes of "The Thing That Should Not Be", there is an awestruck "whoooaaa!!" as it finally hits home that the band is going to play the entire album!. The crowd's reactions are fantastic here, and you feel as though you are there.
As to the band's performance, I think it is superb. Many criticise parts of it, mostly James LaBrie's vocals, but I think he does a great job. No one expects him to be James Hetfield, just like anyone who goes to see a tribute band doesn't expect anyone in that band to be the epitome of the person they are paying tribute to. And obviously at times it doesn't feel as full as it could, with Jordan Rudess' keyboards replacing one of the guitars, but then you hear them play "Orion" and it actually fits the song remarkably well. And just think - this was the first time anyone had heard this entire album being performed live track-by-track - and it wasn't even by the band whose album it is! When my mates and I first heard it, we reckoned that we could hear a total of four mistakes during the performance. In hindsight of course we were wrong - now I think there was seven. Ever think about how ludicrous that is, learning these songs, no doubt in a reasonably short space of time, and only make a handful of mistakes, and not ones that anyone would really notice anyway! It is ridiculous.

This is one of the best bootlegs I own, not only for the historical nature of the performance, but by the great crowd interaction on the recording. if you can find it out there, it is worth tracking down.

Rating:  End of passion play, crumbling away...  5/5

813. Dream Theater / Official Bootleg: Covers Series: Made in Japan. 2007. 4/5

When this idea was originally floated in the Dream Theater ideas room, is there anyone who doesn't believe that James LaBrie was thinking, "Are you fucking kidding? You want me to trying and sing "Child in Time" live the way Ian Gillan does on the original release of Made in Japan? What the fuck are you thinking?!?" Because there is just no way he was going to be able to do it (and that's not meant to be a criticism, it's just a fact). Great job boys lining up your lead vocalist for a very big fall.

This is the fourth in the live covers series that Dream Theater has produced. Having already done Metallica's Official Bootleg: Covers Series: Master of Puppets, Iron Maiden's Official Bootleg: Covers Series - The Number of the Beast and Pink Floyd's Official Bootleg: Covers Series: Dark Side of the Moon, the band here has decided to do a live cover album... on a live album. A slightly off-kilter idea, one would have thought. Sure, Deep Purple's original release of MADE IN JAPAN is a classic and inspirational release, showcasing this amazing band full of amazing performers in their live element. But does it need to be redone as an album cover, almost note for note and word for word in crowd interaction all these years later? It is novel that the band went out of their way to play every piece of the original album note for note, but it seems a bit... of a wank... if you are also trying to get those same inflections that would have been done 'on the spot' in a live performance. Or perhaps that's just me. No doubt the band had a lot of fun with the improvisations necessary to do this to the degree they were trying. However, how many times to do you want to hear a guitarist and a keyboardist and a drummer doing 5+ solos and improvs? Or the moments between lead singer and guitarist? It really is so 1970's isn't it? Given the time of the recording of over 70 minutes, they band could have chosen any album and played that in less time, or for that matter play TWO albums rather than just the one. Imagine if Dream Theater had played Deep Purple in Rock and Machine Head back to back?! Now THAT would have been something.

Still, has the band done a good job on this? Yes, there's no denying that. The musicianship is second to none, and the songs sound terrific. But that doesn't deter from the fact that if you play this, and then listen to Deep Purple's original recording, it is like chalk and cheese. There's only one Ian Gillan, one Ritchie Blackmore, one Ian Paice, one Jon Lord and one Roger Glover. And their way of playing these songs will always be the best. And the five most vehement supporters of that fact will be the members of Dream Theater. This is great for an occasional listen, but it is the original that is still the star of the show.

Rating:  James, never sing "Child in Time" ever again.  4/5

704. Dream Theater / Dream Theater. 2013. 4/5

It's far too easy to fall into the trap of "this is their best album since..." or "I haven't heard a song like this from the band since...". Dream Theater seems to get this with practically every release, and while I don't play those kind of games, given the enormous joy I have for their back catalogue, I always look forward to each new album from this band to see if they can match what they have provided us before.

The opening salvo of "False Awakening Suite" is pure Dream Theater theatrics, setting the tone for the album to come in fine style. It feels like the opening to a show, with curtain closed ready to reveal the start of the movie or concert at any moment. Great stuff. Both songs that follow, "The Enemy Inside" and "The Looking Glass" focus very much on the progressive side of Dream Theater's music, both having their moments guitar riff wise but for the most part settling in their mainstream of James LaBrie's soaring vocals holding sway over a keyboard driven melody throughout.
The instrumental "Enigma Machine" is a triumph, not only the heaviest song on the album but the most technically proficient for all players. John Petrucci's shredding here is fantastic, tripping the light fantastic in a virtual riff-o-rma, and also featuring great work from John Myung and Mike Mangini in the rhythm section.
"The Bigger Picture" delves back into the slower tempo song that tend to send me off to sleep. It has its moments, both with a couple of great riffs fro Petrucci and some of LaBrie's better vocals, but when the band fall into this almost power ballad type of song, it loses me instantly. No matter how good the musicianship is and the vocals are, I can't say that I'm a fan.
"Beyond the Veil" and "Surrender to Reason" are both good rather than great songs. 'Beyond the Veil" again probably concentrates too much on the keyboard power/progressive material with LaBrie sighing over the top for the most part, while "Surrender to Reason" has a nice Petrucci riff underlying the song, along with great work especially from Myung and Mangini again.
Worse is to follow in the category from which "The Bigger Picture" lies though, with the wistful and remorseful "Along For the Ride", which involves even more of the kind of things that make me reach immediately for the skip button. Perhaps I just expect more from Dream Theater because of the band they are, but I find this to be really average on all levels.

The album (eventually) comes to its conclusion with the 22 minute monster "Illumination Theory", another of the band's songs that might come under one title, but with various acts that signify the change in tempo of the song at various points along the way. "I. Paradoxe de la Lumière Noire" acts as the introduction to the song, before "II. Live, Die, Kill" kicks in, starting this lengthy mind bender in the right mode. From here it morphs into "III. The Embracing Circle" which is more like a movie or musical score, so much so that it completely breaks up the mojo of the entire song, if only because it is so completely different and mood changing. It's like an ad break on television, it's a time to get up and make yourself a cup of tea. After four minutes of this it crashes back into "IV. The Pursuit of Truth", the best act of the song, with Petrucci and Rudess really hammering through their solo pieces with gusto. The concluding act, "V. Surrender, Trust & Passion" is much like it's title, a chance for LaBrie to croon as he does best over the top of a dramatic power ballad keyboard arrangement, before Petrucci's guitar solo closes out the major finishing piece, followed by two minutes of Rudess piano at the end. The song has it all, drawing from all corners of the Dream Theater entity, and though many will love it in its entirety, other like me will probably believe the best parts of the song could have been salvaged for a shorter, tighter delivery. But then, it wouldn't be Dream Theater if that happened.

Mike Mangini's drummingon Dream Theater is really just superb. Having come into the previous album with everything pretty much done, this is his real first chance to put his stamp on the band, and in reality he steals the show. His timekeeping is spectacular, his rolls and synchronisation are stupendous. Mike Portnoy may have entertained visions of returning to his band in the future, but one can't see that occurring while Mangini is playing like this.

Having gone through here song by song to review the album, it feels a little like I don't find a lot to like. But as with many Dream Theater albums, I find that you need to take on the album as a whole and not try and break it down in order to like it. Sure, some of the songs on their own would be painful to take over a period of time, but in just listening to the album from start to finish without any predetermination involved, I really do enjoy the album. It can never come close to matching my favourite Dream Theater albums, but it is more than pleasurable just the same.

624. Dream Theater / A Dramatic Turn of Events. 2011. 3/5

The lead-up to this album being written, recorded and released was overshadowed by the circumstances regarding drummer Mike Portnoy quitting the band he had helped to form. The months spent producing the album had stories passing back and forth over what had happened and why. In the long run, despite his obvious importance to most parts of the Dream Theater machine, it was going to be interesting to see what the band would produce given that his sway had now left the process.

I think every Dream Theater album is beginning to morph into each other, such is the similar nature of the song structure and sound of the songs on them all. The opening track "On the Backs of Angels" is a good song, but it's in the same element as most of their opening songs. James La Brie even seems to be singing in the same pitch location. What are they doing, just bringing out the same mold each time and casting the same elements? That's not quite accurate of course, but in many ways it's a lot closer to the truth. "Build Me Up, Break Me Down" and "Lost Not Forgotten" are also atypical Dream Theater movements, combining the melding of keyboards and guitar whilst the bass holds the song together underneath these elements.
From here on in though, it becomes really hard work. I know Dream Theater have made an art form of 10 minute plus compositions, but truly, unless you have enough in them to retain the interest, you begin to look for the 'skip' button. On past albums they have done it in magnificent fashion on any number of songs - "A Change of Seasons", "The Glass Prison" and pretty much the entire Train of Thought album - but here I confess it just seems like the songs drag on forever, and begin to blend from one to the next. "Bridges in the Sky", "Outcry" and "Breaking All Illusions" are only broken up by dis-interesting ballad "Far From Heaven", before finishing with the less than inspiring "Beneath the Surface".

I've no doubt that the hard core Dream Theater fans will again consider this album to be a triumph and praise its claims to the heavens. Personally I have struggled to be completely enthused about a Dream Theater album since in the imperial Train of Thought. While the musicianship continues to be of the highest class, the songs to me just aren't holding my interest throughout. Comparing this to fellow progressive metal outfit Symphony X's last two album's, Paradise Lost and Iconoclast they just aren't in the same street. I'm not proclaiming that the end is nigh for Dream Theater, but I know where my preferences have switched to in recent years, and I'm not sure whether they can be retrieved from that direction. This is not a bad album by any means, but it just isn't a super one that you expect from this band.

537. Dream Theater / Stargazer [Digital Single]. 2009. 4/5

A pretty good update of the brilliant Rainbow song. A tough gig trying to take on this task. For the most part they remain faithful to the original, which is no mean feat, especially in trying to recreate the aura and magnificent feel that the 1975 version has.

As much as I respect this band and the individual musicianship of each of them, what comes to pass here is this - John Petrucci is no Ritchie Blackmore, Mike Portnoy is no Cozy Powell, and James LaBrie is a million miles away from being Ronnie James Dio.

Rating: Well worth a listen, but cannot approach the original. 4/5.

536. Dream Theater / Images And Words. 1992. 4/5

Dream Theater was another of those bands that began in high school, and then progressed to a higher plane through sheer force of will after their school years. Their debut album was filled with songs that they had written in those years, and it is said that based on the glowing reports of their demo album, where most of those songs originated from, they had expected a similar reaction to their first album. This wasn’t the case, and along with the clashes with lead singer Charlie Dominici the band made some changes, with James LaBrie coming in on vocals to join John Petrucci on guitar, Mike Portnoy on drums, John Myung on bass and Kevin Moore on keyboards.
The progressiveness of the band’s material seemed to have been an obstruction to the success of their first album, which seemed a little strange given what was being produced in 1989. But here in 1992 they were up against greater odds, the influence and dominating factor of grunge. Their style wasn’t unique, but it did incorporate different styles from bands such as Rush and Yes through to Queensryche and Metallica, and on that debut album it hadn’t quite caught the imagination.
The band initially wanted to record “Images and Words” as a double album, but their new record company was against the idea, meaning that some of the songs recorded for the album missed out. One of those was “A Change of Seasons” that was eventually re-recorded and released as an EP.
When you first listen to this album, there is quite a lot to take in, and yet comparatively to their first album it feels a lot simpler and more engaging. The opening track is brilliant, still one of the band’s best. “Pull Me Under” really acts as a great introduction point to new fans, presenting everything that is so fantastic about the band. The moody opening of guitar bass and keys with the drums kicking in to provide the impetus, followed by the amazing vocals swimming in kicks the song and album off in perfect fashion. It is the song I play to anyone who wants to know what Dream Theater is like. It is also the band’s only top ten single on the US charts, albeit a shortened version, and became the joke of the band’s eventual greatest hits album in the title “Greatest Hit... and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)”.
The band’s ability to switch from heavy progressive to light progressive is highlighted on this album throughout, sometime within a song itself, and at other times between the tracks. “Another Day” is a more serene track compared to the opener, but though it dials back in intensity it doesn’t lose any of its flavour or joy as a result. Indeed, it fits the template of the album that a song like this doesn’t on heavier bands albums. Then we are back into the much harder tempo of “Take the Time” where LaBrie’s ability to infuse attitude into those high range vocals is perfectly positioned along with Portnoy’s ridiculous off timing drum fills and cymbal touches is still amazing.

“Surrounded” delves back to the quiet and reserved, dominated through the beginning of the song by Moore keys and LaBrie vocals before rising towards the end. It is complemented towards the end of the album with the short serve of “Wait For Sleep” which was the only song on the album written exclusively by one member, this one by Kevin Moore. Both of these songs showcase what the band does well in its lighter moments, and though they aren’t my cup of tea when it comes to music genres they both fit the way the album has been constructed in the best way.
“Metropolis - Part 1: “The Miracle and the Sleeper” has a natural build through the lengthy time span of the song, riding the wave once again of Moore’s keyboards through to the hardening of the drums and guitars, and concluding with LaBrie’s wonderful vocals delivering the final lines. It is a terrific track, one that must have led the listeners back in those days to wonder why it was Metropolis Part 1” and if that meant there was a Part 2 coming somewhere down the line. That of course came to fruition in an amazing way. “Under a Glass Moon” comes at you in the same way, dominated a bit more with Portnoy’s relentless drumming that never ceases to amaze. The closing track “Learning to Live” covers all of the equations of the Dream Theater repertoire, a smashing of heavy from Petrucci and Portnoy to the sallow of Myung and Moore, while LaBrie changes his inflection as the mood of the song comes and goes in waves. It’s 11 minutes plus runtime is a pretty usual thing for the band, and it acts as an excellent closer to the album.

Dream Theater was another band that I was slow to cottoning onto, so my first discovery of this album didn’t come until the turn of the century. And, perhaps like most who have found this band or this album, it is the opening stanza of the opening track that drags you in. That amazing strength of “Pull Me Under” is what got me, that sensation that you will get with the very best albums or tracks where you think “bloody hell, what the hell is THIS?!” And the album, like the majority of Dream Theater albums, has its share of the heavy and light, the sings where Portnoy and Petrucci dominate and star, and those where Moore and LaBrie take centre stage, and all the while Johnny Myung does his amazing stuff up and down his bass guitar, no matter what kind of song is being played. And while my preference of their material has always been the guitar heavy tracks that have the drive along with the bass and drums and the harder attitude in James LaBrie’s vocals, the complementing songs here are amenable to the track list.
What still amazes me about this album is that it was able to find a successful window in a year that had such a different space in regards to the music that was being released. To have successfully produced the music that the band loved, without amending their style to follow the path that music at the time was trending, is a credit to the band and their belief in what they were doing. Listening to it 30 years later since its release, and a tick over 20 years since I first heard it myself, those influences I mentioned earlier, from bands such as Yes and Rush and Queensryche and even contemporaries like Fates Warning are so solid in the music here. And for me, this album lay the platform for Dream Theater to construct from, to develop their own style further. Some of those future albums are better than others, but Images and Words still truly holds its own in the Dream Theater catalogue.

452. Dream Theater / Greatest Hit (... And 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs). 2008. 3/5

Let me say from the outset that the band and/or the record company have labeled this as Greatest HIT, and some other ‘cool’ tracks. There is nothing here that really says this is what could be considered as a true ‘greatest hits’ package.

What we do have is two discs jam-packed with songs from a band that has made the extremely long song into an art form. Twenty two songs, eleven to each disc. One disc labeled “The Dark Side”, suggesting heavier material, and one labeled “The Light Side” suggesting an opposite quality. That’s all fine.
Perhaps, then, you can explain to me why it is that this package doesn’t seem to have the best of Dream Theater on it? Is it because my opinion of this band’s best material is so much different from everyone else I the world? Or has the decision making process just gone a little haywire?

Where is "Caught In A Web"? Probably the second song to get me into Dream Theater. I can probably excuse the omission of "A Change Of Seasons", but I think it should have been included. What about "The Glass Prison"? C'mon guys!
To help out those of us that already have all the albums, we have a couple of remixes and a couple of radio edits. They are fine. And let's face it - most of the time I'm not going to delve into the Light Side, because that just isn't my style.

So it's a nice thought, but sometimes greatest hits packages won't suit everyone. I'd rather just pull out Awake or Scenes From A Memory or Train of Thought.

Rating: More for the person who may be just getting their Dream Theater feet wet. 3/5

400. Dream Theater / Forbidden Dreams [Bootleg]. 2002. 3/5

This is an excellent A- bootleg from Dream Theater's Japanese tour, containing pretty much their best material to that point in their career (1994 and 1995). As per usual with Dream Theater, there are five or six instances where the band go off and do their 'instrumental' break for 5-10 minutes at a time. A fan will enjoy and tolerate them. Others may not.

I still think their live DVDs are the best way to appreciate this band. This does have its moments however.

Rating: Good quality bootleg that captures the band at an interesting time of their career. 3/5.

376. Dream Theater / Falling Into Infinity. 1997. 2/5

I have spent the better part of a day and a half at work listening to this album, and trying to work out how I feel about it. As it turns out, my first impressions were pretty accurate, but it is important to check these things out.
I’ve had this album for a while, but have rarely put it on to listen to since I first got it. So I wanted to make sure I gave this a fair go when I was sitting down to rate and review it.

Is this the forgotten Dream Theater album because it is really average? There is very little of what I feel makes Dream Theater a good band on this – few sizzling Petrucci solo blazes, little Portnoy drum thumping mania, almost no register of the Myung bass flicks. Most of the songs sit on the edge of ballads, or are precisely that.
I don’t know the story of the recording of this album, or the theories that the band had in place for it. But it is missing an awful lot of what makes Dream Theater good, and it is quite obvious all the way through.
Was this a hiccup? Certainly they redeem themselves in future releases, but what was the reason for this massive change in quality? One could only ask the band members themselves I guess. I am unable to fathom it. But the boredom I feel from repeated listenings over the past couple of days has not abated, and that’s not a good sign for any album in my collection.

Best for me include “Lines In The Sand”, “New Millenium” and “You Not Me”.

Rating: There are not a whole lot of redeeming features here for me. 2/5.

346. Dream Theater / Dark Side Of The Moon [Live Covers Series]. 2006. 1.5/5

OK. I know what you are thinking. “Why did this guy get this album, when it is obvious from his previous review of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon that he dislikes the album?”
Quite a reasonable question really.

Well, the answer is, I was interested to see what kind of treatment Dream Theater would give to it, and see what it would sound like live.
And to me, it sounds like the same old dribble that I didn’t like in the first place.
Don’t get me wrong. Dream Theater do a great job, and the sound is good. It is extremely well done. But it is not to my liking.
I also have the bonus disc, with more Pink Floyd material. I rate it the same.

Rating: Sorry. It doesn’t improve for me. 1.5/5.

85. Dream Theater / Awake. 1994. 4/5.

Coming off the tour to promote their second album “Images and Words”, Dream Theater took a short one month break before heading back into the writing process for their follow up in February 1994. This period, and the subsequent recording of the album, saw increased tension within the ranks, with what was perceived as a lack of a leader to come in and make decisions where required. With guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy filling senior roles, and keyboardist Kevin Moore pulling in a different direction, the process was filled with tension that apparently did not result in physical altercations, but did result in bickering and arguments that never felt resolved.
“Awake” is an album with darker themes and heavier music throughout, than the band’s first two albums, though not to the point that they lose their identity. On “6:00”, James LaBrie opens the album and comes in hard and positive with his vocals from the outset, setting the album off on a great note, with John Petrucci’s crawling guitar riff and Kevin Moore’s seamless keyboards linking everything throughout. “Caught in a Web” carries on with the heavier tones, dominated by LaBrie’s awesome vocal track and Petrucci’s heavy riff, with positive lyrics about deciding to live life the way you want to, and not feel as though you are trapped in the titled web. “Innocence Faded” follows and draws on similar themes from the opening track. “6.00” has lyrics written by Moore, while “Innocence Faded” is written by Petrucci, and those themes, of a relationship beginning to deteriorate from two different perspectives, is closer to home than anyone knew at the time. Lines such as “Beginnings get complicated the farther we progress, opinions are complicated, immune to openness” speak for themselves.
“A Mind Beside Itself” is the trilogy suite that follows this, beginning with the instrumental “Erotomania”, something that gives the band the chance to operate without the vocals. This moves into “Voices” and “The Silent Man” and is a quieter and softer trio of tracks than what has come before it. “The Silent Man” sits in the acoustic range with LaBrie’s vocals suitably muted for the track.
“The Mirror” combines Moore’s sensational keyboard pieces that hold the song together, along with Petrucci’s grunging guitar riffs and John Myung’s bottom end bass guitar bringing a whole new depth to the musical side of the track. Lyrically it references Mike Portnoy’s battle with alcohol, something he would utilise again in several songs through the years. “Lie” opens with a great Petrucci riff and is a great example of the heavier direction this album took in many places. LaBrie’s vocals perfectly position themselves between the low almost growl of the opening lines before he rises to the heights again with a heavier emphasis on his singing. It’s interesting that the main riff was originally a part of the previous song “The Mirror”, but it was LaBrie who insisted that the riff deserved a place of its own. Great song, with a great solo from Petrucci through the middle of the track.
“Lifting Shadows Off a Dream” builds throughout from a slower quieter beginning to a soaring of LaBrie’s vocals into the back half of the song and the dominant sound of Moore’s keyboards and Myung’s bass. “Scarred” is the longest track on the album at eleven minutes, incorporating each of the members performance to ebb and flow throughout. The album closes out with “Space-Dye Vest” and is solely composed by Moore, something which caused a conundrum for the band when, just after the release of the album, Moore quit Dream Theater. Because the band considered this to be a 100% Kevin Moore song, they didn’t feel it was right to play the song live without him. In fact, Portnoy was quoted as saying that if they had known Moore was going to leave the band, they would not have put the song on the album. It was not until 2014 that the band performed the song live. Containing samples from certain movies and TV shows, and with music heavily based around Moore keyboards, it does feel more like a Moore solo composition than a Dream Theater song, though LaBrie and future keyboardist Jordan Rudess were very keen on getting the song into their live setlists.

I didn’t come across Dream Theater in any way shape or form until almost the turn of the new century, with the return of my heavy metal music dealer, who had come across this band in his travels, and started very forcibly pushing them onto myself and our friends by saying “You have to listen to this band they are AWESOME!!” And so we, and I, did. And as it turned out I got copies of quite a few of their albums at the same time, and was listening to them all in assorted orders, so it was quite a bit to get used to. And as it turns out, it was “Awake” that I finally settled on to listen to on a regular basis, to come to terms and get a grip on the music that Dream Theater was producing.
Now unlike others, Dream Theater for me was an acquired taste. It didn’t always gel with me and my music tastes. I would discover songs that I loved, but other stretches where I found I wasn't so much a fan of. The song that first caught my attention was “Caught in a Web”, perhaps because it wasn’t quite so progressive as their other work that I knew at the time. It was a song where I began to appreciate each different aspect of the band – guitar, bass, drums, keys, vocals. And having found a way in, it enabled me to get a grip on the music and the band, and from there I was able to enjoy what they produced. And as it turned out, “Awake” was a heavier and more focused album than “When Dream and Day Unite” and “Images and Words” and “Falling into Infinity”, which had been those other albums that I had initially listened to. So by concentrating on just this album for awhile, I found my niche into the Dream Theater sound, and it set me on my way.
Is there a conflict within my enjoyment and love of Dream Theater? Yes, there is. And “Awake” certainly holds true to that. I like most of my music is that faster tempo, and heavier too if possible. Not all of this album is like that, which means that when I put the album on to listen to while I’m doing something else in the background it is enjoyable, but if I have it on, say, in the car, then the skip button will occasionally get utilised. It’s just the way of things. But the songs that I like, such as those played here on this episode and a few others, I REALLY like. And that is what drives my enjoyment of this album.
While this was the first album that I really listened to of Dream Theater, there are many other albums down the track that caught my attention harder, mostly when they allowed the heavier side of their music to shine through. No real surprise in that, I guess. But this album still shines in those same old places, with the genius of the players well and truly front and centre in the mix.
And while the musicians themselves are generally the high water talking point of this band when it comes to musical discussion, the star for me on this album has always been James Labrie and his vocals. I think they are amazing here, and he makes the songs what they are.

21. Dream Theater / A Change Of Seasons. 1995. 5/5

In a world where music on the heavier side of the equation was going through excruciating growing pains, from the onset of grunge and from that the various tentacles of genre change that grew from this, it was unusual to see a band – any band – able to stick to their core sound and continue to hammer away at it with the same enthusiasm as they always had. Even more unusual was being able to find a modicum of success as they did so! One of those bands that did find a path through the maze was American progressive metal alumni Dream Theater. Over the course of three albums and the odd change of band member, they had not only produced a hit single in the form of “Pull Me Under” but had cultivated a following that moved outside the other music influences that were going on in the world in the early 1990’s. Keyboardist Kevin Moore had left the group following the recording of the “Awake” album, which led to them hiring Derek Sherinian to fill in on the tour that followed, after which they took him on as Moore’s permanent replacement. The band did not rush in to start on working on new material however. For some time, the band’s fan base, who were all a part of the Ytse Jam mailing list that the band used as communication with their fan club, had been championing the cause to have a song that the band had written some years ago be recorded and released. That song was called “A Change of Seasons” and is said to have been written back in 1989 and had intended to be released on the band’s second album “Images and Words”. At almost 17 minutes in length, it was deeemd to be too long to be released on a studio album. It had been performed live by the band despite this, and was still in an evolution of improvement and revising over the years. And the idea of using it was still very much at the forefront of the decision making process.
On the back of this continued petitioning from fans, the band decided to go ahead and record it, and issue it as an EP rather than as a part of a brand new studio album. By the time it came to this process, the length of the song had increased from almost 17 minutes to just beyond 23 minutes, and it became the centrepiece of the 1995 EP which carried the sme name as the title track, that being “A Change of Seasons”.

The title track “A Change of Seasons” was eventually recorded at BearTracks Studios in New York in May of 1995. Here the song was re-written, improved and stretched to its final length of just over 23 minute. New keyboardist Derek Sherinian was significantly involved in contributing to the final mix of the track.
To suggest that this is an epic is an understatement, but does its epicness come simply from the song’s overblown length, or is there more to the whole concept than meets the eye and ear? It is true that the song includes audio samples from the 1989 film ‘Dead Poets Society’, as well as quotes from the 1648 Robert Herrick poem, ‘To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time’, and yet that is a misdirect as to what the lyrics convey. Mike Portnoy, who wrote the lyrics to the song, said in a Q&A session a couple of years after this release, when questioned about it said: “it's about the cycle of life. Basically, I took a lot of personal incidents, like losing my mother and a couple of things that happened in my life, and I wrote them into the lyrics”. Indeed, the back cover of the album shows a calendar with the date November 16 showing, the day that Portnoy’s mother died. But more than this, not for the first nor last time in the Dream Theater song collection, this track is also broken into seven suites, signifying the change in mood and direction of the track at that point. Three of these suites are classed as instrumentals, while the other four have James LaBrie’s amazing vocals inserted into them. The titles of the suites indicate the change of the track through the movement of the seasons, with the titles ‘The Crimson Sunrise’, ‘Innocence’, ‘Carpe Diem’, ‘The Darkest of Winters’, ‘Another World’, ‘The Inevitable Summer’ and ‘The Crimson Sunset’. What this also allowed the band to do on their tours was to be able play sections of this track when time constraints or the lack of desire did not allow for the full version of the song to be played. Indeed, it has only been on rare occasions that the band has played this in its entirety on stage and given the usually lengthy timeframes of Dream Theater songs that isn’t surprising.
“A Change of Seasons” is a tour de force. It may well be very long, but fans never grow tired of listening to it from start to conclusion. The rising and falling tides of the music, the emotive state of the song itself, holds you in awe all the way through. The musicianship and composition is remarkable, and the way the song is crafted brings it all together. The build and fall of Mike Portnoy’s drums and John Myung’s bass is amazing. It can fall to almost non-existent phases when necessary, and then builds in speed and complexity without even noticing what is going on. It is a part of what makes Dream Theater the amazing band they are. Derek Sherinian's keys are superb, and his experience is utilised to its utmost here. It goes without saying how truly remarkable John Petrucci’s guitaring is on this track. He is a genius, and that is plainly obvious throughout this entire journey of this song. And the voice of Dream Theater, James LaBrie once again crushes it, that emotive level he is able to reach is so much a part of the bedrock of this band.
Once the main event has concluded, there is so much more to come, so much wonderful and brilliant stuff. Some fans ignore what comes after the main track, but it would be a foolish individual who does so. Because what we have here Dream Theater doing what they do so well – covering songs and bands that they grew up with and whom they admire and look up to. And all of it is terrific, but some of it is particularly awesome.
We have two songs done in their entirety, and we have two medleys, all of which come from a live performance that the band did at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London in January of 1995. So not only do we get a whole bunch of wonderful cover versions, we get them in the live environment, and they are smoking. A medley of three Led Zeppelin songs is played, titled as just the three song titles - “The Rover" / "Achilles Last Stand" / "The Song Remains the Same". I love Myung’s wonderful running basslines through this medley, he really pays a great tribute to John Paul Jones here, it is fabulous to listen to, while Portnoy’s drumming is sublime as well. Following this is what the band titles “The Big Medley”, a 10.5 minute voyage through a number of different songs from different bands. They take a walk through “In the Flesh” by Pink Floyd, “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’” by Journey, “Cruise Control” by Dixie Dreggs and “Turn it on Again” by Genesis. There’s a lot of progressive rock bands there from the 1970’s that they have obviously drawn inspiration from in their own music, and they pay tribute to all of them in this one big mashing of tracks.
But the two absolute standouts are the two tracks they do as standalone performances. The first is their amazing version of Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding” from his “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” album. This sounds just incredible, and amplifies everything great about this song. The keys are so well performed by Sherinian. The guitar is crushed by Petrucci. And James LaBrie is marvellous on vocals. When I first heard this version of the song it reminded me of how much I enjoy Elton John’s album, and it sent me back to it to relive, and I remember thinking how good that album still is, but that now Dream Theater had destroyed that opening track from the album for me, because they improve on it tenfold from the Elton John version. And the other song here is the version of Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers”, where Sherinian seems to be channelling Jon Lord through him as he plays so closely does it sound to the original organ on the track, and how LaBrie’s wailing at the end of the track is so brilliant. I don’t think anything can beat Deep Purple’s original version of the song, but this really does run it close.

I was not aware of the band Dream Theater until 1999. That of course was a massive oversight on my behalf, but as should have become aware by now over the course of this podcast, my seeking out of new music during the 1990’s was almost non-existent. Having moved into the big wide world away from trusted friends and their constant ‘you MUST listen to this band/album’, I had a slight cocoon around me in regards to searching for and finding new bands. The bands I already knew? Sure, I bought their stuff, which is why I had to listen to “Load” and “Reload” more often than a normal person would. Idiot!
As we moved into the new century though, most of my friend group had managed to move into locations much closer together again, and we began to see more of each other and so the music began to start up again. So, inevitably, it was my heavy metal music dealer who informed me that this band Dream Theater had something about them, and that I would be wise to start listening to them. The result of this was four albums that came at me almost at the same time, ready for my adoring approval. And while I would listen to them, I wasn’t really getting what was supposed to be great about them. It wasn’t as if they didn’t sound good, it’s just that I didn’t get all the time changes and mood changes and weird drumming and guitar things that were happening. But then my ear caught this, and so it was “A Change of Seasons” that I began to concentrate on, because something about it hooked me in, and made me want to listen to it more. And that is how Dream Theater dragged me in. Their longest song, with more intricate and intimate changes than anything else they had done to that point in time. THAT was the song and EP that won me over. It probably didn’t hurt that the cover songs that followed it were all tracks that I knew and loved, and hearing them play those so well no doubt encouraged me to keep playing the EP over and over, and thus coming to appreciate everything about the band, which I could then enjoy by switching to their other albums. Which is exactly what I did.
My CD copy has been out in the Metal Cavern again this week, and I can honestly say it never gets old. I spent most of my time now though just listening to the title track, and then hitting replay to listen to it again rather than listen to all of the cover songs. They’re still good, don’t get me wrong, but what I really wanted to hear was the 23 minute masterpiece that they created this EP for in the first place. And while they have continued to produce some amazing albums in the 30 years since this was released, this is still one that I can come back to at any time and still enjoy. It is still a fabulous listen.