DREAM THEATER — A Dramatic Turn of Events (review)

DREAM THEATER — A Dramatic Turn of Events album cover

Album · 2011 · Progressive Metal

4.5/5 · 2011-09-13
Diogenes

BREAKING NEWS! The new Dream Theater album finally got released (amid much hype and overanalysis), and it’s the best material they’ve come up with since 1999’s Scenes from a Memory.

Is that what you wanted to hear? IS IT? HUH?! Well, it’s what I wanted to hear. After what seemed like an eternity of experimenting and trying out new sounds without ever coming close to the magic they achieved in the early 90’s, Dream Theater has finally harkened back to what made Images and Words such a landmark of progressive metal…and all it took was the departure of a founding member, a pissing match worthy of the 3rd grade, and endless crap being thrown around by the fanbase during an overblown drummer audition! There were two, maybe three things keeping me from enjoying Dream Theater’s last few albums as much as most other people. Over and over and over again: too much wanking, too many attempts at being “modern” or “metal,” and backing vocals from a certain someone that just should not have been there at all. For the most part, A Dramatic Turn of Events sees these issues as things of the past (hopefully forever). There is still your occasional noodling in extended instrumental sections (particularly in Lost Not Forgotten and Outcry), but they sound less…I don’t know, forced? The team play by each of the band members should be apparent right from the first listen, as both John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess manage to [gasp!] play WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE MUSIC! Wowie-kazowie! This isn’t a “this album needs BALLS!” spiel either, as the sound is much more synth-oriented, with melodies and piano bits that will bring back vivid memories of the 90s for those who miss them so. And as for the backing vocals, heh, let’s just say those aren’t a problem anymore.

That’s not to say this album isn’t heavy. People seem to forget that Dream Theater still had a pretty heavy edge circa Awake; however, Train of Thought and Systematic Chaos were heavy to the point of trying too hard, so those were more noticed. There are plenty of heavy riffs here: Bridges in the Sky is the most obvious culprit, sounding somewhat like a Glass Prison-y song with more of a focus on melody (the chorus, mainly). Build Me Up, Break Me Down is the traditional Dream Theater “we had to put a radio-friendly song on here SOMEwhere” track, but its heavy riffage and distorted vocals keep it from stepping into the dangerous I Walk Beside You territory. Petrucci has always had a heavy guitar tone for the most part, and on A Dramatic Turn of Events, he crunches along per usual.

As for the two band members I’m obligated to discuss…Mike Mangini’s drumming may seem underwhelming at first (partly because he’s lower in the mix), but if you pay attention to the percussion in relation to the other instruments, you’ll see how amazing he really is. Instead of playing lead drums with flashy fills and ooga-booga solo parts, Mangini employs his knowledge of polyrhythms to “be the connective tissue” (his words, not mine!), basically embellishing on the other members of the band instead of showing how fast/crazy/omg he can play. He’s undoubtedly a spectacular drummer technically speaking, but on this album, it’s more about what Mangini does as part of the rhythm section than individually. Again, this change is more than welcome, as I really don’t ever feel the need to listen to 3 lead sections at once.

I absolutely refuse to take a stance on James LaBrie. His vocals are a huge issue when one talks about Dream Theater, and while I can see why, I don’t think they’ve ever been a problem. He once again sings mostly in the middle and lower registers (this is probably better for him nowadays). I know every new DT album has James’ “best performance since album X,” but yeah, he sounds basically the same. If you like him, cool. If not, then rest assured he once again does not ruin the album. Hooray!

This album isn’t accessible. Like, at all. Even Build Me Up, Break Me Down can be hard to get into (techno effects? C’MON MAN!). No matter what they’re playing, Dream Theater have a tendency to sound very robotic, and as such, you might not feel an instant connection to some of the songs on here. But all of that’s okay, because the ballads are here to make it all better! Yes, you read that correctly. Me, praising an album’s ballads. Unless I’ve gone crazy, Beneath the Surface and This is the Life are two of the best ballads this band has written in quite some time. If anything, they’re not too cheesy like the ones on Six Degrees, and LaBrie gives his best effort on them, so there are a few points whether you like slow songs or not.

I’m not the biggest Dream Theater fan, but when they decided against quitting, I was thrilled. I hoped that maybe, just maybe, this would prompt them to become a band again, rather than five excellent musicians playing under one name. A Dramatic Turn of Events rewarded my faith and then some, proving that this bunch of coots still has plenty to give. With a renewed sense of direction, fresh energy behind the drum kit, and their finest album in over a decade to build on, the future for Dream Theater looks as bright as it did back in 1993.

Updated review 9/16: Added some stuff after listening a few more times.