Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
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Free Music Notes for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Free Music Review: different than metropolis pt. 2
Hit: 5 Stars
Wow, ok, where do i begin. I waited for this one to come out for so long. This album will shock you and perhaps dissapoint you if your expecting a continuation of metropolis, which is my favorite DT album. Of course if your a true DT fan than you'll know to never expect them to release an album that sounds like another one and this is no exception. It is totally unlike anything they have ever done. If your taken aback by this album at first, give it time, I gaurantee it will grow on you. Parts than weren't catchy before become catchy as you become familiar with the album. It starts out with the perfect song as an opener and truly one of DT's finest moments, The Glass Prison. This song is heavier than anything they have done before. Some riffs sound like they could be taken right off a Slipknot album, but don't that deter you. Come on, you really thing John P. would do something like that and not add his own flavor to it. It is still definitley DT what with the odd time signatures and what not. The instrumental break, which happens to be in every one of these songs considering most of them are over ten minutes long, is the best on the album and the solos are amazing. John P. second solo on this song is faster and more chaotic than anything he has ever recorded, and if you know good ol' Johnny P., that's sayin a hell of alot. My only complaint about, not only this song but all the songs, is that James doesn't sing a whole lot and when he does, half the time he's using computer effects on his voice, while Mike and John P. get more vocal spots for themselves. The next song, Blind Faith, is a song I didn't especially like at first, but once I listened to a few more times, it really is a cool song. It's no where near as heavy as The Glass Prison, the only they come close to being that heavy again on the album is the test that stumped them all on the second disc. Blind faith has more of a Falling Into Infinity feel to it, although the instrumental break in this song is an excellent one that is very catchy and has an amazing part where the whole band stops playing suddenly and Jordan just keeps going by himself adding other little intricacies to make up for the rest of the band not playing. The next song is Misunderstood, which is one of the better songs on the album, but another one that might take a few listens before you really can appreciate it. It still has sort of a Falling Into Infinity feel to it, But not quite as much as Blind Faith. The instrumental break on this song drags on a little bit where they seem to play some riffs over and over again without adding any thin that keep your attention for the entire duration. The song ends rather similarly, with the same riff played over and over untill it fades out and you have just John P. making wacky, sometimes anoying sounds on his guitar. And just when you think the song is over, the riff fades back in and they play it for another 30 seconds to a minute. The next song is, in my opinion, the worst song on the whole album. There's a 2 and a half minute intro that is one riff played over and over again while sound samples of news interviews with people about stim cell research is played. This is a subject I think they should have just stayed clear of because every one seems to have a strong opinion on it either way and it could really piss some people off. DT seems to take the stand piont that it is wrong to do experiments like that and for those who disagree with their opinion may find it uncompfortable to listen to the lyrics. The song itself is too Tool sounding for me, and I own all the Tool albums. James seems to be trying to sound like Maynard James Keenan in some parts and even the intro with the news samples is remeniscent of tools Third Eye. The instrumental break in this songs drags FOREVER!!! The solos are really good though when they happen, some of the best on the album. This song just isn't my cup of tea, although other DT fans may enjoy it. The next song and the last on disc one is probably the best after Glass Prison. It's called Disappear and is the albums ballad. It sort of like the Silent Man only darker, sadder and with more sound effects. It's great and catchy and a good way to close out disc one to make way for the monster that is Six Dgrees of Inner Turbulence. This song is one of the reasons to buy this album. Taking up the entire second disc it is forty two miutes long and epic as hell. It starts out with a classical overture and goes into the catchy About to Crash. After that they go into the two heavy parts on the song, War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All. The latter is almost Thrashy in some parts and is probably my favorite part of the song. After that they go into the softest song perhaps in their entire career, Goodnight Kiss. It's catchy and has wonderfull solo to it. After that its Solitary Shell which is the radio friendly song on the album. It's really good if you like their Falling Into Infinity stuff. After that its back to About to Crash although played with a little variation and into the last song Losing Time which brings back some riffs form the overture and Goodnight Kiss. They end it by holding one note for about two minutes, why, I don't know. All in all , I still think Metropolis is their best album and would be surprised if the ever top it, but this is still grest and it's an entirely different formula thatn any of there other albums.
Free Music Review: Some flaws, but plenty of greatness as well
Hit: 5 Stars
This is, as I'm sure you saw, a double album and though both cds are good, the first is definitely the one I like best. It has only five songs, though it is in fact the longer of the 2 cds, clocking in at 54 minutes, so you are far from being shortchanged. This album is the more conventional of the 2, as it is made up of distinctive songs, rather than a flowing suite of music. Of course, as is to be expected, the individual songs are far from conventional. There are a wide variety of styles and influences to be found on the first cd. High speed thrash dominates the brilliant opener, The Glass Prison, while the closer, Disappear, evokes OK Computer-esque desolation, with distant sorrowful piano parts, gentle and understated acoustic guitar, and a strong electric undercurrent produced largely through an unusual variety of keyboard effects. In between we find flowing, pseudo-psychadelic Tool-ish metal on The Great Debate, and stunning interplay of synth string and metal guitar on Misunderstood which is reminiscent of Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins. With all the comparisons one might think this album to be derivative. This isn't true. While it doesn't show us much that has never been done before, it does combine some very disparate and interesting influences all while giving the music a new, distinctive spin, which is about all that should be expected from a band, and is much more than we usually get from most musicians. Each of the 5 songs on here is simply great. I would list the standout tracks, were it not that I'd list 4 of the 5 tracks, with the one other track being Blind Faith, which is still an excellent song, though it is perhaps not quite on the same level as the other 4. Though I have up until recently been strongly opposed to the use of keyboards in rock, and especially metal, I find that Jordan Ruddess is the crux of this half of the cd. The rest of the band is brilliant, to be sure, with the exception of James Labrie, who is sometimes great, occasionally a bit weak, and most of the time pretty good, but not really spectacular, in my mind. While Mike, John and John may be the ones who make these songs excellent, it is frequently Ruddess additions that make them simply astounding. As stated before, the track Misunderstood has possibly the best keyboard/guitar interplay I've ever heard, and the various keyboard effects on Disappear create an emotional reality to the grief depicted in the lyrics that guitars alone could not possibly provide.(As I side note, I don't understand how anyone could listen to that song and claim that DT's music is with out emotion) Ironically, I believe Ruddess's keyboards are largely responsible for the relative weakness of the second cd.(Though it is still good)Simply put, the reason I don't like the second cd as much is that it is nowhere near as metallic as the first. The influence is there, but were all of Dream Theater's albums like this, no one would dream of calling them a prog-metal outfit. The keyboards are given to prominent a role this time, with the guitar frequently being a bit overpowered by them. This tendency is, of course, much more prog-rock then prog-metal So, obviously, if you prefer the straight progressive side of DT, you will most likely prefer the second cd. This cd is essentially a concept album, surrounding mental disease and turmoil, though it is a theme rather than a linear storyline. Unsurprisingly, this cd comes off as a suite of songs rather than a series of completely distinct thoughts. The range of influences on this album is even greater than the first. The jungle drumming and vicious rhythm guitar of War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All recall thrash once again, but up-beat, gentler tracks like Solitary Shell recall 70's era pop-rock, which I personally don't care for. Alongside these songs are the bizarre, rock-opera esque About To Crash and it's reprise which recall more 70's music, though this time in the hard rock vein, combining up-beat hard rock guitar with lots of piano and some especially melodic vocal work. Grand Finale and Goodnight Kiss are slower, epic feeling ballad type songs. So, what is wrong with this album? Well, I really don't like Solitary Shell. It's just too happy and poppy, with some genuinely hideous and Styx-ian ultra-cheese keyboard krap that makes me very, very upset. I can't stand the chorus either. The first 3 minutes of Goodnight Kiss are excessively wussy for my tastes and unintentionally funny as well.(The lyrics would be unfortunate coming out of any man, and they are flat-out hilarious at some points in this song. Labrie goes way overboard on some lines.) This song is partially redeemed by the excellent instrumental section that makes up the second half, which contains some of the best of Petrucci's always outstanding guitar work. Even if these tracks weren't on the album, the other, less flawed tracks simply aren't as compelling to me as the material on the first cd. Still, it's good, and even if it were terrible, the cost would be worth it for the first cd alone.
So, go buy this.
Free Music Review: Dream Theater's Best Album
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all, I must say right off the bat, as a devoted Dream Theater fan, words just can't describe how much I love this band. They are without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest bands to ever grace our planet, and they're one of my all time favorite bands as well. Not a single word can describe how incredibly gifted and remarkably talented these guys truly are.
Now onto the album. Dream Theater's 2002 epic 2 disc masterpiece entitled "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is without a doubt the band's best album, and it's also my favorite DT album as well. This album is also the perfect follow up to their epic 1999 masterpiece "Scenes From a Memory", which is also a masterpiece too, heck every DT album is a masterpiece, but like I said before, this album is their best. On here you have those epic soaring vocals from James LaBrie, those awesome breathtaking guitar solos from John Petrucci, great hearable bass lines from John Myung, spectacular keyboard effects from Jordan Rudess, and fantastic drumming from Mike Portnoy. Disc 1. of 6DOIT opens up with the heavy as hell 13+ minute epic "The Glass Prison". This song lyrically is about fighting alcoholism, and keep in mind that this song is also dedicated to Bill W. the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. This song is no doubt one of the heaviest songs on this album. It's chock full of thunderous guitar riffs, blazing solos, rumbling bass lines, heart thumpintg double bass drumming, dazzling keyboard effects, and epic vocals to boot. This song is also divided into three parts as well: I. Reflection, II. Restoration, and III. Revelation. There also the first three parts of drummer Mike Portnoy's Alcoholics Anonymous suite as well, and continues on with parts 4-6 on "This Dying Soul" from 2003's Train of Thought, and parts 7-8 on "The Root of all Evil" on 2005's Octavarium. Overall, this song is my absolute favorite on the album. Next we have "Blind Faith" which is very haunting yet an awesome song with an excellent rockin chorus and some big catchy hooks. Another one of my favorites. Track three "Misunderstood" is a great power ballad with great lyrics and some ominous soloing that will leave your jaw dropping in delight. Track four "The Great Debate" lyrically is about the issues of a stem-cell research, and it's another fantastic track with more great lyrics, a soaring chorus, and excellent musicianship. Then we have the 6+ minute piano ballad "Disappear", which has excellent piano melodies that will just bring tears to your eyes. A great song to end disc 1.
On Disc 2. We have the epic 42 minute title song, which lyrically is all about mental illness. Keep in mind, this entire song is broken and divided into eight and yes I DO mean eight parts. The song begins with "The Overture" which contains orchestral-like melodies courtesy of keyboardist Jordan Rudess. The second part "About to Crash" is a great tune with lots of great melodies, and a nice melodic guitar solo from Petrucci near the end. The song really gets thing going with part three "War Insid My Head", and then on part four, "The Test That Stumped Them All" all insanity breaks loose. The guitars, the drums, keyboards, bass, and even LaBrie's vocals are pretty intense. This is easily my favorite part of the song. Then we have the beautiful melodic "Goodnight Kiss" where LaBrie's vocals are very emotional and Petrucci's guitar solo is absolutely beautiful as well. "Solitary Shell" another melodic and beautiful part has excellent accoustic passages by Petrucci, and more great singing from LaBrie. The "About to Crash (Reprise)" contains more solid musicianship, and is awesomely rockin infectious, and then we finally reach "Losing Time/Grand Finale" which closes this fantastic 42 minute epic. Absolutely incredible.
The songs and the ratings
Disc 1.
1. The Glass Prison (13:52)
I. Reflection
II. Restoration
III. Revelation (my favorite part)
Overall song rating - 5/5 (My favorite song)
2. Blind Faith (10:21) - 5/5
3. Misunderstood (9:34) - 5/5
4. The Great Debate (13:43) - 5/5
5. Disappear (6:46) - 5/5
Disc 2.
6. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (42:00)
I. Overture
II. About to Crash
III. War Inside My Head
IV. The Test That Stumped Them All (My favorite part)
V. Goodnight Kiss
VI. Solitary Shell
VII. About to Crash (Reprise)
VIII. Losing Time/Reprise
Overall song rating - 5/5
See every song gets a 5 out of 5
Overall Grade: 100/100
Gets an A+ all the way.
I normally don't write long reviews, but since this album is soooooo good, so I figured I'd give it a long thought out written review, and it darn sure deserves it. Bottom Line: If you're a fan of Dream Theater, progressive metal, metal, or just good music in general, buy this album now, heck buy all their albums, they're all great.
LONG LIVE DREAM THEATER!!
Free Music Review: A monumental achievement. Their best yet.
Hit: 5 Stars
While this album has gotten a lot of credit, I don't think it's gotten anywhere near as much as it deserves. It seems the title of "Best Dream Theater Album Ever" is almost reflexively bestowed on "Scenes From A Memory," but with all due respect to that album and its advocates I have to disagree. I've become a pretty ardent DT fan over the past year or so, and I have to say that "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" takes the prize in my book. "Six Degrees" manages to top its predecessors by combining all of their best qualities, resulting in one tyrannical titan of a prog-metal album. Here, for those who might care, is my rundown of the three Dream Theater albums I own that were released prior to this one:"Images and Words:" A great album with four high quality epic songs, but the rest (while good) are basically filler, and the two ballads are a bit on the overwrought side. Also, James's voice is nowhere near as powerful as on subsequent albums.
"Awake:" A dark, heavy, and aggressive album where tightly focused songs abound and James's vocal power goes up a notch, but crippled by lousy production.
"Scenes From A Memory:" Their most musically extravagant, with oodles of jaw-dropping instrumental work from all involved. James's vocals are stronger and the production is clearer than on the albums mentioned above, but the songwriting isn't as focused, especially in the second half. It's still one of my all-time favorites, BUT...
I think "Six Degrees" is their best yet (excluding "Falling Into Infinity," which I have yet to hear). It has all the strengths of its predecessors and none of its weaknesses. It's free from the filler material and ineffectual balladry seen on "Images And Words." It's got infinitely better production than "Awake." And while "Six Degrees" is bursting with brilliant musicianship, it trades in the excess of "Scenes From A Memory" for more focused and memorable songwriting. And listening to this album right after "Images and Words" should tell you just how much James has improved. I mean, he was good ten years ago, but now his voice has become so much more powerful and assured it scarcely sounds like the same guy.
The powerhouse opener of this album, "The Glass Prison," is in my opinion not only the best Dream Theater song I've ever heard, but quite possibly the best song ever recorded by anyone. It's probably their heaviest, and it combines its heaviness with melody and rhythmic complexity in a manner that most bands wouldn't even dream of. Not to mention, the lyrics are some of the most powerful ever written. I've heard they deal with alcoholism, but they don't really HAVE to be about alcoholism if you catch my drift. The song is written in such a manner that it could really be about confronting any problem from your past. Moving stuff.
The classics don't stop there, either. Slower, less extravagant songs like "Misunderstood" and "Disappear" rely more on atmosphere and melody than "The Glass Prison," but the conviction in James's voice and the airtight musicianship makes them work. "The Great Debate," if nothing else, deserves props for being a fourteen-minute epic about stem cell research, but it's a great song in its own right. The title song, which occupies the whole of the second disc, is forty-two minutes (divided into eight tracks) of sustained brilliance. After the symphonic intro, it delves into hard-driving metal, dark alt-rock, and smooth balladry. Few bands have the talent to pull off epics like this one, and perhaps fewer have the stones. Fortunately, DT have plenty of both.
Of course, as "Six Degrees" is a Dream Theater album, the musicianship is stunning. They may not beat you over the head with their chops as on "Scenes," but I'm still constantly finding some intriguing, previously unheard nuances each time I listen. John Petrucci just keeps getting better, constantly refining his approach. His riffs are some of the most interesting out there, and perhaps no soloist can race through scales without sacrificing melody like he can. John Myung and Mike Portnoy are a monstrous rhythm section, especially on "The Glass Prison." And special credit should go to Jordan Rudess, who along with Symphony X's Micheal Pinnella has revolutionized the way I look at keyboards. I used to think they were a lame instrument used by dorky Eurotrash bands, but now I see how much they can add to a band's sound, even in metal. Jordan can add depth and ambience to a song, but he's just as capable of turning around and spitting out a solo that will make your head spin.
So, there you have it. Great production, great vocals, awe-inspiring music, brilliant songwriting, and crystal-clear production. What more could you want? I gotta say I'm really blown away by this album, and by the fact that DT are still challenging themselves to try new stuff and build on their already-considerable achievements. Hopefully "Six Degrees" will get its own DVD soon, just like "Scenes" did.
Free Music Review: Dream Theater... nuff said
Hit: 5 Stars
Dream Theater has been around for quite along time. Since the beginning they have been regarded as one of the best if not the best Progressive band around. To tell you the truth, I'd have to agree. After the very successful "Metropolis Pt:2 Scenes From A Memory, many fans were afraid DT would not be able to top that with their newest release. So now the time is at hand, and that question is now answerable. So, does "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" beat out "Scenes From a Memory"? The answer is unsurprisingly no. But do not let that discourage you from getting this CD. "Scenes From a Memory" is damn near impossible to beat. Aside from "Images & Words", "Scenes From a Memory" is DT's best. "SdoIT" is a real treat for DT fans though! Not only do we get 5 songs that average 10min each. We get a very welcomed second disc that contains the title track, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. A very polished and well composed 42min song! Personally I find myself listening to that more times over than "Change of Seasons".
"SdoIT" has to be one of the best DT albums from a lyrical stand point. I absolutely love some of the content on these songs. Subjects range from acceptance of death, self realization, religion, science VS morality, and psychological turmoil. This has to be the best lyrical album DT has put out yet!
Sound consistency has never been DT's strong point, and it shows here. Ever since "I&W" we have yet to hear a single DT album replicate that sound. When we heard "Awake", while it was good, just seemd like it was missing something. Many thought the CD was void of soul. We won't even disuss the commercialness of "Falling into Infinity". Then came "Scenes From a Memory" a brilliant pice of music with hints of classic Dream Theater. But still nothing like any album beforehand. Now we have "SdoIT". At some points in the album it doesn't even sound like Dream Theater. So what are the songs? Let's review them:
The Glass Prison- At initial listen, you can tell immediately that this is going to be different. Suddenly the song bursts into double-bass frenzy, and ceases to stop! The only break is the chorus which is the only part that actually sounds like a Dream Theater song. This is a great start to any CD! Even a DT CD!
Blind Faith- A very "Heavy Metal" type song. Seems there was a lot of influence of old 80's metal in this song. It may be just me though. This is a great song as well!
Misunderstood- The song name states it all. I think alot of DT fans will bypass this song simply because there is nothing DT about it. Its a simple, catchy ballad. NO time changes, NO solos. So I'm going to tell you all here, do not let this song go unheard! It's a great little tune that will stick in your head time and time again. Nice and soothing effects abound and a very well written chorus makes this an all-round decent song.
The Great Debate- This is my personal favorite on the album. The song starts off w/ about 3min worth of dialogue consisting of sampled new's broadcasts discussing cloning and the subject of playing god through science. The song itself sounds nothing like DT(big surprise). In fact, this song could pass for a Tool song. Aside from the chorus the rest of the first half might as well be a Tool song. Suddenly about half way through Jordan Ruddess remembers "HEY! We're not Tool, we're Dream Theater!!" and bursts into a classic Ruddess solo! Guitar and Keyboard are layered perfectly and the switches between the two remind me of why I love DT! A sudden rising of double-time playing then to triple-time playing commences and crashes into a one of the best riffs I have ever heard! The song then ends to the same dialogue we heard in the beginning.
Disappear- DT took a very different approach to writing this song. Its a very soothing piece with nothing special to note. In fact it seems they were influenced by Radiohead while writing this song, you decide.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence- This is the BIG one. 42min worth of music. A 8 part song of epic proportions. This song is very content heavy. Lyrical wise its, about different people with different psychological struggles, and how man can overcome them. Its a very nicely written song... influences range from classical music, to jazz, to Rush. This song is very DT reminiscent and thats a good thing! One of the longest and BEST songs I have ever heard in my life! The song alone is worth the [price] admittance fee.
So should you get this CD? If your a DT fan already, I'm sure you already have this CD playing in your CD-Player. If your not, I suggest buying it. Its not DT heavy. Which means the complexity isn't as pretentious as previous releases. Which could very well make this easier for others to digest. As for me, I love the CD! At first it took awhile to get into, because I was expecting time-changes abound and complex playing. We get hints and traces of that here which is enough to satisfy even me