Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
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Free Music Notes for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Free Music Review: Best Dream Theater album...
Hit: 5 Stars
There are only 2 albums that I would give (and have given) to a person that wanted to listen to Dream Theater: Scenes From a Memory and Six Degrees. Whereas SFAM is an excellent concept album, that combines excellent music with an artistic arrangement and production, 6 Degrees is a concept album with the hard-edged, speed demon musicianship that I have come to love from DT.
Other reviewers will criticize this 2-disc album song-for-song, comparing them to previous DT songs as well as other progressive rock bands of yore. DT is not YES, Rush, or Genesis. They do their own thing and that is just who DT is...it's what is needed in music today.
Back to music..."The Glass Prison" is an epic song that really comes full circle. (It starts with the same sound bite, record fuzz, as their previous concept album: SFAM.) Double bass drum, lightning-fast guitar riffs, and deep bass tones are what drives this song. And since half the time you can't understand what LaBrie is singing because his notes are so high, we forget to just sit back and take his voice as another instrument in the band, adding overtones to the thumping and rumbling that make this song great.
I was disappointed to hear people bashing "Misunderstood", since that is probably my favorite DT song of all times. 'From a God to God save me' is a powerful statement that rings true to many, but the best part of this song is how the band just explodes into the song after that line. I love the chorus so much. Of course the song is slow, but it's not always about playing fast, it's playing ballads in ways ballads aren't normally played.
I really like "The Great Debate" because it is political without taking sides. I hate when bands try to force their views on me and this song allows me to come to my own conclusions. It is necessary for this song to be included because it is experimental. The background music while the news clips are playing is all you need. If I had that playing during the news, I'd never stop watching TV.
The second disc is also very excellent. "Overture" is a good song in that it is something that may be played between scenes in a musical/play, which is an interesting addition to music these days. "War Inside My Head" and "Test That Stumped Them All" are beyond words. The speed they play the songs would wake up the dead, and the lyrics are perfect and hit the album's concept on the nail. "Goodnight Kiss" is a slow and lovely song, necessary to slow the pace of the previous, viciously-paced songs. It's a song for the ladies I guess, in that it's not thrash metal, but it's good and strikes a chord on the heart. "Solitary Shell" is probably my second favorite DT song, because of the bass drum, pumping the song through, but the lyrics really call to me as well, I think that's why I like it so much. "Losing Time/Grand Finale" is a great song to end the album. It's not super fast like other songs on the album, but it brings the entire album to a great ending. The last few minutes of the song are great. The album ends with a slow chord decrescendo, which, played backwards, is what begins their next full-length album, "Train of Thought". Things like this are what makes me love Dream Theater. Not only do they throw riffs in their songs from older great songs of theirs, but they have ways of welding together their albums in ways that can only be found from progressive rock's best band, Dream friggin' Theater!
Free Music Review: The album that stumped us all...GET THIS ALBUM NOW!
Hit: 5 Stars
People hailed the appearance of Jordan Rudess from Liquid Tension Experiment as what DT truly needed. As much as I
agreed, some found the resultant concept album "Scenes from
A Memory to be thrown-together and somewhat uncohesive,
despite containing some amazing moments. I personally waited
to see what the new lineup could accomplish on a traditional
album, hoping they would be able to top "Scenes". Guess what
--they did.
Some will call this disc (discs!) self-indulgent, long-
winded, or bombastic--labels which have been used to
caricature progressive rock, and Dream Theater in particular,
since time immemorial. All of which I'm sure Mike Portnoy &
company would proudly admit to--smiling. Some within DT's
diehard following have accused the band from straying from
its progressive metal roots--meaning the epic, image-laden
mini-operas present on "Images and Words". Dream Theater,
despite being no less ambitious, long since changed their
delivery from that pseudo-Maiden drama to a cutting, manic
ethos more in tune with postmodernity. They do not resemble
just prog-metal anymore as much as they do the Dixie Dregs--a bona-fide anti-commercial collective which, musically speaking,
can do pretty much whatever the hell it wants. The second
disc shows this most especially, with passages that call to mind
everything from Steve Vai to Yes to Queen to Andrew Lloyd
Webber to Return to Forever. The first disc shows a DT which, contrary to an Entertainment Weekly charge that they reference no music "since 1976," is remarkably in step with the times, serving up Pantera-volume thrash on "Glass Prison" to "Disappear"'s brooding, melancholy strains recalling Radiohead to manic-depressive thunder on "The Great Debate" which you'd swear could be Tool. Notwithstanding the extreme length and some of the ridiculously unreal instrumental pyrotechnics which have become Dream Theater's trademark, all the members of Dream Theater are in better form than in a long time--bassist John Myung is actually audible up in the mix,
Jordan Rudess blends neoclassical technique with
unbelievable synth patches, James LaBrie actually does some
of his best singing since the "Awake" album, but the real
surprises here are John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy. At times
Petrucci is actually coming into his own with a recognizably
symphonic style (I won't quite say "melodic") which sees
him moving past the Steve Morse/Al DiMeola influences into
a unique sound and style. Portnoy throws out some of his
best playing to date, with drumming that easily puts him
into the same league as Bill Bruford or Neil Peart--his
work on "The Great Debate" is some of the best drumming
I've heard from him, ever--not to mention an increasingly
improved tuning and sound quality from his drum kit,
backing off from the tinny, poppy production which marred
"Scenes from a Memory". If you love this band (and you do,
or you wouldn't be reading this) then GET this release as if
your life depended on it. This has to be the best DT album
in years, against which only Images and Words or Awake can
compare.
Free Music Review: New Millennium Classic
Hit: 5 Stars
I didnt listen to Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence(Hereby shorted SDOIT) before I bought it, so I was totally neutral on my first listen. Many years since Scenes from a Memory was released, my hunger for new DT material was unexplainable. Here I am, over a half year later and dozens of times listening, writing the review for SDOIT.
First things first, Dont expect Scenes from a Memory over again. This is a completly different record, and the only thing left is the superb quality of the worlds best musicians. The melodies on SDOIT is not bad at all, they keep getting better and better. They are however a bit unfamiliar to you the first time.
The first song, "The Glass Prison" is a heavy heavy song, albeit with some nice touches and it turns out to be very good once you have listened to it some times. Really nice start, both for the song and the record. Can sound a bit like the start of "Change of Seasons", which is not a bad thing.
The second coming up, is "Blind Faith". A song it can be hard to place on a correct style, but the song is great with its use of Piano, and it reminds me of Scenes from a Memory.
Running Third is "Misunderstood", it starts of slowly, a welcome change after the two more hard songs. It lulls you into a relaxed feeling in the beginning, but it soon picks up, and the brooding feeling is always there. Accustic guitars and eerie noises in the background(sounds like the worms from Pink Floyd`s "The Wall"). It builds up from the lush and slow mood, and then it bursts out to a rocker. Great!
"The Great Debate" is a song I often listen to. The background chatters that almost becomes the vocals, are different people discussing the pros and cons of Stem Cell research. I REALLY like the bassline on this one, it gives it a kinda hurried, dramatic feeling. The only problem with this song is that you can hear how lousy the people`s arguments are...^_^
The melody however is superb and it is a catchy song, worth many spins in your player.
Last up on the first disc, "Disappear". A slow, dark accustic song, it sounds almost like Marilyn Manson`s slower pieces. Needless to say, one of the best songs on the cd, and definetly a song for SFAM fans(Like me).
Disc two is spectacular, following the veins of "Change of Seasons". It is really just one song, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", splitted up into 8 pieces. The Intro and outro are amazing, while the Intro is a example of what these guys are able to do, the outro is a wonderful powerballad which can remind of the middlepart in "Change of Seasons". I didnt find the rest of of the pieces as good, but they all change styles, and there is enough musical styles here to satisfy most listeners.
Great song.
What do we make out of this? For the first, What could have been a weak follow up to SFAM, became a major record, so big it had to fill 2 cd`s. All the songs have depth, and there are big amounts of production values, writing and polishing behind everyone. This is what records in 2002 should sound like, played by professionals, not by teens who sing and dance to computerized rythms. Long live Dream Theater, defender of the whole essence called music.
Free Music Review: Their magnum opus
Hit: 5 Stars
Dream Theater is a very exciting ensemble and has churned out some thrilling progressive heavy metal. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) is certainly no exception and comprises the band's magnum opus; a 2 disc set split between relatively shorter tracks and the progressive heavy metal suite on disc 2. Although I prefer the artier sound of disc 2, I found both discs to be electrifying. Indeed, I can not just listen to one disc.
The lineup on this album includes three former Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) students: John Petrucci (electric and acoustic guitars); John Myung (electric bass guitars), and the Neil Peart-influenced Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion, and vocals), along with James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards, Hammond organ, mellotron, synthesizers). My general impression of these guys is that they may very well be the most technically proficient progressive rock outfit currently active. Dense ensemble playing and Olympian scale feats of pyrotechnics on their individual instruments dominate, although there is more emphasis on ensemble playing than that on the previous album Scenes from a Memory (1999), which emphasized riffing usually played in unison on the guitar and keyboard and/or bass guitar.
The six tracks on disc 1 range in length from 9 - 14 minutes, with the massive 42 minute long title track occupying disc 2. The material on the first disc presents a fine blend of progressive heavy metal and classic English progressive rock. Lyrically, the group is not afraid to tackle complex and more importantly, relevant issues, e.g., stem cell research, which is just wonderful. I for one am glad that the group has not only updated the approach to the progressive rock sound for the 21st century, but has also updated the approach to philosophical/world view issues. Although all of the tracks are enjoyable, I really enjoy the melancholy and quiet closing track Disappear. With respect to the excellent progressive heavy metal multi-movement suite on Disc 2, which consists of eight movements (complete with an overture), it is clear that these guys have a real knack for putting large scale compositions together, which is very difficult I might add. There is not a dull moment in the entire composition and everything works fairly well from an arrangement perspective. Such is the hallmark of good musicians.
In terms of the CD package it is pretty good and features the lineup and the lyrics. Unfortunately, the production quality is not so hot (Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci produced the album), which seems to be the case on all of the Dream Theater albums I have picked up lately. Specifically, the keyboards are buried in the mix (save for the solo sections) and poor John Myung has all been mixed out of the album. As can be imagined, the drums sound pretty good and John Petrucci is, well, everywhere.
All in all, as a prog fan for the past 30 years, I found a great deal to like here and really appreciate the fact that these guys "mix it up" - they are not afraid to confound the expectations of fans. Recommended along with Octavarium (2005) to heavy metal fans that do not mind prog rock, and prog rock fans that do not mind heavy metal.
Free Music Review: 4 Words: Album of the Year!
Hit: 5 Stars
Well, it's still early in the year, so that statement is a bold one, but this could very well be the best album of 2002. The only thing I know of that will come along this year that may even come close is Iced Earth's cover album. This has everything a Dream Theater fan could want. Over 90 minutes of brilliance. Many are saying this is their best album yet. I don't know about that, but it certainly delivers. It starts with "The Glass Prison", possibly their heaviest song yet. 14 minutes of pure metal. At certain points in this song, you'd swear you were listening to Testament from "The Gathering", or something. Great, great stuff. The next song, "Blind Faith", is much softer. It's more of a power ballad, with some really nice keyboard work from Jordan. "Misunderstood" is another great song, starting off with an acoustic intro, and building into a sludgy, Alice in Chains type riff. Nice chorus on this one. "The Great Debate", as mentioned before, is very much like Tool. But, there's also a lot of DT in there as well. It almost sounds like the both of them jamming together. Mike does a combo of the weird, Danny Carey style drumming, mixed with his normal superfast style, and James almost sounds like Maynard at times. Very interesting. I hope the Toolheads understand that this was an homage, not a ripoff. I and a lot of other DT fans would rather not see "they ripped off Tool" in every review. Good song, but a little too long. Kinda reminds you why Tool doesn't do 14-minute songs very often. The last song, "Disappear", isn't that great. It's too slow, and it never really goes anywhere. This is one of the few songs that James LaBrie wrote.Okay, now onto the good part. The second disc consists of the title track, a 42-minute song. However, it spans 8 tracks, so it can't be given credit as longest song ever (and Fates Warning's "Pleasant Shade of Gray" is still longer). But wow, good stuff. Can you say diverse? Compare the insane heaviness of "The Test That Stumped Them All" to the uplifting acoustics of "Solitary Shell". Can you believe that's the same song? Great lyrics too, though I haven't figured them out yet. There's a boy and a girl, and something about insanity, I think. Mike's lyrics are probably the creepiest of the song (especially "Test.." and "Goodnight Kiss"). He and John each wrote different parts of it. They really work well together. This can't touch the brilliance of "Scenes from a Memory" (but then compare the 42 minutes to the 77), but it makes for a quick and enjoyable listen.
This is a very solid, and diverse album. Well, track 5 isn't great, but it hardly brings the album down. All the musicians are in fine form, (John's solos are much more interesting these days), and James puts on a great vocal performance, as usual. This is generally a pretty dark album (even moreso than "Awake"), but the title track does have some very pleasant, uplifting moments. Very poetic lyrics, too. It isn't better than SFAM (IMO, nothing is, and probably ever will be), but it's a must-have for the fans. Album of the year? I wouldn't doubt it!