DREAM THEATER – A Dramatic Turn of Events
- Posted on 05-11-2011
The American progressive pioneers in Dream Theater are back with their eleventh full length studio effort, “A Dramatic Turn of Events”. The album opens quite melodically with a double shot of controlled musical episodes in the latest nine track saga by the American five-piece. The instrumental diversity on “On the Back of Angels” and “Build me up, Break me down” supported by the always outstanding James LaBrie on vocals, sets the album off to a great start.
As “Lost not Forgotten” kick offs it is clear Dream Theater is doing fine with newly recruited drumming machine Mike Mangini, who joined earlier this year following the departure of founding member Mike Portnoy late last year. The album feels more calm in a melodic sense than its predecessors, however with a carefully thought out structure to the album, they create a perfect mixture between the two musical styles establishing the band’s musical foundation.
With heavy riffs, perfected guitar solos and a one of kind rhythm section, tracks like “Bridges in the Sky” and “Breaking all Illusions” with rapid fluctuations in the structure of the songs, continues a chaotic musical style the average Dream Theater fan has come to expect. Songs like “This is the Life”, “Far From Heaven” and the closing track “Beneath the Surface” completes the ying and yang of the band’s musical identity, with slow, calm melodies, they stand as complete opposites to the structured mayhem of the aforementioned tracks.
“A Dramatic Turn of Events” is yet another terrific album by the American five-piece; although like many of the preceding albums it takes a few listens to fully appreciate the quality of the album.