Aaron Sheldon
The proficient and nearly transcendent work of progressive metal band Dream Theater has kept the heart of artistically complex music beating in an age when three-minute singles and shallow song constructions thrive. With influences ranging from legendary bands Yes and Pink Floyd to Metallica and Rush, Dream Theater has continued to expand and redefine the boundaries of progressive rock – and their latest and ninth album, Systematic Chaos, is no exception.
Released last June, Systematic Chaos was Dream Theater’s first album to be unleashed by Roadrunner Records, which signs prominent rock and metal artists including Megadeth, DragonForce and Slipknot. Though the album still maintains a progressive feel, it strays slightly from Dream Theater’s previous work in that lengthy instrumentals have been shortened a little in favor of lyrical focus. This doesn’t at all knock down the runtimes of the songs, however; the first and last tracks on the eight-track album form one epic song that clocks in at nearly 24 minutes.
Dream Theater’s edge is quickly prevalent from the first track, “In The Presence of Enemies Pt. 1.” John Petrucci’s guitar and John Myung’s bass harmonize together on a descending beat drummed by Mike Portnoy to crash down onto the base of the song, which in itself is a massive and elaborate piece that resembles their previous album’s title track, “Octavarium.”
“In The Presence of Enemies Pt. 1” and “In The Presence of Enemies Pt. 2” illustrate, in chapters, a story of a man who sold his soul for power, but eventually repented and saved himself. Inlayed with Dream Theater’s renowned complexity and flawless execution, the two-part tracks sell the album before the rest of the playlist even gets a chance.
The other tracks on the album carry a lot of references and nods to previous works, both of their own and of other artists. “Forsaken” comes across as a song that would be considered a single (though any “single” by Dream Theater’s standards would probably be any other band’s best piece) with simpler application of music theory and sound than Dream Theater’s usual madness. “Constant Motion” clearly nods at Metallica with its James Hetfield-style vocals and “Repentance” revisits a melody from “Home,” a song from Dream Theaters’ fifth studio album, “Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory.”
Systematic Chaos meets a notable medium of Dream Theater’s – that is, a balance between exquisite, theory-based construction and headbanging simplicity.
The drums and bass are mixed very heavily throughout the songs (as they have never been overlooked in Dream Theater’s scheme) so rhythm is never at a lack. It can be tempting at times to sift through to certain tracks on the album to avoid some of the softer work, such as “Repentance,” but the break is often a merited one after listening to the tracks before it – namely, the metal-grinding “Dark Eternal Night.”
It is evident that Dream Theater has not lost their solid grasp on the edges of progressive musicianship. When a band consists of five members who are each known as prodigies of their own, the combined product can only ever impress.
The question for Dream Theater is never about the quality of the music and whether or not it will meet their standards, but about which of their successful musical creations will they choose to emulate with their next release. No matter what they choose to produce, they will continue to be framed as the next great band’s “killer influence.”
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