Dream Theater

A Change Of Seasons (EastWest)

On a quiet, windswept shore, a guitar calls out to the crimson sunrise before it. In a delicately twisting melodic dance, it becomes joined by a menagerie of texture and colors, building their fury like subtle architects of power. In a grand exposition of force, the beach explodes in a mass of controlled aggression that lights up the sky.

So begins Dream Theater’s newest masterwork. With the 23-minute title song, they continue to defy popular music’s need for simplicity and lack of talent with overwhelmingly virtuosic playing an complexed time changes that would flatten any musician and sent him running back home to reconsider his future.

More importantly, they do this within the context of killer songs. No one can do more with a seven-chord progression and still entertain musicians and non-musicians alike the way Dream Theater can. They move gracefully from beauty to power while telling an intense tale in seven movements and four seasons, never giving listeners a moments rest in their musical journey into the unknown.

At first, I was a little reluctant to review this one. I watched Dream Theater lose its long-time keyboardist Kevin Moore after their last disc, Awake, and I worried whether or not there could ever be a replacement for him. Fortunately there is, in the form of Derek Sherinian. Like Moore, this guy just smokes. He uses many of the same effects and ideas as his predecessor, keeping your attention just where it should be. Don’t think of him as the “new guy,” but think of him as the musician.

All the other members are back in top form, as well. John Petrucci weaves impossible melodies out of his guitar, whether pounding the listener with full on shredding or entrancing him with his gorgeous open-chord voicings (the section in the third movement is especially notable.) He even gives us a sexy blues workout in ‘Another World,’ showcasing a new stylistic dimension and further cementing his position as one of the greatest guitarists of our generation.

Bassist John Myung really steps up to the plate on this one. With fantastic harmonic sensibilities and an innovative, tasteful use of tapping, he has taken the base and expanded it almost to its limit, showing the endless possibilities of expression while holding down the rhythm.

And Mike Portnoy continues to be the most envied drummer in rock, given free reign to pursue the jaw-dropping technique and rhythmic sensibilities that make him one of the most interesting percussionists on the scene today. His ideas continually amaze me, and it’s while to see the things he can get away with in such a melodic environment.

Topping it all off is vocalist James LaBrie. You have to give this guy credit for being able to sing so powerfully and confidently over the barrage of time changes and complex undercurrent of Dream Theaters music. He has possibly the most difficult job in the band, and he handles it with taste and skill, weaving his story of life and death, love and loss, with passion and conviction. Together, Dream Theater have come up with an EP of epic proportions.

The second half of the disk contains medleys and cover songs recorded live at their “Uncovered” show in London. Here we get a peek at the bans influences that is often surprising. Songs cover the gamut from Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin to Elton John, Pink Floyd and even Genesis. All are performed with the skill we’ve come to expect from this powerhouse band (John Petrucci’s barn-burning solo in ‘Perfect Strangers’ would certainly make father Blackmore proud).

What can I say? These guys impress me to no end, and unlike most of today’s bands, they appear to be only getting better. The title song, like most good music, takes a few good listens to really appreciate, but once you begin to grasp what’s going on, it’ll blow you away. If you’ve never heard of Dream Theater, I strongly recommend you check them out. In an era of grunge and rap, they’re a breath of fresh, progressive air.

—Mike Russo