Dream Theater

Fallen Into Infinity (EastWest Records/Warner Music)

Rating: 5 out of 5

It's always a pleasant surprise to hear a new Dream Theater album, and Fallen Into Infinity (their sixth LP now) is no exception. Closer to A Change Of Seasons than to Awake, this new work by those who for many are already the kings of symphonic/progressive metal is a delight for the senses. Dream Theater is a band that grows album by album knowing how to be faithful to itself (without having to fall into the trap of repeating the formulas of the past over and over again) and always maintaining an enviable level of quality and honesty.

Long and well-worked songs, which go from less to more, uniting hardness with lyricism is what we find on this album. From softer and more relaxed pieces like ‘Hollow Years’, ‘Peruvian Skies’, ‘Take Away My Pain'' or ‘Anna Lee’ to more forceful and complicated ones like ‘Burning My Soul’, ‘You Not Me’, ‘Lines In The Sand’ or ‘Just Let Me Breathe’ Dream Theater show themselves once again as magnificent instrumentalists and composers. Just listen to ‘Trial Of Tears’ to be completely won over by this group of exceptional musicians, all of them true virtuosos.

With a rhythmic base as solid as that formed by Myung and Portnoy, the guitar of John Petrucci, the keyboards of Sherinian and the wonderful voice of James LaBrie, it is logical to be able to enjoy an album of such quality. And Dream Theater are indeed virtuosos, but their greatness lies in the fact that they do not need to prove it by resorting to hollow, flashy displays devoid of substance or self-indulgent solos that seem to go on forever; instead, they let their music speak for them, revealing everything they have to offer—which, fortunately, is a great deal.

Falling Into Infinity is one more gem to add to the band's discography and that we can place at the level of classic albums of its genre such as Images And Words and Awake. Dream Theater belongs to that class of musicians who, oblivious to fashions and conventions, are always capable of giving the best of themselves, creating works of a quality and beauty that is difficult to achieve. We can only hope that, once and for all, they come to our country to delight us with their powerful live performance.

—Carlos Fraile

Original text

Talento Infinito

Dream Theater

"Fallen Into Infinity" (eastwest records/warner music)

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Siempre es una sorpresa agradable escuchar un nuevo disco de Dream Theater, y "Fallen into infinity"(su sexto LP ya) no es una excepción. Más cercano a "A change of seasons" que a "Awake", este nuevo trabajo de los que para muchos son ya los reyes del metal sinfónico/progresivo es toda una delicia para los sentidos. Dream Theater es una banda se que crece disco a disco sabiendo ser fiel a sí misma (sin tener por ello que caer en la trampa de repetir una y otra vez las fórmulas del pasado) y manteniendo siempre un nivel de calidad y honestidad envidiable.

Temas largos y muy trabajados, que van de menos a más uniendo dureza con lirismo es lo que encontramos en este disco. Desde piezas más suaves y relajadas como "Hollow years", "Peruvian Skies", "Take away my pain'' o "Anna Lee" a otras más contundentes y complicadas como "Burning my soul", "You not me", "Lines in the sand" o "Just let me breath" Dream Theater se muestran una vez más como unos magníficos instrumentistas y compositores. Basta con escuchar "Trial of tears" para caer rendidos ante este grupo de excepcionales músicos, auténticos virtuosos todos el los.

Con una base rítmica tan sólida como la formada por Myung y Portnoy, la guitarra de John Petrucci, los teclados de Sherinian y la maravillosa voz de James LaBrie es lógico el poder disfrutar de un disco de tanta calidad. Y es que Dream Theater son virtuosos, sí, pero su grandeza reside en que no necesitan demostrarlo cayendo en vacuas virguerías sin sustancia ni en autocomplacientes solos de esos que parecen no acabar nunca y, sino que dejan que su música hable por ellos mostrándonos todo lo que llevan dentro que, afortunadamente, es mucho.

"Falling into infinity" es una joya más que añadir a la discografía de la banda y que podemos situar a la altura de álbumes ya clásicos en su género como "Images and Words" y "Awake". Dream Theater pertenecen a esa clase de músicos que, ajenos a modas y convencionalismos, son siempre capaces de dar lo mejor de sí mismos creando obras de una calidad y belleza difícilmente alcanzables. Sólo nos queda esperar que, de una vez por todas, se acerquen por nuestro país para deleitarnos con su potente directo.

—Carlos Fraile