Dream Theater
Thanks to a pre-order at FYE, I got Dream Theater's new album Systematic Chaos in the mail last night. Sadly, no lithograph. I assume it will come sometime later since I know I pre-ordered it early enough for one.
Anyway, I've listened to the album five times so far. I was hesitant in getting it because of my disappointment with the last album. Fortunately, history was on my side. Dream Theater has never released two crappy albums in a row since I've been listening to them. And this album is no exception. No, it will never become my favorite DT album but at least there are some good songs on it. In case you are curious, here are my opinions on the new tracks:
1. In the Presence of Enemies Part 1 - Since it's part one of a two part song it's hard to judge it as it's obviously not complete. The Flight of the Bumblebee riff around the two minute mark made me smile. Though it slows down in the middle, probably for James' singing part coming up but it's not too bad. (7/10)
2. Forsaken - This one has grinding type of riff throughout. It does slow a bit in the chorus but that's about it. The lyrics could be better on this one. Judging from the booklet, almost all the lyrics were written by Petrucci. He's kind of hit or miss sometimes. (6/10)
3. Constant Motion - I already heard this track when it was released as a single. It's not a bad song. Though I wish DT would stop stealing ideas and riffs from other sources. This riff was obviously taken from an old Metallica album. (7.5/10)
4. The Dark Eternal Night - This one was featured on the DT studio video they released a couple weeks ago. I like the song a lot. Especially the riff that cuts through the song. Reminds me a lot of the songs on Train of Thought. Kind of Nu-Metalish without losing the DT sound. (8/10)
5. Repentance - All the fanboys on the Dream Theater Livejournal community pick this as the best song on the album. Some even go as far as saying it's the best DT song ever. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone when I say I don't really like the song that much. It's too long and has too many boring spots. Though the lyrics are very good. They were written by Mike Portnoy and continue on the five part AA saga. The beginning is taken right out of "This Dying Soul" which prompted me to sing the opening on that song, only to realize that Mike was saying the same thing. Several famous singers appear on this track as actors saying how alcohol ruined their life and such. I personally think those parts are what makes this song crappy. They take away all the momentum and become distracting for me. (5/10)
6. Prophets of War - The first couple times I listened to the CD I could have sworn the opening of this song was part of the previous song "Repentance". It seems to carry on the same kind of lyric and music content even though it was written by James LaBrie. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Regardless, it's a good song. In fact, I think it's the best song on the album. Why you ask? Mainly because of the chanting at the choruses and the swirly sound during the verses. Supposedly this song was influenced by the band Muse but I wouldn't know as I've never listened to them. (9/10)
7. The Ministry of Lost Souls - Here we have the worst song on the album. If there was any song on this album that should have been shorter, it would be this one. It's way too slow and monotonous. Not to mention the fact that it goes on for almost 15 minutes. If I ever need to torture someone, this song will be the one I'd play them. Don't get me wrong I don't mind ballads or longer songs but this one feels that it was stretched out unnecessarily. Yes, it does pick up a bit tempo-wise in the middle but at that point it's too little too late. (3/10)
8. In the Presence of Enemies Part 2 - The final part of the song is the last track on the album. Though as one guy pointed out on the DT Livejournal community, all the previous last songs since SFAM seem to sound the same. Last night I went back and listened to all those songs and sure enough they do sound a bit similar. They all try to be a little too epic sounding and try to build up in tempo. Some are great (ie Finally Free) and some suck (ie Octavarium) but they all are made up of the same parts. It's weird really. Anyway, this song is pretty good. James' voice is positively evil in some sections of this song. Then again, considering what he's singing about that's not a surprise. The creeping bass in the beginning adds to the overall atmosphere of the song. Though the part that I like the most is around the six minute mark where the verses are punctuated by chants. Yeah I'm a sucker for chanting if it's done properly and since it's rare to hear it on a DT album it makes it that much sweeter :D (8/10)
Anyway, I've listened to the album five times so far. I was hesitant in getting it because of my disappointment with the last album. Fortunately, history was on my side. Dream Theater has never released two crappy albums in a row since I've been listening to them. And this album is no exception. No, it will never become my favorite DT album but at least there are some good songs on it. In case you are curious, here are my opinions on the new tracks:
1. In the Presence of Enemies Part 1 - Since it's part one of a two part song it's hard to judge it as it's obviously not complete. The Flight of the Bumblebee riff around the two minute mark made me smile. Though it slows down in the middle, probably for James' singing part coming up but it's not too bad. (7/10)
2. Forsaken - This one has grinding type of riff throughout. It does slow a bit in the chorus but that's about it. The lyrics could be better on this one. Judging from the booklet, almost all the lyrics were written by Petrucci. He's kind of hit or miss sometimes. (6/10)
3. Constant Motion - I already heard this track when it was released as a single. It's not a bad song. Though I wish DT would stop stealing ideas and riffs from other sources. This riff was obviously taken from an old Metallica album. (7.5/10)
4. The Dark Eternal Night - This one was featured on the DT studio video they released a couple weeks ago. I like the song a lot. Especially the riff that cuts through the song. Reminds me a lot of the songs on Train of Thought. Kind of Nu-Metalish without losing the DT sound. (8/10)
5. Repentance - All the fanboys on the Dream Theater Livejournal community pick this as the best song on the album. Some even go as far as saying it's the best DT song ever. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone when I say I don't really like the song that much. It's too long and has too many boring spots. Though the lyrics are very good. They were written by Mike Portnoy and continue on the five part AA saga. The beginning is taken right out of "This Dying Soul" which prompted me to sing the opening on that song, only to realize that Mike was saying the same thing. Several famous singers appear on this track as actors saying how alcohol ruined their life and such. I personally think those parts are what makes this song crappy. They take away all the momentum and become distracting for me. (5/10)
6. Prophets of War - The first couple times I listened to the CD I could have sworn the opening of this song was part of the previous song "Repentance". It seems to carry on the same kind of lyric and music content even though it was written by James LaBrie. I'm not sure if that was intentional or not. Regardless, it's a good song. In fact, I think it's the best song on the album. Why you ask? Mainly because of the chanting at the choruses and the swirly sound during the verses. Supposedly this song was influenced by the band Muse but I wouldn't know as I've never listened to them. (9/10)
7. The Ministry of Lost Souls - Here we have the worst song on the album. If there was any song on this album that should have been shorter, it would be this one. It's way too slow and monotonous. Not to mention the fact that it goes on for almost 15 minutes. If I ever need to torture someone, this song will be the one I'd play them. Don't get me wrong I don't mind ballads or longer songs but this one feels that it was stretched out unnecessarily. Yes, it does pick up a bit tempo-wise in the middle but at that point it's too little too late. (3/10)
8. In the Presence of Enemies Part 2 - The final part of the song is the last track on the album. Though as one guy pointed out on the DT Livejournal community, all the previous last songs since SFAM seem to sound the same. Last night I went back and listened to all those songs and sure enough they do sound a bit similar. They all try to be a little too epic sounding and try to build up in tempo. Some are great (ie Finally Free) and some suck (ie Octavarium) but they all are made up of the same parts. It's weird really. Anyway, this song is pretty good. James' voice is positively evil in some sections of this song. Then again, considering what he's singing about that's not a surprise. The creeping bass in the beginning adds to the overall atmosphere of the song. Though the part that I like the most is around the six minute mark where the verses are punctuated by chants. Yeah I'm a sucker for chanting if it's done properly and since it's rare to hear it on a DT album it makes it that much sweeter :D (8/10)