I'm resurrecting this thread in light of the release of their new album; Systematic Chaos.
I've listened to it for a few days, and I consider it to be an improvement upon the last two albums. There's been a progression back towards their heavier sound to an extent, but it's not one-dimensional like Train Of Thought was. Production is great, the best since Awake, with every instrument being powerful and none overbearing. Lyrically, it's better than the last couple of albums, but don't be expecting Joyce, it is Dream Theater we're talking about here.
The best tracks on the album are the two constituent tracks of 'In The Presence Of Enemies', and 'Repentance'. The former is the album's epic, their second longest to date and one of the heavier tracks. It's mostly great, and fairly well structured, but it's the only Dream Theater song where the lyrics make me blanch in places, due to their power-metalness. 'Repentance' is probably the album's softest track, it appears to have been influenced by Opeth's Damnation. It's very minimal, with a large spoken word section towards the end of the track.
The rest of the album is mostly strong, bar 'The Ministry Of Lost Souls', which I'm still not all that keen on. But that verdict could change over time. So overall, best album in 5 years, here's hoping they can keep the standard up. |
