“A Change of Seasons” is a studio version of the 22-minute cult classic that Dream Theater played live only once in Germany and once in New York City. Bootleg versions had left fans starving for a proper release of this mini-rock opera. So after an amazing amount of fan mail, phone calls and a massive fan-initiated Internet campaign that flooded the EastWest office, the band decided to release an EP featuring the legendary opus as well as cover versions of songs by their idols.

“A Change of Seasons” is titled in sections, beginning with “The Crimson Sunrise,” a beautiful acoustic intro that seques into “Innocence,” a full-on rocker with the intricate time signatures, complex arrangements and superb musicianship that define the progressive heavy metal style of Dream Theater. Next is “Carpe Diem,” translated from the Latin “Seize the Day.” This segment urges one to live life fully, and encompasses riotous jazz piano, frenzied thrash double bass drum riffing and ends with a grandiose finale that descends into the somber “The Darkest Winters.” This mournful sequence then ascends into the hopeful and multi-textured “Another World,” followed by the bursting “The Inevitable Sunset,” (should be Summer) then the shining finale of “The Crimson Sunset.”

The live tribute, recorded at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London on January 31, 1995, features energetic, sometimes innovative versions of Elton John’s “Funeral For a Friend/ Love Lies Bleeding” and Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers.” Their Led Zeppelin Medley includes raucous renditions of “The Rover,” “Achilles Last Stand” and “The Song Remains The Same,” while their “Big Medley” features Pink Floyd’s “In The Flesh,” Kansas’s “Carry On Wayward Son,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Journey’s “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’,” Dixie Dregs “Cruise Control” and “Turn It On Again” by Genesis. This EP is a must for Dream Theater fanatics and novices alike. -Nick Fowler.