Originally published in The Westerner newspaper · October 1997
Dream Theater: Testing the Boundaries of Infinity
by Rob Jacque
Review2 min read
As soon as music begins on Falling Into Infinity, Dream Theater’s fifth official studio album, you know you’re onto something different. For a band that has no difficulty experimenting in all types of music genres. Dream Theater’s Falling Into Infinity covers a wide range of them.
Dream Theater, the sum total genius of Mike Portnoy, drums & percussion: John Myung, bass; James LaBrie, vocals; Derek Sherinian, keyboards; and John Petrucci, guitars; came into the spotlight after the band’s second release. Images & Words. The album, a follow up to When Dream & Day Unite, featured the first appearance of LaBrie. who replaced Charlie Dominici on vocals, and eight blistering tracks. The first single, “Pull Me Under,” went to #4 on MTV and maintained substantial radio airplay.
Following the acclaimed success of Images & Words and Awake, the platinum selling album fueled by such monstrous rockers as “The Mirror,” thought-provoking ballads such as “The Silent Man,” and “Space-Dye Vest,” and the epic twenty-minute masterpiece “A Mind Beside Itself,” which is broken into subdivisions of frenzied instrumental “Erotomania,” the calm-to-storm track “Voices,” and the acoustic “Silent Man.”
After touring successfully on Awake, Dream Theater decided to release a single track which was intended to be released on Awake but was too long for album. A Change Of Seasons, the name of the album as well as the track, contains additional rare live performances of such classic covers as “Carry On Wayward Son.” by Kansas, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” by Queen, “The Song Remains the Same,” by Led Zeppelin and “Funeral for a Friend,” by Elton John. The title track, “A Change of Seasons,” is a twenty-three minute tour de force in which the band explores countless musical styles all within the span of the song.
For those of you who aren’t too familiar with them, a brief biography: The band was formed when Portnoy, Myung, Petrucci, and then-keyboardist, Kevin Moore, formed Majesty, the speed metal progressive predecessor of Dream Theater. All four members met and began playing at Boston’s Berklee School of Music, where they all majored in music theory.
For a band whose influences range from Rush to King Crimson to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Dream Theater is definitely a progressive hard rock lover’s “dream” come true. Known to dabble in the odd-time signatures. Dream Theater loves to challenge their fans as well as entertain them.
Falling Into Infinity, which hit stores September 23, in certainly a feast for true prog-rock fans. From hard, progressive rock tracks like “Burning My Soul,” to melodic, free-flowing pieces like “Anna Lee,” Falling Into Infinity delivers over seventy-eight minutes of loud rock bliss.