Dream Theater

A Dramatic Turn Of Events (Roadrunner)

Prog-metallers overcome their biggest challenge

When Mike Portnoy exited Dream Theater in September 2010 after the vetoing of his proposal of a lengthy hiatus, the Canadian-US band lost far more than a drummer. Portnoy was its co-founder, key songwriter, co-producer and enthusiastic spokesperson. How on earth would Dream Theater find a worthy replacement? In a playing sense, the band's excellent display at the recent High Voltage festival confirmed the suitability of Portnoy's successor, Mike Mangini, but creative question marks still remained. Happily, A Dramatic Turn Of Events answers them with complete conviction. Those who elected to panic overlooked the reliability of guitarist/producer John Petrucci who, along with bassist John Myung, has taken up the compositional slack created by Portnoy's absence. ‘On The Backs Of Angels’, the song premiered at High Voltage, is no mere anomaly. This album, which takes a small step back from metal to re-emphasise the band's prog-rock credentials, is fantastically overblown, but it also delivers strong commercial hooks in the shapes of ‘Lost Not Forgotten’ and ‘Build Me Up, Break Me Down’. The most commercial moments are placed at the start, ‘Bridges In The Sky’ and ‘Outcry’ delivering all the drama and expertise for which the group are renowned. There's a reason Dream Theater are the world's biggest progmetal band: they're the genre's finest exponents. That statement holds true even now. [9]

—Dave Ling