Roadrunner Records

New York virtuosos Dream Theater have always had a flair for the dramatic. Following the departure of drummer/songwriter extraordinaire Mike Portnoy, most acts would struggle to produce a record which is powerful yet mature sounding, however DT aren’t most acts. With drummer Mike Mangini replacing Portnoy, they have forged on to produce a record of dense technicality and maturity with Jordan Rudess’ keys alternating from synth to piano sounds and some lush orchestration to embellish the arrangements.

The record adopts a more reflective tone with frontman James LaBrie sticking to his trademark soaring vocals, having chosen to eschew experiments in growling. While there are still metallic riffs to be found, they are blended effectively with classical arrangements. As with any DT release, however, while the level of musicianship is, as expected, extremely high, it can get overwhelming at times but what helps is that the band is capable of slowing the pace when necessary, such as on the epic ‘Breaking All Illusions’ which switches from ballad to riff driven epic.

While the maturity of the record is mostly a good thing, there are moments like ‘Far From Heaven’ which lacks excitement, relying on the powerful voice of Mr. LaBrie to pull them through.

Like any Dream Theater release, the bar is admittedly set extremely high in terms of expectations and the departure of Portnoy has brought the band under increasing scrutiny to deliver the goods, which they do for the most part.

Powerpoints: 7

—Ross Baker