CHAOS IN MOTION 2007-2008

Whether we need yet another Dream Theater live DVD or not is open to debate but more than likely it will sell by the bucket load to the legions of die hard fans of the band who need to have everything they release. The cynical amongst you may just see this as a money making exercise, Dream Theater being well aware of the loyalty of their fans. To be fair though, this package does offer excellent value for money, consisting of 2 DVD's and also available as a 2 DVD/3 CD version which includes audio versions of the live material.

The first cd is the one that most fans will keep returning to, the live footage. Where this one differs to previous live DVD releases is that it's not one show but made up of recordings from half a dozen different shows around the world. The logistics to do this may have lead to shoddy results but in the main the picture and sound quality is very good and despite coming from different locations it all holds together pretty well. One minor annoyance is that at the end of some of the live sequences, it's broken by short pieces of chat by the band which is not needed as there's plenty of that on disc 2.

The total length of the live disc is 3 hours and the material is well chosen, in the main not re-treading ground covered by previously DVD's, in a large part down to the fact that it draws heavily from their most recent studio album, Systematic Chaos. The musicianship as expected is impeccable and the band put on dynamic performances throughout. Particularly pleasing is In The Presence Of Enemies which despite being split in 2 for the Systematic Chaos album is played as one piece here as it was originally intended.

Disc 2 is largely taken up with interview footage, as well as talking to band members the road crew and management also have an input and is full of facts and the logistics of keeping a band like Dream Theater on the road and running smoothly. There's also a stage and backstage tour from Mike Portnoy, going through each band members equipment and the set up backstage. Interesting, but not the stuff of repeated plays.

There's also Promo video's for Constant Motion, Forsaken and The Dark Eternal Night which are a welcome bonus and also a photo gallery, all in all offering a great and varied package.

If you haven't already been turned onto Dream Theater's brand of Prog Metal then this package is not going to change your mind but for any fans of the band, even if you already own all their previous DVD's, this one's well worth adding to your collection.