THE ASTONISHING

I never anticipated something like this from Dream Theater. I was wary of their endless, overwrought instrumental sections; soulless vocals and fruitless struggle to grant us the pleasure of music.

Now it's all different. With 'The Astonishing' Dream Theater has set yet another brilliant milestone in their long, illustrious career.

The first thing that came to my mind upon my first and second listens was, 'Oh, the vocal melodies are their best since 6DoIT or perhaps SFaM.' And indeed the vocals are the astonishing aspect of this album.

In this album you can grasp anything: soft acoustic and piano parts to heavy riffs and mind-blowing solos.

The drums on this album are minimal. They don't interfere with the beauty and flow of the orchestration (and vocal- oriented theme) of the album.

'The Astonishing' proves that ideas never end and that change is inevitable. John Petrucci understood that Dream Theater must stop their previous path and experiment something different. He has sacrificed his and Jordan Rudess' technical capabilities, bringing them down to a moderate level for something more beautiful and feeling.

I recommend this album to those who long for sweet melodies and perfect arrangements, a worthwhile journey into Dream Theater's best solid struggle in almost 15+ years.