A DRAMATIC TURN OF EVENTS

I have to admit that I have not been a big fan of Dream Theater in the past. I'm a bit of a symphonic melodic proggy kind of guy and DT was decidedly too heavy and dark for me to really appreciate! The only DT album I could listen to all the way through without getting a headache was Octovarium which was a contrasting album in many ways.

BUT, I have listened to this album three or four times now and it just gets better every time I listen to it. It is a great album and, for once, I can really appreciate DT. The track 'Bridges in the Sky' is simply superb. I would buy the album just for that track alone.

Don't get me wrong. DT haven't come over all 'artsy-fartsy'. They are still heavy and they are still loud. But underneath the great weight of guitar riffs, blistering keyboards and cavernous drums there is a melody there and in this album, for the first time in ages, the melody is released. It's great. If this is the direction that DT is heading in from now I will be listening a lot more carefully in the future, I promise you that! Easily four stars.