FALLING INTO INFINITY

This was the first Dream Theater CD that I had any expectations of. Having now digested Images & Words, Awake and A Change of Seasons, I eagerly entered my local music store, sought out the Dream Theater section and picked up their latest release. The cover was a bit bewildering, with a couple dudes checking each other out via binoculars while sitting on barstools in the middle of an ocean or lake. The rear cover was equally perplexing but at least listed the songs and their length. And frankly, I was surprised to see a series of individual songs, with no real "theme" or concept. Nevertheless, I was soon home and listening to this latest DT effort. And pleasantly surprised by what I heard. The music was immediately accessible, with a friendlier, simpler sound than previous works. The disc was filled with actual songs, with a fairly notable absence of long, drawn out solos and musical sets. I liked this as my primary criticism of the band had been too many self-indulgent solos and such.

Several stand-outs quickly emerged, most notably Peruvian Skies and Lines in the Sand. I found myself playing the disc over and over and enjoying virtually every song; none were unlistenable. Hollow Years and Take Away My Pain were clear diversions from the band's earlier efforts; these were fairly simple and the songs were the primary focus (as opposed to solos, musicianship, epic "stories" or whatever). The songs were also fairly strong, with emotive lyrics and appropriate tones set by the music. Hollow years speaks plaintively of the longing of looking back at lost time while Take Away My Pain is one of the bands best lyrical works ever, touching on the universal theme of losing a loved one and reaching peace with the event.

The initial highlights of FII, however, continued to be so after many repeat listenings. Lines in the Sand and Peruvian Skies represent the best that Dream Theater has to offer. Peruvian Skies starts as a mellow, slow, dark song, with the focus on the lyrics which speak of the pain of a sexual abuse victim. The song changes in the mid-section, moving into a more Progressive tone featuring the bands talented chops. The song is perfect in that it combines all these diverse elements into a single, well-structured song. Closing with a scalding musical jam and intense singing, the song is one of my all-time DT faves. As is Lines, which is a classic "epic" DT song in the vein of Learning to Live, Metropolis or Voices. Like Skies, Lines also contains excellent lyrics, a moving, slow Petrucci guitar solo and a powerful, slow lyrical delivery from LaBrie in the song's mid-section. It's also interesting that one of my favorite DT songs also reveals one of the bands weaknesses: Doug Pinnick of King's X fame sings background vocals and frankly, his deep, strong voice shows the relative weakness of LaBrie's voice. Make no doubt, LaBrie is a talented vocalist with a wide range but I've always thought he lacks a certain "edge" or strength to his voice. I compare him to folks like Geoff Tate of Queensryche or Robert Plant or Freddi Mercury and they all are able to turn the power on in a way LaBrie never can. I've always thought DT's music has lacked this ability to turn mean, or menacing or scary and it's mostly due to the vocal limits of LaBrie.

Other positive offerings included New Millennium, with a really clever musical jam making up the song's second half. You Not Me, a clear attempt at a "hit" song with a short by scorching guitar solo and Trial of Tears, another long song that works, especially the emotional, building closing.

Now you're probably wondering why I only give FII an 84 when I seemed to enjoy every song. Well, the fact is that unlike other DT offerings, the disc really didn't grow on me. While it sounded great at first, most of the songs did not get better over time. Songs like Hollow Years and Take Away My Pain were initially enjoyable BECAUSE they were fairly simple and lacking the depth of the more complex DT offerings. Basically, after six months, I quit listening to the CD and to this day, only Skies, Lines and Trial of Tears really keep my interest.

Which pretty much shows that the original DT formula is the better recipe. No longer will I long for short "songs" from the masters of the epic, complex, LONG songs that demand many repeat listening and a willingness to believe the point of the song will eventually hit you around listen #50. FII is a noteworthy disc in the DT catalog because it IS different. I still think that, lyrically, it is the best effort they've ever produced. The music, song structures and arrangements, however, are not up to their usual standards.