Dream Theater returns with "Falling into Infinity" (Elektra), their
third release since their major label debut "Images and Words"
(1992). Dream Theater has never quite matched their brilliant playing skill
with consistently impressive songwriting. "Images and Words" featured
a crunchy, metal sound and several excellent songs, including "Metropolis
Pt. I" and "Take the Time," mixed with shallow drivel like
"Another Day." Their second album "Awake" (1994) was marred
by a confusing jumble of styles and sounds: the intelligent funk of
"6:00" and the boring grind of "Lie." Founding keyboardist
Kevin Moore left the band after "Awake" and was replaced by Derek
Sherinian before the EP "A Change of Seasons" (1995). In 1997, the
band emerged from a legal dispute with Atlantic Records and enlisted producer
Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Silverchair) to record "Falling into
Infinity."
"Falling into Infinity" shows that
Dream Theater has more in common with prog rock bands like Rush and Yes than
progressive metal bands like Cynic and Watchtower. The frantic instrumental
jams have been replaced with slow, ethereal layered passages and the crunchy
metal guitar sounds with fuzzy, grainy, blues tones.
The record opens with "New
Millennium," built around a slow melodic riff and a steady 12:8 chorus
groove. "Lines in the Sand," with guest vocalist Doug Pinnick of
King's X, runs over 11 minutes and showcases instrumental workouts by Sherinian
and guitarist John Petrucci. The short breakdown before the last verse features
eerie guitar chords over a bass groove, with jazzy piano fills, reminiscent of
jazz/rock fusion bands like Tribal Tech. This brief section is the most
fascinating instrumental passage on the whole record. "Just Let Me
Breathe" is driven by a snappy, pounding riff and provides the only dense
instrumental section on the record.
Most of the songs on "Falling into
Infinity" share the same tempo, a sluggish plodding groove that isn't slow
enough or fast enough to be really interesting. In places, this slower tempo
heightens the emotion, such as "New Millennium" and the excellent
instrumental "Hell's Kitchen," but in other spots like "Trail of
Tears," it feels lethargic and dull.
As on both of Dream Theater's previous
albums, the longer instrumental songs are interspersed with sugary, pop
ballads. The band can write musically interesting ballads, such as
"Surrounded," but none of the pop material on "Falling into
Infinity" shows this skill, particularly the vapid "Hollow
Years." The odd juxtaposition of skillful instrumental songs and empty pop
ballads drains the record of energy and focus.
Unfortunately, the quality of the lyrics
does not always match the quality of the music. Many are unimaginative and full
of silly clichéd phrases, such as "I got this feeling, baby... It's gonna
be all right now" in "New Millennium." LaBrie actually sings
"...the fabrics of our lives" in the chorus of "Lines in the
Sand" -- when lyrics sound like a TV commercial, its time to change the
channel. The lyrical highlight of the album is "Just Let Me Breathe,"
a scathing indictment of the popular MTV grunge culture.
Dream Theater has changed significantly
since "Images and Words," but they execute the slower, more textured
style with the same brilliant skill as the older speedy, crunching jams. The
new musical direction is intriguing, but the record as a whole is held back by
the inconsistent songwriting and listless pop tunes that seem to plague every
Dream Theater record.
Note: This review is Copyright 1997 by Scott H. Andrews and may not be
reprinted or used in public, like posted on a home page, without permission.
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