The Hard Way ... Progressive Power Metal

Dream Theater tie directly to their double album "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence". Striking is now that the first few seconds of "Train Of Thought" start with the same ostinato atmospheric tone with which the second CD of the 2002 work of the New Yorker has ceased. Dream Theater go the path, they have with THE GLASS PRISON, the opener of "Six Degrees ..." trodden and deliver her by far the hardest album from.
After a brief, mysterious intro AS I AM is the new line of approach before the same uncompromising and presents hard and raw Heavy riffs. The brutal opener remembers very to former Metallica times, unless of course many small technical refinements that between flash repeatedly and offer the typical Dream Theater variety. After smashing stanza and the crackling tension of a mysterious distorted Bridge impressively delayed melodies of the chorus follow. James LaBries voice there in this matching cooler directness without many frills - and also doubled before.
THIS DYING SOUL is then the immediate continuation of THE GLASS PRISON offering under Parts I, II and III of the 2002's predecessor, now IV and V. Not only passages like "Help me / Save me / Heal me / I can not break out of this prison all alone "or" I'm ready to break right through this prison wall "are references to THE GLASS PRISON, but also some musical features as the penetrated by Breaks, fast double bass passages.
ENDLESS SACRIFICE impressed by the immense contrast between the kept quiet Clean-Guitar-verse and the onrushing, brutal Chorus, the impressively conveys the emotional emptiness, which by Lyrics like "I Chose This Life / This superficial lie / Constant compromise / Endless Sacrifice" will be described. The extended second chorus and James LaBries unusually callous singing deepen the bewitching atmosphere of the song. After long instrumental bodies follows a vigorously charged Head Bridge and then again the refrain with even more power. An immense energy structure through the entire song of time, in which one can run down your spine an icy shower.
HONOR THY FATHER offers the exciting juxtaposition of several complex parts, rhythmic variations and energetic reconciliations with freezing cold keyboard sounds, with striking places like the "On And On ..." - Part create repeatedly orientation for the ears. An extended instrumental part impressed with verfrickelten solo spots and appealing Durchmodulierung of harmonies as one would expect from Dream Theater.
The short VACANT is the only 'soft' track of the entire album - in its content but hardly a real song, but a little ballad-like reconciliation with melancholic piano and strings sounds.
The long instrumental stream of consciousness - as one might expect from a band like Dream Theater different - simply has no natural enemies. Just over eleven minutes there are infinite variations on a theme (has to be quite a bit of jazz), technical refinements en masse, cool grooves, spontaneous acting melodies ... tension and pure variety. Only what each other instruments present concomitantly with incredibly fast solos as 'background music', is technically so shiny and tight, that 99 percent of all other heavy metal musician would fold down the jaw.
With the 14-minute point about religious fanaticism, IN THE NAME OF GOD, includes "Train Of Thought" with a real bang. An awesome grooving verse abrupt onset Chorus with floating atmosphere and dramatic sound density, to James LaBries expressive vocals. After many exciting developments and, among others, lightning-fast continuous runs with loopartigem bass and cool rhythms in the background of this masterpiece pointed the energy content at the end towards enormous and discharges in brilliant, dramatically expressive Parts with ecstatic vocals.
The "Images And Words" - periods of warm, soft sounds are gone entirely clear. The result of the last songwriting sessions in New York are long and complex compositions, although need a few Hördurchgänge but convince consistently. 69 minutes long Hardest Metal is on offer, with the estimated technical showpieces of the band nevertheless not be neglected. Although in general the tendency to refrain structure exists, Dream Theater would never dare to repeat the same part only once without variation - so arise countless details. While Vocals- Parts are very straight, minute-long instrumental bodies are built to 'let off steam'.
The atmosphere of the album is brutal and infinitely heavy, especially by the monstrous guitars - the mood is gloomy and cold frosty. Serve with James LaBries very direct vocals and the supercooled keyboard sounds that are reminiscent of "Awake".
For thoughtful mood fits the successful black and white artwork of the booklets with surrealist photomontages.
Conclusion: "Train Of Thought" is an absolute masterpiece with excellent compositions and convincing sound - exciting from beginning to end. Dream Theater pull through her thing and define themselves partially new with this album - and for the first time in several studio albums expand hereby once more the modern progressive metal to some facets. Great - must have!