Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos

Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos

Year 2007

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2007 marked a transition for Dream Theater. They escaped the confines of their Warner music label over to one of metal's biggest labels, Roadrunner Records (of course, the beautiful irony is that Roadrunner was bought out by Warner in the beginning of 2007, though this all happened after the plan to switch labels). Would a change in record labels lead to a change in direction for one of progressive metal's best known bands? Systematic Chaos would be the album to answer that question.

And the answer is yes, unfortunately.

Admittedly, the changes are subtle, and could easily be overlooked. First and most immediately noticeable was the decision to break the track "In the Presence of Enemies" into two tracks. This effectively halts the momentum of the song and takes what could have been a 25 minute epic into two lesser, somewhat confusing and disjointed tracks. Another major change on the album is thematic in nature.

It is this second that is most disappointing.

Dream Theater's lyrics have often run the gamut, ranging from thoughtful and somewhat introspective, to political, to religious. There have even been moments of fantasy (such as the concept of Metropolis part II). But when it comes to their music, Dream Theater has always presented themselves as very serious artists. And this serious attitude is, ultimately, what damns Systematic Chaos.

Metal music has never been above dark, fantasy lyrics. Yet the bands that pull it off best are those who are obviously putting on a show. Symphony X has always had lyrics that border on the ridiculous. Swords, sorcery, knights and dragons are all part and parcel of any Symphony X album. It works, though, because you can tell it is a conscious effort to make their music larger than life, to separate it from reality and use it to create a moment or two of fantasy for the listener. On Systematic Chaos, however, everything comes across so earnest, so serious, that it becomes impossible to just ignore the lyrical abortion that the album is. Tackling fantasy themes with the restraint, tact, and style of a libidinous teenager, each track is cringe inducing trial to suffer through.

Musically, the album has some very strong moments, with some of Dream Theater's heaviest, most crushing guitar riffs recorded. As is expected, the music has many technical elements and is very skillfully played. Yet it is time someone remind the band that more notes does not excellent music make. Finally, Jordan Rudess again proves that he is, quite possibly, the worst thing to happen to Dream Theater. A technically talented keyboardist, he feeds into the "flurry of notes as mental onanism" mindset that has become a weakness of Dream Theater albums since Awake. That, coupled with his atrocious choices in sound effects (really, who thinks that a rag-time piano solo fits in the middle of near death metal guitar riffs?) creates an enormous barrier to the music of Systematic Chaos being enjoyable.

Tracks to catch: "Constant Motion" is a decent single, that works to showcase much of what Dream Theater has become. "The Dark Eternal Night" tries to be interesting (though the horrifyingly bad lyrics and aforementioned rag-time piano completely ruin this track for me). "In The Presence of Enemies" wants to be a big, epic song, though it is neutered by being split into two smaller tracks.

Rating: 2/5

Systematic Chaos is for completists, those who just have to have everything by a band they love. And there is actually quite a bit to potentially love in this album. However, the good is so outweighed by the bad that I just can't forgive it. Lyrically it is painful. Musically, it has some very strong moments which are overwhelmed by self-indulgent instrumental wankery that lacks all style and tact. Chalk this up as one of my biggest disappointments of 2007.

Ratings: Revealed!

As a guide to ratings on Progged, please keep in mind the following:

• 5/5: This is reserved for essential recordings. If an album gets a 5 it means we think this is really an album that any true music fan should experience.
• 4/5: This denotes the album is an excellent addition to any music collection, but not an essential. Most really great albums probably should get this at the very highest.
• 3/5: A good albums for fans of the style/band, but not something that will be winning over new fans or changing the way someone thinks about music.
• 2/5: An album best reserved for those who are completists, those who really want to have every album by said band.
• 1/5: Gluttons for punishment. Little to no redeeming values.

Hopefully that guide keeps the ratings used clear. This is all in an effort to avoid the dreaded 6-9 review scale that seems to plague review sites.

Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain

Agalloch: Ashes Against the Grain

Year: 2006

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Desolation.

Skeletal trees, reaching their barren limbs to gray, bleak sky. A chill in the air, snow blanketing the ground, muffling the sounds, smothering life. Picture this scene, and you will see the bleak majesty that is Ashes Against the Grain.

Ashes Against the Grain is the latest magnum opus from the Oregon band Agalloch. After several listens, I have no hesitation calling it a masterpiece. Agalloch, with only three full length albums to their name (and a number of EPs) have already proven that they are one of the most brilliant metal bands. Attempting to label them results in a convoluted group of genres along the lines of Progressive-Doom-Gray-Metal.

This difficulty in putting them in a genre owes to the complexity of their music. Ashes Against the Grain is replete with thundering guitars, gritty, growling vocals, pounding bass and drums. Yet at the same time it is full of clean, melancholic vocals, acoustic interludes and bridges, subtle layering andtexturing of ambient, atmospheric sounds. With four of the eight tracks clocking in at over 9 minutes, this is no easy, quickly gratifying listen either. It requires time, dedication, and patience to digest all that is happening.

That is what makes it such a rewarding album. You don't listen to separate tracks from Ashes Against the Grain. You experience the entire album, from start to finish. That is the way the music was written, the way it was intended. The music rolls over you, moving you, burying you under the weight of its melancholy. It is truly a cathartic experience.

The real focus of the album is the guitar work. The vocals are never the centerpiece, they are there to compliment the music. The emotion conveyed in the guitar playing is breathtaking. But don't let that make you think the rest of the band is lacking in any way. The writing is magnificent, each piece working together to create a rich, morose, elegiac tapestry that will haunt the listener long after the final sounds fade away.

Tracks to catch: I just can't. As mentioned, Ashes Against the Grain needs to be taken as a whole. While the separate songs are some of the most powerful I have heard in years, the sum truly is greater than the parts. However, "Our Fortress is Burning. . .II:Bloodbirds" is truly the culmination of the album, a powerful climax.

Rating: 5/5

Ashes Against the Grain is, without a doubt, one of the most important music releases in years. It has received the praise of countless critics, and deserves every bit of it. It is moving in a way very few albums every achieve. This album is a must have for metal fans, and is even highly recommended to any open-minded music fan. In one word: brilliance.

OSI: Free

Free Artist: OSI Year: 2006 The year 2003 saw the release of what has become one of InsideOut Music's top selling albums. What was it that made Office of Strategic Influence such a success? Of course, it is impossible to tell, but it is likely a multi-factorial effect. Dream Theater fans, who are often rabid and follow the members from side project to side project, picked it up to hear Mike Portnoy smack the skins. They also likely picked it up to hear more from ex-DT keyboardist Kevin Moore. And Fates Warning fans snagged it to get a fill of more of Jim Matheos' vicious chops. Add in bassist Sean Malone, and you have the formula for a veritable prog super group. So just what happens when you combine the rocking song writing of Jim Matheos with the ambient, spacey writing that Kevin Moore has been writing with Chroma Key for a few years now? You get a thing of beauty. You get OSI. And their most recent release, Free, is no different. Noticeable immediately from the start is that Free is a more relaxed and laid back record than its predecessor. Also apparent is the fact that only one song even cracks the 6 minute mark (as compared to the 10+ minute masterpiece "shutDOWN" from the first album, and 17+ minute "The Thing That Never Was", if you got the bonus disc). But don't let that fool you. This is very much a progressive record. Free focuses a lot on the keyboards and programming of Kevin Moore, but Jim Matheos is ever present. His heavy guitar riffs, while not as frequent on this disc, have an even harder edge. They have an energy, and urgency, and serious metal crunch to them that will make any rocker sit up and pay attention. Likewise, Matheos does his fair share of programming. As evidenced on Fates Warning's most recent release FWX, Jim Matheos has learned much from his collaborations with Kevin Moore. That history of collaborating also helps to make Free such a strong record. It is a magnificent symbiosis of metal and experimental electronica. Very few of the songs can be taken at face value, and multiple listens are required to really get a hold of each song. Even after so many listens, songs still pack surprise punches. The performances from each band member are fantastic. As mentioned, Matheos' guitar work is always excellent. Kevin Moore is ever present, and his vocal work, an almost painfully restrained monotone, is often in such stark contrast to the music that it serves to heighten the tension of the songs. Mike Portnoy continues to amaze with his adaptability, playing perfectly with just about whatever style of music. Finally, Joey Vera's presence on the heavier tunes adds extra strength and depth to the rhythm section. Tracks to catch: "Sure You Will" is a high octane electro-metal rocker that will get you our of your seat every time. "Free" is one of the few obvious heavy tunes on the album, but the multi-layered instrumentation sets this track apart. "Home Was Good" is a haunting, minimalistic tune. "Kicking" has a great groove. "Our Town" strips back all the electronics and leaves the listener with Moore's minimalistic vocals and Matheos' acoustic guitar. It is a beautiful way to end the album. Rating: 4/5 Free is a deceptive album. On the surface, it appears to be a rather accessible bit of music. However, it is just the opposite. A dense, meaty album with tons of substance, there is something to keep the listener coming back for more, time and again. Free is a masterful evolution of the sound of two fabulous musicians. It isn't an album for everyone, but those who delve its progressive depths are sure to find it a rewarding experience.

Evergrey: Monday Morning Apocalypse

Monday Morning Apocalypse Artist: Evergrey Year: 2006 Sweden's Evergrey has carved out quite a niche for themselves. I can think of no other band that really comes close to their brand of somewhat progressive, dark, and melancholic power metal. And with their previous five albums, they have built quite an expectation for their fans. Dark and brooding lyrics, excellent musicianship, powerful guitars, and distinctive, gravelly vocals have helped to make each album worth checking out. With a number of well-thought out and orchestrated concept albums now under their belts, what does the band have in store on their latest offering Monday Morning Apocalypse? Both less and more. Monday Morning Apocalypse sees Evergrey honing their trademark sound to a fine edge. Always impeccable musicians, their latest release focuses on a more intense, focused approach to the music. Some have already decried Monday Morning Apocalypse as a sell-out album, Evergrey's attempt to break into the mainstream. But rather than sell-out, this sort of talk sells the album short. Stripped from much of the pretension that is present on previous albums, this is a more open, more accessible, and more sincere Evergrey. But don't let that fool you. The thunderous guitars that make Evergrey so fun to listen to are all over the album. Pummeling riffs on such tracks as "The Curtain Fall" and "At Loss for Words" are carefully balanced with the balladry of tracks like "I Should" and "In Rememberance." Gone is the pomp of the concept album trying to tell a large, overarching story. Rather, we get an album of more self-contained songs. The lyrical work is undeniably dark and brooding, but that is what Evergrey does best. Likewise, lead singer Tom S. Englund's vocals continue to impress through understatement. He isn't going to hit any amazing, clarion clear high notes like John Arch, blow you away with his demonic growls like Mikael Akerfeldt, or wrap you in the warmth of his voice like Eric Clayton, but his gravelly baritone fits the mood of the music perfectly. In fact, that is what makes Monday Morning Apocalypse such a strong album: everything just fits together. The lyrics, the instrument work, the writing, all come together to create Evergrey's most focused effort to date. Tracks to Catch: "The Curtain Fall" has a some really killer, fast-paced guitar work. "At Loss for Words" balances the band's frantic aggression with its slower-paced style. "Monday Morning Apocalypse" is a powerful, in-your-face rocker that kicks the album off in a great way. "Till Dagmar" is a beautiful piano interlude. "Closure" is simply Tom Englund and a piano - an amazingly moving, open and vulnerable way to end the album. Rating: 4/5 Monday Morning Apocalypse is more than the sum of its parts. Less progressive than past releases in terms of concept and orchestration, yet more progressive if we really think about what that word means. This is Evergrey taking their sound and nudging it in a different direction. This is an album made by a band that is confident of its identity and is comfortable trying something that breaks its own mold, if even just a bit. Monday Morning Apocalypse gives us a peek at Evergrey at their most sincere, their most earnest, and their most focused.

Astral Doors: Astralism

Astralism Artist: Astral Doors Year: 2006 Although they have only been around since 2002, Astral Doors has a sound that belies their recent creation and hearkens back to the real roots of metal. Members of various bands at various times, a passion for solid, unpretentious heavy metal brought the band together and 2006 sees them releasing their third album: Astralism. From the very first bombastic chords, it is evident that Astralism is ready to rock. Driving, distorted guitars, pummeling drums, a Hammond organ, and a vocalist who sounds so similar to Dio (especially from his Sabbath and Rainbow days) it is almost eerie at times, all kick the album into high gear. And from there it doesn't look back. Astralism is an album for heavy metal purists. Dark, brooding lyrics dealing with the physical as well as the metaphysical fill the album. But rather than just revel in the darkness, the songs do have a lighter side, a sense of striving for a better world buried in the lyrics. This is very refreshing to hear, as it serves as an excellent balance. Every song is a balls-to-the-wall metal tune. There may be an occasional acoustic guitar here and there, but 99% is just begging for some head-banging. The music is hard and heavy, but with an emphasis on melody. The presence of the Hammond is especially effective in uniting the melodic elements throughout each song. Likewise, vocalist Patrick Johansson walks the fine line between wailing and singing, his gravelly voice giving a sense of urgency to the music. Tracks to catch: "Apocalypse Revealed" is the closest the album gets to a real epic track, and this one is a winner. Clocking in at near 8 minutes, it is an excellent closer to the album. "Israel" effectively adds a multitude of voices, adding an emotional quality to the slower, dirge-like track. "Tears From a Titan" slowly warms you up with a Hammond intro before the songs really kicks in. "EVP" is a fast paced, driving track that starts the whole show off nicely. Rating: 3/5 Astralism is a very strong release, and will surely appeal greatly to those who are fans of solid, powerful, classic heavy metal. The music is uncompromising, but nicely balances grit with melody. The Hammond is very prominent in most of the tracks, perhaps too prominent at times. Scaling the organ back and bringing the bass into the mix more would give the music just that much more power. Fans of heavy metal owe it to themselves to check out Astral Doors and their brand of classic/modern metal.

Grave Digger: 25 to Live

25 to Live Artist: Grave Digger Year: 2006 Heavy metal is not pretty. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is trying to sell you something - but it sure does rock. After 25 years of rocking, Grave Digger has finally released a live compilation worth celebrating, and they are dishing it up both on CD and DVD for us to enjoy. Formed in 1980, Grave Digger has been one of Germany's brightest stars in the metal arena for years now. Over the past few years, their releases have consistently garnered high praise, and 25 to Live is no different. Recorded in 2005 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 25 to Live offers an excellent chronicle of the band's career, spanning their numerous albums. The show was a relatively simple one, allowing the audience to really focus on what they came for: kick-ass heavy metal, with no pretension. There are no elaborate light shows (though of course some changing colors and flashing now and then), no elaborate stage set-up: just five guys giving it their all to rock the crowd. And the crowd responded appreciatively. There is a reason that so many rock bands record live albums in Brazil: on every live release I have ever heard recorded in Brazil, the crowd is simply insane. The crowd coming to see Grave Digger that night was no different. They sang along to every word, and often even to the music when there were no words! They consistently chanted between just about every song. They went nuts every time lead singer Chris Boltendahl screamed "Obrigado!" The energy infused in the show is infectious, and I found myself pumping my fist in the air right along with them. The band is great as well. Monster guitar riffs, machine-gun staccato, lightning fast solos, thundering bass, and pummeling drum work prove that after 25 years, Grave Digger has plenty of life in them. They really seem to be enjoying themselves, evident in the interaction with each other and the crowd. The music is very tight, the playing excellent, and the energy from the band is absolutely great. The DVD manages to capture the band from many angles, with some shots right up on stage and others from farther away. There are a few cheesy "special effects" here and there, some added light halos and some slow motion, but they hardly distract from the music, and actually fit right in with the necessary willingness to suspend reality to enjoy this type of music. The extras are sparse, chronicling the band's journey and preparation from the concert. But, with such a fantastic, 27-song show, the concert is the real centerpiece of the package. Rating: 4/5 25 to Live is an excellent example of a great heavy metal release. The music is energetic, the crowds enthusiasm infectious, and the song selection is a very nice sample of the band's long career. 25 to Live is sure to please long time Grave Digger fans, and will also certainly earn the band some new fans who decide to check it out. This is true heavy metal, killer riffs and wailing vocals at their very best. It ain't pretty, but it sure does rock.