Review Summary: Less drama, more intrigue.
Could Dream Theater have possibly thought up a more tongue-in-cheek title for their first album without Mike Portnoy? Shy one drummer (and founding member), the rest of the band turned to Mike Mangini, who previously worked with James LaBrie on a couple side projects. The swap of drummers/Mikes left little difference on the length of time between albums, and though this turn isn’t necessarily dramatic, it definitely sees the band on a different road than before.
For the most part, Dream Theater did away with their thrash influences on
A Dramatic Turn of Events. If Portnoy’s departure was any indication, then he sat in the director’s chair, barking out more than just ill-advised vocals. We aren’t exactly spared, however, thanks to the embarrassing “Build Me Up, Break Me Down,” but this is wisely left as a button to press once and move on from. By comparison, “Bridges in the Sky” avoids sounding forced and sees Dream Theater pull off a hard-hitter in a way that feels unique amongst their comprehensive catalogue.
That’s primarily where the similarities between
A Dramatic Turn of Events and its recent predecessors end. Want numbers for proof? A third of the album’s tracks are ballads, though they only comprise about 20% of the overall runtime. Another reason to relax is that the two weaker ballads are completely inoffensive, and even “This Is the Life” begins reaching a bit further during its climax. But when album closer “Beneath the Surface” arises, the forgettability of its siblings is made abundantly clear. The song is a simple yet potent piece of empathy and tragedy, one that will surely drop a few listener’s defenses.
One aspect that’s come to define Dream Theater’s progressive nature is their sinuous direction. Here it extends less to individual tracks and more to the album itself, especially during the first half. In addition to the aforementioned numbers, we have “On the Backs of Angels,” adorning a relatively basic song structure, fair number of hooks and accessible vocals. Something else the album’s only single does is introduce us to the subdued production, one of its few permeating qualities. This is most evident during the many guitar-heavy moments, giving
A Dramatic Turn of Events a smoother overall sound than any Dream Theater album since
Scenes from a Memory.
As if seeing newfound opportunity, Dream Theater regress from the slight cohesion on
Black Clouds & Silver Linings during the lengthy, more progressive moments. The grimace-inducing intro to “Lost Not Forgotten” sloppily sets the stage, but the remaining attempts are more pleasing. Prime example is the aptly named “Breaking All Illusions,” standing tall as the album’s highlight, complete with the longest stretch of instrumental work. Normally this is symbolic with overbearing extravagance, but Dream Theater avoid sounding like a jam session by exercising the right combination of melody and progression. Even the soloing on “Outcry,” though indiscernible, is way easier to stomach than the bombastic outro on “In the Presence of Enemies.”
A Dramatic Turn of Events sees Dream Theater breaking free of one shell while attempting to find a new groove that works. The result is an album that goes through an indecisiveness before arriving at a ballad-on-epic routine. This makes the entire experience every bit as interesting as it is messy. Yet like any good Dream Theater album, the best moments work incredibly well, and
A Dramatic Turn of Events makes quite the showcase when it needs to.
