It’s about damn time!! It’s about time Dream Theater, one of the best outfits in all of heavy music, made an album that’s as special as ‘Black Clouds’, ‘Dramatic Turn’, ‘Train of Thought’ and ‘Awake.’ ‘Distance Over Time’ is a welcome return to the quality of what Dream Theater can be. It’s also their first album working as a true five man unit in years. Certainly their first since Mike Mangini joined in 2011. He’s even stated that this is ‘his first real Dream Theater album.’ And now that we have a good idea of what Mangini is going to bring in the future there’s no worries about the strength of the band.
First off, lets start with the production of the album. It sounds absolutely fantastic. Mangini’s drums are full and heavy. His bass drum slams, the thoms are tight and in perfect tune. And the snare sounds like Zeus is throwing lighting bolts into your speakers. Petrruci’s guitar tone has the heavy layered sound that’s found on the classics such as ‘Awake’, ‘Train of Thought’ and ‘A Dramatic Turn of Events.’ John Myoung’s bass cuts through the mix perfectly. And his contributions to the album must not go overlooked. Jordan Rudess is masterful as always. And this time around he’s a supporting member as opposed to the last album ‘The Astonishing’ where he’s bar none the dominant figure. And it hurt the album. But they’re back to being a more balanced band again. And of course, James LaBrie’s voice is in fine form as always. By the way, I hate it when people complain about him. He’s had some rough shows here and there in the past five years or so but it’s few and far between. And I would have a hard time listening to Dream Theater without him on vocals. He is the voice of Dream Theater whether you like it or not.
The album opens with the first single ‘Untethered Angel.’ It’s a great way to start the new album. A strong piece that’s familiar. It contains all the classic Dream Theater tropes: The acoustic intro that moves into the progressive, choppy movement before modulating into a fluid, drop heavy groove combined with LaBrie vocal melodies. The chorus is an instant sing along. And the jam is just what DT fans have been hoping a praying for. Then the third single ‘Paralyzed’ follows. All I can say is someone’s been listening to Breaking Benjamin. And there’s no complains from this writer about that. The heavy, fluid riff works beautifully. It’s catchy and accessible. A smart choice for a single. It’s a track that long time fans can get on board with but it also has potential to bring in a slew of new fans. Because that element in heavy music that bands like ‘Breaking Benjamin’ and ‘Disturbed’ use is also a huge part of the Dream Theater sound. ‘Fall into the Light’ keeps the momentum going. A throw down, Metallica-esque, intro gives way to pure prog metal beauty. It’s one of the grandest tracks in terms of the soaring vocal melodies. And the ballad movement in the middle only adds to the grandeur of the song.
‘Barstool Warrior’ is right out of the Rush playbook. Everyone knows that Rush is a major part of Dream Theater’s influence pallet. And there’s always one track that shines through on the album that’s very Rush. Of course, it’s not pure Rush. The verses contain the classic Dream Theater chug with clean vocals. And the chorus is one of the most emotionally catchy in a long while. Petrucci’s melodies are also prominent on the song. Showcasing his ability to feel and not just shred. ‘Room 137’ is a hauntingly heavy track. With a Marilyn Manson ‘The Beautiful People’ march. The lyrics are dark and moody. Which blends sublimely with the heavy guitar riff. It’s one of those songs you listen to with the lights off and just get inside your shit. ‘Room 137’ is obviously some metaphor for a self imposed emotional prison. And the music fits the lyrics perfectly. ‘S2n’ is one hell of throw down track. One of the sickest tracks on the album and maybe in the entire Dream Theater catalog. It’s loaded with passion, frustration with the human race and pure bad ass music to boot. Rudess brings in the keyboards in the perfect amount. LaBrie’s voice is, once again, clear and accessible. And if climate change won’t melt the polar ice caps, there’s always John Petrucci’s guitar solo on the track. And it all culminates in one of the heaviest, most bad ass riffs ever written in heavy metal. Similar to the ending of ‘The Dark Enternal Night’ from ‘Systematic Chaos.’ But maybe even sicker. And you better believe that Jordan Rudess’ keyboard solo over the riff will explode heads all over the globe. Master exploder indeed. And just when you thought, ‘alright, that’s gonna be tough to follow,’ ‘At Wits End’ comes in and continues the upward quality in the albums song writing. It’s the longest song on the album. And frankly, just the direction the band needed. The whole album is that way, but ‘At Wits End’ is the prime example of just how strong Dream Theater’s formula can be. Clocking in at nine minutes and twenty-one seconds, it’s got all the goods. It’s without question a quintessential new Dream Theater track. If someone didn’t know the band, ‘At Wits End’ is good place to start. The swirling riff is guaranteed headbanging results. The song is a heavy metal rhythm fest from the start. The somber chorus brings the track full circle. Along with short ballad moment at the five minute mark. It keeps going but gets heavier as the rest of the song unfolds.
‘Out of Reach’ is an amazing mainstream ballad. The vocal modulations are hair raising. Along with Rudesses’ tear jerking piano melodies. If the album takes off, it would be a huge boon to the band to release this as a single. ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is the second longest track on the album. It starts off with this cool ‘X-files’ feeling ambience. Then just absolutely devastating heaviness explodes. It’s another heavy metal rhythm fest. The verses are melodic and fluid with a dark creepiness overlaying them. The middle instrumental jam is more Dream Theater than Dream Theater. And I mean that in the best way. Syncopated rhythms, off beat jags and more accidentals than Dulles international airport. It’s moment that recalls the glory of the early years on ‘Images and Words.’ The album closes with a bonus four minute track ‘Viper King.’ It’s just a fun, bad ass, biker track. And it proves that Dream Theater can write four minute bad asserey just like all their peers. A huge critique of the band is that they seem incapable of writing a four minute throw down piece. But the reality is that Dream Theater can pretty much write anything they want under the huge tent that is rock and roll and heavy metal.
Overall this is one of Dream Theaters best albums. And it’s going to be one that goes down in the record books. I predict it’s going down as one of the bands most important albums. The album that got the band to being themselves again. What they’ve done on this album is embrace their heavy metal creds. If you’re into heavy Dream Theater you’re really going to like this album. It’s Pantera approved. They’re pissed off about the state of the world and aren’t afraid to show it on this album. A clear five out of five stars. It’s been eight years since they’ve done that. I’d give the self titled three and half and ‘The Astonishing’ none. So this is the bands big comeback and their solidification of the prog metal mantle. May they forever rule the metal world.
The two best on the album. This is what Dream Theater is all about.
