A Dramatic Turn Of Events - Dream Theater

Dream Theater – A Dramatic Turn Of Events

Well finally the review is here after (excuse the pun) A Dramatic Turn Of Events. This album is the first by Dream Theater to not feature founding member Mike Portnoy. No matter what your view is on Portnoy’s departure it is clear to see from the efforts on this album that Dream Theater are soldering on with out him. The infamous Mike Mangini takes over on the drums, but stays true to Mike Portnoy’s style giving the album a very familiar feeling. “Build Me Up, Break Me Down” features a very strange techno intro/verse, which feels out of place but it the song is stabilized by having a classic Dream Theater chorus. In terms of how the album feels it is reminiscent of their older works fused with some newer styles, e.g. “Lost But Not Forgotten” sounds like it could have easily come off “Black Clouds And Silver Linnings”. A Dramatic Turn Of Events is a definite progression from the previous album, it is very broad in musical variety for example “Outcry” goes from almost ballad to 7 string heavy riffing from. As an album it feels more connected than some of their recent releases however there is something missing, some parts of the songs feel disjointed although there are some fantastic solos from Rudess and Petrucci. I feel that James La Brie could have pushed himself a bit further on this album as the passion is not there (apart from on “Far From Heaven”)

Overall this is a solid album and is much better than its predecessor but, you do get the feeling that had Mike Portnoy had an influence what could have it been like. Mike Mangini fits in well and as usual plays to perfection, but I think Portnoy’s influence could have made this album a lot stronger. The album is for fans of the bands older works, I think newer fans will struggle with this album but overall a solid effort.

A Dramatic Turn Of Events – Dream Theater: 7/10