Systematic Chaos

For a change, I kind of feel like reviewing an album I don't have to listen through five-plus times and take exhaustive notes on. I could probably write this one without listening to it at all. (Though it helps) This is Dream Theater's 2007 album, Systematic Chaos.

The album both opens and closes with "In the Presence of Enemies", a twenty-five-minute epic and the third-longest suite in their discography. Supposedly they couldn't decide between having it start or finish the album, so they split it and did both. Described by guitarist John Petrucci as "the epitome of a Dream Theater creation", it's a six-part monster on par with "Octavarium"'s complexity. The first part is  nine minutes long and starts with a five-minute instrumental showcase that acts as an overture for the album and sounds pretty epic. Unlike "Octavarium", which begins very gradually with a lone keyboard, the entire band (save James LaBrie) jumps right into the intro for what would be an excellent instrumental song on its own. The second half of part 1 tells the story of a recently dead man being offered a deal to return to life. The tempter's line "I can lead you down the path and back to life/All I ask is that you worship me" recalls Satan's temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, not the last Biblical allusion this exquisitely written song makes. After a lyrical bridge we get a quick but intense guitar solo that fades into echoing wind.

Skipping the rest of the album for now, part 2 starts more quietly with a bass and keyboard duet, with quiet vocals telling of the man's acceptance of the "dark master"'s offer. The lyrics of this part are just awesome; all of Petrucci's lyrics on this album are about fantastical stories, of which this is the best example. LaBrie's delivery of the line "Angels fall/All for you/Heretic" the second and third times is almost chillingly awesome. The next part, "Slaughter of the Damned", is (unsurprisingly) even darker depicting the man fighting for his new master as promised. It's by far the most metal section of the song, with constant guitar chugging that breaks into acrobatics between the lines. The lyrics of this part are even better; the second verse is filled with darkly twisted allusions to Psalm 23 ("Fear/There is no evil to fear now/For I know you are with me/My/Cup overflows/With my enemy's blood"). This section ends with the exact same lyrical bridge that ended part 1 before "Reckoning", the second instrumental section that is effectively an extended solo. Simply amazing instrumental work. Finally, in the last part we get the resolution to the story; the man realizes the mistake he has made accepting the demonic bargain and rejects it, saying "My soul is my own now/I do not fight for you/Dark master". What a satisfying conclusion after the darkness of the rest of the epic. Again, this song is simply amazing, one of DT's best epics and the definite highlight of the album.

After part 1 we get the much pithier "Forsaken", another Petrucci-written creation that I think channels a bit of Evanescence in its gothic lyrics (about a man being shown hauntingly beautiful dreams while having his blood sucked by a vampiress), piano sections and focus on grinding riffs. Still a good song, and the best single material on the album, but it's eclipsed by the other songs of the album.

Then we have "Constant Motion". This was the very first Dream Theater song I heard, thanks to a message board thread I read about Rock Band songs with insane solos that linked to a video of it. My first impression of the song and Dream Theater was "like Metallica, only artsier". And now, having listened to it dozens of times, I still kind of agree. Again, it's very riff-focused, with a much faster and more aggressive riff that borders on thrash metal. The drumming is upbeat with a relentless tempo that parallels the stress of obsessive-compulsive disorder, about which Mike Portnoy wrote the song. The chorus is a bit smoother and less tense, highlighting the tension in the verses by contrast. The solo continues to wow me just as much as it did the first time with some of the fastest shredding I have ever heard, demonstrating Petrucci's status as one of the best guitarists in the world. Just watch and be amazed. Since playing it on Rock Band, I've learned the drumming during the solo is almost as technically impressive; afterwards there is a similarly virtuosic keyboard solo followed by a "freakout" section that is just insane. Jordan Rudess is pretty much a wizard.

After Metallica and Evanescence, Dream Theater moves on to Pantera on "The Dark Eternal Night". Though I like it, this song is likely to garner the most hate from fans and newcomers. Besides the ultra-heavy, detuned guitars riffing atonally and bass-heavy drumming, we get heavily distorted vocals on the verses that are half-sung, half-rapped. It's DT's closest venture to that bad memory of the early '00s, "nu" metal. But of course, this is Dream Theater we're talking about, so once you get past the vocal style it's pretty cool. The lyrics are more fantastical stuff by Petrucci (about a pharaoh who comes back from the dead to curse a city). But that's all just the first three and a half minutes. The other five and a half minutes are almost entirely instrumental and some of the best epic progressive vamping of the album. It's all excellent and as diverse as you'd expect from Dream Theater, but some highlights are the ragtime piano (yes, ragtime) at 4:30 and the super-low shredding with rapid 6-time bass drumming starting at 5:50. There is some excellent guitar work around 6:30 (though it seems tame in comparison to "Constant Motion"), one last chorus, and a long outro with an awesome, improvised keyboard solo by Jordan Rudess.

After that is "Repentance", the fourth part of Mike Portnoy's twelve-step suite. Unlike the others, it is quiet and laid back, basically progressive rock. Some musical and lyrical themes from the first three parts come into play ("Hello mirror/So glad to see you my friend"), but mostly this some functions as a breather from the intensity of the rest of the suite (and this album). Lyrically, it's about steps eight and nine of the program--making a list of the people you have wronged and making amends to them. Great laid-back guitar solo at 4:40 that recalls DT's progressive rock influences. Certainly the centerpiece of the is all the spoken-word vocals from lots of Portnoy's colleagues like Mikael Åkerfeldt, Steven Wilson, and Neal Morse, all expecting regrets, apologies, and desire for forgiveness. It's a really nice touch.

"Prophets of War" begins almost like a techno song with layered keyboards before the bass and drums come in. The almost dance-like rhythm (bizarre, but really good) continues up until the instrumental refrain, which is joined the second time by the shouts of as many Dream Theater fans as would fit into the studio. Lyrically, it's probably their most political song, questioning the purpose of and motives behind the war in Iraq. Fortunately it never gets terribly preachy (except maybe the spoken-word break by Mike Portnoy) and manages not to sound dated now. (At least, not nearly as much as "The Great Debate" with its news samples)

"The Ministry of Lost Souls" is the other epic of the album, a fifteen-minute gem that again embraces DT's progressive rock roots. Despite the length it's generally just an extended song and not a suite like "In the Presence of Enemies". After a pretty dramatic intro, the verses and choruses are pretty mellow. Lyrically, the song is about a woman who is saved from drowning but is filled with regret and longing to be reunited with her rescuer, who gave his life in the process. The emotive vocals and slower pace really speak to this longing. At 6:40 the (highly) extended instrumental section begins, the only really metal part of the song. The slower guitar solos at 10:50 and the outro are quite good and demonstrate Petrucci isn't all about pure speed and precision (as it "Repentance" left any doubt of that). Extended solos aside, this is definitely one of the less pompous and more accessible songs on the album, and the one I forget about the most often--a tragedy! After it comes, of course, part 2 of "In the Presence of Enemies", reviewed above, to close the album off.

"Systematic chaos" is a pretty apt description of Dream Theater (the band and the music). This album sees the band blend together both extremes, carefully treading the line between tightly written and polished modern alternative metal and their trademark progressive excess, containing both a five-and-a-half-minute single and a twenty-five-minute epic. It is the most outstanding example of what I would call the "new" Dream Theater sound (conceived on the first disc of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence) and a successful fusion of their distinctive sound what what I would term "modern metal".

Conclusion: Having fallen in love with this album over dozens of listens, I'd give it a solid 5/5. It's a great album to get into the band with (it's what got me started with Dream Theater) and the best example of their "new" sound. The songs are all brilliant and extremely varied; there isn't a single filler track and everything fits together in some kind of systematically chaotic way to form a very solid and  rewarding album. It's helped cement Dream Theater's place as one of the most musically fascinating and satisfying bands in my library. Songs to check out are "Constant Motion", one of the band's best instrumental showcases, "Prophets of War", which keeps mystifying me more each time I listen to it, and of course, "In the Presence of Enemies", one of their best epics.

Dream Theater Piano Covers

From Jordan "the keyboard wizard" Rudess' latest album, Notes on a Dream. I really like this take on Dream Theater.

The Power Within

It is here.

Obviously, the big question The Power Within faces is: Does [new vocalist] Marc Hudson measure up to ZP's legacy? Is he a good fit for the band? Is he sufficiently metal?

Now, having listened to the album about six times in the past two days, I can happily say that the answer is a solid yes. Marc has amazing vocal range and power, sings with every bit of ZP's passion, and keeps the band's general cheesiness at roughly the same level. If he'd been DragonForce's vocalist since the beginning and was replaced by someone else, I think I'd have just as much trouble adjusting as I am now. He tends to sing lower then ZP did, but is quite able to go as high or higher at will.

One nerd point for each one you can identify.

New vocalist aside, how is the rest of the album? Well, if you are a true DragonForce fan, you of course weren't hoping for them to change at all, besides their lineup. Nonetheless, this album does contain at least some musical exploration--instead of all sounding just like each other, the songs comprise more of a survey of power metal, varying from the hyperfast, quintessentially DragonForce "Fallen World" to the much slower "Cry Thunder", which reminds me of HammerFall, to "Wings of Liberty", one of their more progressive songs to date (and, as far as I can tell, it has nothing to do with StarCraft II)

The other thing that jumped out at me about The Power Within, besides its awesomeness, was the song lengths. Prior to this album, DragonForce had only released one song less than five minutes in length, and technically it was a rerecording of a song written before they were DragonForce. The Power Within has six songs under five minutes, and only one over six. ("Wings of Liberty") According to this interview with guitarist and bandleader Sam Totman, he was concerned with how their seven-plus-minute epics were faring with listeners' shrinking attention spans, so they tried to pare down the extended instrumental sections. It's a somewhat disappointing choice, as I would listen to anything DragonForce made, no matter how long, but if it makes more fans out of people, I guess it's worthwhile. Anyway, they tried to add more instrumental action under the vocals to compensate for the shorter solos.

I hope I'm not making this album sound like a letdown, because it most definitely isn't. on "Holding On", Marc's introduction to the world is via an amazing, almost Halford-esque metal scream just before the twin-guitar riffing and frantic, super-precise drumming assure us that the DragonForce we know and love is still very much alive. Marc does a great job singing this one, and I find myself missing ZP less and less with each listen.

After that, "Fallen World" is a storm of metal insanity. (That almost sounds like one of their lyrics) Sam says in the interview that it's DragonForce's fastest song ever, as 220 BPM. (Only the songwriter of DragonForce would perceive such a tangible difference between writing at 220 and 230 BPM) This song is a bit heavier/less melodic than "Holding On", with some of the best drumming on the album. "Cry Thunder" is considerably more sedate, almost seeming like a nod to lesser power metal bands with its pace and fantastical lyrics.

On the rest of the album, "Give Me the Night", "Seasons", and "Last Man Stands" continue DragonForce's experiment of writing songs that are about things other than fantastical heroes, battles for the fate of humanity/the universe, and the power of friendship; respectively, they address addiction, a breakup, and everyday heroes. "Give Me the Night" is almost as furious as "Fallen World", though a bit slower; "Seasons" is one of their more accessible songs, with remotely non-ridiculous vocals and a slower beat. (Single bait, but it's pretty good)

"Wings of Liberty" fakes you out by starting like the album's ballad, but quickly turns into an epic that will thrill fans of DragonForce's earlier albums. At 7:22, it has time to throw in a quieter guitar/piano section in the old-style instrumental section. This album in fact has no ballad, with an acoustic version of "Seasons" filling the mellow song role quite well.

My notes for "Heart of the Storm" and the similarly-named "Die by the Sword" just say "awesome" and "classic", respectively. That's pretty accurate; for another band I might have written "filler", but DragonForce has no filler, only more awesome songs.

Conclusion: The Power Within doesn't explore much new musical territory, but it's a solid release and probably DragonForce's most accessible yet. Marc Hudson proves himself to be ZP's true successor, Dave Mackintosh takes his drumming to the next level, and the guitarists are fantastic as usual. Still, the shorter song lengths are somewhat hard for a longstanding fan to accept, so I'm giving it a 4.5/5. Song to check out if you're on the fence are "Holding On", "Fallen World", "Give Me the Night", and "Seasons".

Koloss (For Real)

Okay, reviewing Meshuggah's new album, Koloss, now.

Though most people have never heard of Meshuggah (named after the Yiddish word for "crazy"), they've been one of the more influential bands in metal since the release of their last album, obZen. A new subgenre of metal called "djent" is largely based off their technicality and distinctively distorted guitar sound--a whole generation of metal bands trying to sound like Meshuggah. How does Meshuggah respond? By calmly reasserting their dominance of the experimental/extreme metal scene and releasing what might be their most solid album yet.

Koloss sees Meshuggah explore beyond the oft-imitated style of metal they pioneered without ever leaving it fully behind. (Except on the last track) The opening track, "I Am Colossus", is definitely on the slower end of their repertoire; a slower, lumbering, and discordant beast of a track that flirts with equal parts groove and doom metal with its impossibly low, detuned guitar chugs. It has a faster sort of revere breakdown in lieu of a solo to spice things up. Just when the first track was almost getting relaxing, "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" returns to "Bleed"-like intensity, levels, built on Tomas Haake's laser-precision rapid-fire kick pedal triplets played in 6-time. The man is a human clock or something.

"Do Not Look Down" is slower but has a similarly intense atmosphere, as well as one of the cooler polyrhythmis on the album. It's more riff-focused, built around a distinctive guitar loop that gets accentuated by some shredding during the solo as well as a few slower breakdowns. Again, these are many of the same elements lots of other technical metal bans use in their songs, but when Meshuggah does it, it feels right and perfectly planned. They are the masters. Anyway, "Behind the Sun" is slower and even more doom-y, though accented by some double/triple bass later where the solo might be in a normal song.

"The Hurt that Finds You First" is probably the most extreme song on the album, with distorted 3-time guitar chugging laid over blast beats and other staples of extreme metal drumming. Then, of course, the outro shifts to a style reminiscent of post metal. "Marrow" is another polyrhythm-heavy song, with a repeated riff that appears to slide up the fretboard midnote for a cool slide effect. The solo here is some higher, discordant shredding to counterpoint it. "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" reminds me of doom metal...or post metal...or just Meshuggah. It has one guitar engaging in some of the lowest and heaviest riffing since "I Am Colossus" while the other guitar (or maybe the keyboard) provides electronic-sounding overtones. In the solo/breakdown the guitars go largely ambient for an almost creepy effect.

"Swarm" is built on top of rapidly picked, low-register guitar triplets, with Haake tribal-sounding polyrhythms for a sound that seems to creep and crawl on all fours until it--nevermind. In the solo the guitars just go crazy--I swear, every single song features a totally different guitar sound from the ever-inventive Swedes. "Demiurge" is again slower, with a pounding guitar line that can't seem to decide between 3 and 4-time. It's one of the more chill tracks on the album, relatively speaking, except of course "The Last Vigil", which is a quiet, ambient instrumental postlude to help you relax and return to the world of sane music.

All in all, this album may not seem all that different from obZen, but when extreme metal experimentation is your baseline, it's hard for Meshuggah to sound too innovative without completely reinventing themselves on each album. (Which they sort of already do) It seems a bit more raw and less robotic than their earlier work, as if the band is getting back to basics. (Except that would entail their music having been "basic" at one point) Koloss sees Meshuggah pursue new sounds and prove that, as usual, "rhythm" and "tonality" are mere suggestions. At the same time, they seem to be kicking back ever so slightly and showing that technical metal isn't about who can move their fingers and feet the fastest. The elements of their music have been frequently copied of late, but only Meshuggah can put them together so perfectly into a simultaneously visceral and intellectual package of well-thought-out aggression.

The final word: I would give this album a 5/5 for being one of Meshuggah's most solid releases yet, if not their best. It's definitely not for everyone, but worth a listen for adventurous metal fans. Some good songs to sample are "The Demon's Name is Surveillance", "Do Not Look Down", "Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion", and "Swarm". Bonus points for the fractal-inspired artwork.

Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm

I'm not sure which I like more: metal covers of non-metal songs, or non-metal covers of metal songs. Anyway, here is a song in the first category that has been stuck in my head lately.

Iconoclast

Okay, finally time to review the new Symphony X album.

Say what you will about Symphony X, but they definitely aim high. Their past albums have been epic compositions based on Greek mythology and Milton; their latest release, Iconoclast, is a semi-concept album about a Matrix-esque war between humans and machines. I'll be reviewing the two-disc special edition.

Right at the start, this album hits you with what is by far its standout track: the epic (in every sense of the word) title track, "Iconoclast". From an ambient/symphonic/electronic intro we suddenly launch into a swirling, crazy-sounding riff, then heavy metallic chugging over strings and a choir chanting in Latin. It is at this point that you get an idea of what to expect from Iconoclast. (The song and the album) Finally, at two minutes in, the choral intro gives way to the song's main riff, which is most satisfyingly technically advanced and catchy. Finally, at 2:40, Russell Allen's vocals begin. It has a nearly-four-minute instrumental section beginning at 5:00 including more epic choral vocals, one of the album's best solos, and in general enough awesome instrumental shredding and vamping to satisfy a Dream Theater fan. All told, this song is a showcase of everything I love about non-extreme metal and one of my favorite metal songs of all time. Its only real weakness is the chorus which, while anthemic, is still just "We are strong! We will stand and fight!" repeated over and over.

From there, "The End of Innocence" sounds almost like a mortal-sized version of "Iconoclast", or "Set the World on Fire (Lie of Lies)" from Paradise Lost,  combining heavy, chugging rhythm with electronica-sounding keyboards. "Dehumanized" is slower and darker in both atmosphere and lyrics, one of the less remarkable tracks on the album. "Bastards of the Machine" turns the intensity back up, again with great, precise, and enjoyable riffing and more techno-type keyboards providing accentuation. It manages to pack an excellent instrumental/solo break in despite being the shortest song on the album at just under 5 minutes.

"Heretic" is one of the more power metallic songs of the album, and has some of the best drumming, with plenty of aggressive blast beats and double-bass breaks. Also another great, shredful guitar solo. The second epic, "When All is Lost", begins as a piano ballad that counterpoints quiet and intense sections quite well before going completely crazy in the end. It's worth noting that this song was the end of the normal album, and finishes off the first disc on the digipak version.

On the second disc, "Electric Messiah" is a great faster song whose main riff is as fast as some solos, though the chorus is considerably slower. "Light Up The Night" is even faster, the most power metal song on the album. The dissonant riffing on "The Lords of Chaos" reaches groove metal, almost Meshuggah levels. Finally, the closing epic, "Reign in Madness" would be a fine musical summary of the album if the title track weren't better. It seamlessly merges an electronic atmosphere with the usual heaviness, and has a quiet piano midsection calling back to "When All Is Lost".

This album picks a style and relentlessly pursues it to no small success. Its focus on riffs and rhythm over melody gives it a distinctly modern, American sound; it stays consistently aggressive and intellectually dense, as a Symphony X album should. The man-versus-machine concept is cool to explore and well-represented in the music and lyrics. Russell Allen's vocals go from fairly melodic singing to more of a snarl; overall, it seems a bit darker and more punch-you-in-the-face heavy than Paradise Lost, but still very much in the same vein. And, of course, the title track is beyond amazing.

And that brings me to the album's weaknesses. If you couldn't tell from above, this album is very riff-focused, almost to the point where the only differences between some songs is their riffs. It's pretty homogeneous; some songs stand out, but besides "Iconoclast", only just. If you looked at a track listing you'd also notice I just skipped two of the songs entirely as they really don't give us anything we haven't already heard.

Conclusion: 4/5. If you liked Paradise Lost, you'll love this album, but it won't be anything new. Certainly give the title track a listen, at least, as well as "Heretic", "When All Is Lost", and "Light Up the Night".

Koloss

"The Demon's Name is Surveillance", from Meshuggah's new album, Koloss. Review forthcoming.