Edwin Rivera III

I would like to start this off by saying that my review of this record is not based on Mike Portnoy no longer being in the band. Dream Theater has been my favorite band since SFAM back in my high school years. I went into this record with fresh ears and a fresh heart.

The first time I heard “On The Backs Of Angels”, I knew this was going to be a whole new feeling for me. I didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad. What I did know is that “A Dramatic Turn of Events” was sounding completely different but still had a strange hint of déjà vu to it. The intro has a very “Pull Me Under”-ish vibe to it. If you hum the first note and change the song to “Pull Me Under”, it’s the same. As the drums came in, I knew right away that it wasn’t Mike Portnoy nor his drums. I’ll talk about that later.

One thing that I did notice throughout this 76 minute record was the sound. From the moment the band came in, the mix seemed “odd”. I don’t know if that is the correct word to use. Maybe foreign is the right one word. Though every instrument wasn’t powering another (I could hear bass right off the bat), everything just sounded bare or naked. The drums were very much in the background compared to other DT albums.

When you hear “Build Me Up, Break Me Down” intro, I can’t help but think of Linkin Park! (and thanks to the lyrics in the chorus, that stupid “Ke$sha” song) Hands down, James LaBrie did a great job this time around. Not once did it feel like he wasn’t comfortable singing. John Petrucci (right headphone) and Jordan Rudess (left headphone) do their classic dual solo on this track. Those always make me happy. I would have to say this is their “radio friendly” song.

“Lost Not Forgotten” showcases Jordan so well. God created piano for his hands! I am going say that there isn’t a part in the record that I get annoyed by some crazy-outrages-misplaced-odd keyboard solo. Just saying, Jordan. His solo on this song remind me of playing Sonic on Sega Genesis! Both him and John P. have great solos. The guitar solo is slowly telling me that John is going back to tasteful one rather than “let’s see how fast I can go”. You can hear it in “This Is The Life” as well, which has a “Spirit Carries On” soulful/gospel feel to it.

While listening to “Bridges In The Sky”, I couldn’t help but notice that almost, if not, every song has before it has a syncopated rhythm which everyone follows. So much that I went back to listen to a couple of songs in Black Clouds and Systematic to see if they did it that much. And I cannot tell you how much I love “Far From Heaven” and “Beneath The Surface”. James, Jordan, and John P. need to create a fake band and do nothing but ballads. That’s how good it is!

After all of it is said and done, I think it’s a pretty good record. There isn’t really much that stands out like most Dream Theater albums. I usually rewind certain parts of songs and try to digest them. Not so much here. One of my friends said it pretty accurate “…forgetful except for a few parts.” The reasons why I say this because they put Mike M. in the spot light. Here is the problem, this isn’t a masterpiece that shows off Manginni at all.

Overall, I give “A Dramatic Turn Of Events” a B-. I knew that Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy would be a total different experience, but I didn’t think it was going to be this off. He was a lot to this band. He co-produced. He helped with arrangements. Once again, I am not saying this because Mike is my favorite drummer, but you cannot listen to this record without feeling something is off. Portnoy was more than just a time keeper or a drummer that just followed patterns. He was emotion. He was, some would say, a “show boat”, but it gave life to the songs. Manginni is a beast, don’t get me wrong, but it just sounds like he was very conservative on his parts. I was hoping to hear Manginni come out with all guns blazing! I hope that the next time I hear Dream Theater, Mike M. will be off the leash.

Here is the order of my Dream Theater albums:

1. Scenes From A Memory
2. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
4. Systematic Chaos
5. A Dramatic Turn of Events