Dream Theater - Dream Theater (2013)

By iurgi -
Dream Theater are making a statement with the new album. This is a new beginning. After Mike Portnoy's departure, this is their second album with guitarist John Petrucci as a producer and the band are keen to demonstrate they're moving forward.

Overall the songs are more mid-tempo and melodic. No songs really stand out (though The Enemy Inside - see the video below - has some great riffs), in that sense the album is really cohesive and flows well. I should note the last song in the album though, a twenty minute plus song that is absolutely beautiful and stunning.

The musicianship is top notch as you would expect from the band and it's great to see that new drummer Mangini has really settled well into the band. He sounds great. Petrucci's production is flawless, the sound is clean and it's really well mastered with every instrument clear in the mix.

Overall, this is an incredibly solid album in an already outstanding discography. 

Rating: Heavy Rotation

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