January 29, 2002 - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Four weeks after my last release and a little over two years since "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory", Dream Theater released their sixth album "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" on January 29, 2002. It's their first double album, with the first disc having five regular songs, and the entire second disc being one long 42 minute song! (Albeit broken up into eight parts, or tracks.) Let's check out the latest from the progressive metal gods!
The whole second disc is technically one long title track, but it's divided into eight parts (or tracks) on the album, so the first song on the second disc is fittingly titled "Overture". It's entirely instrumental and it has a really epic opening with some super epic keyboards by Rudess, but some generally epic and solid playing by everyone as it sounds like the climax of a feature film! The drums, bass and guitars are all solid but it's especially Rudess that sounds cool in this opening with a bunch of epic keyboards. Things continue to progress very smoothly and words don't do proper justice to all the cool little quirks and sounds you hear, everything sounds really epic and solid! It really does sound like a full symphony at times and this is a pretty grand introduction! I really like it! The epic final note carries over into the next track "About To Crash" and Rudess starts up a cool new piano riff to signal this track's beginning, and it's really fast and cool! The rest of the band builds beautifully around him and once Rudess switches to organ we've got ourselves a loud and pretty cool main riff. LaBrie sings a nice verse overtop and things sound pretty smooth and solid with some cool guitar and piano mixed in the verse and chorus. Petrucci plays a slow guitar solo overtop, but it's not very flashy and then they very slowly jam out the ending until we suddenly slam into track 3 "War Inside My Head". It's got a nice heavy backdrop with Peteucci playing some nice lead guitar that changes into the same cool riff on keyboards. LaBrie sings a solid verse overtop a heavy main guitar riff and Portnoy adds some more solid backing vocals in the chorus. This song is only two minutes long, but it's cool for sure and the next track just unloads out of nowhere! They dive directly into "The Test That Stumped Them All" and it's furious and awesome right away with some super fast guitar, keyboards and drums. It's a pretty heavy and awesome main riff and I love everyone firing on all cylinders! LaBrie sings a solid and kinda low verse and chorus and the heavy post-chorus riff hits nice and hard. LaBrie goes really high occasionally in a an odd and interesting break from the heaviness, but most things sound heavy and really good. Solo time has some pretty sweet guitar and keyboards and the finale is very epic and cool as well, what an awesome and heavy song! The fading finish leads into track 5 "Goodnight Kiss" and things take a much lighter approach on this one with a super quiet and breezy intro that has kids talking overtop of it. LaBrie comes in to sing possibly one his sappiest verses and if not for some cool piano by Rudess this would be pretty unbearable. After several minutes things get louder with some epic guitar and some decent organ, but it's all still.very light and sappy. Towards the end the mood shifts to a more upbeat new riff as Petrucci leads the way with some nice guitar and just as the song starts to end Portnoy starts up a new drum beat that carries over into the next track "Solitary Shell" and Petrucci plays a nice acoustic guitar riff to lead the way. Rudess plays some funky, 70s-like keyboards that sound cool, then switches to some nice piano for the verse while LaBrie sings a light verse. The chorus is very light and pop-y, but Myung and Portnoy spice up the rhythm section with some cool stuff. After another round Petrucci sets the stage with some cool guitar and Rudess plays some pretty cool keyboards overtop, then the mood shifts drastically to Petrucci playing a Spanish guitar it sounds like and Myung adding some groovy and wicked bass. Rudess throws in some unbelievable piano that sounds really really good and this whole instrumental part is fantastic! It takes us right to the end of the song and this might be the only segue that wasn't really smooth as it sounds like a very distinct gap between tracks. Track 7 is "About To Crash (Reprise)" and Petrucci kicks right into a fast-paced and catchy guitar riff that drives things along nicely and everyone else completes this pretty solid main riff. They throw back to track 2 with the same chorus melody, as LaBrie sings new lyrics and things sound pretty smooth. Rudess plays a pretty sweet keyboard solo and it's his keyboards that are the highlight of the rest of the instrumental jamming. They smoothly segue into the final track of this double album "Losing Time/Grand Finale" and it's right back to a similarly epic earlier riff with everyone at their epic best sounding like a film score. They settle down for a quietly epic verse as LaBrie sings a pop-y verse overtop, but things sound a bit heavier and more epic in the chorus. They slowly and epicly make their way through "Losing Time", but it's all very predictable honestly. I expected a grand finale, but the last minute and a half is just one droning note, it's a very anticlimactic way to wrap things up.
That is the end of "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and I thought it was mostly a great album, but it also had a good deal of softer parts as well, being a double album and such. The first disc I thought was pretty awesome, and the title track had some really cool moments (see track 4) but was ultimately not that great of a 40+ minute song. So how does it all stack up? I think it's easily better than "Falling Into Infinity" and their debut, and I think overall it's better than "Awake" as well. I don't think it surpasses "Images And Words" though, so third place will have to do. Where will Dream Theater go from here?
The album kicks off with the near 14 minute epic "The Glass Prison" and after a quiet intro John Petrucci plays a catchy guitar riff, John Myung adds some wonderfully heavy bass, Mike Portnoy provides the epic drums and Jordan Rudess completes things with some epic keyboards. It's a great slow, heavy riff to start, then they turn up the speed and Petrucci plays some pretty awesome guitar to lead the way. Finally after about three minutes the first verse starts and Portnoy does some solid backing vocals while James LaBrie sings a typically high and solid verse. Rudess takes over the lead midway through the verse with some pretty fast and sweet keyboards, then they reach a nice heavy chorus with LaBrie singing a nice chorus riff and Portnoy adding lots of cool drum fills. Things shift to a new direction with a nice heavy new riff led by some cool guitar by Petrucci and Portnoy adds some more nice, heavy backing vocals that mix very nicely with LaBrie's super high parts. After a bit of this cool riff they set the stage beautifully for solo time with a great, fast rhythm section with some cool bass by Myung, then bring on the solos! Amazing guitar solo, amazing keyboard solo, another sweet guitar solo, another sweet keyboard solo, combine the two for more awesomeness! They play off each other so nicely and there is so much awesome music in this lengthy instrumental part! It all ends with some great final shredding by Petrucci, then they close out the song with a pretty cool final verse with some nice singing by LaBrie and some more sweet drums by Portnoy. What a fantastic way to kick off the album! Phenomenal song! Up next is another double digit song in "Blind Faith" and Rudess starts things off slow with some trippy keyboards that are Pink Floyd-esque. Myung plays a slow bass riff, Portnoy adds a light drum beat and then Petrucci adds some soft guitar to complete this main riff as Rudess switches to some light piano. LaBrie matches the mood with a sappy verse and things sound psychedelic and cool in that sense, but it's ultimately some sappy Dream Theater... until the chorus! The chorus has a cool heavy riff and sounds pretty good, then Portnoy plays some cool drums as we segue into a much heavier, and much cooler second verse. They can suddenly switch it back to sappy though at the drop of a hat and even though I don't like the lighter part as much, it is impressive that they can do that, and the heavier parts are cool. Once we hit solo time Petrucci delivers yet another extraordinary guitar solo, then they segue beautifully into a piano solo by Rudess that also sounds pretty sweet. Then Rudess changes to organ for a very different and very cool organ solo, then he switches to his more standard crazy keyboard sound for a third solo! All of them are pretty great! Petrucci follows with another guitar solo that is casually amazing and it leads somehow right back into the main riff perfectly for the final chorus. They jam it out as it began with the psychedelic mood and this was a varied but very cool song with all kinds of great parts to it! Track 3 is "Misunderstood" and Petrucci plays a light but cool guitar riff to carry things. LaBrie sings a soft verse to match the mood and Rudess adds some trippy, light keyboards but everything sounds very tame for the first several minutes. The second chorus is when things finally get heavy as Petrucci switches to some nice heavy guitar and Portnoy plays some pretty cool louder drums. Rudess adds some more trippy and cool keyboards and this all sets the stage for one pretty epic guitar solo by Petrucci. After another loud chorus they devolve into madness with Rudess playing all kinds of crazy and trippy keyboards for several minutes as things slowly devolve into madness. The latter half of this song was pretty cool, bit it took a while to really get going. The next track is "The Great Debate" and Rudess and Myung start us off with some background bass and keyboards that sound pretty cool. Portnoy adds some cool drums and this becomes the backdrop for a bunch of conversation, all about stem cell research. They show arguments from both sides in what was a very heated debate at this time and it's an interesting way to start off this long as this info intro goes on for several minutes. Petrucci's guitar kicking in is the sign of the first verse finally starting and he leads the way with a pretty sweet main riff and LaBrie sings a solid verse as well. The lyrics continue to be about the pros and cons of stem cell research, but it's a story really well told overtop a bunch of solid metal music. The chorus is pretty cool with LaBrie yelling "life to save life!" and after another verse they shift gears smoothly as usual into a cool new riff with Portnoy playing some epic drums in the background while Rudess takes the lead with some dreamy keyboards. LaBrie sings a quiet verse to match this mood and then they kick nicely into another new riff with some catchy and cool guitar by Petrucci taking the lead and LaBrie singing an epic verse to set up solo time! Rudess lays down a pretty fantastic keyboard solo, that's followed by a typically great guitar solo, and then a phenomenal back-and-forth part with lots of awesome guitar and keyboards! It all slams back into the main riff from earlier and the voices return with more opinions on stem cells until things finally fade to a finish. There was a ton of great parts to this near 14 minute song, very nicely done! The last song on the first disc is "Disappear" and Rudess leads the way with some slow, haunting piano that sounds solid and Petrucci adds some very light acoustic guitar. LaBrie sings a very slow and sappy verse to match the mood and things sound okay, but certainly way too tame and uneventful for the Dream Theater I like. Things briefly get louder, but still very slow and sappy and then they end it as it began with more haunting piano. Easily the worst song on an otherwise pretty sweet first disc.
The whole second disc is technically one long title track, but it's divided into eight parts (or tracks) on the album, so the first song on the second disc is fittingly titled "Overture". It's entirely instrumental and it has a really epic opening with some super epic keyboards by Rudess, but some generally epic and solid playing by everyone as it sounds like the climax of a feature film! The drums, bass and guitars are all solid but it's especially Rudess that sounds cool in this opening with a bunch of epic keyboards. Things continue to progress very smoothly and words don't do proper justice to all the cool little quirks and sounds you hear, everything sounds really epic and solid! It really does sound like a full symphony at times and this is a pretty grand introduction! I really like it! The epic final note carries over into the next track "About To Crash" and Rudess starts up a cool new piano riff to signal this track's beginning, and it's really fast and cool! The rest of the band builds beautifully around him and once Rudess switches to organ we've got ourselves a loud and pretty cool main riff. LaBrie sings a nice verse overtop and things sound pretty smooth and solid with some cool guitar and piano mixed in the verse and chorus. Petrucci plays a slow guitar solo overtop, but it's not very flashy and then they very slowly jam out the ending until we suddenly slam into track 3 "War Inside My Head". It's got a nice heavy backdrop with Peteucci playing some nice lead guitar that changes into the same cool riff on keyboards. LaBrie sings a solid verse overtop a heavy main guitar riff and Portnoy adds some more solid backing vocals in the chorus. This song is only two minutes long, but it's cool for sure and the next track just unloads out of nowhere! They dive directly into "The Test That Stumped Them All" and it's furious and awesome right away with some super fast guitar, keyboards and drums. It's a pretty heavy and awesome main riff and I love everyone firing on all cylinders! LaBrie sings a solid and kinda low verse and chorus and the heavy post-chorus riff hits nice and hard. LaBrie goes really high occasionally in a an odd and interesting break from the heaviness, but most things sound heavy and really good. Solo time has some pretty sweet guitar and keyboards and the finale is very epic and cool as well, what an awesome and heavy song! The fading finish leads into track 5 "Goodnight Kiss" and things take a much lighter approach on this one with a super quiet and breezy intro that has kids talking overtop of it. LaBrie comes in to sing possibly one his sappiest verses and if not for some cool piano by Rudess this would be pretty unbearable. After several minutes things get louder with some epic guitar and some decent organ, but it's all still.very light and sappy. Towards the end the mood shifts to a more upbeat new riff as Petrucci leads the way with some nice guitar and just as the song starts to end Portnoy starts up a new drum beat that carries over into the next track "Solitary Shell" and Petrucci plays a nice acoustic guitar riff to lead the way. Rudess plays some funky, 70s-like keyboards that sound cool, then switches to some nice piano for the verse while LaBrie sings a light verse. The chorus is very light and pop-y, but Myung and Portnoy spice up the rhythm section with some cool stuff. After another round Petrucci sets the stage with some cool guitar and Rudess plays some pretty cool keyboards overtop, then the mood shifts drastically to Petrucci playing a Spanish guitar it sounds like and Myung adding some groovy and wicked bass. Rudess throws in some unbelievable piano that sounds really really good and this whole instrumental part is fantastic! It takes us right to the end of the song and this might be the only segue that wasn't really smooth as it sounds like a very distinct gap between tracks. Track 7 is "About To Crash (Reprise)" and Petrucci kicks right into a fast-paced and catchy guitar riff that drives things along nicely and everyone else completes this pretty solid main riff. They throw back to track 2 with the same chorus melody, as LaBrie sings new lyrics and things sound pretty smooth. Rudess plays a pretty sweet keyboard solo and it's his keyboards that are the highlight of the rest of the instrumental jamming. They smoothly segue into the final track of this double album "Losing Time/Grand Finale" and it's right back to a similarly epic earlier riff with everyone at their epic best sounding like a film score. They settle down for a quietly epic verse as LaBrie sings a pop-y verse overtop, but things sound a bit heavier and more epic in the chorus. They slowly and epicly make their way through "Losing Time", but it's all very predictable honestly. I expected a grand finale, but the last minute and a half is just one droning note, it's a very anticlimactic way to wrap things up.
That is the end of "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and I thought it was mostly a great album, but it also had a good deal of softer parts as well, being a double album and such. The first disc I thought was pretty awesome, and the title track had some really cool moments (see track 4) but was ultimately not that great of a 40+ minute song. So how does it all stack up? I think it's easily better than "Falling Into Infinity" and their debut, and I think overall it's better than "Awake" as well. I don't think it surpasses "Images And Words" though, so third place will have to do. Where will Dream Theater go from here?
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