Disco de Dream Theater: “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence”

I've been a Dream Theater fan now for about 2 1/2 years. I own all of their releases, and it seems to me that with every new album, they just keep on progressing musically & lyrically. In my opinion, "SDOIT" continues this trend in fine fashion. The music is very mature, combining all of the great talents of each band member and molding them into something completely new. While I think they were able to accomplish this on their other albums, they really hit the jackpot here. Basically, the music absolutley ROCKS!!!! While I think every song is great, my favorites are "The Glass Prison" (a thrash-metal like song, basically it's Rush meets Metallica), "The Great Debate" (very cool song about Stem-Cell research), "Disapear" and "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" (like SFAM, but with more of a broadway feel to it). John Petrucci continues to impress me as one of the great guitarist of all time. John Myung does some amazing things on this album. I'm glad his bass is included more in the mix then it has been on past albums. Mike Portney, what can I say that hasn't been said about him. He's just great. Even with the talents of the others, the music would not be the same without him. James LeBrie, whom I thought really came into his own on "SFAM", suprised me with what I consider to be his best vocal performance. Also, it was nice to hear Mike Portney as a more prominent back-up vocalist on many of the songs. His work on the Transatlantic albums was great and made me hope he would continue to participate in that respect.

One more thing...DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM ON A CRAPPY STEREO! Get a good pair of earphones, sit back and enjoy the ride. There are so many little details that one can miss, it really takes 2 or 3 listens to really appreciate what's going on. Overall, this album is an absolute masterpiece and proof that Dream Theater is here to stay. I hope that you all give it the chance I think it deserves. I'm sure you won't be dissapointed with the results!

Being a fan of the group since before "Pull Me Under" broke through, it is sometimes hard to be objective about artists that you have admired for quite some time. But after listening to this latest release from our modern day protagonists of music theory, I can't imagine any DT fan being disappointed in this.

Without getting bogged down in a track by track analysis, Six Degrees contains everything that fans of this band are looking for......and there's lots of it! Disc one contains 5 tracks, most around the 10 minute mark. Disc two is home to the behemoth title track which is 42 minutes in length and is presented in 8 parts that flow together in an incredibly musical fashion.

As previously mentioned, the staples of any Dream Theater recording are here: instrumental performances of the highest caliber, the expressive vocals of James LaBrie, and a production job by Portnoy & Petrucci that is immaculate. The thing that amazes me about these guys after all these years, is how they continue to push the envelope musically as a band. They are always looking to incorporate new influences and ideas into their work. For example, on "The Great Debate", you will notice one section of the song that has almost a TOOL type of feel to it, vocals included. On the more subtle side, "Goodnight Kiss" has a very atmospheric, almost Floydian soundscape within which the band weaves some incredible textures.

Even if you're not a fan of this type of self-indulgent song writing, you have to respect the fact that these guys love to play music that not only challenges them, but their listeners as well. Buy it, and prepare to be impressed.

My girlfriend gave me this CD for Valentine's Day, and I haven't been able to stop listening to it since! I mean, no matter what, whether I'm studying, on the way to work, this is always playing. There's just SO much goodness here. Just to annoy everyone, let's go through it a song at a time.

1. The Glass Prison- Whoa! Heavy stuff! This is one mean mother of a song. Great chops from John Petrucci here, and a pretty wicked bass solo from John Myung. I don't like the turntables in there, but don't let that turn you off, it's like 2 seconds of a 14-minute song.

2. Blind Faith- More relaxed, with a heavy crescendo on the chorus. Nice piano interlude from Jordan. Pretty song.

3. Misunderstood- Very dark, sludgy track, with a weird solo from John. I love the lyrics ("How can I feel abandoned even when the world surrounds me?"). Godly drumwork from Mike.

4. The Great Debate- Yeah, it kinda sounds like Tool, but I say, "Tool who?". This burns Tool right to the ground! I swear, if just one Tool fan trashes this song, POW! Nice lyrics here.

5. Disappear- James LaBrie's first writing credit (I think). Yeah, it's kinda slow, but I love it. It almost hypnotizes me.

Okay, now onto the big boy, the title track. A 42-minute exploration of the human psyche. John wrote most of it, but Mike did some too. Anyway, here are the parts.

1. Overture- Nice classical-ish intro. Very pretty. There should have been more keyboard in there, but oh well.

2. About to Crash- This track gets everything going. Nice lyrics here, and very catchy.

3. War Inside My Head- Heavier, crunchier track. This is where the song starts to get angry.

4. The Test That Stumped Them All- Fast, heavy, oh so good. Mike practically destroys his drumkit on this one. Very demented lyrics, from who else? Mike.

5. Goodnight Kiss- Much softer, kind of a lullaby. This proves Mike is a very versatile writer. It's so funny where James says "I'm just a poor girl, scared of this cruel world". He sounds so emotionally sincere when he says it too. I'd bet anything that Mike put that in just to hear James say that. Crazy guy, he is!

6. Solitary Shell- Probably the most upbeat thing they've ever done. All acoustic, with very catchy lyrics. It reminds me a lot of Transatlantic. Nice classical guitar type solos at the end.

7. About to Crash (reprise)- Nice feel-good rocker. Reminds me a a lot of Rush.

8. Losing Time/Grand Finale- This is the end, where James brings it home. Kinda slow and easy, and it ties up all the loose ends. You almost feel like crying when it ends.

Wow, what an album! Over 90 minutes, and not a bad moment on it. Is it just me, or does Petrucci just get better and better? He cannot be stopped! If you love Dream Theater, buy this, it will knock you to the ground!

Whenever a musician changes their style in any way, shape or form, there is at least one fan of the musician's original material who does not like that change. Many of these "fans" are quick to judge that musician as "selling out" (a wrongful accusation, as a band has to actually sign with a different record label as well as make drastic changes in their music in order to "sell out"). Dream Theater, and many other bands, change and shape their sound with each album, and thus it's hard for some "fans" to keep interest in them over time. That said, Dream Theater's seventh studio album, SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE, is no more a change than their others, and thus no sell-out.

What we have here are, on two discs, six terrific, beautiful, epic songs dealing various issues. Musically, Dream Theater's never been heavier (except, perhaps, in parts of 1995's AWAKE). This album was heavily influenced by Tool - no denying that - but it takes only the most fitting moments of that band to blend in with Dream Theater's sound. As there are only six songs, I will go through each one individually...yes, even with "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence."

"The Glass Prison" - After the static intro and a few guitar and bass notes, a loud crash of drums and thundering distorted guitar riffs instantly show the listener just how heavy this album is. A few more riffs and crunches, peppered with melodic keyboards, and then all goes quiet except a fast, jagged riff that is simply infectious. Then the song starts up again, but at the same pace as the solo, heavy with double-kick pedaling and an overall METAL feel to it. In fact, when I first purchased this album, I seriously thought that for some reason, this was a different band I was listening to; however, as I listened, I realized that it really was Dream Theater. The singing starts; it's mostly just Mike Portnoy at first, with little, blurry snarls from James LaBrie. As the song is almost 14 minutes long, I won't get into the rest of it. It's alternately fast and medium-paced, extremely heavy, but also very melodic. Nice bass solo in the bridge, too, connecting a simply SHREDDING guitar solo to an eclectic keyboard solo. A terrific song - just make sure you have time to listen to it!

"Blind Faith" - A wonderful 10 minute song, with lush textures and a sort of matter-of-factly depressing feel to it. Parts of it present that Tool-esque feel. The guitar solo is fantastic. John Pettrucci's skill really is present here, then there is a brief instrumental interlude, then a great keyboard solo a la Jordan Rudess. The piano solo towards the end of the bridge is also very nice.

"Misunderstood" - Possibly one of my most favorite Dream Theater songs, ever. A luxurious clean guitar intro, soon after joined by breathy, beautiful singing from James LaBrie, instantly sets the mood. It's much more like a "traditional" (although there is no such thing) Dream Theater song, but it is a bit heavier than their usual sound. This is the second shortest song on the album, but it IS still over 9 minutes long. It gets fairly dark in the second verse onward, but it's just so beautiful and becalming. Eerie outro, too. Ooh, I love this one.

"The Great Debate" - I saw them perform this one in concert, before I owned this album. The song was so good that, although I already wanted to own everything in Dream Theater's catalogue, I wanted to get this album more than ever. Musically it is heavy, with fairly angry snarls from James LaBrie in the chorus. Like "The Glass Prison," it starts off fairly quiet, but gets much, much louder as it goes on. It is also over 13 minutes long. Subjectively, it is about stem cell research, and even features a few samples from radio and TV interviews of people's opinions about the topic. Also, THIS SONG IS NOT IN SUPPORT OR IN FAVOR OF STEM CELL RESEARCH. It is simply about the great debate over the matter, and the reasons behind each argument.

"Disappear" - A fairly depressing song, written by James LaBrie. I'm pretty sure it's about coping with the loss of a loved one. Spacey sound effects and keyboards lead to an acoustic guitar intro, and LaBrie's vocals harmoniously go with the strumming. He sounds so pained and saddened; this is one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard from Dream Theater, if not from any band. Shortest song on the album, too: less than seven minutes long. Regardless of time, this is a splendid, emotional masterpiece.

"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" - HOT damn, this is a long song. 42 minutes long, this song is the longest that Dream Theater has ever written, beating 1995's "A Change of Seasons" (review coming soon!), which clocked in at 23 minutes. It is also because of this song's length that it was put on a separate disc, and is (thankfully) split into eight tracks. This is the epic tale of a girl suffering from some kind of mental disorder. It has whole sweeping sections of alternating heaviness and melody, and is especially plentiful with keyboards. It's really hard to describe everything within this song, so you'd best just experience it for yourself. Again, just make sure you have the time to listen to it!

So there it is. SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE is the heaviest album Dream Theater has ever made, and as a result, many "fans" were quite disappointed with it. I, however, think it is just as good as anything else. Dream Theater is a band about taking risks and progressing into new sonic realms, and with this album, they have found a new nook in the deepest realms of heavy progressive rock.

In 1989 I was in Brazil and it was there that I've got DT's first album, "When Dream and Day Unite". Back in US, I've been buying all DT albuns for years now.

If you have been listening to their releases since then, you understand that those guys are completely above all bands out there today, maybe sharing the first place with RUSH. I use Rush as an example because like them, Dream Theater keeps renovating itself over the years and always trying new things. They're very careful and smart at keeping their roots and their fans as well.

Here you have a band that doesn't follow trends, but SETS trends. When Judas Priest tried the American market back in the 80's they had to wear stupid outfits and perm their hair.

Dream Theater uses the listener ears and brains to send the message so it only gathers the smartest listeneres. If you think you're smart, stop wasting your time and get the album. Soon you won't stand listening to the radio anymore - you'll become musically educated.

P.S.: Hey drummers, lots of Terry Bozzio influence on this one.