Band : Dream Theater
Album title : A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Label : Roadrunner Records
Distributor : CNR – Concreteweb Promotion Office
Release date : 09/09/2011
Release : CD

If there is one band that’s been in the eye of the storm over the last year it’s Dream Theater. Ever since the news broke that long-time drummer Mike Portnoy left the band, shit hit the fan. It was the start of a never ending sitcom for everybody that follows what goes around in the music business and the metal world in generally. But let’s leave that all behind us for a moment and take a listen to this new record, the first with Mike Mangini behind the drum kit.

A Dramatic Turn Of Events is without any doubt a Dream Theater record from top to bottom. Guitarist John Petrucci is still a master on his six, seven or God knows how many strings, keyboard wizard is today still an understatement for Jordan Rudess, James Labrie still can sing the stars from heaven and bassist John Myung stays as virtuoso and invisible as ever. It also goes without saying that Mangini know how to master the drum set and a combination of all these musicians results in fireworks. They all summed it up in 9 songs that I had to take to me several times. Unfortunately it leaves me cold. Was Portnoy that important for the band? Maybe so. He knew like no one else how to get the complexity of Dream Theater to a large audience. To me the new Dream Theater sounds like a real prog rock act in witch each band member can experiment as he pleases. Just listen to "Bridges In The Sky", one of the more heavier songs on the record. Sound cool but where is it going? First you have the bombastic intro, with Mongolic throat singing, and hold all kinds of guitar en keyboard tricks. After that Labrie get’s off to make sure he’s getting attention until the guitar solo kicks in. Some diabolic brain will hear resemblance with machine heads "The Blood The Sweat, the Tears". All though I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.

A Dramatic Turn Of Events is a record that you really can't bring down if you just look at it musically. All the band members are masters in what they do. If  that means Dream Theater still has a right of going further without Portnoy, time will tell. They did not only lose a drummer but also the man with the plan. He did much more than just sitting behind his kit. All those things are now handles by the management and we all know what that can lead to. The fact that the musicians can do whatever they please on this CD says enough for my part. But if you beg to differ with me, please do. Go and by A Dramatic Turn Of Events. After all is said and done, it stays a very fine piece of art.

80/100

Stef Maes.