The Astonishing is undisputedly the most ambitious undertaking by a band whose cerebral compositions already define the vanguard of progressive hard rock. “This is the next natural step in our evolution,” declares longtime frontman James LaBrie. “This is a pinnacle moment for us. This is something we had to do.”
So here’s the thing, I love Dream Theater. Ever since my old guitar instructor back in high school passed their debut CD to me that day, practically raving at the mouth to me about the band, I became obsessed. I pored over every bit of lyric, guitar solo, time signature change, and then spread the gospel of the group to anyone within earshot. Usually they would just nod their heads politely and pretend like they knew what I was ranting about, but that’s what this band was/is to me. The group changed the Prog-Metal landscape forever back in the 90’s, and through their discography have put out a few duds, some pretty good albums, and some goddamn masterpieces. Everyone always hopes that their next album will hold a candle to their most highly regarded venture: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, but does this one stand out? Well…
The Astonishing is a concept album, which usually means that it’s meant to tell a full on story, or at least conceptualize something throughout the album. Think Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime. For people who like this kind of thing, this album is a full on feast at 2 discs and coming in at a whopping 34 songs with a little over 2 hours in length. It tells the story of a future dystopia where music has been outlawed and through the power of music people gradually regain control over their lives and the courage to take on an oppressive government. The story is admittedly…cheesy. Any time John Petrucci is given control over the lyrics, opinions tend to be mixed about his writing style.
So how is the music? Thankfully, the most important thing the band is known for comes in grandiosely as ever this time around. It is kind of strange that a band known for 20 minute epics takes the opposite approach this time around, with most songs being relatively short, but being a lot of them. Dream Theater’s style is known for having absolutely insane levels of musicianship, complicated compositions, and lyrics usually involving sincere storytelling. All of that is here, but the band’s usually heavy style is a little dialed back, focusing more on catering to the storytelling in a more traditional musical style. Petrucci’s solos sound more finessed and focused this time around, and James Labrie’s vocals, normally a point of contention with fans, absolutely kills it in this album. It’s probably Labrie’s best performance I’ve ever heard in their discography.
Final thoughts:
The Astonishing is a good album. It’s still no Metropolis Pt. 2, but then again it’s hard to ever beat your magnum opus. I just wish there was a bit more momentum overall, as a lot of the songs just tend to all be a bit to ballad-y for my tastes. I want to hear them really make something that blows my mind like they usually have at least once per album, but it seems to be missing here. So it is good, but still a bit to be desired. If you’re hearing about the band for the first time, just do yourself a favor today and listen to Metropolis Pt. 2 and have your life possibly changed forever like mine was that fateful day.
Standout tracks:
Dystopian Overture
Moment of Betrayal
Lord Nefaryus
Three Days
The Astonishing is a concept album, which usually means that it’s meant to tell a full on story, or at least conceptualize something throughout the album. Think Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime. For people who like this kind of thing, this album is a full on feast at 2 discs and coming in at a whopping 34 songs with a little over 2 hours in length. It tells the story of a future dystopia where music has been outlawed and through the power of music people gradually regain control over their lives and the courage to take on an oppressive government. The story is admittedly…cheesy. Any time John Petrucci is given control over the lyrics, opinions tend to be mixed about his writing style.
So how is the music? Thankfully, the most important thing the band is known for comes in grandiosely as ever this time around. It is kind of strange that a band known for 20 minute epics takes the opposite approach this time around, with most songs being relatively short, but being a lot of them. Dream Theater’s style is known for having absolutely insane levels of musicianship, complicated compositions, and lyrics usually involving sincere storytelling. All of that is here, but the band’s usually heavy style is a little dialed back, focusing more on catering to the storytelling in a more traditional musical style. Petrucci’s solos sound more finessed and focused this time around, and James Labrie’s vocals, normally a point of contention with fans, absolutely kills it in this album. It’s probably Labrie’s best performance I’ve ever heard in their discography.
Final thoughts:
The Astonishing is a good album. It’s still no Metropolis Pt. 2, but then again it’s hard to ever beat your magnum opus. I just wish there was a bit more momentum overall, as a lot of the songs just tend to all be a bit to ballad-y for my tastes. I want to hear them really make something that blows my mind like they usually have at least once per album, but it seems to be missing here. So it is good, but still a bit to be desired. If you’re hearing about the band for the first time, just do yourself a favor today and listen to Metropolis Pt. 2 and have your life possibly changed forever like mine was that fateful day.
Standout tracks:
Dystopian Overture
Moment of Betrayal
Lord Nefaryus
Three Days