The godfathers of
progressive metal
have been amazing and delighting their dedicated fans since the late '80s. Throughout their impressive and unlikely career they have continued to push themselves and the genre into new and challenging directions. While arguably hitting their peak with 1994's
Awake
, the band continued to grow with each new release (save for perhaps
Falling into Infinity
). Their previous studio effort,
Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory
, was a milestone in their career, finding all of the band's best attributes amalgamated into a fully realized whole. Although
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence"
may not be another magnum opus, it is still another fine addition to their impressive discography. The band continues to explore new directions, but the results are not always consistent on the two CD's worth of material. Their overall sound is heavier, for better or worse, than it has been and they make some interesting compositional and lyrical choices, but their usual afflatus is missing.
Petrucci
in particular seems content to recycle his already-established pyrotechnics, which mostly come off as ostentatious and often out of place. With the exception of the high-octane
"The Glass Prison,"
disc one is made up of more
experimental
tracks, with influences such as
Radiohead
and
Tool
being explored. The band also offers up one of their only political tracks in
"The Great Debate,"
which deals with stem cell research. Disc two is comprised of the eight-part
epic and is more in line with their traditional approach. The
"Overture"
incorporates a full orchestra with surprisingly effective results and is the recording's standout track. Keyboardist
Jordan Rudess
gets more of an opportunity to demonstrate how valuable he is to the band's compositional and sonic depth. Fans of
Pantera
may cry foul when they hear
"The Test That Stumped Them All,"
but this is meant more as a tribute than the blatant thievery it appears to be. While each member of
Dream Theater
has proved to have a more sophisticated and mature side -- as evidenced by side projects such as
Transatlantic
,
Platypus
Liquid Tension Experiment
, and
Mullmuzer
-- they understand where their proverbial bread is buttered. So exists
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
, an intentionally pretentious, somewhat juvenile, but undeniably likeable recording. Despite the nearly impossible task of satisfying their mostly youthful fan base while still nurturing the band's natural maturation process,
has mostly managed to deliver once again. ~ Robert Taylor