Demonspell
cheating the polygraph
For serious DT fans and regular readers of Songs To Watch only:
The numbers are clear. Two CDs. 96 minutes of music. One eight-part song. 42 minutes. Dream Theater has once again raised their own incredibly high standards for ambition with their latest album. Having followed the enormous pre-release speculation and having avoided hearing the monumental title track until the afternoon before their warmup show in New York, I had great expectation that we would soon be blessed with an effort of incredible depth and art of the highest measure. Let the truth be told: Six Degrees is music of the highest order, an album that reaches for impossible heights and succeeds. It is by far DTs most challenging and diverse work, and every member of the band plays to perfection. Before going into specifics, there is a very simple question, the test that stumped absolutely no one: what song were you looking forward to the most? The first disc is wonderful, from the raging Glass Prison to the heroically resigned Misunderstood to the languid Disappear to the triumphant Blind Faith to the contentious Great Debate, this is certain. But stupid questions deserve obvious answers, so here is an indepth analysis of disc 2 of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Like SFAM, it begins with an Overture. Unlike Overture 1928, which had John putting on a tremendous instrumental preview of things to come, this section attempts to be a full-on classical piece. It is a bit labored and drags in places, but has some moments of beauty, a great keyboard cadence at around 2:45, and is an entirely necessary component of the picture, especially towards the end. After the orchestral swelling, we soon learn we are About To Crash. This song tells the story of a girl born into an illusion of perfection, which leads her to depression from unrealized expectation. This song is the most warmly melodic of the eight sections, and the chorus is highly emotional. John delivers the first of many great solos. The instrumental transitions are among the finest points on the disc. Soon the music gains in tension and now we prepare to fight a War Inside My Head. A short piece about traumatic combat experiences, this is a menacing little track led by a killer keyboard riff. The chorus features a great backing vocal from Mike Portnoy, whose drumming dominates the next part, The Test That Stumped Them All. This is possibly the heaviest song Dream Theater has ever done, featuring a devastating lead riff. A chronicle of a rock star forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation, James vocals seethe with range and Portnoys drumming is lethal. The song also features some electronically treated vocals that add to the themes of insanity throughout the concept. After another great instrumental section, everything drops out and we receive a Goodnight Kiss. A disturbing lullaby about a mother who loses her daughter, possibly to drugs or a severe disability, this is arguably the emotional high point of the epic. If this doesnt touch you in some way, you probably have a heart of stone. A beautifully fluid guitar solo, added by rising tension in the drums and some sound effects, adds to the intensity of the piece, in contrast to the violent imagery and music of the last two parts. Soon acoustic guitars and warm keyboards break in, inviting us to the Solitary Shell. This is another great song, again highly emotional and deeply melodic and incredibly thoughtful, its lyrics telling a story about an autistic childs development this affected me the most out of any moment on the disc. An extraordinarily powerful composition in itself. Another great instrumental section closes out this part, building into a reprise of About To Crash, a more energetic counterpart to the first installment, here the characters determination to escape leads to disappointment and possibly manic depression. The band plays its asses off, particularly Jordan Rudess, who proves himself to be the most talented of DTs three keyboardists with amazing performances throughout. Parts first heard in the Overture begin to resurface here, reminding us we are Losing Time. This is a short piece before the Grand Finale, which unifies the themes of the previous sections and provides for a stirring and dramatic conclusion for a stunning work of art.
The numbers are clear. Two CDs. 96 minutes of music. One eight-part song. 42 minutes. Dream Theater has once again raised their own incredibly high standards for ambition with their latest album. Having followed the enormous pre-release speculation and having avoided hearing the monumental title track until the afternoon before their warmup show in New York, I had great expectation that we would soon be blessed with an effort of incredible depth and art of the highest measure. Let the truth be told: Six Degrees is music of the highest order, an album that reaches for impossible heights and succeeds. It is by far DTs most challenging and diverse work, and every member of the band plays to perfection. Before going into specifics, there is a very simple question, the test that stumped absolutely no one: what song were you looking forward to the most? The first disc is wonderful, from the raging Glass Prison to the heroically resigned Misunderstood to the languid Disappear to the triumphant Blind Faith to the contentious Great Debate, this is certain. But stupid questions deserve obvious answers, so here is an indepth analysis of disc 2 of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.
Like SFAM, it begins with an Overture. Unlike Overture 1928, which had John putting on a tremendous instrumental preview of things to come, this section attempts to be a full-on classical piece. It is a bit labored and drags in places, but has some moments of beauty, a great keyboard cadence at around 2:45, and is an entirely necessary component of the picture, especially towards the end. After the orchestral swelling, we soon learn we are About To Crash. This song tells the story of a girl born into an illusion of perfection, which leads her to depression from unrealized expectation. This song is the most warmly melodic of the eight sections, and the chorus is highly emotional. John delivers the first of many great solos. The instrumental transitions are among the finest points on the disc. Soon the music gains in tension and now we prepare to fight a War Inside My Head. A short piece about traumatic combat experiences, this is a menacing little track led by a killer keyboard riff. The chorus features a great backing vocal from Mike Portnoy, whose drumming dominates the next part, The Test That Stumped Them All. This is possibly the heaviest song Dream Theater has ever done, featuring a devastating lead riff. A chronicle of a rock star forced to undergo psychiatric evaluation, James vocals seethe with range and Portnoys drumming is lethal. The song also features some electronically treated vocals that add to the themes of insanity throughout the concept. After another great instrumental section, everything drops out and we receive a Goodnight Kiss. A disturbing lullaby about a mother who loses her daughter, possibly to drugs or a severe disability, this is arguably the emotional high point of the epic. If this doesnt touch you in some way, you probably have a heart of stone. A beautifully fluid guitar solo, added by rising tension in the drums and some sound effects, adds to the intensity of the piece, in contrast to the violent imagery and music of the last two parts. Soon acoustic guitars and warm keyboards break in, inviting us to the Solitary Shell. This is another great song, again highly emotional and deeply melodic and incredibly thoughtful, its lyrics telling a story about an autistic childs development this affected me the most out of any moment on the disc. An extraordinarily powerful composition in itself. Another great instrumental section closes out this part, building into a reprise of About To Crash, a more energetic counterpart to the first installment, here the characters determination to escape leads to disappointment and possibly manic depression. The band plays its asses off, particularly Jordan Rudess, who proves himself to be the most talented of DTs three keyboardists with amazing performances throughout. Parts first heard in the Overture begin to resurface here, reminding us we are Losing Time. This is a short piece before the Grand Finale, which unifies the themes of the previous sections and provides for a stirring and dramatic conclusion for a stunning work of art.
