14 studio albums in now over a massive career spanning over 30 years and prog giants Dream Theater are seemingly not looking to slow down at all with their brand new album “Distance Over Time“. After their epic concept record “The Astonishing” garnering mixed reactions, this time the band focus on fine tuning songs down to the core elements of what makes Dream Theater as a band.
Before getting into the creative side of things, sonically “Distance Over Time” is a beautifully sounding record with lush production that’s not too sterile but not too raw either. It’s always been a balancing act with Dream Theater albums and admittedly it’s been a hit and miss affair over the last 10-15 years but this time it’s a polished sound with all instruments as clear as day.
Musically the band have really gone back to the drawing board in a lot of ways, this time breaking down a lot of the lengthy pieces and whittling it down to more focused efforts. Some may say the mesmerizing epic , drawn out sections that feature the technical prowess of the band’s musicianship will be lacking here but I think there’s enough of it in carefully placed sporadic moments to still give those features their fair share of shining moments. In some ways this album is almost reminiscent of Dream Theater’s earlier material, shorter in length with a more classic feel to the songs. It’s still heavy in parts but done in less metal fashion if that makes sense and the tempos and groove wouldn’t be all too dissimilar to such albums as “Train Of Thought” or “Systematic Chaos” so the Dream Theater signature style is still here, just in a more refined and compressed way.
First track off the rack “Untethered Angel” has a subdued groove to it with Mike Mangini’s kick drums working in tandem with John Petrucci’s chugging riffs before the soaring melodies come crashing through in the chorus lines. The technical prowess as mentioned before comes into full effect mid-way through this opener that does have that strong “Train Of Thought” vibe with just a tinge of that middle eastern sound thematically running through-out. It’s a somewhat shorter number as far as openers go for the band but it has that tantalising heavy prog sound to really kick it all off.
Following that is a varied mix of classic, modern and prog rock, all of which are trademark stuff for the veteran rockers. “Paralyzed” is contemporary in it’s essence while “Fall Into The Light“, one of the new singles to come off the album has a more retro sound within it’s dynamic range. That old school vibe runs through pretty regularly on this album and you could say there may have been some influence of their “Images Of Words” anniversary performances that resulted in this. “Barstool Warrior” definitely leans in that direction with a more direct connection to the original prog ideas from yesteryear but “Room 137” brings the heavy back again with a slight aggressiveness to it without getting caught up in any real intricate stuff.
“S2N” is where things start to become a little more wild and interesting especially if you do love that real complex side of the band. John Myung takes the spotlight in the intro by kicking the journey off with some favourable bass jams before the technical odyssey begins. Like many of their showcase type material, this one has all of that but breaks it into different sections including a solo section with Petrucci blazing away at some Satriani-like classic rock and an even more fantastic section further on with Jordan Rudess taking over the solos on keyboard. This one will be placed in the highlight reel for fans who love something more than your straight edged rock.
The second half doesn’t get any weaker which is good to see with the longest track on the album, “At Wit’s End” drawing in some really imaginative but odd moments in this sprawling number that ebbs and flows with melody. “Out Of Reach” is stock standard ballad stuff and unless you love that softer side of Dream Theater, there will be nothing particular new to hear. The curiously space themed “Pale Blue Dot” however will ultimately end up being the highlight on this album, starting with the title referencing that famous quote from Carl Sagan. Continuing that theme the music does have an unearthly feel to it as it’s cinematic mood draws you in further and further into a fun filled adventure. Like many of the band’s more intricate songs, this has all the makings for that encore number that people will be screaming for at live shows.
As a bonus, “Viper King” rounds things off and goes back to that classic rock sound Dream Theater have seemingly decided to really bring back on this release. With James Labrie taking the reigns on this one, it’s a somewhat fitting end to what is one of the stronger Dream Theater albums to come out in some time. Some may miss the more epic, longer pieces but after having done that in more ways than one on their previous effort, “Distance Over Time” is a natural reaction to that side of the band.
TRACKLIST
Untethered Angel
Paralyzed
Fall Into The Light
Barstool Warrior
Room 137
S2N
At Wit’s End
Out Of Reach
Pale Blue Dot
Viper King
