Systematic Chaos

Dream Theater | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 5, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Roadrunner Records
• ASIN: B000PFUAO6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (260 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,132 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #96 in Music > Hard Rock & Metal > Progressive Metal

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dream Theater has built a career on delivering some of the most consistently strong progressive rock albums in history and Systemic Chaos proves no exception. Built upon the trademark musically diverse but stylistically reliable principles that made albums such as Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Train of Thought instant classics, this album features new career highs such as "Prophets of War," "Forsake," and "Constant Motion." Although the band has flirted with commercially viable material in the past, especially on 2005's solid and exciting Octavarium, Systemic Chaos proves unrelenting in its pursuit of pure heavy rock. There are plenty of surprises in store, even for stalwart fans, perhaps one of the reasons that Dream Theater remains in a class by itself, ahead of the pack and ahead of the times. A truly outstanding album by any measure.--Jedd Beaudoin

Product Description

Progressive rock masters Dream Theater return in full force with their ninth studio album Systematic Chaos. The album features heavy riffs, soaring melodies, and intricate arrangements. Dream Theater appeases its loyal fans but also reaches out to all rock fans with hook-laden hits like "Constant Motion," "Forsaken," and "The Dark Eternal Night." --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting Better With Age, June 26, 2007

By 

TOL (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Systematic Chaos (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)

I always find it interesting to read the reviews after Dream Theater releases an album. In short, you never get any type of consensus from the fans. If they release a heavier album, half the fans want it to be more orchestral and moody. If they release a melodic album, half the fans want something heavier. If they play too fast, some people want them to slow it down. Playing too slow, on the other hand, causes the speed demons to turn their heads. Too much keyboard - not enough keyboard. Too much Portnoy, too much Petrucci. Not enough Petrucci, not enough Rudess. Bring back Kevin - and on, and on, and on, and on. Honestly, it's tiring.

But, you know what - behind it all is an army of hard core fans (mostly, dare I guess, musicians themselves who, by all measurements are always the harshest critics) who, whether they know it or not, are giving this band the highest form of praise you can ever give: In a word, VIRTUOSITY. These guys can spread themselves across such a wide range of styles that they have, along the way, picked up fans of all shapes, sizes, and musical tastes. So the fact that Dream Theater can never please them all at once is a testament to their artistic range, their musical talent, and, yes, their virtuosity.

Should I tell you about Systematic Chaos? Well, if you haven't guessed it yet, I loved this album. I am a fan of their more melodic works like Scenes From A Memory and the second disc of Six Degrees and, yes, even of the oft slammed Space-Dye Vest. That's not to say that Train of Thought doesn't have a coveted place in my collection. But I just happen to like the "catchier" albums a little more. So where does this one fit? Well, quite honestly, right in the middle. Every song has it's own set of big brass ones. But mixed in between are the signature catchy hooks that made this band so famous. I've seen many comparisons to many of their different albums in the various reviews, but the closest I could come is somewhere between Six Degrees and Octavarium - probably closer to the former than the latter.

I do have a few specific comments regarding the songs:

1. In The Presence Of Enemies Part I is a great opener featuring fast, high-energy riffs and the beginnings of a structured epic. The problem is that it doesn't go anywhere (clearly because it was recorded as one song with the closer). In any case, it's a good enough tease for the album that follows.

2. Forsaken is the catchy single. It is, in my opinion, the most listenable song on the album from the standpoint of wanting to hear it over and over again.

3. Constant Motion is, by far, my least favorite song on the album - mostly because it is a total rip-off of Metallica. They do it well, but this is not at all an original song. Dream Theater falls into this trap every so often, but never so obviously as this, in my opinion.

4. The Dark Eternal Night is a solid song with ripping solos, speedy runs, and dark but decent subject matter (feels a little Iron Maiden in it's story). Not a lot to remember, but definitely a lot to appreciate. My only problem here is with Jordan's "signature" ragtimey piano interlude. Jordan - enough already! I feel like he's trying to make this his trademark and, unfortunately, it's already been taken by Rick Wakeman. I wish he would drop the "piano in the western saloon" bit and break away on his truly original continuum instead.

5. Repentance is good, although too heavily influenced by Pain Of Salvation's "Be" album. I like the narratives, but POS did it just a little better.

6. Prophets Of War is another heavy tune with a great message. Not one of the stand-outs, in my opinion, but a solid contributor.

7. Now we're getting somewhere with Ministry Of Lost Souls. Some nice guitar work in the slower beginning parts, with one of the best vocal melodies toward the end that I have ever heard them build to.

8. And, finally, the rest of the first song. Again, great vocal melodies with an epic feel and an intense conclusion. But the song definitely loses some of its drive by being separated from it's start. Still, the album feels strong and complete with this one finishing it off.

So that's my take, for whatever it's worth. I love the fact that the fans are, yet again, mixed on this one. I hope they never all agree, because it will mean that Dream Theater has fallen into complacency and predictability - and that can never happen. But here's the most important thing - and please listen closely. I have seen a lot of different people who were fans since Awake or even Images. Well, I was a fan since the Majesty days. Truthfully, I followed these guys before they were ever signed and have been a die-hard fan ever since. And one thing I can say for sure is that they have all individually grown as musicians and, more importantly, have done the same as a band over their 20+ year career. These guys work hard at what they do and they are always honing their craft. I don't think we'll ever see them just sit back and take it easy and stop learning their instruments. And that's why their albums always evolve - in some cases even past their fans. But that's a good thing for the music business and, if we can all learn to appreciate it, a good thing for us.

Here's to another 20 years! May the rest of their career be as long as this review...

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another awesome release, June 13, 2007

By 

WillieB - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Systematic Chaos (W/Dvd) (Spec) (Audio CD)

DT's new release is a solid disc-filled, 78-minute, journey that should please most fans and shows they still are on top of their game. Their intense musicianship and enduring passion to create great tunes and give it their all shines through on this disc, however, the lyrics still are their weakest link. Although they break no new ground in their musical styling, Portnoy's vocals, that used to make me cringe because of the sour notes he hit, have improved, or maybe I'm just getting used to them.

My least favorite tracks on "Systematic Chaos" are the last few minutes of "Repentance" with the dialog babble in the background, and I'm not a fan of the industrial-techno-disco-sounding riff on "Prophets of War". Otherwise, this disc is killer, the engineering and artwork are amazing, and this probably will be the best prog-metal release of the year.

The special edition DVD is a must and includes a behind the scenes "making of" feature and a 5.1 mix of the album. The 90-minute documentary is good and Portnoy's personality rules the film, but it's odd that John Myung didn't say anything through the entire feature. Was this how he wanted it? Some of his thoughts on the album would have been a treat. The 5.1 mix is awesome - full, thick, spacious and you can even hear the bass guitar, so get rid of the earbuds, buy a decent surround system, and crank it up!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This IS the best DT CD in years, June 5, 2007

By 

Cesar "juliomontoya2000" (San José, Costa Rica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Systematic Chaos (Audio CD)

I was willing to hear the next Dream Theater release to see what it was going to be like. After OCTAVARIUM, an album that I still consider a "revision" of the different styles that DT have recorded over the years, what was going to be next was kind of a mystery.

SYSTEMATIC CHAOS confirms even more the notion that Octavarium was musically transitonal. In the new CD, DT returns to the style they were playing in TRAIN OF THOUGHT, with a change: the new CD sounds as heavy, but with more progressive and chord changes, sounds and riffs added. It's like a combination of SIX DEGREES and TRAIN OF THOUGHT, a perfect balance that make me like this album more than the three previous. But I found that songs like CONSTANT MOTION and DARK ETERNAL LIGHT sound heavier that DT has ever been. They really rock !

Of course, this is not SCENES FROM A MEMORY, but it's still a worthy candidate to be there as one of the best albums they have ever released. It is produced by Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci (just like the 3 previous albums), this time with the help (as engineer and mixer) of Paul Northfield, who has lent the same services to the likes of Rush and Queensrÿche.

Even though this is not supposed to be a concept album, from a first impression it DOES look to have a concept, dealing with the themes of sin (in the form of the fight between good and evil), death, repentance and soul salvation. With the exception of "Prophets of war" (a self-explanatory protest song about the on-going war in Iraq) all the songs seem to follow a thread and fall into that category, which gives the album a spiritual meaning (and avoid a pair of slowers to sound mellow). That is until you hear what each song is about -in the DVD that comes with the special edition-. For instance, THE FORSAKEN is about a vampire, IN THE PRESENCE OF ENEMIES is about the attraction of the darkness and the temptation to fall into it (mmm...not unlike Anakin Skywalker's story), the MINISTRY OF LOST SOULS is about a trascendental encounter between somebody who was saved and his saviour who died. Still, the individual meaning of the songs, although more simplistic, is interesting.

The album have some good surprises. Mike Portnoy sings more than usual Not that he sings entire songs, but he appears in some instances as a complementary voice to La Brie's, and in others like in an interaction or "question and reply" manner. He sings good, providing a stronger element to make some heavy songs feel heavier (like the aformentioned CONSTANT MOTION and DARK ETERNAL LIGHT), and this might be a sign that he will do more vocal duties in the future.

Other great surprise is the inclusion of a batch of guest musicians in the song "Repentance", but in an original way: they don't sing or play, but do spoken parts, confessing "sins", to illustrate the theme of the song. There we have Steve Hoggarth, Neil Morse, Steve Wilson, Jon Anderson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani... (why not Geddy Lee?).

In "Prophets of war" and "In the Presence of enemies", choruses are done by a bunch of fans that were invited into the studio (damn it, I wish I had been there!).

I think the best that I can say about this album is the same that I said about their last concert DVD: The songs have energy and vitality. DT still seem happy to play. Their motivation is still there...and they're still in the peak of their skills.

Notes on the Special edition DVD: I highly recommend the special edition, a must for any DT fan. The DVD has the 5.1 mix of the album, that enhances perfectly the heaviness of the album and presents the execution of the different musical parts and instruments clearer. The mix is for DVD video players in Dolby Digital 5.1 (meaning that it can be enjoyed in ANY DVD player, and that there is no layer for specialized DVD-Audio players). Also included is "The making of" documentary directed and edited by Mike Portnoy. Mostly, is about the band members, performing, creating and talking about the whole process (except John Myung, who is consistent with his "no speak about anything" policy). It's a real pleasure to watch the stages of the creative process, and how the skills and contributions of the different musicians convey in the whole as the finished product. By the way, there are no fights or heated arguments, but the band having a good time. It's interesting also in the information of how each song was conceived, and their meaning. And the documentary is surprisingly full of humor. The program has no subtitles.