The Astonishing

The Astonishing has been getting mixed reviews since it came out, which doesn't surprise me – it's perhaps the most audacious and ambitious work Dream Theater has ever put out. But then, the band has never been one to rest on its laurels. Even in the later 2000s when their sound appeared to be smoothing out into a more formulaic waters with albums like Black Clouds and Silver Linings, they always found ways to make each album stand out and never repeated themselves, blending pop, rock and prog influences with hard-hitting metal to create an idiosyncratic sound. This one, an over-two-hour musical opera concept album, was never going to be one to please every listener. I think it's a pretty brilliant work though.

This is just a tremendous, ambitious work. The production is beautifully full and the instrumentation is, as expected, spot-on – but somewhat more agile and ready than what I remember of their other recent works, making them sound about a decade younger than they are. Dream Theater haven't sounded this inspired in years, frankly – even singer James LaBrie turns in an impassioned performance, with his nasal whine in about the best form it can be these days. I think he really delivers here. He does voice every character in the story the album tells, but frankly, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Having a death metal growler, a female operatic singer and who knows who else would've just cluttered the album up. LaBrie's voice being front and center lends a familiarity to the proceedings that I feel it needed, rather than having this turn into some sort of Ayreon-style thing.

Rather than focus on individual hard-hitting, catchy songs, the album flows seamlessly from one piece to the next – from rhythmic prog guitar crunching to poignant piano balladry and everything in-between. There is really no halfway with the songwriting here – it's an unapologetic, full-on musical journey, played out for the two-hour runtime with no breaks. It isn't for people with short attention spans, which I think will probably be the album's doing-in in the end – most people just won't listen to it, even if only because they don't have the time to do so. Two hours is a pretty long time.

But for those who do have the time, there's quite a bit of good stuff to be found here, from the Rush-imitative burst of energy “The Gift Of Music,” the stirring “A Better Life” and the album's most progressive moments in the theatrical “Brother, Can You Hear Me?” and its companion, the hugely emotive “A Life Left Behind.” Instrumental "Dystopian Overture" comes to life with vivid, colorful instrumentation - a great song. The second disc is a bit more thrifty in its time spent, with the frenetic, busy prog of “Moment Of Betrayal,” the atmospheric “Heaven's Cove” with its slow build and the garroting “The Walking Shadow,” which is one of the heavier, more metallic moments in an album that, frankly, isn't really much of a metal album beyond a few isolated parts.

I think the effort and passion in this album is huge and comes through fully – this is not a sterile intellectual exercise, but a vibrant and full storytelling experience the same way a movie or a play would be. It's unfortunate that the story and lyrics are so silly (Lord Nafaryus is the name of the villain – really?), but the music makes up for that by being completely serious and articulately detailed – this whole thing is, sonically, a pleasure to hear. The band obviously put their whole selves into this work, and I think it shows and is better for it.

Perhaps there's a bit too much slow, Lifetime Movie-esque balladry going on, to the point where some of the vocal lines and melodic cues start to sound alike after a while – especially near the end of Disc 1. But a lot of the ballads are extremely well written and earnestly performed, avoiding kitsch and instead coming off as heartfelt. It might be sappy, but it's a genuine sappiness, and doesn't come off as pandering or fake.

The Astonishing probably didn't need to be as long as it is to work – it would certainly be easier to take in with a shorter runtime. But it works well as it is, too. This is, surprisingly, one of the more palatable and easy to listen to Dream Theater albums – certainly compared to the sometimes directionless meandering of Train of Thought or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, this comes off as more focused, and the shorter song lengths work in the band's favor.

I might not be in the mood for this all the time, but it's a very impressive work from a veteran band. It's a hugely ambitious album and for those who want something that goes a step beyond what you'd normally expect, it's a good choice and worth hearing. Dream Theater is still relevant as a prog band. This album proves they've got life left in their engines yet.