Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity
Tracks: New Millennium You Not Me Peruvian Skies Hollow Years Burning My Soul Hell's Kitchen Lines In The Sand Take Away My Pain Just Let Me Breathe Anna Lee Trial Of Tears i. It's Raining ii. Deep In Heaven iii. The Wasteland Label:EastWest Records America Producer: Kevin Shirley Year: 1997 Total Playing Time: 78:12 m:s
This is the one album that I've been looking forward to all year. If you look through my reviews, you'll notice that Dream Theater's Images & Words is the only album to get a full 10 rating. Even Harem Scarem's Mood Swings didn't reach those dizzy heights and that one was partly the inspiration behind the naming of my web site. (I think a re-examination of some of my review ratings is in order because I don't quite understand how that happened.)
Last time out on a full album, Awake, the band had a slight change of emphasis and a heavier style, which made them sound a bit like 'Metallica with keyboards', emerged. As a result I think DT fans can be split into two camps - the metalheads who prefer Awake and the prog & AOR heads that prefer Images & Words. I'm firmly in the latter grouping. In the interviews prior to the release, then band talked about a return to the more melodic style of Images & Words.
Making maximum use of the space available on a CD, this album clocks in at the 78 min mark. This makes sitting down listening to it all the way through a mammoth task, never mind trying to review it. Dream Theater's music and lyrics tend to get examined in minute detail. It also takes repeated listens for DT albums to reveal their subtleties. Having listened to it for a couple of weeks here is what I think.
The album gets off to a good start with New Millennium. The 8:28 epic is instantly recognisable as DT, but as I'm sure I'll say quite a few more times during this review, the sound isn't as intricate as you would expect for a Dream Theater track of this length. Some reviews of the album that I've seen say that on this album DT reveal their influences. In this case, a Rush influence is to the fore.
You Not Me is DT playing in straight down the line, giving us an uncomplicated rock song. A quick glance at the writing credits for this one reveals one Desmond Child as a co-writer. I don't know about you, but this is one collaboration I wouldn't have envisaged. Still, I like the results, even if it's not quite traditional DT.
Peruvian Skies starts off in Pink Floyd fashion. This quiet beginning gives you the chance to listen to James's singing. On the previous outing, Awake, I think the vocals sounded forced in places. Here they sound more natural and I'm happier with the vocals this time. As you'd expect the band pick up the pace throughout the song and at the end the sound is Metallica-like.
Hollow Years has the band adopting perhaps the most AOR style that I've heard.
On Burning My Soul we're most definitely back in traditional DT territory, circa Pull Me Under & Take The Time. This what I expect from a DT album. On the lyrics front I love the opening lines - "A thorn in my side, a chip on my shoulder, a lump in my throat, the size of a boulder"
The Hell's Kitchen instrumental shows a Steve Vai influence. It's fairly unremarkable and does nothing more than act as a prelude to the following track which it runs into.
Line In The Sand is one of the songs that quite a lot of the pre-release chat focused on, because it features Doug Pinnick from King's X. At 12 mins long it's certainly the type of song we all look for on a DT release. It sounds like a curious mixture of Rush, Dream Theater and King's X. There's a nice little jazzy bit that I like stuck somewhere in the middle of it all. In case you're wondering, Doug's contribution is vocals during the chorus. Doug's soulful voice adds some texture to the overall sound, but it seems strange hearing his voice on a DT tune for the first few listens. It feels rather like an afterthought, as the song could survive perfectly well without it. That's just nit picking on my part, this is one the album highlights.
Take Away My Pain is another slowish song.
On Just Let Me Breath the band are showing their influences again. This heavy duty number, features blasts of Hammond and you'd could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a new Deep Purple album. Musically this one disappoints, but the lyrics provide some interest, especially the verse:
"A daily dose of eMpTyV, Will flush your mind right down the drain, Shannon Hoon and Kurt Cobain, Make yourself a household name."
I don't know about that, it wasn't until I read one of the other reviews that I found out who Shannon Hoon was and hopefully I'll forget again very soon.
With a couple of slow numbers already under their belt, DT hit us with the album's ballad. I&W had Wait For Sleep, Awake had The Silent Man, FII has Anna Lee. This largely piano driven tune is the best DT ballad to date.
The album finishes off with a 13 min, 3 part epic, Trial Of Tears. This one only really grabs my attention when the instrumental section starts, which is highly unusual for me. Vague Rush and Pink Floyd influences are at work again. It has grown on me, but the trouble is that if you play the CD in the correct track order, how often are you going to stick with it all the way to the end to hear this song ?
With the exception of New Millennium, all the lyrics deal with negative themes. One of the things I liked about I&W was the positive messages in the lyrics.
In terms of the overall DT sound, the album is more guitar oriented than previous outings, the keyboards are still there, but are taking a back seat.
Phew....... So we've been all the way through, track by track. Do I like it? - yes. Am I disappointed? - Well in the first draft of this review I said yes to that question, but now I'm inclined to say no. I've had a listen to both Awake and I&W whilst reviewing this. FII doesn't send a shiver down my spine like I&W does, but I get a feeling that if I want to listen to some DT, and I don't choose I&W, then I'll reach for this one in preference to Awake.
In quite a few of the reviews of this album I've read, the critics are disappointed. The main reason appears to be the lack of complexity. This is all amusing because, when the previous two albums were released, the reviewers all complained about DT writing pieces of music rather than writing songs. With this album DT have crafted some good songs, but the critics still aren't happy. Although it doesn't cut it compared to I&W, I like FII and I'm sure it will figure strongly in my Top 10 for 1997.
Rating: 8/9
