With "Distance Over Time", Dream Theater is going both forward and backward, implementing new ideas together with familiar tactics that we have seen from such albums as "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", "Train of Thought", and "Systematic Chaos". Take for instance "Barstool Warrior", an obvious song about alcoholism (something Portnoy used to write a lot about since he has suffered from it) where the melodies are just as vibrant and flowing as they were in the beginning of the 21st century. That in itself is a clear statement that the band is back in form. Another call back is "Room 137", which would have fitted right in the "Train of Thought" line up without any problems, and the closer "Pale Blue Dot" is just another one of those ultra epic progressive goodies that only this band would produce. Pure magic.
Then we have the newer ideas that also shine just as bright. "S2N" has these playful Rush patterns that will make any prog fan drool, with the band going back and forth in different tempos and time signatures, while "Paralyzed" opens up with an incredibly groovy guitar line that still somehow merges nicely with the epic build up that is classic Dream Theater stuff. And to show that Dream Theater take newer progressive acts to notice, how about "At Wit's End" that has that djenty tech feel that we normally hear from Animals As Leaders, while still implementing that Dream Theater magic.
Yes, this is definitely one of the most imaginative DT albums for some time, and the performances shows that the band has had a blast recording this. The duels between guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Ruddess are thrilling as hell, constantly trying to one up each other without losing the musical melodies. Drummer Mike Mangini also does a great job in this record, also having writing credit for the first time ever with the song "Room 137". And then we have the "weak" link James LaBrie, who might do one of his finest vocal performances so far, getting even more emotions out to the listener than he normally would. He still has a voice that might not suit everyone, but he is not holding anything back in this disc.
The strong suit of this record though might be its length. After the exhausting experience known as "The Astonishing", it feels great that we get a more scaled back version of the band, with an album that goes just under the hour mark (just the third time the band has released an album this "short") and no track going over ten minutes. It is enough music to quench the thirst, and not much more, which I am totally fine with. It still makes the classic mistake of having a very generic ballad in it just to widen the range of the record ("Out of Reach"), but the bonus track "Viper King" kind of makes up for it with its fast paced blues metal, being the grooviest song the band has ever made. That song is not gonna affect the final score since it is a bonus track, but make sure to not miss out on that one, it is one of the funnest tracks of the year.
This is without a doubt the strongest Dream Theater record since "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", a record that once again shows just how awesome this band could be. The band has found that perfect balance of nostalgic goodness and innovative thinking that everyone wants to see from this band. They do not need to impress us with ambitious story writing, or wow us with some insane technical skills, just write awesome songs and you are good to go. "Distance Over Time" is a marvelous and solid record that should bring all the past Dream Theater fans back to the band, but most importantly, it is a record that makes a statement, that Dream Theater is still the kings of progressive metal, and that it's gonna take a hell of a lot of effort to over throw them from their throne.
Songs worthy of recognition: Pale Blue Dot, Paralyzed, S2N, At Wit's End
Rating: 9/10 Barstool Warriors
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More reviews of Dream Theater
When Dream And Day Unite
Images And Words
Awake
Falling Into Infinity
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Train of Thought
Octavarium
Systematic Chaos
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
A Dramatic Turn of Events
S/T
The Astonishing
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