![six degrees of inner turbulence [import]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005UDE7.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg)
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 1. Glass Prison |
| 2. Blind Faith |
| 3. Misunderstood |
| 4. Great Debate |
| 5. Disappear |
| Disc: 2 |
| 1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: I. Overture [Instrumental] |
| 2. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: II. About to Crash |
| 3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: III. War Inside My Head |
| 4. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: IV. The Test That Stumped Them All |
| 5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: V. Goodnight Kiss |
| 6. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: VI. Solitary Shell |
| 7. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: VII. About to Crash (Reprise) |
| 8. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: VIII. Losing Time / Grand Finale |
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Full title, 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence'. Japanese limited edition of 2002 album. Includes one bonus track, 'Solitary Shell' (Radio Edit).
Disc 1 is by far my favorite of the pair, as it contains some really fantastic songs.
The Glass Prison is the first in a series of songs that conceptualize the 12 steps of the Alcoholics' Anonymous program. Beyond having a cool concept, it is a heavy-hitting metal track, which is a refreshing change from SFAM's overwhelming "progginess". Almost instantly it became one of my favorite Dream Theater songs, and one that I wish the band would use to open every single live performance.
Blind Faith is another great track. It's less intense than the Glass Prison, alternating between relaxed and upbeat, particularly during the instrumental passages. The chorus is a bit jarring, but during the verses James LaBrie's warm vocals are like another instrument enhancing the song's already great melodies.
I like the idea and lyrics behind Misunderstood, but I wish this were either a shorter or faster-paced song. James lays down another great vocal performance, but the pace of the song is just too slow for a 9-minute track.
For all its focus on both sides of the stem cell issue, The Great Debate just comes across as "Dream Theater does Tool", and that's just not a good thing. 13 minutes of Tool-style vocals and clips from news programs make this easily the worst song on this disc.
Disappear is an interesting enough song with a strong Radiohead influence. I don't love it or hate it, and it does serve as a nice transition to the second CD.
Disc 2 features the 42-minute epic title track, broken into 8 chapters, each of which (save for the Overture) deal with a different aspect of mental illness. This disc features everything great about progressive music - lengthy song structures, intricate instrumental work, and an interesting concept. It also features everything negative about progressive music - self-indulgent instrumental passages, artistic pretension, and yes lengthy song structures. I can't help but compare it to Dream Theater's previous epic song, A Change of Seasons. 6 Degrees comes across as a group of individual musicians screaming "look at me, look at me!" A Change of Seasons is an actual SONG, and a damn good one at that. It's tight, focused, and when it ends you're left panting for more. There are some impressive moments (About to Crash and Solitary Shell come to mind), but as a whole it just leaves me cold (and checking my watch).
It's funny, but I've seen quite a few reviewers here who share my opinion of this album, and none of us can bring ourselves to give the album the three stars it probably deserves. It's as if associating Dream Theater and a 3-star rating will cause our brains to melt. Well, disc 1 is worth at least 4 stars, and you have to grant disc 2 at least 3, so I'll round up and call Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence a 4-star effort. If they had added a couple of tracks from disc 2 to the first disc and called it quits, I'd probably be hailing this as one of Dream Theater's best efforts.
If you've never heard of Dream Theater.... What's wrong with you? Buy it! Now!
If you truely like good music, why don't you already own this CD? Buy it! Now!
If you think Brittany Spears or Justin Timberlake have any talent at all, then you wouldn't understand Dream Theater at all and you shouldn't buy this CD. Also, if you like Brittany or Jusitin or both... and that kind of music, Do NOT buy this Dream Theater CD..... Just go do your homework because you have to get up early and go to Elementary School tomorrow.
This is a GREAT CD!
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is one of the band's weakest studio releases, in large part due to the second CD of this two disk album. The first disk shows a pretty fair amount of promise, albeit often blatantly derivative. "The Glass Prison" features some pretty good heavy riffs, and an introductory super-fast series of guitar sweeps from guitarist John Petrucci, which would sound at home on a Symphony X album. "Blind Faith" is the album's strongest track, as it not only sounds like a purely Dream Theater track (as opposed to mimicking another band), but it also features a great melodic instrumental turnaround in the middle of the song. "Misunderstood" and "Disappear" are both somewhat derivative of Radiohead, but manage to be pretty decent songs, with the latter having some pretty hefty emotional weight, due to the almost disturbing use of keyboards. "The Great Debate" is where the album starts showing its weak spots. Starting with their pseudo-EP "A Change of Seasons", Dream Theater's lyrics have often been amateurish and lacking in subtlety. With "The Great Debate", their attempt to address the topic of stem cell research falls prey to this weakness, and the blatant Tool homage on the musical side of things doesn't work here.
However, the side-long title track is what really sabotages this release. The pompous "Overture" section really sets a bad tone for this song, as it sounds like a rehearsal for a Disney movie soundtrack. The rest of this 40 odd minute song seems almost cobbled together artificially from outtakes from "Metropolis II: Scenes From a Memory". The sacharrin sweet approach from that album doesn't work here, and attempts to "toughen it up" with heavier interludes such as the "War Inside My Head" section fail to balance things out. It seems like the band was pandering to the same people who cried "sell out" when "Falling Into Infinity" was released. The calls for a "truly epic" (i.e. 20 minutes or more in length) song from the fanbase should have been ignored until they had more solid material and a better, cohesive approach.
"Six Degrees" barely eeks out a 3 out of 5, and only does so because of the presence of some entertaining material on the first disk. While the band is slowly improving its collective skill at smoothing out the robotic aspects of its songwriting skills, this album doesn't quite show evidence of it yet. While Dream Theater may admire Rush greatly, you wouldn't really know it when comparing "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" to Rush's very organic takes on the progressive rock genre.
It baffles me how so many Dream Theater fans have turned a blind eye to this album because it sounds so different from their earlier work. I always thought that's what makes this band so special -- that they never repeat themselves and cater to the lowest common denominator. It is true that the first CD sees Dream Theater turning to their influences, and not only Rush and Metallica this time, but also to bands like Pantera on the groove-inflected "The Glass Prison", easily their heaviest song to date. It begins with the same static sound that finalised Scenes from a Memory and picks up an incredibly beautiful bass figure that sounds almost exactly like an acoustic guitar. Myung's tone is clean, big and uber-heavy. With crushing rhythm guitars, pounding bass, and aggresive vocals, the song is elevated to prog metal heaven when Rudess' understated keyboards appear behind the main instruments, and even Petrucci's shred-intensive guitar that many have lambasted (especially on Train of Thought) makes an invaluable contribution to the excellence of the song. Unlike its successor, the shred parts on this album all emerge after carefully built up sections on this one with an intense keyboard and bass unison; or the superb "Blind Faith", which is graced with a wonderful bluesy shred piece. It is here where Dream Theater comes back to their vintage prog roots, boasting a stunning solo piano performance, protruding bass arrangement, and all-around songwriting brilliance.
The moodier pieces "Misunderstood" and the closing piece "Disappear" are both captured by undeniable Radiohead atmospherics. The flickering synth patches during the acoustic guitar intro on "Misunderstood" help thicken Petrucci's waves of dissonance at the end, adding to its intensity; whilst "Disappear" is arguably the most underrated Dream Theater ballad. The effects, sad piano melody, and Labrie's otherworldy vocals are too good to dislike. "The Great Debate" is the band's nod to the intricate rhythm arrangements of Tool, with both Portnoy and Petrucci providing a solid backbone to the song. Even Labrie's vocals evoke Maynard Keenan during the verses, but Dream Theater does add their own signature to it, mostly with Rudess' rising symphonic keyboard aesthetics and the clever mixing of opposing arguments that blast out from either speaker.
The second disc is far from "let's do a real long one-song album" attitude. It brings forth their unparalleled songwriting ability, highlighting the movements with cleverly arranged recurring musical and lyrical themes. The CD is about different individuals with mental illness, from bipolarity to post-traumatic stress syndrome; to sychophrenia, autism, and separation anxiety. What makes this disc an utter success is that the themes are perfectly summarised at the end; and they are also greatly tied together through a strong melodic theme that is started off with Rudess in the beginning, developed by Petrucci (what a nice guitar tone!) in the middle and climaxed by guitar and keyboards at the end. A bit like Awake in this aspect, the unity is maintained throughout without ignoring strong songwriting ideas. Labrie's excellent singing is backed nicely by Portnoy and Petrucci, portraying the different moods and confusion of the characters. "The Test That Stumped Them All" is unbridled heaviness, underpinned by killer drum staccato and Labrie's unique "diaologue"-style vocals. On the slower paced material, the helplessness of a mother being separated from her child is brought to the fore on "Goodnight Kiss", which begins peacefully and gradually transforms into its tragic finale -- give a listen to both the cries of the baby and its mother under Petrucci's moving guitar solo and Rudess' far-reaching synth colouring. The band's Peter Gabriel influence is demonstrated on the storytelling ballad "Solitary Shell" (note the similarity to Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"). This proves that, besides mindblowing instrumental wizardy, Dream Theater are also capable of churning out catchy pop songs with strong hooks and a perfect balance between electric and acoustic guitar.
It took me years to fully appreciate this album, but even when I claimed disappointment upon its release, I kept coming back to this disc because I was drawn unconsciously. Now five years after its release, I can safely say this has been my most played Dream Theater CD post-SFAM, and it ranks right up there with their best. With flawless production done by Portnoy and Petrucci themselves, it is among my all-time favourites and perhaps their most detailed work. It's definitely worth the effort -- it will reward you like no other disc once it clicks with you.
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is a brilliant piece of progressive rock and puts Dream Theater in a class with Emerson Lake & Palmer and Yes. When I met Mike Portnoy, he autographed the CD jacket's lyrics page of "The Glass Prison" and I nearly cried. When I saw them play "Six Degrees" in its entirety at Radio City Music Hall with an orchestra, I nearly cried once again. For I see something special in Dream Theater that sets them apart from others: their purity and perfection.
The opening track to this two CD masterpiece, "The Glass Prison," has some of the most phenomenal guitar work of any band I have ever heard. Every time I listen to how quickly the lead guitar is being play I am in awe that human fingers can move so fast. The style combines hard rock, progressive rock and a flavor of nu-metal to create an original, technical, and yet artistic song. There is much in this song to commend it to a much wider audience than is typical of any one of these individual genres. Progressive long at nearly 14 minutes, the group uses a variety of influences to create an evolutionary song that is simultaneously challenging and listenable. This song is the antithesis of shy.
The second song, "Blind Faith," is generally much mellower than the dynamic and explosive first song. The song begins slick and smooth with less heaviness than the first song, sounding almost pop. However, the build up to the chorus puts to flight the thought that this song is anything other than a vicious wolf in sheep's clothing. The charging guitars in the lengthy bridge cracker crunch into the notes leading to a lovely (yes, that is what I meant) piano piece before getting into a bass driven run-up to instruments enthusiastically alternating for the lead until the last vocal set is reached. This song is well-crafted with an excellent balance of art and technical skill.
There is Moody Blues transition between "Blind Faith" and the "Misunderstood." Unless you are watching the track changes you could easily miss the beginning of this track as there is no pause between tracks. "Misunderstood" is one my favorite tracks on this CD. The quiet, slow, introduction lulls you into a passivity that is instantly and violently blown away as the instruments and vocals shatter drivingly into your brain. I think I hear a mellotron in this song, which I always enjoy.
"The Great Debate" takes on the challenge of human stem cell and other human cell research. The song begins with speakers stating portions of the opposing viewpoints, coming from opposite speakers. The complexity of the song matches the complexity of the subject, and the tone of the song is somber and sincere. The music and the lyrics provide ample opportunity to contemplate the content of the lyrics, which summarize the opposing viewpoints nicely (moral and ethical versus practical and beneficial), and suggest that we as a race are at a crossroads of sorts and we need to make a decision. The song suggests that we need to "turn to the light," which I take to mean we need to face this issue rather than turn away, as our decision may define who we are.
The heady moral complexity of the previous song contrasts with the simpler, and yet emotionally more powerful content of "Disappear." Since this song deals with death and loss, some of the lyrics in the previous song are put into perspective, because you sense by the position of this song on the CD that failure of science may have led to the loss felt in this song. Every word sung is painfully wrought and pulled from a deep secret place where you may have thought they were secure. The song has hopeful elements, but the dark nature of the music indicates that the singer is still grieving over the loss of she who gave him hope. This song is one of those that you should listen to only when you are not already feeling morose.
Thus far I have only discussed the first disc of this CD. The second disc deserves its own, completely separate review because it bears no relationship whatsoever to the first disc. In the classic tradition of progressive rock, the second disc is a concept with an introductory instrumental overture that combines some classical elements with hard rock, and an exit finale that sums it all up. In between is an exploration of the human mind, and what can appear to be insanity, or sanity, as there is no single definition for sanity. The music ranges from contemplative to crispy, from idle slow to light speed fast, from quiet to blast-off. This disc contains a concept album to rival some of the best progressive rock music concepts.
When I listen to this two-disc set I hear influences from an array of groups, and I hear something completely new. When I was introduced to this music by another reviewer (now going under the name Samhot), it was so different from anything I had previously heard that it has taken me more than a year to come to grips with the music. This music is faster paced and more complex than early progressive rock. This music brings in modern rock elements, along with music from several other groups, to revitalize progressive rock, which had become somewhat moribund in the 80s and early 90s. The modernization of progressive rock is welcome to an old-timer like me, who has followed progressive rock from its roots in "Sgt. Pepper" to the seminal "Days of Future Passed" and its explosion into a separate genre populated by King Crimson, Yes, Genesis and a few select others. This new generation of artists is giving a new generation of listeners and an old generation of listeners a reason to return to progressive rock.
Note that this CD is an import from Japan. The U.S. release is readily available and costs much less. Choose the version that meets your needs.
I will discuss in detail my two favorite works from the album, though I could passionately talk about all of them. The opening track, "The Glass Prison," is a truly amazing piece, encompassing three distinct sections. After a short, slow introduction centered around a bass harmonic idea, the band launches into a fast-and-furious first section, complete with lightning double-bass work by Mike Portnoy, odd time signatures, and a cool wah-wah riff from John Petrucci. The song throws us a curveball by opening with John P. and Mike singing call-and-response vocals in treated, filtered, almost computer-like voices (at least, I think it is John and Mike; if it isn't them, it is one of them with James LaBrie's voice, also highly treated), before James' normal, strong, smooth voice enters the picture, describing a bleak outlook. The first section really starts to take off when the keyboards enter, Jordan Rudess playing a frantic motive while James backs off a bit, singing little half-note ideas ("Fatal descent; spinning around..."). The second section, unbelievably, only turns up the heat, with the background vocals doing their best James Hetfield impression. James L. continues his amazing singing, jumping from angry, busy action on the low end ("I'll be fearless and thorough to enter this temple of hope.") to smooth-tone, pleading vocals ("Help me, I can't break out this prison all alone.") The third section totally switches gears with the drums concentrating on tom-toms, and the guitar playing a beautiful arpeggio part with a pedal upper and a moving bass line. The song ends apruptly with an unnecessary sample of glass breaking.
Full title, 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence'. Japanese limited edition of 2002 album. Includes one bonus track, 'Solitary Shell' (Radio Edit).
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence,Dream Theater,Wea,Hard Rock,Heavy Metal,Neo-Prog,Progressive Metal,Rock
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ASIN: B00005UEAR Release Date: 2002-01-29 |
Tracks:
- The Glass Prison
- Blind Faith
- Misunderstood
- The Great Debate
- Disappear
Tracks:
- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence: Overture
- About To Crash
- War Inside My Head
- The Test That Stumped Them All
- Goodnight Kiss
- Solitary Shell
- About To Crash (Reprise)
- Losing Time/Grand Finale
Amazon.com
Never a band to do things by halves, Dream Theater here delivers a two-disc extravaganza with a title track that clocks in at a prog-tastic 42 minutes. Very much in the style of its 1999 studio predecessor, Scenes from a Memory, the "Six Degrees" piece, which occupies the entire second disc, is divided into eight movements beginning, of course, with the overture. It's meaty stuff, though musically it alternately noodles and thrashes about in a somewhat haphazard manner while singer-lyricist James LaBrie's struggles to make an impression over the stunning instrumental onslaught. The first disc serves up five pieces averaging about 10 minutes each that hearken back to the grungier sound of 1994's Awake. The result is an album that fulfills fans' expectations. These guys have found a formula and they're sticking to it. --Mark WalkerAlbum Description
Dream Theater's latest 2 CD studio epic, produced by drummer Mike Portnoy & guitarist John Petrucci. Elektra Entertainment.Customer Reviews:
3.5 stars, a bit too ambitious.......2007-07-07
Disc 1 is by far my favorite of the pair, as it contains some really fantastic songs.
The Glass Prison is the first in a series of songs that conceptualize the 12 steps of the Alcoholics' Anonymous program. Beyond having a cool concept, it is a heavy-hitting metal track, which is a refreshing change from SFAM's overwhelming "progginess". Almost instantly it became one of my favorite Dream Theater songs, and one that I wish the band would use to open every single live performance.
Blind Faith is another great track. It's less intense than the Glass Prison, alternating between relaxed and upbeat, particularly during the instrumental passages. The chorus is a bit jarring, but during the verses James LaBrie's warm vocals are like another instrument enhancing the song's already great melodies.
I like the idea and lyrics behind Misunderstood, but I wish this were either a shorter or faster-paced song. James lays down another great vocal performance, but the pace of the song is just too slow for a 9-minute track.
For all its focus on both sides of the stem cell issue, The Great Debate just comes across as "Dream Theater does Tool", and that's just not a good thing. 13 minutes of Tool-style vocals and clips from news programs make this easily the worst song on this disc.
Disappear is an interesting enough song with a strong Radiohead influence. I don't love it or hate it, and it does serve as a nice transition to the second CD.
Disc 2 features the 42-minute epic title track, broken into 8 chapters, each of which (save for the Overture) deal with a different aspect of mental illness. This disc features everything great about progressive music - lengthy song structures, intricate instrumental work, and an interesting concept. It also features everything negative about progressive music - self-indulgent instrumental passages, artistic pretension, and yes lengthy song structures. I can't help but compare it to Dream Theater's previous epic song, A Change of Seasons. 6 Degrees comes across as a group of individual musicians screaming "look at me, look at me!" A Change of Seasons is an actual SONG, and a damn good one at that. It's tight, focused, and when it ends you're left panting for more. There are some impressive moments (About to Crash and Solitary Shell come to mind), but as a whole it just leaves me cold (and checking my watch).
It's funny, but I've seen quite a few reviewers here who share my opinion of this album, and none of us can bring ourselves to give the album the three stars it probably deserves. It's as if associating Dream Theater and a 3-star rating will cause our brains to melt. Well, disc 1 is worth at least 4 stars, and you have to grant disc 2 at least 3, so I'll round up and call Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence a 4-star effort. If they had added a couple of tracks from disc 2 to the first disc and called it quits, I'd probably be hailing this as one of Dream Theater's best efforts.
Dream Theater is the best!.......2007-05-13
If you've never heard of Dream Theater.... What's wrong with you? Buy it! Now!
If you truely like good music, why don't you already own this CD? Buy it! Now!
If you think Brittany Spears or Justin Timberlake have any talent at all, then you wouldn't understand Dream Theater at all and you shouldn't buy this CD. Also, if you like Brittany or Jusitin or both... and that kind of music, Do NOT buy this Dream Theater CD..... Just go do your homework because you have to get up early and go to Elementary School tomorrow.
This is a GREAT CD!
Shameless Pandering Hurts This Release.......2007-05-03
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is one of the band's weakest studio releases, in large part due to the second CD of this two disk album. The first disk shows a pretty fair amount of promise, albeit often blatantly derivative. "The Glass Prison" features some pretty good heavy riffs, and an introductory super-fast series of guitar sweeps from guitarist John Petrucci, which would sound at home on a Symphony X album. "Blind Faith" is the album's strongest track, as it not only sounds like a purely Dream Theater track (as opposed to mimicking another band), but it also features a great melodic instrumental turnaround in the middle of the song. "Misunderstood" and "Disappear" are both somewhat derivative of Radiohead, but manage to be pretty decent songs, with the latter having some pretty hefty emotional weight, due to the almost disturbing use of keyboards. "The Great Debate" is where the album starts showing its weak spots. Starting with their pseudo-EP "A Change of Seasons", Dream Theater's lyrics have often been amateurish and lacking in subtlety. With "The Great Debate", their attempt to address the topic of stem cell research falls prey to this weakness, and the blatant Tool homage on the musical side of things doesn't work here.
However, the side-long title track is what really sabotages this release. The pompous "Overture" section really sets a bad tone for this song, as it sounds like a rehearsal for a Disney movie soundtrack. The rest of this 40 odd minute song seems almost cobbled together artificially from outtakes from "Metropolis II: Scenes From a Memory". The sacharrin sweet approach from that album doesn't work here, and attempts to "toughen it up" with heavier interludes such as the "War Inside My Head" section fail to balance things out. It seems like the band was pandering to the same people who cried "sell out" when "Falling Into Infinity" was released. The calls for a "truly epic" (i.e. 20 minutes or more in length) song from the fanbase should have been ignored until they had more solid material and a better, cohesive approach.
"Six Degrees" barely eeks out a 3 out of 5, and only does so because of the presence of some entertaining material on the first disk. While the band is slowly improving its collective skill at smoothing out the robotic aspects of its songwriting skills, this album doesn't quite show evidence of it yet. While Dream Theater may admire Rush greatly, you wouldn't really know it when comparing "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" to Rush's very organic takes on the progressive rock genre.
One of the most rewarding albums ever.......2007-04-29
It baffles me how so many Dream Theater fans have turned a blind eye to this album because it sounds so different from their earlier work. I always thought that's what makes this band so special -- that they never repeat themselves and cater to the lowest common denominator. It is true that the first CD sees Dream Theater turning to their influences, and not only Rush and Metallica this time, but also to bands like Pantera on the groove-inflected "The Glass Prison", easily their heaviest song to date. It begins with the same static sound that finalised Scenes from a Memory and picks up an incredibly beautiful bass figure that sounds almost exactly like an acoustic guitar. Myung's tone is clean, big and uber-heavy. With crushing rhythm guitars, pounding bass, and aggresive vocals, the song is elevated to prog metal heaven when Rudess' understated keyboards appear behind the main instruments, and even Petrucci's shred-intensive guitar that many have lambasted (especially on Train of Thought) makes an invaluable contribution to the excellence of the song. Unlike its successor, the shred parts on this album all emerge after carefully built up sections on this one with an intense keyboard and bass unison; or the superb "Blind Faith", which is graced with a wonderful bluesy shred piece. It is here where Dream Theater comes back to their vintage prog roots, boasting a stunning solo piano performance, protruding bass arrangement, and all-around songwriting brilliance.
The moodier pieces "Misunderstood" and the closing piece "Disappear" are both captured by undeniable Radiohead atmospherics. The flickering synth patches during the acoustic guitar intro on "Misunderstood" help thicken Petrucci's waves of dissonance at the end, adding to its intensity; whilst "Disappear" is arguably the most underrated Dream Theater ballad. The effects, sad piano melody, and Labrie's otherworldy vocals are too good to dislike. "The Great Debate" is the band's nod to the intricate rhythm arrangements of Tool, with both Portnoy and Petrucci providing a solid backbone to the song. Even Labrie's vocals evoke Maynard Keenan during the verses, but Dream Theater does add their own signature to it, mostly with Rudess' rising symphonic keyboard aesthetics and the clever mixing of opposing arguments that blast out from either speaker.
The second disc is far from "let's do a real long one-song album" attitude. It brings forth their unparalleled songwriting ability, highlighting the movements with cleverly arranged recurring musical and lyrical themes. The CD is about different individuals with mental illness, from bipolarity to post-traumatic stress syndrome; to sychophrenia, autism, and separation anxiety. What makes this disc an utter success is that the themes are perfectly summarised at the end; and they are also greatly tied together through a strong melodic theme that is started off with Rudess in the beginning, developed by Petrucci (what a nice guitar tone!) in the middle and climaxed by guitar and keyboards at the end. A bit like Awake in this aspect, the unity is maintained throughout without ignoring strong songwriting ideas. Labrie's excellent singing is backed nicely by Portnoy and Petrucci, portraying the different moods and confusion of the characters. "The Test That Stumped Them All" is unbridled heaviness, underpinned by killer drum staccato and Labrie's unique "diaologue"-style vocals. On the slower paced material, the helplessness of a mother being separated from her child is brought to the fore on "Goodnight Kiss", which begins peacefully and gradually transforms into its tragic finale -- give a listen to both the cries of the baby and its mother under Petrucci's moving guitar solo and Rudess' far-reaching synth colouring. The band's Peter Gabriel influence is demonstrated on the storytelling ballad "Solitary Shell" (note the similarity to Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"). This proves that, besides mindblowing instrumental wizardy, Dream Theater are also capable of churning out catchy pop songs with strong hooks and a perfect balance between electric and acoustic guitar.
It took me years to fully appreciate this album, but even when I claimed disappointment upon its release, I kept coming back to this disc because I was drawn unconsciously. Now five years after its release, I can safely say this has been my most played Dream Theater CD post-SFAM, and it ranks right up there with their best. With flawless production done by Portnoy and Petrucci themselves, it is among my all-time favourites and perhaps their most detailed work. It's definitely worth the effort -- it will reward you like no other disc once it clicks with you.
My Favorite Dream Theater Album.......2007-02-12
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is a brilliant piece of progressive rock and puts Dream Theater in a class with Emerson Lake & Palmer and Yes. When I met Mike Portnoy, he autographed the CD jacket's lyrics page of "The Glass Prison" and I nearly cried. When I saw them play "Six Degrees" in its entirety at Radio City Music Hall with an orchestra, I nearly cried once again. For I see something special in Dream Theater that sets them apart from others: their purity and perfection.
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Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
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ASIN: B00005UDE7 Release Date: 2002-01-23 |
Tracks:
- The Glass Prison
- Blind Faith
- Misunderstood
- The Great Debate
- Disappear
- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
- Overture
- About To Crash
- War Inside My Head
- The Test That Stumped Them All
- Goodnight Kiss
- Solitary Shell
- About To Crash (Reprise)
- Losing Time Grand Finale
- Solitary Shell (Radio Edit) (Bonus Track)
Album Description
Full title, 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence'. Japanese limited edition of 2002 album. Includes one bonus track, 'Solitary Shell' (Radio Edit).Album Details
Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: 'solitary Shell (Radio Edit)'Customer Reviews:
Progressive Rock Explosion.......2006-07-26
The opening track to this two CD masterpiece, "The Glass Prison," has some of the most phenomenal guitar work of any band I have ever heard. Every time I listen to how quickly the lead guitar is being play I am in awe that human fingers can move so fast. The style combines hard rock, progressive rock and a flavor of nu-metal to create an original, technical, and yet artistic song. There is much in this song to commend it to a much wider audience than is typical of any one of these individual genres. Progressive long at nearly 14 minutes, the group uses a variety of influences to create an evolutionary song that is simultaneously challenging and listenable. This song is the antithesis of shy.
The second song, "Blind Faith," is generally much mellower than the dynamic and explosive first song. The song begins slick and smooth with less heaviness than the first song, sounding almost pop. However, the build up to the chorus puts to flight the thought that this song is anything other than a vicious wolf in sheep's clothing. The charging guitars in the lengthy bridge cracker crunch into the notes leading to a lovely (yes, that is what I meant) piano piece before getting into a bass driven run-up to instruments enthusiastically alternating for the lead until the last vocal set is reached. This song is well-crafted with an excellent balance of art and technical skill.
There is Moody Blues transition between "Blind Faith" and the "Misunderstood." Unless you are watching the track changes you could easily miss the beginning of this track as there is no pause between tracks. "Misunderstood" is one my favorite tracks on this CD. The quiet, slow, introduction lulls you into a passivity that is instantly and violently blown away as the instruments and vocals shatter drivingly into your brain. I think I hear a mellotron in this song, which I always enjoy.
"The Great Debate" takes on the challenge of human stem cell and other human cell research. The song begins with speakers stating portions of the opposing viewpoints, coming from opposite speakers. The complexity of the song matches the complexity of the subject, and the tone of the song is somber and sincere. The music and the lyrics provide ample opportunity to contemplate the content of the lyrics, which summarize the opposing viewpoints nicely (moral and ethical versus practical and beneficial), and suggest that we as a race are at a crossroads of sorts and we need to make a decision. The song suggests that we need to "turn to the light," which I take to mean we need to face this issue rather than turn away, as our decision may define who we are.
The heady moral complexity of the previous song contrasts with the simpler, and yet emotionally more powerful content of "Disappear." Since this song deals with death and loss, some of the lyrics in the previous song are put into perspective, because you sense by the position of this song on the CD that failure of science may have led to the loss felt in this song. Every word sung is painfully wrought and pulled from a deep secret place where you may have thought they were secure. The song has hopeful elements, but the dark nature of the music indicates that the singer is still grieving over the loss of she who gave him hope. This song is one of those that you should listen to only when you are not already feeling morose.
Thus far I have only discussed the first disc of this CD. The second disc deserves its own, completely separate review because it bears no relationship whatsoever to the first disc. In the classic tradition of progressive rock, the second disc is a concept with an introductory instrumental overture that combines some classical elements with hard rock, and an exit finale that sums it all up. In between is an exploration of the human mind, and what can appear to be insanity, or sanity, as there is no single definition for sanity. The music ranges from contemplative to crispy, from idle slow to light speed fast, from quiet to blast-off. This disc contains a concept album to rival some of the best progressive rock music concepts.
When I listen to this two-disc set I hear influences from an array of groups, and I hear something completely new. When I was introduced to this music by another reviewer (now going under the name Samhot), it was so different from anything I had previously heard that it has taken me more than a year to come to grips with the music. This music is faster paced and more complex than early progressive rock. This music brings in modern rock elements, along with music from several other groups, to revitalize progressive rock, which had become somewhat moribund in the 80s and early 90s. The modernization of progressive rock is welcome to an old-timer like me, who has followed progressive rock from its roots in "Sgt. Pepper" to the seminal "Days of Future Passed" and its explosion into a separate genre populated by King Crimson, Yes, Genesis and a few select others. This new generation of artists is giving a new generation of listeners and an old generation of listeners a reason to return to progressive rock.
Note that this CD is an import from Japan. The U.S. release is readily available and costs much less. Choose the version that meets your needs.
A mind-boggling, enthralling batch of music.......2002-10-30
I will discuss in detail my two favorite works from the album, though I could passionately talk about all of them. The opening track, "The Glass Prison," is a truly amazing piece, encompassing three distinct sections. After a short, slow introduction centered around a bass harmonic idea, the band launches into a fast-and-furious first section, complete with lightning double-bass work by Mike Portnoy, odd time signatures, and a cool wah-wah riff from John Petrucci. The song throws us a curveball by opening with John P. and Mike singing call-and-response vocals in treated, filtered, almost computer-like voices (at least, I think it is John and Mike; if it isn't them, it is one of them with James LaBrie's voice, also highly treated), before James' normal, strong, smooth voice enters the picture, describing a bleak outlook. The first section really starts to take off when the keyboards enter, Jordan Rudess playing a frantic motive while James backs off a bit, singing little half-note ideas ("Fatal descent; spinning around..."). The second section, unbelievably, only turns up the heat, with the background vocals doing their best James Hetfield impression. James L. continues his amazing singing, jumping from angry, busy action on the low end ("I'll be fearless and thorough to enter this temple of hope.") to smooth-tone, pleading vocals ("Help me, I can't break out this prison all alone.") The third section totally switches gears with the drums concentrating on tom-toms, and the guitar playing a beautiful arpeggio part with a pedal upper and a moving bass line. The song ends apruptly with an unnecessary sample of glass breaking.
"Misunderstood," the third track on the first disc, is another highlight. The range of emotion in the song is wide, from complacency and calm to fire and rage to confusion and disbelief. I feel that the song is talking about the undeserved hero-like status that the public places on celebrities. The song opens with a simple but pretty solo guitar part mixing chords with short melodic lines in between. The chords quickly become more complex and jazzy, though, before the keyboards flutter into the mix. The chord progression repeats as James enters. ("Waiting..") The full band enters on a new idea, which ends up being the chorus ("How can I feel abandoned ...?") with John M. playing cello (nice touch!) and some shakers from the percussion end. John M. then moves to bass on the bridge ("It challenges the essence of my soul."), the drums enter sporadically, and there's some nice Mellotron-type work from Jordan. The song then totally explodes, as the guitar feeds back for just a second before the full band comes crashing in on full tilt for another, more angry chorus. The next section would be some sort of development or vamp, and is characterized by a sound I would link to paranoia or dementia. The keyboards dominate here, swirling and swelling in and out, until the harmonized guitar solo enters. The drums sound muffled and filtered, almost electronic. The guitar solo is jagged and discourse, with Petrucci apparently selecting an unique harmony setting on his processor. The bridge then reenters with LaBrie adding some more layers to it, building even more tension than the first run-through. Portnoy throws in yet another of his impossible time-defying fills before the chorus repeats. The song closes with the paranoia section sans guitar solo fading out after about 2 minutes. The song is unbelievable.
The rest of the tracks are still incredible. "Disappear" is probably underrated, it gets better and better with repeated listenings. It is easily the least complex song on the album in terms of playing chops required and technical proficiency, but it is still in 5/4 time, and is slow so requires careful precision and expression. "Blind Faith" has a great verse/chorus discrepancy, as the verses are mellow, while the choruses are powerful. The middle section features a fantastic guitar and keyboard duet along with some astounding drum work. "The Great Debate" has some excellent musical moments and is thought-provoking in its subject matter. The title track on the second disc is loaded with fine moments, some furious, some happy and joyful.
Almost The Greatest Prog Metal Album of All Time...Almost.......2002-10-06
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Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Dream Theater Manufacturer: Elektra ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Rock
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Progressive Metal
| Progressive
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Hard Rock & Metal
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000LX27KW |
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- Split Ep [Import]
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- Superwolf [Import]
- Taking Up Serpents [Explicit Lyrics]
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- The Psychedelic World of the 13th Floor Elevators [Import]
- Thunder Beings
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- Way I Feel Today [Import]
