MUSIC REVIEW: Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons

"Dream Theater's ultimate epic."

I think we can thank the bootleg The Dance of Eternity for this fantastic release. The Dance of Eternity was recorded during the I&W tour, and at that show they played "A Change of Seasons" in its entirety. As the bootleg was distributed, demand grew for an official recording of the band's magnum opus. The band finally conceded and released the song a few years later with some bonus live material.

This 23-minute track encapsulates Dream Theater's greatness. Emotionally powerful, often heavy, sometimes soulful, audacious, and technically challenging music. The production here is very good, perhaps Dream Theater's best studio recording up to that point from that perspective. More importantly, the band understands how the write a captivating epic that never seems boring... in fact, it's so enthralling that you barely realize it's over. Written in seven movements, the seasons parallel an semi-autobiographical story about growing up and coming to terms with mortality. It is very touching at times, especially with the heart-wrenching licks of Petrucci's solo on "V. Another World." The virtuosity also makes an impression, especially the lightning fast solos and unison lines on "IV. The Darkest of Winters." LaBrie's vocals never miss their mark, and he further establishes himself as one of progressive rock/metal's most emotive singer. What you have here is perhaps the best song by progressive metal's greatest band.

The bonus live material is great. It's very cool hearing an Elton John song (of all things) that gets Dream Theater's magic treatment. I'm no Elton John fan, but the cover is good! "Perfect Strangers," (Deep Purple) is a perfectly fitting song for DT to play, while the Led Zeppelin covers and the "Big Medley" are also enjoyable. They had a bunch of room left on the disc, so I'm disappointed that they didn't include more songs from this show. I would have liked to see Metallica's "Damage Inc." and Tori Amos' "Winter" included here, and maybe the excerpts from Yes' "Starship Trooper" and "Siberian Khatru." Ah well...there's always the bootleg...

(Ignore people griping about the covers. Like them or not, it's just bonus material...concentrate on the actual song from which the EP draws its name. It's stupid to judge an album based on bonus material.)

Quite simply, you cannot qualify as a Dream Theater fan until you add this disc to your collection.