A Change of Seasons

by

Dream Theater

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A Change of Seasons is noteworthy for a number of reasons: (1) it re-unites Dream Theater with producer David Prater, who made their second album (Images and Words) such a pleasure to listen to; it's the first album featuring new keyboard player Derek Sherinian; and its selection of music is second to none.

This, DT's fourth studio album (1995), isn't quite as heavy as the previous release -- the bone-crushingly excessive Awake -- and that's a real blessing. Their talent shows through even more vividly because there are patches of intricate melody amidst the bombast that give one's mind a place to rest.

This album divides itself neatly into two halves: the 23-minute title track (sprinkled liberally with Carpe Diem -- seize the day -- philosophies)...and the live second half that's a feast for classic rock fans. DT covers Elton John's "Funeral For a Friend," Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers," three from Led Zep ("The Rover," "Achilles Last Stand" and "The Song Remains the Same") and what DT calls "The Big Medley," which is one cool song after another -- from Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh" to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" to Genesis' "Turn it On Again."

"A Change of Seasons," the epic-length title track, is well-played, and shows more creative restraint than you'll find on Awake. I like it a lot.

...but I like the live cover songs even more.

One of the biggest challenges any band faces when doing covers is getting the sounds right, especially the guitar tones. Tackling the right notes and getting all the arrangements to sound similar to the original band is tough enough. But getting the right sounds out of the guitars and keyboards can be a real challenge.

Yet, I'll be darned if DT doesn't pull it off with their trademark virtuosity. Even guitarist John Petrucci's solo mirroring Brian May's in "Bohemian Rhapsody" is almost note-for-note perfect.

You can tell DT was having a great time paying tribute to some of their favorite bands in the live portion of this CD. And their joy is contagious.

While A Change of Seasons will never be considered DT's best work, it's still one heck of a fun CD. I highly recommend it.

For the 23 minute title track alone, this album is worth your money. That is one of my favorite Dream Theater songs ever, but I have never been able to really get into the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong, Dream Theater does a great job on the cover songs, and it's really great to listen and see how these musical geniuses intertwine so many songs into one long one. Suprisingly though, I very rarely listen to this album all the way through. I usually find myself taking it out of my CD player after the first track. I think most of my lack of interest comes from not really ever being into the bands they covered. My overall opinion is that anyone into Prog should buy this album for the first track alone, but just don't expect typical Dream Theater throughout the rest of the album. If you want a true Dream Theater masterpiece I would buy 'Images & Words' or 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory'.