This is the life (Dream Theater) (LP 2419 - 2421)

Dream Theater  A Dramatic Turn Of Events (CD, Roadrunner Records, 2011) ***  

Dream Theater  Dream Theater (CD, Roadrunner Records, 2013) ****  

Dream Theater  The Astonishing (2CD, Roadrunner Records, 2016) ***

Genre: Prog metal, prog rock 

Places I remember: HMV, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Behind The Veil (Dream Theater)

Gear costume: Illumination Theory (Dream Theater)

Active compensatory factors: These are the albums the band recorded their eleventh studio album without Mike Portnoy, bringing in Mike Mangini instead*.

Not much has changed, aside from John Petrucci doing all the heavy lifting with songs and lyrics, plus producing. The usual heavy prog metal is on display, even if there were a few melodic ballads along the way. I think the new drummer acquits himself well - not easy following Portnoy (who should never have left - but sometimes you need a break I guess).

All up, it's a three star effort - good but not great.

Next studio album was the eponymous one, with a great cover! 

It was an improvement on A Dramatic Turn Of Events in some ways. The band has a sound and a formula that they don't mess with too much, but they were a bit ambitious on this one and I like the way they approach their instrumentals.

The final Dream Theater album in this run down is The Astonishing - their 13th studio album. It's their second concept album. This time they are surveying a dystopian future USA.

Kudos to John Petrucci for committing this epic vision to music and lyrics. They'd be floundering without him post Mike Portnoy.

I like bits of The Astonishing. James LaBrie doesn't get enough credit I feel. He has a terrific voice for Dream Theater and his solo albums are brilliant. He's great on this one - adopting many different looks. But It's a double CD monster and a concept album to boot, so I struggle to pay attention. It's just to damn loooooong!!

Where do they all belong? *Along with Distance Over Time which I have previously reviewed, that's it for Dream Theater. I didn't bother to buy their 2021 album A View From The Top Of The World, their last with Mike Mangini. I'll have a listen to it on Spotify some time and have a think about it though.