Dream Theater are back with a vengeance. Releasing their strongest single in a decade. The track, entitled ‘The Alien,’ is an onslaught of progressive metal. And is an excellent start to what is hopefully a Dream Theater masterpiece.
The last album, 2019’s ‘Distance Over Time,’ is what I consider a major comeback album. It was exactly what Dream Theater needed to do at the time. And they delivered beyond expectations. They finally figured out how to hone everything they do in compact, bad ass melodic metal. It turned out to be their heaviest album since ‘Train of Thought.’ And just like that, Dream Theater were back on track after a few years of dismal, musical indulgence. Now, it seems that they’ve even taken up a notch; with the new single ‘The Alien.’
The impact of it the track is immediate. Mike Mangini’s drumming is truly other worldly. He may have been the MVP of the last record because of the production of his sound: massive, phat and everything you’d want from heavy metal drums. This time around, he maintains the big sound, but with a technical frenzy of insanity that will blow anyone’s speakers out. Reminiscent of the Portnoy years in composition, it’ll hopefully be the album that gets Dream Theater back on top.
The into breaks through like lightning. Then comes the prog metal chug, followed by a beautiful melodic bit. James LaBrie’s vocals are on point as always. Sure, he’s not singing quite as high as he was in the 90’s. But what he accomplishes vocally, for a guy in his late 50’s, is nothing short of remarkable. However, the real highlight is the jam about 2/3 of the way through the song. Just hair raising. Excellent groove, killer killer bass line and an awesome key change. With Earth shattering solos from John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess. It’s everything you want from Dream Theater and more. If this is a glimpse into the rest of the album, it’s sure to be one of their best ever.
