Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. In The Presence Of Enemies
2. Forsaken
3. Constant Motion
4. Dark Eternal Night
5. Repentance
6. Prophets Of War
7. Ministry Of Lost Souls
8. In The Presence Of Enemies

Disc 2:

1. In The Presence Of Enemies
2. Forsaken
3. Constant Motion
4. Dark Eternal Night
5. Repentance
6. Prophets Of War
7. Ministry Of Lost Souls
8. In The Presence Of Enemies
9. Chaos In Progress

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23026 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-04
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Enhanced, Limited Edition

Album Description
Systematic Chaos takes rock and metal to epic extremes: The Pantera-esque "The Dark Eternal Night" portrays the battle between a heroic protagonist and a demonic antagonist, while the "The Ministry of Lost Souls" and "In the Presence of Enemies" are reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and Rush's "La Villa Strangiato," respectively. The limited special edition includes a bonus DVD with the entire album in 5.1 surround mix plus "Chaos In Progress" - a 90 minute documentary on the making of the album by Mike Portnoy.

Customer Reviews

Not perfect, but enough to make you feel totally inferior...
Dream Theater is often cited as the most talented band in metal. There's no denying that they possess incredible skill and mastery of their instruments. For the most part, Systematic Chaos is an excellent record. But I keep finding myself holding out for something that will never come; a PERFECT DT record.

Dream Theater suffers two problems in my mind. The first is James La Brie. Sadly, his name reflects the quality of his vocals; it's cheese all the way. While once great, he sneers his way through this latest album, and as his dyed hairline recedes it hurts to think he's an older man trying hard at a young man's game. That said, Geddy Lee can still pull it off. La Brie has been the weak link in DT for some time now, but for the most part I am prepared to overlook this. Second of the band's faults is their insistence on trying too many things in such a short time. While the vaudevillian piano on "The Dark Eternal Night" is awesome, the Muse rip-off of "Prophets Of War" is cringeworthy and "Forsaken" may as well have been written by Evanescence. The first part of "The Ministry of Lost Souls" is horrible, but the second half is killer and features what is, to my mind, the greatest guitar solo ever recorded, courtesy of axemaster John Petrucci. Those complaints aside, the rest of the album rocks flat out. Opener "In The Presence Of Enemies Pt.1" is a song built on building, the pace and momentum constantly falling and rising again. It's a truly great way to start the album, showing off what the band can do while staying focused. Skipping "Forsaken" leads into the single "Constant Motion", which has a riff that either due to how it's played or how its produced is total And Justice For All. The song has awesome drumming from Mike Portnoy (one of the world's best no doubt) and a killer keys solo from Jordan Rudess. "The Dark Eternal Night" features much of the same- a killer groove, an awesome riff, awe-inspiring solos and a finish so grimy you'll want a shower. "Repentance" is a mellow number without being whiny (well done La Brie), which runs the risk of running over but is kept fresh with a few neat ideas. Skip 6 and 7 up until 9:27 for THE BEST SOLO EVER, then onto closer "In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2", which continues right where Pt. 1 left off. Admittedly its not as good, but when the reprise from the first song kicks in you'll go gooey inside, and the album concludes with a distinctly "The End?" piano fiddle from Rudess that wouldn't sound out of place in a detective movie.

While the band are no doubt heavily formulaic (even their attempts to break formula are formulaic), there's no doubt that this is for the most part a great album. The good parts are so good they make up for the rubbish ones, hence the 4 star review. Diehard DT fans will surely enjoy even La Brie and "Prophets...".

Included with this release is a 90-minute document on the making of the album, with more studio footage than you can shake a stick at and plenty of interview footage (with absolutely no input from bassist John Myung whatsoever).

*BE AMAZED at Jordan Rudess' one-handed solos!
*WITNESS John Petrucci give birth to that awesome solo for the very first time!
*CRINGE in embarrassment as Mike Portnoy tries far too hard to be funny!
*WISH James La Brie was kicked out of the band!
*WHERE on earth is the bass player?

I think this album is well worth a listen, even just to be amazed for a while at what musicians are capable of doing in this world of Iron Maiden wannabes and TV born chart acts. It may be more "systematic" than the band would like to admit, but it's certainly very, very impressive.

This is what DT is all about!
Having bought this with a slightly sceptical mind after the disappointing Octavarium, I was blown away! The last few DT albums have divided the fans' opinions - some loved the heaviness of Train of Thought, while others liked the slightly smoother sound on Octavarium. BUT - DT are a prog band after all, so it would disappointing if all albums sounded the same.

With that in mind, I think the guys have outdone themselves with this record - combining the best elements of their previous albums into something which is heavy, ballsy (as MP wanted it to be!) and ROCKIN' yet also intricate and proggy with real thought behind the song structures and themes. The lighter moments on the record are more atmospheric and involving, rather than just sounding weak in the context of the others.

As always, the individual performances are absolutely outstanding. Every solo on this record is well placed, appropriate and adds something to the song, rather than just being a showcase for their talents. It's easy not to noticed the genius in the guys' playing as everything fits so well. But genius it is!

I won't go into a breakdown of the songs - others have done that. But for me, both parts of In The Presence Of Enemies stand out. This is what Dream Theater is about! Powerful songs with a mixture of complex musical themes that combine together to form a balls-out, rockin' blast of a record! These guys continue to be top of bill for me. AWESOME!

Adequate ?
Like many of the reviewers so far, I have been a DT fan for many (10 + years). I guess we each look for something different from them. To me Train of Thought ( which I was honoured to be at THE first gig on the world tour to promote) was the last GREAT DT album. It followed a wave of peerless releases starting with Awake ( still my favourite for the diversity, confidence, melodies and musicianship).
I have only managed 3/4 listens so far so temper my views with that.

The songs aren't great on the whole - there is a feel of a formula about some of the longer ones - almost like the guys said " We are DT so we better add another 5 minutes of noodling and time changes" without thinking about where the song or melody is going. We know they can be self indulgent ( I wish I had 10% of JP's ability) but sometimes less is more.

The highlights for me,so far, are Forsaken ( a great DT song - great vocal performance as well) and Repentance.Weakest is Prophets of War - very poor lyrics - on the whole just below the , admittedly very high, standards DT have set for themselves over the years.

I am , and remain a massive DT fan. I can't wait to see them tour to support the album.I hope that Octavarium and now SC don't indicate that the bands creativity is on the wane. I must emphasise, putting this into perspective that it's good and I will listen my ears off over the next few weeks but TOT, 6DOIT, SFOAM grabbed you right away, no escaping the magnitude of them as classics - this doesn't seem to make it into the same bracket.
Don't shoot me - I'm just a fan with an opinion.