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*<small>VIII. "Regret"</small>
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*<small>IX. "Restitution</small>
*<small>IX. "Restitution</small>

Revision as of 15:19, 7 October 2009

Untitled

Systematic Chaos is the ninth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, Systematic Chaos was the band's first release through Roadrunner Records. The album was recorded from September 2006 to February 2007 at Avatar Studios in New York City, after the band's first break from summer touring in ten years. The lyrics of the album were written by John Petrucci, James LaBrie, and Mike Portnoy about fictional, political, and personal topics, respectively.[1]

The album peaked in the top twenty in eight countries' sales charts; in addition, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States as of 2008.[2] Critical reception of the album was generally positive; Jon Eardley from MetalReview.com called the band, "arguably the most consistent band throughout the entire progressive rock/metal industry".[3]

Dream Theater promoted the album on their Chaos in Motion world tour, which lasted a year and spanned thirty-five countries. The album was released in regular and special edition formats; the special edition included a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album, in addition to a ninety-minute "making of" documentary about the album.

Background

After recording their twentieth anniversary concert, Score, on April 1, 2006, Dream Theater rested for its first summer in ten years.[4] The band would reconvene at Avatar Studios, in New York City, in September 2006.[5] Mike Portnoy stated that the relationship between band members was "the best it's ever been".[6] The band hired Paul Northfield, who had previously worked with bands that had inspired Dream Theater, including Rush and Queensrÿche, to engineer the album.[7] As with previous albums, Dream Theater simultaneously wrote and recorded Systematic Chaos.[8] Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci co-produced the album; Portnoy said that the band hires an engineer and a mixer to act as an "objective outside ear", but the members ultimately "call their own shots".[9] Previous Dream Theater albums shared planned themes throughout, such as Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory as a concept album or Train of Thought as a heavy, "balls to the wall" album.[10] Though Portnoy had some preconceived ideas for Systematic Chaos, he decided not to tell the rest of the band; leaving them to start with a "completely open palate".[10] However, Portnoy did want to retain a "cutting, aggressive, modern" mood throughout, "It had to have balls," he added, "it had to be cool".[11]

The album was titled Systematic Chaos after Portnoy and Petrucci picked phrases from song lyrics that they felt would be a fitting title,[12] in similar fashion to previous albums Awake or Images and Words.[13] The pair selected the word "chaos", which appears in "The Dark Eternal Night".[12] Petrucci and Portnoy were also attracted to the phrase "Random thoughts of neat disorder" which appears in "Constant Motion". Inspired by the "duality" of the phrase,[13] opposites of the word "chaos" were discussed, resulting in the word "systematic".[12] Portnoy said that in addition to the album, "systematic chaos" is also a "fitting description of the band in general".[14] The ants repeatedly shown in the album's booklet and cover could reference the title, because of how chaotic ants can appear, yet how organized they must be to survive.

Songs

In the Presence of Enemies

John Petrucci wrote the lyrics for four of the seven songs on the album,[15] telling a fictional story through each one.[16] The first song recorded, the twenty-five-minute epic "In the Presence of Enemies", was described by Petrucci as the "epitome of a Dream Theater creation".[17] He went on to describe the track as "very progressive, very long"; also noting that it set a good tone for writing and recording the rest of the album.[17] The song was split into two parts for the album, due to its being a good open and close to the album. According to Portnoy, the band felt it was too long to open the album, but did not want to close the album with a long song, as they had with the twenty-four-minute title track of their last album.[18] The song is normally played in its entirety in live shows.[19]

Forsaken

Petrucci said "Forsaken" is a story told through a "short song structure".[20] The song tells of a person who is visited at night by a vampiress. While the man thinks he is being shown "beautiful things", in reality he is having his blood sucked by the vampiress.[21] An anime music video of "Forsaken", produced by Gonzo and directed by Yasufumi Soejima, was released on January 26, 2008.[22][23] The band allowed Soejima artistic freedom with the design of the video,[24] which was set in a science fiction future instead of the present day.[22]

Constant Motion

Portnoy wrote the lyrics to "Constant Motion" as a metaphor for his obsessive-compulsive disorder.[25] It contains a "heavy, upbeat, driving" tempo, which Portnoy feels symbolizes the constant movement of his numerous responsibilities, to the band as well as other side projects.[25] For "Constant Motion", the band produced its first music video in over a decade.[26] The video was voted as the second best video of 2007 by Headbangers Ball.[27] The track was made available to download for the music video game Rock Band.[28]

The Dark Eternal Night

Petrucci wrote the lyrics to "The Dark Eternal Night" about a pharaoh who has returned after dormancy as a monster to haunt a town.[29] The song contains an improvised Continuum solo, performed by Rudess while the drum tracks were being recorded; the band members liked the solo enough to keep in the final recording.[30]

Repentance

Portnoy wrote "Repentance" as the fourth part of his Twelve-step Suite,[31] a collection of songs from various Dream Theater albums which revolve around his journey through Alcoholics Anonymous. The song discusses steps eight and nine of the process, which deal with making a list of people whom one has wronged and, if possible, making direct amends with them.[32] Portnoy, who as of 2007 has been sober for 7½ years,[33] invited friends and fellow musicians Mikael Åkerfeldt, Jon Anderson, David Ellefson, Daniel Gildenlöw, Steve Hogarth, Chris Jericho, Neal Morse, Joe Satriani, Corey Taylor, Steve Vai, and Steven Wilson to record spoken apologies, regrets, and sorrows of their own,[34] which were featured throughout the song.[35] Portnoy dedicated "Repentance", "to Bill W. and all of his friends".[35] This saga is concluded in the Band's tenth studio album Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

Prophets of War

"Prophets of War" was written by James LaBrie, who based the lyrics loosely on Joseph C. Wilson's book The Politics of Truth.[36] The lyrics talk about possible ulterior motives behind the Iraq War, while remaining "middle of the road".[36] The title is a play on words, where the "prophets" of the war, could also be gaining a "profit" from the War.[36] During the recording of the song, Portnoy suggested fans could voice certain lyrical chants.[37][38] In response to a message posted on the band's website[39] four hundred fans gathered outside the recording studio to record the chanting,[38] however only sixty could fit into the studio.[38]

The Ministry of Lost Souls

At just under fifteen minutes in length, "The Ministry of Lost Souls" is the album's second longest track. Throughout the song's lyrics, Petrucci tells of a person who dies in the process of saving a woman from drowning. However, the woman who is saved is filled with "regret and sorrow" until she is able to re-unite with her rescuer.[16]

Release and promotion

Both the regular and special editions of Systematic Chaos were released on June 4, 2007 in the UK and June 5, 2007 in the US. Over their seven album relationship with Warner Music Group, Dream Theater became disappointed at the lack of coverage they gave the band. "Our previous label basically relied on our fanbase to do everything... [they would] put the money up for the record and put the CD in the shops," said Portnoy.[40] On February 8, 2007, Dream Theater reached an agreement with Roadrunner Records to release their new album.[41] Systematic Chaos had nearly been written and recorded at the time of the signing.[40] Ironically, Warner purchased Roadrunner Records a week after the band signed with them.[26] According to LaBrie, Roadrunner followed through on all of its promises to the band concerning the promotion of the album.[42]

Portnoy spent a month directing and editing a documentary titled Chaos in Progress: The Making of Systematic Chaos, which was released on the two disc special edition of the album.[43] The bonus disc of the special edition also included 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire album. Dream Theater supported the album by touring on the Chaos In Motion tour from June 3, 2007 to June 4, 2008. The world tour comprised 115 shows throughout thirty-five countries.[44] Multiple concerts were filmed for the band's fifth DVD, titled Chaos in Motion 2007–2008. The compilation of concerts was released on September 30, 2008.[45]

Reception

Critical reception for Systematic Chaos was generally positive. Writing for MetalReview.com, Jon Eardley called the album, "another solid outing".[3] He complimented Petrucci for "Constant Motion", writing that it contains "some of the best riffs Petrucci has brought to the table".[3] In addition, he called the latter part of "The Dark Eternal Night" "the most brutal part in any [Dream Theater] song to date".[3] Reviewing for Metal Invader, Nikos Patelis called the album, "energetic, sharp – edged, full of beautiful melodies and heavy riffs, long epic compositions".[46] He called Dream Theater's instrumentalists "four masters of music that use their instruments as if they were their limbs", in addition to stating, "James LaBrie sounds more mature than ever".[46] In conclusion, Patelis called Systematic Chaos, "an excellent album that needs many times to be listened in order to be digested".[46] Greg Prato, of Allmusic, wrote ""Forsaken" proves wrong those who say that Dream Theater is all about instrumental gymnastics and not songwriting".[47] He also compared riffs in "The Dark Eternal Night" to the band Pantera.[47] Overall, he states "the quintet sticks to the prog metal game plan that they've followed since their inception".[47] Reviewer Chad Bowar of About.com, wrote that "In The Presence Of Enemies — Part I" is "an effective way to set the tone for the rest of the songs".[48] Overall, Bowar gave the album four out of five stars, calling it, "one of the best Dream Theater releases in quite a while".[48]

Andrew Blackie of PopMatters criticized the album, writing that it was "Full of long-winded songs and flabby arrangements," and suggesting that "the disc suffocates of toothlessness and sheer boredom." [49] Blackie added, ""The Dark Eternal Night" is likely the worst cut these prog-metal aficionados have ever recorded".[49]

The album peaked in the top twenty-five in the United Kingdom and Australia, where the band had never previously charted.[50][51] In the United States, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States at the time of its release.[2] Overall, Systematic Chaos peaked in the top twenty for album sales in eight countries.

Track listing

All music is composed by Dream Theater

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."In the Presence of Enemies, Part. I
  • I. "Prelude"
  • II. "Resurrection"
John Petrucci9:00
2."Forsaken"Petrucci5:35
3."Constant Motion"Mike Portnoy6:55
4."The Dark Eternal Night"Petrucci8:53
5."Repentance
  • VIII. "Regret"
  • IX. "Restitution"
    		• Portnoy10:43
    6."Prophets of War"James LaBrie6:00
    7."The Ministry of Lost Souls"Petrucci14:57
    8."In the Presence of Enemies, Part. II
  • III. "Heretic"
  • IV. "The Slaughter of the Damned"
  • V. "The Reckoning"
  • VI. "Salvation"
    		• Petrucci16:38

    Chart positions

    Chart (2007) Peak Position
    Billboard 200 19[52]
    Canadian Albums Chart 15[53]
    ARIA Charts 23[50]
    UK Albums Chart 25[51]
    Dutch charts 2[54]
    Finnish charts 3[55]
    Norwegian charts 3[56]
    Swedish charts 5[57]
    French charts 14[58]
    Swiss charts 14[59]
    Austrian charts 20[60]
    Belgian charts 44[61]

    Personnel

    Notes

    1. ^ Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) - Interview '07, Part 1. Event occurs at 2:48. Retrieved 2008-07-06. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    2. ^ a b "Chart History". Dream Theater. Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
    3. ^ a b c d Jon Eardley (2007-06-05). "Systematic Chaos". MetalReview.com. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
    4. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 3:58.
    5. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 4:17.
    6. ^ Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy Interview (Dream Theater) - Part 2. TheCrookedStep.com. Event occurs at 0:23. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
    7. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 4:24.
    8. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 4:45.
    9. ^ Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy Interview (Dream Theater) - Part 2. Event occurs at 1:38. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
    10. ^ a b Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 6:34.
    11. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 20:57.
    12. ^ a b c John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 37:08.
    13. ^ a b Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) - Interview '07, Part 1. Event occurs at 2:05. Retrieved 2008-07-06. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    14. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 38:02.
    15. ^ Systematic Chaos (Media notes). Roadrunner Records. 2007. {{cite AV media notes}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |publisherid= and |mbid= (help); Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help)
    16. ^ a b John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 68:06.
    17. ^ a b John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 6:05.
    18. ^ Mike Portnoy, The Mirror. Event occurs at 4:07.
    19. ^ Mike Portnoy, The Mirror. Event occurs at 5:05.
    20. ^ John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 9:40.
    21. ^ John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 11:56.
    22. ^ a b "Gonzo Animates Dream Theater's "Forsaken" Music Video". Anime News Network. 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
    23. ^ ""Forsaken" video premiere on Saturday, January 26th". DreamTheater.net. 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
    24. ^ "New Anime Video for Dream Theater's "Forsaken"". Anime News Network. 2008-01-25. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
    25. ^ a b Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 23:32.
    26. ^ a b Titus, Christa L. (2007-06-26). "Dream Theater Causing 'Chaos' With New Album". Featured Artist. Billboard. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
    27. ^ "Dream Theater's "Forsaken" Nominated For Headbanger's Ball Best Of 2008!" (Press release). DreamTheater.net. 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
    28. ^ ""Constant Motion" available for "Rock Band" download!" (Press release). DreamTheater.net. 2008-08-09. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
    29. ^ John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 30:57.
    30. ^ Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 43:00.
    31. ^ Mike Portnoy, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 44:50.
    32. ^ "A.A.'s Twelve Steps". Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
    33. ^ Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy Interview (Dream Theater) - Part 1. TheCrookedStep.com. Event occurs at 3:05. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
    34. ^ John Petrucci, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 49:30.
    35. ^ a b Systematic Chaos (Media notes). Roadrunner Records. 2007. p. 10. {{cite AV media notes}}: Unknown parameter |albumlink= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |bandname= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |notestitle= ignored (help)
    36. ^ a b c James LaBrie. The Mirror Interviews James LaBrie. TheMirror.de. Event occurs at 4:34. Retrieved 2008-07-02. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    37. ^ James Labrie, Chaos in Progress. Event occurs at 66:26.
    38. ^ a b c James LaBrie. James LaBrie Interview Part 1. Roadrunner Records UK. Event occurs at 2:15. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    39. ^ "Live near NYC? Want to be on the new DT?". 2007 Archives. DreamTheater.net. 2007-01-24. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
    40. ^ a b Mike Portnoy. Mike Portnoy Italian Interview. Roadrunner Records Italy. Event occurs at 4:03. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    41. ^ "When Dream Theater & Roadrunner Records Unite!". Roadrunner Records. 2007-02-08. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
    42. ^ James LaBrie. James LaBrie Interview Part 1. Roadrunner Records UK. Event occurs at 4:18. Retrieved 2008-07-01. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
    43. ^ Mike Portnoy, The Mirror. Event occurs at 7:47.
    44. ^ "A Must Have for Dream Theater Fans!". Roadrunner Records. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
    45. ^ "DREAM THEATER 'Chaos In Progress 2007/2008' Live DVD Sets to be Released in September". Blabbermouth.net. 2008-07-10. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
    46. ^ a b c Nikos Patelis (2007-05-25). "Dream Theater — Systematic Chaos". Metal Invader. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
    47. ^ a b c Greg Prato. "Systematic Chaos". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
    48. ^ a b Chad Bowar. "Dream Theater — Systematic Chaos". About.com. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
    49. ^ a b Andrew Blackie (2007-06-15). "Dream Theater Systematic Chaos". PopMatters. Retrieved 2008-07-04.
    50. ^ a b "Australian charts portal". Australian charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    51. ^ a b "UK Top 40 Hit Database". Every hit. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    52. ^ "Dream Theater – Artist chart history". Billboard charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    53. ^ Williams, John. "Red-hot Rihanna hits No. 1". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
    54. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in Dutch). Dutch charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    55. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in Finnish). Finnish charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    56. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in Norwegian). Norwegian charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    57. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in Swedish). Swedish charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    58. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in French). Les charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    59. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in German). Hit parade. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    60. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in German). Austrian charts. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
    61. ^ "Discography Dream Theater" (in Dutch). Ultra top. Retrieved 2008-06-13.

    References

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Systematic_Chaos&oldid=318467827"