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''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' is the eleventh studio album by American
progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
band
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...
, released worldwide in September 2011 through
Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...
. It is the band's first recording to feature drummer
Mike Mangini Michael Anthony Mangini (born April 18, 1963) is an American musician, best known for his tenure with the progressive metal band Dream Theater, with whom he performed from 2010 to 2023. He has also played with artists and bands including Annihi ...
, following the initial departure of founding member
Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure fro ...
in September 2010. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between January and June 2011 at Cove City Sound Studios in
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,
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. It was produced by guitarist
John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with Mike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023 ...
and mixed by Andy Wallace. Two singles, " On the Backs of Angels" and "Build Me Up, Break Me Down", were released in promotion of the album. For ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'', Dream Theater underwent a self-proclaimed musical change, reevaluating and restructuring themselves. The album has drawn stylistic comparisons to two of the band's past albums, '' Images and Words'' (1992) and '' Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory'' (1999). Many songs on the album were written with a specific purpose in mind as Petrucci, one of the album's primary composers, felt a sense of responsibility to fans following Portnoy's departure. The album's title was derived from its recurring lyrical themes of dramatic changes in history that have affected people's lives, including contemporary uprisings such as the Libyan Civil War. A commercial success, ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' moved 36,000 units in the United States during its debut week, charting at number eight on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album received mixed reviews from critics, but nonetheless earned Dream Theater their first-ever
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
nomination, for "On the Backs of Angels". Between July 2011 and September 2012, the band supported the album on the
A Dramatic Turn of Events Tour Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...
.


Background


Search for a new drummer

On September 8, 2010, drummer
Mike Portnoy Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician who is primarily known as the drummer, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. In September 2010, Portnoy announced his departure fro ...
announced that he would be leaving Dream Theater, citing better relationships in other projects, burnout, and his desire for a break as reasons. Elaborating on the situation for
MusicRadar Future plc is a British publishing company. It was started in 1985 by Chris Anderson. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1985–2012 The company was founded by Chris Anderson a ...
, guitarist
John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with Mike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023 ...
revealed that, originally, Portnoy did not want to leave the band, and that he only wanted to take a five-year break. Only after the rest of the band rejected his proposal did Portnoy decide to officially quit. Petrucci has called Portnoy's departure one of the hardest things Dream Theater have had to face, and speaking of when he first heard the news, keyboardist Jordan Rudess recounted, "You know, just to give you an idea of how deep this was to lose him, how difficult it was... after we got off the phone with him... I literally sat on the steps of my studio and cried. This is a guy who's a friend of mine, who we all love and admire. We didn't want to see it come crashing down." A little more than a month after Portnoy's departure, Dream Theater began auditioning for a new drummer in New York City. The drummers invited to audition were
Mike Mangini Michael Anthony Mangini (born April 18, 1963) is an American musician, best known for his tenure with the progressive metal band Dream Theater, with whom he performed from 2010 to 2023. He has also played with artists and bands including Annihi ...
, Derek Roddy,
Thomas Lang Thomas Lang (; born 5 August 1967) is an Austrian drummer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles–based progressive metal, progressive/avant garde metal band stOrk and is known for his international session work on a wide variety of ge ...
, Virgil Donati, Marco Minnemann, Aquiles Priester, and
Peter Wildoer Karl Peter Wildoer is a Swedish musician who is the drummer for Darkane, Electrocution 250 and Grimmark. He has also drummed for the bands Armageddon, Majestic, Pestilence, Silver Seraph, Arch Enemy, Time Requiem, Soilwork, Gardens of Obscuri ...
. In April 2011, the band announced that Mangini was the drummer selected via a three-part
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
documentary series called ''The Spirit Carries On''. Shortly after Mangini joined Dream Theater, Portnoy e-mailed the band asking to rejoin, but his attempt was rebuffed. Reflecting on his arrival to the band, Mangini told
Noisecreep Noisecreep is a hard rock and heavy metal music news and media website based in the United States. The site was created by AOL Music in March 2009. Noisecreep was the fourth genre-specific music website owned by AOL after the rock music websi ...
, "As I see it, as I look back, I really think what happened was that this band kind of started over. They were in a new place as they looked for a drummer, and when I got the news, after the shock wore off, I knew what I wanted to do – which was just basically come in and try to support where they wanted to go. They had a vision, they had great ideas, and I just wanted to help them achieve those things."


Writing and recording

On January 3, 2011, Dream Theater entered Cove City Sound Studios to begin working on a new album. Although John Petrucci brought in demos, riffs, and songs from home, the album was mostly written in the studio. Writing was completed on March 2 and done without Mike Mangini. The band made demos for all the songs with drums already programmed, then sent them to Mangini who learned the parts and "added his own stuff." Reflecting on the writing process for ''Rock Your Life'', Jordan Rudess explained that the band's approach was more open to his keyboards than in the past, and that after Mike Portnoy's departure, he and Petrucci "became, like, free." Vocalist James LaBrie and bassist
John Myung John Ro Myung ( ; born January 24, 1967) is an American bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Background and personal life Born in Chicago to South Korean parents, Myung grew up with John Petrucci on Lon ...
each contributed more to the writing than they had in recent years. On April 14, LaBrie began tracking vocals, and by June 28, the album's mixing and mastering, which were handled by Andy Wallace, were finished. All of LaBrie's vocals were recorded in Canada with engineer Richard Chycki; originally, LaBrie planned to only record the album's first two songs away from New York City, but after flying there to finish the remainder of the vocals, decided to go back to Canada because "it just didn't feel right."


Composition

Jordan Rudess has said that for ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'', Dream Theater underwent a musical change, re-evaluating and restructuring "who we are and what we do." Speaking in an interview for ''
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'' and Roadrunner Germany, John Petrucci mentioned that the album "tells a story... not literally but emotionally" and likened the experience to a "roller coaster ride." In that same interview, James LaBrie emphasized that the album was melodically driven. In his review of ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'', Rich Wilsonauthor of the official Dream Theater biography '' Lifting Shadows''described the album's material as veering toward
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
and being "spiritually reminiscent" of past albums such as '' Images and Words'' (1992) and '' Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory'' (1999). In composing ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'', Petrucci admitted to feeling a sense of responsibility to fans following Portnoy's departure. He also explained that the majority of the songs on the album were written in order to prove that everything was grounded and intact with the band. Opener "On the Backs of Angels" was designed to reflect Dream Theater's signature sound, the heavy "Build Me Up, Break Me Down" was written far into the making of the album to serve as a contrast to its progressive elements, "Outcry" was intended to be the anthem of the album, and "Breaking All Illusions" was used as an epic piece that would not bind the band to conventional songwriting arrangements. The final song written for the album was the ballad "Beneath the Surface", which is also its closing track. Petrucci wrote the song himself, demoed and recorded it, and then presented it to the band, who were open to including it on the album. Amidst speculation that ''A Dramatic Turn of Events title was a vague reference to Portnoy's departure, Petrucci stressed that it is in no way a reference to anyone; rather, the title references the album's recurring themes of dramatic changes in history that have affected peoples' lives. All of the album's lyrics were written by Petrucci except for "Far from Heaven", which were written by LaBrie, and "Breaking All Illusions", which were co-written with John Myung.


Release

''A Dramatic Turn of Events title, track listing, and United States release date were revealed on June 8, 2011. The album's cover art, which was designed by the band's longtime collaborator Hugh Syme, was revealed the following month. On June 29, "On the Backs of Angels" was released on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
as the album's first single. Leading up to the release of the album, Dream Theater teased various one-minute long snippets of new songs, including "Breaking All Illusions", "Beneath the Surface", and "This Is the Life". On September 14, a music video for "On the Backs of Angels" was released. On January 26, 2012, the band premiered a lyric video for their upcoming single, "Build Me Up, Break Me Down", on ''
Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive i ...
''. ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' was released worldwide on September 12, 2011 and in the United States on September 13, debuting at number one in some countries and attaining the eighth position on the US ''Billboard'' 200, Dream Theater's second top ten debut position on that chart after their previous album, 2009's '' Black Clouds & Silver Linings'', which debuted at number six. Alongside the standard edition of the album, a
special edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...
and deluxe collector's edition were also made available for purchase. The special edition featured different packaging and a bonus DVD containing ''The Spirit Carries On'' documentary, while the deluxe collector's edition featured, among other bonus items, instrumental versions of all songs.


Critical reception

Upon release, ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' received mixed reviews from music publications. At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album holds an average score of 55, based on six reviews. Rich Wilson called it "fresh and frankly stunning"; however, he warned that the album was not immediately gratifying and that it required several listens to fully appreciate. Critics were generally complimentary of Mike Mangini's performance, with ''
Drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum. Additionally outside of percus ...
'' elaborating, " edemonstrates the physical prowess and agility of a racehorse, stretching to play at the top of his talents and reining himself in to allow his bandmates to do the same." In a negative review for ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'', Chris Conaton expressed disappointment in the album's predictability, noting, "At this point it’s pretty clear that the band is comfortably ensconced in their lifestyle and content to just keep doing things the way they have been for years." In a lukewarm review for
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, Thom Jurek observed, "there is something here for virtually every fan -- or detractor -- to grab hold of." ''Sputnikmusic'' criticized Mangini's drum parts, describing them as "bland", as well as the decision to include three ballads, but ultimately gave the album an overall positive review. In their year-end wrap up for 2011, ''
Burrn! is a monthly Japanese magazine for fans of heavy metal music, published since September 1984. It is the major publication on heavy metal music in the country. As of 2013, it is published by Shinko Music Entertainment in Tokyo Tokyo, off ...
'' awarded ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' for Best Album and Best Front Cover, while John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess won Best Guitarist and Best Keyboardist, respectively. At the 2012 Grammy Awards, "On the Backs of Angels" was nominated for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, representing Dream Theater's first-ever Grammy nomination.


Supporting tour

The ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' Tour kicked off on July 4, 2011, in Rome, Italy. The second leg of the tour took place in North America, where Dream Theater headlined with
Trivium The trivium is the lower division of the seven liberal arts and comprises grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The trivium is implicit in ("On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury") by Martianus Capella, but the term was not used until the Carolin ...
. After a short break to conclude 2011, Dream Theater returned to Europe in 2012 with Periphery, then to North America with Crimson Projekct before heading to South America for the final leg of the tour. On August 19 and 20, Dream Theater filmed and recorded two shows at Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The performances were released as part of a live album, entitled ''Live at Luna Park'', on November 5, 2013.


Artwork controversy

Heavy metal music-themed news website ''
MetalSucks MetalSucks is an American heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a Music genre, genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock ...
'' called attention to the clip art Hugh Syme used for Dream Theater's ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' cover art'','' as well as noted the same clip art image appears on Norwegian
progressive metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...
band
Circus Maximus The Circus Maximus (Latin for "largest circus"; Italian language, Italian: ''Circo Massimo'') is an ancient Roman chariot racing, chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue in Rome, Italy. In the valley between the Aventine Hill, Avent ...
's 2005 album '' The 1st Chapter''. As written by ''MetalSucks'': "Dream Theater might’ve gotten away with it if wasn’t for those pesky kids in Circus Maximus, whose 2005 album featured the very same $15.00 clip art image on the cover."


Track listing


Personnel

All credits taken from the ''A Dramatic Turn of Events'' liner notes. Dream Theater * James LaBrie – lead vocals *
John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with Mike Portnoy before Portnoy's absence from the band 2010-2023 ...
– guitar, backing vocals *
John Myung John Ro Myung ( ; born January 24, 1967) is an American bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Background and personal life Born in Chicago to South Korean parents, Myung grew up with John Petrucci on Lon ...
– bass,
Moog Taurus The Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music. It was originally conceived as a part of the Constellation series of synthesizers. The initial Taurus I was manufactured from 1975 to 1981; a less pop ...
pedals * Jordan Rudess – keyboard, continuum, Morphwiz iPad app *
Mike Mangini Michael Anthony Mangini (born April 18, 1963) is an American musician, best known for his tenure with the progressive metal band Dream Theater, with whom he performed from 2010 to 2023. He has also played with artists and bands including Annihi ...
– drums, percussion Production *John Petrucci – producer * Paul Northfield
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
, spoken words in "Breaking All Illusions" *Joe Maniscalco – engineering assistance *Richard Chycki – vocal track engineering * Andy Wallacemixing *Paul Suarez –
Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...
technician * Hugh Syme – cover art *
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...
mastering


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dramatic Turn Of Events Dream Theater albums 2011 albums Roadrunner Records albums