Attention Deficit Delirium's Bryan Reesman reports:

Last night progressive metal legends DREAM THEATER held their first-ever media listening party to preview their forthcoming self-titled album. Their 12th release - the fourth with Roadrunner Records overall and their second with drummer Mike Mangini - is an hour-long, nine-song opus that harkens back to the melodic, slightly more traditional songwriting of their early days and meshes it with the chops, speed and epic ambitions that they have become known for since. Most of the songs are five to seven-minute morsels, two of which ('The Looking Glass' and 'Surrender To Reason') recall vintage RUSH, while the majestic, multifaceted, predominately instrumental 19-minute closer 'Illumination Theory' has a gorgeous neo-classical centerpiece courtesy of keyboardist Jordan Rudess that makes for an unexpectedly serene break during an often frenetic number.

There is a slightly more mainstream slant to the album that will allow Dream Theater disciples and fellow prog heads to play this release to a non-genre fan who could appreciate it and not instantly be overwhelmed by a maelstrom of notes. Dream Theater have explored different approaches over the years, but it seems that the stigma of dauntingly ambitious, epic music has stuck with them. Frontman James LaBrie told me that the catchy, U2-ish song 'I Walk Beside You' from Octavarium was sent to commercial radio for airplay consideration, but he suspected that they ignored it simply because of the connotations associated with the band’s name. Obviously Dream Theater do not aspire to be played on Top 40 stations, but some of the new material is more commercially friendly in a good way.

“What has always been our nemesis is the preconceived notion of what Dream Theater represents musically, and there so many facets to us,” LaBrie told me during the playback. “I always feel that on every album there is a song that is right for a crossover and could allow us to reach a wider audience. The problem has always been that people look at us as superfluous or self-indulgent, that we’re technically based and not song based. That’s bulls**t and the furthest thing from the truth. We’re always trying to create something that is memorable, and to me that’s what a song is about.”

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Dream Theater’s forthcoming self-titled album – the band’s 12th studio release overall, and fourth with Roadrunner Records – will be released September 24th. The nine-track disc was recorded at Cove City Studio in Glen Cove, Long Island, with guitarist John Petrucci producing and Richard Chycki engineering and mixing. It’s the band’s second album with drummer Mike Mangini, and the first on which he was a part of the writing process from day one.

Dream Theater tracklisting:

'False Awakening Suite'

i. Sleep Paralysis

ii. Night Terrors

iii. Lucid Dream

'The Enemy Inside'

'The Looking Glass'

'Enigma Machine'

'The Bigger Picture'

'Behind The Veil'

'Surrender To Reason'

'Along For The Ride'

'Illumination Theory'

i. Paradoxe de la Lumière Noire

ii. Live, Die, Kill

iii. The Embracing Circle

iv. The Pursuit of Truth

v. Surrender, Trust & Passion

Dream Theater will be available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180 gram double LP, and a limited edition boxed set.