From classical music to thrash metal, all within six degrees of musical separation. For Dream Theater, channeling this stunning wealth of influences is nothing novel. But, a concept album clocking 96 minutes and without any weak moments is extraordinary.
Covering the full spectrum from Overture to catchy choruses — “Are you justified, Are you justified —- Justified in taking, Life to save life” — they comfortably elevate progressive musicianship to stratospheric levels. Layered passages with grinding riffs and complex time signatures — that sheer jazz like drumming with adequate doses of coarse and clean vocals. These drawn out compositions simply demand our undivided attention.
Within a world of carefully orchestrated concept albums, this level of spontaneity with elaborate structural progression is uncommon. In short, brazenly intricate and yet restrained, Dream Theater composes a rare aesthetic blend of metal and prog mindset. Musically and emotionally complex, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is a progressive epic even without attempting to be one.
Featured Image : Shot by yours truly (San Francisco, circa 2012)
Progarchy 
This album has always been a bit of a struggle for me to get into. Next to “Falling Into Infinity” and “When Dream and Day Unite,” it is the DT album I listen to the least. I listened to it this afternoon, and it is quite good, which is what I think of it every time I give it a try. My issue with it is I think it should be two separate albums. The first half just seems so completely separate that they would have been better off releasing two shorter albums. But hey, it still rocks \m/
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Oh, I should add that I never listen to “The Astonishing.” That album sucked. I like “Dramatic Turn of Events” and “Dream Theater,” though. The latter was my intro to the band. It was their heaviest album since Train of Thought.
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Yes, i read your review :))
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I love everything DT did before “A Dramatic Turn of Events” — music, lyrics, concepts.
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Six Degrees was the first DT album I bought based upon a healthy review in Classic Rock (?) and I really enjoy it to this day. I’m not a huge fan and only have a couple more of their albums but this one for me is a classic…
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