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Considering that "Dream Theater's" sixth studio offering, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" (6DOIT) is essentially a concept album about mental conflicts of various kinds, it's almost fitting that there is a schizophrenic quality about it. The album sprawls over two discs, the second reserved for the 42-minute, eight-part title song. An initial listen gives off the impression that the first disc is given over to the heavier part of Dream Theater's progressive metal game, while the second disc fits the progressive' tag. Although the dichotomy falls apart with a little scrutiny, the feeling does persist, leaving a sense that this isn't just one single album, but parts of two crammed into a single package.
It's a good thing, then, that both parts of the band's psyche turned out pretty darn good. "The Glass Prison" gets things off to a flying start, with a neoclassical shred metal solo from guitarist John Petrucci setting the stage a minute into the near 14-minute track The lyrical story, about an alcoholic struggling to overcome his demons, is delivered in three parts. The second, "Restoration," beginning at the 6-minute mark, takes the heaviness of the song to another level, slowing the tempo down to add a measure of menace. Drummer Mike Portnoy helps establish the mood by delivering a few lines in his "metal" growl.

The last phase of "The Glass Prison," which shows the protagonist winning his battle with the help of a little AA-style spirituality, features a wild instrumental section, long a hallmark of "Dream Theater's" music.

Given the fact that the shortest song on the album near seven minutes, and the longest runs over 42, it's an element that is often repeated through the nearly 100 minutes of music on "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence." It's a tribute to the band that they pull it off with only the very rare lapse into a boring instrumental or solo.

"Blind Faith" follows the "The Glass Prison" with an equally weighty topic - unquestioning acceptance of God. Although the musical attack is slightly less heavy, the combination of James Labrie's lyrics, and the band instrumental work make this one of the best songs on the album. There are, however, parts of this track that give pause to the hardcore Dream Theater fan. It's all about keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Reviewing his recent solo album, I made a comment to the effect that he swung between the spectacular and the spectacularly boring, and I'll stick by the statement. Sometimes he kicks ass, sometimes he sucks it. There's a 2-minute stretch in Blind Faith in which he does both, and it highlights both why he fits in so well with this band, and why he frustrates his critics so much. Beginning around the 5:45 mark, Rudess dominates the next two minutes of the song, first with a beautiful solo where his synths deliver a very realistic piano tone, and then with a stunning crunchy organ lead that recalls the vintage organs heard all over 1970s prog, funk and soul records. That 1:45 of "Blind Faith" is, for me, hands down the best section of music of the entire album. And then he goes and ruins it with one of his high-pitched, whiny solos. Thankfully, it's a short solo, and his work through the rest of the song, especially the interplay between his keys and Petrucci's guitar, is strong enough to withstand those few moments. Furthermore, Rudess keeps his wildest instinct under check for most of the album, usually adding to the excellence of Dream Theater rather than taking away from it. But every project he's involved with has a few cringe-worthy moments, and this is no exception.

"Misunderstood" strikes in an entirely different direction, going with more of a gloomy, somewhat plaintive "Radiohead" mode. In that third track, Petrucci writes his lyrics (according to the most convincing interpretation I've seen so far) from the perspective of a guitar hero struggling with the fame that accompanies his talents. The chorus bears out that interpretation. "How can I feel abandoned, even as the world surrounds me?/How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me?" refers to the fans that flock to the musician and his band, as does the next line, "How can I know so many, never really knowing anyone?" The last part of the chorus lays out the artist's fears and problems with those fans' expectations, "If I seem superhuman, I have been misunderstood." Towards the end, the song descends into a maddening dissonance, tortured guitar noises clashing hideously, perhaps representing that hypothetical artist's rebellion against how he's viewed by the rabid fans.

"The Great Debate," again changes the course of the album, shifting back to a heavier musical mode, and moving away from introspection to take on one of the big issues in our world, pre-9/11 - stem cell research. Vocalist James Labrie get a significant amount of time off on this track, as the debate is first presented through a series of samples from talking heads, religious types and their scientific counterparts. When Petrucci's lyrics do kick in, he manages a few nice turns of phrase, "Do we turn to our unearthly guide/Or to white coat heroes/searching for a cure?" However, the song as a whole is an epic length (13:43) piece that just doesn't feel epic in scope.

Whether it's a couple of weak samples that don't really add constructively to the debate, or a blatant ripoff of a "Tool" song structure in the "Are you Justified?/Justified/In taking/Life to save life?" chorus, "The Great Debate" is the weak link on the album.

"Disappear" bring the first disc to a close on another moody, haunting note, with a tale of a bereaved family member coming to terms with his loss.

If the album had ended right there, I would have been satisfied with another great "Dream Theater" album. Instead, the title track presents nearly another entire album's worth of material. Heaven for the Dream Theater fan? Well, noand yes.

In the first place, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," is easily the longest song "Dream Theater" has ever done (depending on your interpretation of "Metropolis Part II", of course), easily surpassing the 23-minute, "A Change of Seasons," which warranted its own EP. Split into an eight-part, 42-minute suite, 6DOIT plays more like a concept album than a single song, lacking the coherence of "A Change of Seasons," or, say, "Fates Warning's" "A Pleasant Shade of Gray." Frankly, I felt somewhat uncomfortable the first few times I listened to the song. Part of it was the subject matter, with various characters with differing mental illnesses being introduced through the lyrics. More than that, however, was the tone of the music, in relation to those lyrics. The opening part, "Overture," plays out too cutesy, with Rudess providing happy-go-lucky, almost Christmas-like music for the background. The strange sensation continues into, "About to Crash," where a pop music soundtrack is appended to lyrics like, "Then one day/She woke to find/The perfect girl/Had lost her mind."

The intent is obvious - showing that mental illness can occur under the sunniest of circumstances - but it still takes a few listens to the presentation. That's why, early on, the musically heavier "War Inside my Head," and "The Test That Stumped Them All," segments that match the popular notion of mental illness, are easier to digest than the lighter parts of 6DOIT.

That said, the second disc is definitely one that can grow on a listener, as it did for me. Once you get used to where the band is coming from, once you start sympathizing with the various characters, and appreciating the music on its own merits, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," turns out to be a great piece of song craft. The best part of the track is "Solitary Shell," with its faint echoes of "Styx," and "Peter Gabriel's" "Solisbury Hill." I don't know if radio listeners could handle the way-against-the-grains lyrics, "He's a Monday morning lunatic/Disturbed from time to time/Lost within himself/in his solitary shell," but the music on this section would make for a perfect pop single.

The title track might not really hang together as a single song, but it's a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The same thing could be said of the album - the two discs might not really hang well together as a single album, but when you take the whole thing, all 100 minutes of scintillating "Dream Theater" music, fans of the band aren't complaining too much. And for those not yet initiated in this particular cult, there's enough variety, power, subtlety, et cetera on "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" for just about everyone to find something to like about "Dream Theater."