- Country: United States
- Style: Progressive metal
- Label: Roadrunner Records
- Release date: 23 September 2013
The band’s twelfth studio album carries their name, was produced by John Petrucci and is the first on which drummer Mike Mangini was part of the writing from the start. It entered the UK chart at No. 15.
The short songs are the strong ones. “The Enemy Inside”, which later earned a Grammy nomination, is tight and aggressive, and “The Looking Glass” is an open nod to Rush that works because it is so unpretentious. The instrumental “Enigma Machine” is fun in the way Dream Theater instrumentals usually are.
Elsewhere it is too safe. “The Bigger Picture” and “Behind the Veil” follow familiar patterns, and “Along for the Ride” is pleasant and nothing more. The closing “Illumination Theory”, more than twenty minutes long, has a lovely, quieter middle section but also plenty of padding. Solid, professional, and not much more.
Best tracks:
The Enemy Inside
The Looking Glass
Enigma Machine
Author’s rating: 7.0/10
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