A Dramatic Turn of Events

A Dramatic Turn of Events' title was inspired by contemporary uprisings, including the Libyan Civil War.[15]

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."[16] Speaking in an interview for Der Spiegel 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.[17]

In his review of A Dramatic Turn of Events, Rich Wilson – author of the official Dream Theater biography Lifting Shadows – described the album's material as veering toward progressive rock and being "spiritually reminiscent" of past albums such as Images and Words (1992) and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999).[18] In a post on his forum, Mike Portnoy took these comparisons a step further, suggesting that the new songs were "desperate attempts to re-write the past".[19]

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.[20] Opener "On the Backs of Angels" was designed to reflect Dream Theater's signature sound,[21] 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,[22] "Outcry" was intended to be the anthem of the album,[23] and "Breaking All Illusions" was used as an epic piece that would not bind the band to conventional songwriting arrangements.[24] The final song written for the album was the ballad "Beneath the Surface", which is also its closing track.[13] 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.[25]

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.[15] 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.[13]

A Dramatic Turn of Events' title, track listing, and United States release date were revealed on June 8, 2011.[26] The album's cover art, which was designed by the band's longtime collaborator Hugh Syme, was revealed the following month.[27] On June 29, "On the Backs of Angels" was released on YouTube as the album's first single.[28] Leading up to the release of the album, Dream Theater teased various one-minute long snippets of new songs, including "Breaking All Illusions",[29] "Beneath the Surface",[30] and "This Is the Life".[31] On September 14, a music video for "On the Backs of Angels" was released.[32] On January 26, 2012, the band premiered a lyric video for their upcoming single, "Build Me Up, Break Me Down", on Loudwire.[33]

A Dramatic Turn of Events was released worldwide on September 12, 2011 and in the United States on September 13,[34] debuting at number one in some countries and attaining the eighth position on the US Billboard 200,[35] 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.[36] Alongside the standard edition of the album, a special edition and deluxe collector's edition were also made available for purchase.[37] 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.[38]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	55/100[39]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[40]
The Gazette	[41]
PopMatters	5/10[42]
Sputnikmusic	3.5/5[43]

Upon release, A Dramatic Turn of Events received mixed reviews from music publications. At Metacritic, 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.[39] 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.[18] Critics were generally complimentary of Mike Mangini's performance, with Drumhead elaborating, "[he] demonstrates 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."[44]

In a negative review for PopMatters, 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."[42] In a lukewarm review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek observed, "there is something here for virtually every fan -- or detractor -- to grab hold of."[40] 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.[43]

In their year-end wrap up for 2011, Burrn! 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.[45] 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.[46]

All lyrics written by John Petrucci, except where noted.

All credits taken from the A Dramatic Turn of Events liner notes.[13]