A Change of Seasons is noteworthy for a number of reasons: (1) it re-unites Dream Theater with producer David Prater, who made their second album (Images and Words) such a pleasure to listen to; it's the first album featuring new keyboard player Derek Sherinian; and its selection of music is second to none.

This, DT's fourth studio album (1995), isn't quite as heavy as the previous release -- the bone-crushingly excessive Awake -- and that's a real blessing. Their talent shows through even more vividly because there are patches of intricate melody amidst the bombast that give one's mind a place to rest.

This album divides itself neatly into two halves: the 23-minute title track (sprinkled liberally with Carpe Diem -- seize the day -- philosophies)...and the live second half that's a feast for classic rock fans. DT covers Elton John's "Funeral For a Friend," Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers," three from Led Zep ("The Rover," "Achilles Last Stand" and "The Song Remains the Same") and what DT calls "The Big Medley," which is one cool song after another -- from Pink Floyd's "In the Flesh" to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" to Genesis' "Turn it On Again."

"A Change of Seasons," the epic-length title track, is well-played, and shows more creative restraint than you'll find on Awake. I like it a lot.

...but I like the live cover songs even more.

One of the biggest challenges any band faces when doing covers is getting the sounds right, especially the guitar tones. Tackling the right notes and getting all the arrangements to sound similar to the original band is tough enough. But getting the right sounds out of the guitars and keyboards can be a real challenge.

Yet, I'll be darned if DT doesn't pull it off with their trademark virtuosity. Even guitarist John Petrucci's solo mirroring Brian May's in "Bohemian Rhapsody" is almost note-for-note perfect.

You can tell DT was having a great time paying tribute to some of their favorite bands in the live portion of this CD. And their joy is contagious.

While A Change of Seasons will never be considered DT's best work, it's still one heck of a fun CD. I highly recommend it.

As a longtime fan of Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP and other such "classic prog" rockers, I usually find it hard to find such intelligent music as that of Dream Theater. Though this is not their most prog-oriented album (that would be their masterpiece, Scenes from a Memory), it is still a whopper of an album, at least the 23 minute, seven-movement epic title piece. The title track is hugely ambitious, artistically done, compositionally unconventional and intriguing (with more mixed meter changes than I care to count), superbly played and just damn good. From the moment its ominous acoustic guitar line bursts into the crunching opening riff, it captures you and holds you until the very end. Although some of the sections do not have smooth transitions, for the most part "A Change of Seasons" plays like a single song - a feat that some prog bands sometimes fail to do (think Spock's Beard, good as that band may be). The theme, about acceptance of mortality, is seemingly dark but has an uplifting message, characteristic of progressive themes. Buy the album for this song alone, if anything.

The covers that take up the rest of the album seem somewhat like filler. They are certainly well played, of course, as Dream Theater seems to have some of the music industry's most prolific musicians today, but most are straight-ahead covers with little variation. I liked the Elton John cover more than the original, and I love the Deep Purple cover, but being a HUGE Led Zeppelin fan didn't help my opinion of their cover of said band. The medley at the end did not really impress me either. As was said in another review, there are tons of tracks on Napster that weren't released on CD, many of which are better (check out the Rush and Yes medleys they do - apparently Steve Howe can really crank up the distortion when he wants to). This is a good album for the title track; if you're looking for a perfect 80 minute album, get Scenes from a Memory, but if you already have that and want some more progressive goodness, this is a good choice, moreso than their other "masterpiece," Images and Words. Also, if you like this album, consider checking out Transatlantic (which drummer Mike Portnoy founded), Spock's Beard (which is a bit more poppy but still good), or the Flower Kings (more psychadelic but still great).

It's so hard to highlight one of Dream Theater's songs as a favorite. There are so many that are just too good. A Change of Seasons is musical virtuosity tweaked to the maximum. It really is an impressive song. The song itself I believe, makes this CD worth the price of admission. In saying that I am not saying that the rest of the CD isn't worth it...because it is. These guys just constantly amaze me. DT is the classic example that good music still exists... thank you guys so much.

This album opens with a 23 minute opus that shows what tremendously talented symphonic metal band. The opus is a soaring rendition of a classical romantic piece which happens to be metal. It blends their hard playing, with great voices, and even moremellow classic playing.

The main opus is broken down into 7 distinctive movements. Each movement is different. Some are heavy, some are slower. This opus resembles symphonic epics writen by classical composers such as Dvorak, Shastokovich, and Wagner.

I used to hate tributes. I thought that they took away from the original groups work. I have been changing my tune with releases like this, Encomium, Us and Them(symponic Floyd treatment), and several Zeppelin tributes.

The second half of this album takes on some classic covers. Elton John's Funeral For A Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding is absolutely brilliant. It's phenominal how they can take a piece written mostly for the piano and blend in the guitars, bass and drums to keyboards, and make it sound totally flawless. If you would have heard this song for the first time, on this album, you would've never guessed that, in reality that it's a piano piece written by Elton John. James Labrie's voice sounds a heck of a lot like Elton on this track.

D.T also cover Perfect Strangers, a classic Deep Purple track. You'd think that they were actually a 70's/80's rock band and not a modern symphonic metal band. After Perfect Strangers they do medley of The Rover, Achilles Last Stand, and The Song Remains The Same by Led Zeppelin. I usually find that most Zeppelin covers are cheap knockoffs. This is far from true on this album.

The medley of Pink Floyd, Kansas, Queen, Journey, Dixie Dregs, and Genesis is a real tribute to over 20 years of music in one ten and a half minute jam session. Like the rest of the album the sons all flow into eachother and it's hard to tell where one song ends and another begins.

I find it stupendous that this group can go from modern symphonic metal to classic 70's rock so easily and sound so genuine and authentic in their sound, and their voices. One of the most remarkable set of covers ever released follows an epic metal opus. This album almost transends time. This is a definate must buy for anyone who loves classic rock and metal.

I suppose I'm a "casual" DT fan. I have most of their albums, but am not rabid about the band, mostly because I have to be in a certain mood to really get into their music. I find some of their releases make poor casual listening simply because the length of songs and technicality require full attention.

That said, I found Change of Seasons to be a lot of fun. The title song is one of their better long-form songs, IMHO, and the following track is good too. Then we have three really cool covers, the last two being complex medolies of Led Zeppelin and a variety of bands, respectively.

It's not DT's most serious release or their biggest accomplishment musically. But it's a really fun listen. I find I go back to this CD more than their other releases for that very reason.