Fans' reactions to the album were mixed, with many pointing to the obvious differences between the two CDs as two different types of Dream Theater style. The first disc is generally seen as experimental and heavy while the second disc is seen to be more in line with the previous Scenes from a Memory.
Songs
The first track of the first disc begins with the white noise that ended Scenes from a Memory, while the last track, Losing Time/Grand Finale ends with a long chord played by (synthesized) strings, which was also used as the intro to their next studio album, Train of Thought.
The entire second disc is occupied by the 42-minute title song broken into 8 tracks.
The first track of the album, "The Glass Prison," tells Mike Portnoy's story of rehabilitation from alcoholism. "The Glass Prison" is composed of three parts and Portnoy intends to extend the song into twelve parts that mirror the twelve steps of the AA program by Bill W. for rehabilitation of alcoholics. This song is continued in tracks on the next albums ("This Dying Soul" on Train of Thought, "The Root of All Evil" on Octavarium and "Repentance" on Systematic Chaos).
The Great Debate is a non-partisan song dealing with the topic of stem-cell research.
The recording is a type of concept album wherein the five songs which comprise the first disc explore different themes of lifetime struggle, such as Alcoholism, Loss of Faith and Death. The sixth song—-that is, the complete second disc—-explores the stories of six individuals suffering from various mental illnesses. Particularly represented are bipolar, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, post-partum depression, autism, and dissociative personality disorder. Furthermore, the title of the album may also allude to the fact that each song on the album could be seen as a different form of inner turbulence, with the six tracks making another reference to the six degrees.
The musical styles of each section of the title track are direct reflections of the band's large variety of influences. Indeed, classical, folk and metal styles combine effortlessly within the track. Additionally, certain parts of the track are direct nods to specific songs from influential artists. The main theme, which appears in the "Overture", at the end of "Goodnight Kiss," and in the "Grand Finale," bears an unquestionable resemblance to Kansas's "The Wall" from their Leftoverture album. "Solitary Shell" is a nod to Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" both in name and in musical style. Some fans see this as a citation, but others claim it's pure copying. Also, parts of "Solitary Shell" bear strong resistance to Billy Joel's song "The Entertainer," mainly due to the unique synth-organ which sounds alike in both songs, played over acoustic guitar.
"The Great Debate" was originally titled "Conflict at Ground Zero". "Disappear" was originally titled "Move On"2.
In the song, "Misunderstood," John Petrucci wrote and played the guitar solo, and then reversed it. He then learned how to play this reversed sound, and after recording it reversed it once more. This resulted in a solo that sounded like his original solo, but with a unique twist to the way the notes played.3
