 DREAM
THEATER
Octavarium
Atlantic Records 2005
www.dreamtheater.net
What’s the 4-1-1?
The leaders in the field of progressive rock/metal return with the follow up
to 2003’s metallic masterpiece Train of Thought.
Genre
Progressive rock/metal
The Good
The band sure has figured out a way to combine their unbelievable music ability
and solidly constructed songs as of late. The albums after Awake and before
Train of Thought left me cold because they seemed to me to be more about showing
they could play and less about providing the listener with outstanding SONGS.
Now, for the second album in a row, they’ve really nailed it.
I loved the very “metal” opening track “The Root Of All Evil.” It
was a pulse-pounding helping of pure metal and also had the more showy instrumental
pieces in the appropriate places. “These Walls” is probably the most
commercially accessible track on the disc, and it features a pretty good vocal
turn by James Labrie.
The thing that stood out to me the most about “I Walk Beside You” is
that it sounded almost like a track from U2. I’m not kidding, that’s
what I thought of when I listened to the song. At least it sounded like good
U2, rather than spectacularly bad U2 though.“Sacrificed Sons” is
where the more progressive sounding nature of the band really kicks in. However,
they are smart enough to contain it within
the structure of a pretty good song. Portions of the instrumental breaks in the
song felt as if they would be perfect to use as the background music for scenes
of triumph in movies.
The title track “Octavarium” has an amazing final 12 minutes. Dream
Theater just explodes from the speakers grabs you by the throat and throttles
you to the end of the CD. As the end of the song approaches, there’s a
lyrical passage where Labrie just starts spewing out the lyrics like a madman.
It’s a very odd thing to hear but he does it quite nicely. I also appreciated
how the end of the album actually turns out to lead into the beginning of the
album. You need to look at the album booklet to fully understand what that means,
but trust me; it’s a very cool thing.
My favorite track on the album is “Panic Attack.” It’s the
most pure sounding heavy metal (rather than progressive) sounding track on the
album. It’s got a superb opening and it just continues on from there. It’s
simply a great song.
The Bad
I really only had one problem with this album, but it really detracts from the
overall enjoyment of the album. The problem is the FIRST 12 minutes of the
title track “Octavarium.” If you are going to craft a 24 minute
song, I’d think you would take great pains to make sure you have something
that pricks up the listener’s ears throughout the entirety of the song.
Sadly, this was not the case with this one. The first 12 minutes struck me
as being rather pedestrian. I broke it down to illustrate. The first 5 minutes
were all instrumental, then a 4 minute lyrical passage, followed by another
3 minute instrumental section. I was just about ready to scream at the CD player,
and then the band seemed to say “Oh yeah! Now we’ll kick your butt!”
The Verdict
Yes, as I was accused by an irate emailer, I am a fan of Dream Theater. I wear
that badge proudly. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the album. The band has,
for me at least, finally melded their highly prized technical skills and
actual songwriting abilities into the necessary cohesive force needed to
rise to the pedestal of progressive music. If only other bands could take
that lesson.
Did You Know?
Octavarium was leaked early on the Internet, causing drummer Mike Portnoy to
shut down the message boards both his own personal site and the band’s
forums until the album officially hit the store shelves.
Rating:  out
of 5
Related Reviews:
James LeBrie - Elements of Persuasion
-- Jay Roberts
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