Dream Theater - Octavarium
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Free Music Review: Octavarium Dream Theaters 8th Album is Awesome Happy 20th Aniversary
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been listening to the album for the past few months and I'm discovering things about it every day. It's a little hard to get the full effect of an album the first time you hear it. I really think that you have to listen to it a few times before you get the whole effect of it. The album is their 8th studio release and this year also marks their 20th aniversary. Octavarium is 8 tracks in length and one great album, one of the best they have released. Its Hard to say which Album of Dream Theater's is the best but Octavarium is one of my favorites. Octavarium is the first studio album that Dream Theater has done in the past three years. The album is done extremely well Petrucci and Portnoy have produced another masterpiece. The cool thing with this album that they have done is made it playable from start to finish. Like a concept album but it's not a concept album. There are no breaks in the album once the music stops in between tracks. There are still small sounds and effects going on. And example of this is between "The Root of All Evil" and the "Answer Lies Within" you hear crickets and birds singing, and a church bell chiming. It's not a full concept album like Scenes from a memory. The post production of the album is done very well. I will go through the album's 8 tracks and give you a full report on what I think in this review.
Track 1: The Root of All Evil
The song starts with a Pink Floydish humming back and forth like machine. The intro to the song is really cool how it grows and then pops right into the main riff of the song. The main riff is really crunchy and heavy. The song has a good pace and grove to it and very aggressive and chunky. TROAE is by far one of the heaviest songs on the album. Labrie's vocals are really good on this first song. I think the recycled some of the lyrics from Train of Thought. " I can feel my body breaking, I can feel my body shaking." It's the same lines from "Dying Soul" on "Train of Thought". I like them putting this in and it sounds really similar in the way Labrie sings it. I thick it's pretty cool. Just like in "Scenes From a Memory" when they played a little bit from "Metropolis 1". The "Root of All Evil" is a good song to start the album out with.
Track 2: The Answer Lies Within
"The Answer Lies Within" is an good ballad. I think this is the first time I've heard Dream Theater do anything with any other accompanying instruments since "Awake". But on this song they play with an orchestra. The lyrics are very moving and positive. "You've got the future on your side" "Gonna be fine now, I know whatever you decide your gonna shine". "Don't let the day go by, don't let it end".
Track 3: These Walls
The song starts out with Petrucci cranking on his guitar making it sound like a monster. It sounds really cool. Then it kicks into the main part of the song. Labrie's vocals on this song are again at their peak. Awesome vocals. Jordan Dudes does a killer job with keyboard on this as well. I love the keyboard in this song. IT accompanies the base and guitar well, very powerful.
Track 4: I Walk Beside You
The transition from "These Walls" to "I Walk Beside You" has that same clock ticking from "Scenes From a Memory". "I Walk Beside You" is a very religious song written by John Petrucci. A lot of his writing I feel is faith driven and there is no problem with that. The lyrics are like that old Footprints poem. God is always walking beside you. This could be a possible Single for the radio. It's short at only 4:29 minutes. I think probably the shortest Dream Theater song ever.
Track 5: Panic Attack
This is probably one of the heaviest Songs the Dream Theater has written. It is just a killer song. Comes straight out smacking you in the face with a really killer, crunchy riff. Portnoy on some part I have no clue how he keeps up on the ride cymbal, I think those are 64th notes that he is playing. The guitar solo is also impressive. There is one bit in the song at the end where Petrucci and Rudess's are harmonizing is really cool.
Track 6: Never Enough
Another heavy starter. But slows down a bit. The main riff in the song is really cool. I love how they are all playing together through this heavy riff. Another good song.
Tack 7: Sacrificed Sons
An excellent song both musically and lyrically. Petrucci wrote the lyrics and they are very deep. Going back to the 9/11 tragedy. What I get from this song is it is about the sons that died in the 9/11 tragedy; the sons of police and firefighters.
Track 8: Octavarium
23+ minutes of greatness. Listening to the song, I can tell a lot of the influences that Dream Theater has. Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes. Around the 12th minute of the song, Jordan Rudes kicks into an awesome keyboard solo that is having the members of Yes bowing to him. And incredible piece of music. There are 4 parts to the song. It starts slowly and just progresses to a peak, where James Labrie is screaming at the top of his lungs. This is right up your alley if you are "A Change of Seasons" fan. I put it right up there with "A Change of Seasons". I'd love to see the guys do this song live as a replacement to "A Change of Seasons". I still love "A Change of Seasons" but "Octavarium" is a 23 minute masterpiece.
Final Thoughts
In all Octavarium is an excellent album to top as theri 20th annaversary album. There are a bunch of hidden things with then album on the outside cover as well as in the music. The way the group did this is puere genius. See how many things you can find that are 5 or eight? A couple hints. How Many DT members? How many have there been? How many notes in an Octive? Look at teh album cover adn see the piano keys? 5 black keys, 8 white keys? On the CD what do you see? An octagon with a Star in the middle? 8 adn 5 again. How many Albums does DT have? 8 studio, 5 live/eps. 5 and 8 again. It;s all over this Dream Theater album. I give the album 5 out of 5. I also highly recommend James Labrie's solo album "Elements of Persuasion"
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Free Music Review: One of their most rewarding albums in the long run
Hit: 5 Stars
I learned long ago not to pass quick judgement on a new Dream Theater album, especially from their post-Awake period. Because whenever I did, as in the case with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, I had to eat my words upon discovering the album is actually ultimately rewarding given patient listens. The case with Octavarium isn't any different. After the band's obsessively heavy (yet also amazing) Train of Thought, Dream Theater have put out an album that in no way treads on the same route as its predecessor. Rather, it forges its own path, still unafraid to borrow any and all influences the band members may have had during the writing and recording of this album.
This disc may be Dream Theater's most mellow outing since Falling into Infinity. It does contain some commercial moments as well as a good many ballady material, but careful repeat listens will attest to their wealth of melodies and meticulous arrangements. The oft-criticised "The Answer Lies Within", considered too monotonous and sappy by some, is actually a very neat song. It may bear a resemblance to "Anna Lee" off of Falling into Infinity in some ways, but there is more to this carefully written and arranged piece. While its beginning may seem cliche because of its slow intro, plucked acoustic guitars and Labrie's ballad-style voice, the inclusion of a great string quartet with awesome violin and cello motifs in the second half help elevate the song to impressive heights. And thus, "The Answer Lies Within" becomes quite engaging, particularly given it's the second song of the album. It provides a nice contrast to the ambitious album opener "The Root of All Evil", the third piece of Portnoy's AA program, following "The Glass Prison" from Six Degrees and "This Dying Soul" from Train of Thought.
"The Root of All Evil" is among the best songs on the album for a variety of reasons: it encompasses the whole Dream Theater sound their fans have come to appreciate over the years, as it moves from a brave synthesized patch to wonderfully restrained drumming and forceful bass guitar. There is even a cool vocal melody that is strangely evocative of Labrie's work on Scenes From A Memory. The piece is finalised with a frenzied guitar and keyboard interplay and a sweet piano coda respectively.
It is understandable the rather modernist beginning of "These Walls" and the much U2-inspired main chorus of the somewhat poppy "I Walk Beside You" will not be among Dream Theater fans' favourites, but it is also important to note how these songs are actually structured with creative ideas and top-notch production. Myung's bass becomes a driving force on "The Walls", which is saying a lot, considering the same fans have expressed a wish to have his instrument louder in the mix. Octavarium presents his fat, growling bass through and through, on almost all the songs. And although there are no extended guitar solos on these tracks, Petrucci plays well-written guitar themes that fit the flow of the cuts. Dream Theater has never been a band to hide their influences, as they've paid tributes to bands like Metallica, Tool and Radiohead, let alone their 70's influences. The Bono-like vocal interpretation on "I Walk Beside You" is nothing but sheer emotion. It shows Dream Theater are also capable of churning out melodic lead choruses and make it work.
Delving into heavier territory, the album presents the rockers "Panic Attack" and "Never Enough", a song that became controversial more so for its lyrical message than its instrumentation. The song starts with the words, "Cut myself wide open, reach inside, help yourself, to all I have to give" and continues with, "Sacrifice my life, neglect my kids and wife, all for you to be happy", not to mention the rather extreme main chorus, implying Portnoy wrote this piece to vent his frustration about his fans never being content with what they're getting, no matter how hard he tries. Whether it was really written for the fans or not, however, remains a mystery, but who could blame him if it was? Going back to "Panic Attack", the heaviest song on this disc, it stands out for its dynamic bass and heavy riffage atop symphonic passages where Portnoy also adds incredible fills. The song is also infused with some of the most interesting vocals Labrie has put on tape.
The last two songs, also the longest ones, see Dream Theater employing a real orchestra and turning to their 70's prog rock influences, like they've never done before. They did play lots of 70's stuff live, but on an album, this is the first. "Sacrificed Sons", whose lyrics were penned by Labrie, deals with the 9/11 tragedy, featuring all kinds of spoken vocals (by politicians, victims' families, even terrorists) and proceeds with a long yet fitting instrumental midsection only to return to its calm beginning.
Special mention goes to keyboardist Jordan Rudess for his superlative performance on the 24-minute prog rock epic "Octavarium", nicely broken down into five sections. It begins with a great symphonic arrangement, acoustic instruments, folky flute sounds and violins before seguing into "Medicate (Awakening)", complete with thick bass and drums, and a perfect balance of Genesis-like synths and Wakeman-like soloing by Rudess. The third part of the song, "Full Circle", is also their bravest moment, also featuring mighty back-up singing by Petrucci and some quite aggressive vocals by Labrie. The riffing is intense and brutal, but Rudess once again softens things up with a playful, almost humourous piano melody. The theatrical final section of the song brings to mind Gabriel-era Genesis, bleeding into "Intervals", a short yet surprisingly heavy passage, laced with Metropolis 2-like spoken vocals, a chopped guitar riff and awesome drum syncopation, not to mention Labrie's most aggressive singing in his Dream Theater career. The piece quitens down and closes on a fully orchestrated note, leading Petrucci to a climactic finale.
Octavarium may not be Dream Theater's best, but it easily blows most other prog albums out of the water.
Free Music Review: A hard album to review.
Hit: 5 Stars
This album, in reality, I'd rate four stars, but I'm giving it a five here to counter all those mindless one and two star reviews.
I'm not going to lie, out of every Dream Theater album I own (Images and Words, Awake, A Change of Seasons, Scenes, Train of Thought and this), Octavarium is probably my least favorite, but in no way does that make this a bad album.
When I'm listening to it, I love it, but when I'm not, there's something about it that makes me avoid it, and I usually end up only listening to the first and last tracks.
The album starts out with 'The Root of All Evil,' a song which took the most time to grow on me, but is definitely one of the best moments on the album. I was a fan of Train of Thought, and I was glad that one of the better parts of 'This Dying Soul' got to make a second appearance in the AA series. The chorus in this song ('Take all of me..') has to be one of my favorite parts on the album. Classic Dream Theater.
Following the obligatory Dream Theater hard-hitting opener is probably thier softest song to date, The Answer Lies Within. This song is a prime example of how the band toned down on the shreds (as mentioned in an earlier review) and focused more on the song, and I think this one came out very well.
These Walls is somewhat difficult for me to approach. I really like the song, but there's something about it that, when looking back on it, makes it seem worse than it really is. It's hard to explain, but not one of the most memorable tracks on the album.
I Walk Beside You.. Probably my least favorite on the album because it sounds like another band or what have you, but also because there are significant weak points. It has it's moments, but as a whole the song is not very memorable, and whenever the song reaches the bridge ('Oh, when everything is wrong, when hopelessness surrounds you..'), I just want to skip to the next track.
I'm glad they decided to immediatly follow the fourth track with a song like Panic Attack. This is a good song, but it's another track that really makes it hard for me to review this album. When I'm listening to it, I love it, but it just doesn't leave a huge impression on me in the end.
Never Enough is probably one of my favorite tracks on the album. LaBrie does a surprisingly remarkable job here, and the lyrics are really great, and show that Portnoy isn't afraid to speak his mind. The third track on the album that leaves a big impression on me, and another good reason to get this album.
Sacrificed Sons, another difficult one. Probably the worst lyrics on the album (though LaBrie's lyrics later in Octavarium during 'II. Medicate (Awakening)' more than make up for this), but a good song as a whole. I'm listening to the track as I'm typing this, but I know that when I'm done with this review I'll just view it as another song that wasn't as memorable.
It's hard to explain why some of these songs didn't leave lasting impressions on me, but I'll try to, anyway.
In Train of Thought, nearly every song was over ten minutes long (except for As I Am which was nearly eight, which is long enough anyway, and Vacant, which was used as a transition to Stream), and it really made each song solid. Each song was an island of it's own on the album, and was as hard-hitting as the last, and there was no filler to be found. However, on Octavarium, as you can tell, half of the album disappointed me, one of the first seven songs actually being over ten minutes, so I'm just going to conclude that this album, as a whole, just didn't come off as strong as past DT releases. On Train of Thought, every song gave me a full experience, but on this album, half of the songs for me seem to fall flat. But to end this review on a good note, I'll go over the title track, which makes this album a keeper in my book.
While not being as perfect A Change of Seasons, Octavarium does take a smoother approach. The song begins with Pink Floyd-esque synths fading in and Jordan Rudess demonstrating the abilities of his Haken Continuum Fingerboard (one of the coolest instruments I've ever SEEN). I've heard this intro being described as 'painfully long,' but if this kind of thing is something that seems to bore you, then I'm surprised you had the patience to get into Dream Theater in the first place, my friend. The entirety of this track is amazing, and never lets you go once it begins.
After the Continuum fades away at 3:50, synths take the lead role and bring this song from out behind the fog and lead it into the first part of the song. It opens with an acoutic guitar and a flute, setting a perfect vibe for the track, but as soon as the flute goes away, a more eerie tune begins, playing off the vocals very well. The song then becomes more upbeat, and as soon as part two starts, the bass comes from 'out behind the fog,' and provides for a very good transition to part two. The vocals now sound more clearer as if the vocals are speaking to you directly rather than 'a voice from the past' effect used in the first part. The lyrics here, as mentioned before, are very, very good.
As the song moves on, it becomes faster and heavier, containing a countless amount of 'nuggets' including a reference to Pink Floyd's The Wall just as 'Full Circle' is starting. The 19-minute build-up finally reaches it's climax when you hear James screaming 'Trapped inside this Octavarium!', and then follows the grand finale. This song is nothing short of amazing.
Now, I don't expect my review to have helped you very much, but if only for the title track, buy this album. After reading around at various Dream Theater communities, I realize I'm one of few that felt this way about Octavarium (just as I was one of few that really enjoyed Train of Thought), so I'm pretty sure you'll warrant different feelings. Buy this album; as a whole, it's not as amazing as other DT releases, but it does have it's moments.
Free Music Review: Dream Theater has come Full Circle...
Hit: 5 Stars
Back from the nebulous wastelands of conflicting musical identity that were Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Train of Thought. Neither of these two were bad albums, per se, each having their moments of brilliance, but neither matched up to the impossibly high standards the band set for themselves with Images and Words, their second album, and Awake, the third. But Octavarium is lightyears ahead of their last few mixed-bag releases, taking the best elements of their evolution in style and musical ability, with an infusion of a new passion, and doing away with the rest: the wastefulness, the questionable songwriting, and (critics of ToT, breathe a heavy sigh) the rap. Even the album's one reference to Train of Thought, the chorus to "Dying Soul" played during "Root of All Evil", sounds better in the new context of Octavarium.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed both of Dream Theater's previous albums, having never been one of DT's "disenchanted fans", but they lacked the magic that was strongest with IaW and was never seen to such a degree again. Until now. Octavarium has the magic again. It is brilliant. It is a masterpiece.
A part of the problem with the previous few albums was their emphasis on the album as a whole rather than the songs, and as a result some of the songs were rather weak. Octavarium shifts this focus onto the invidual songs, tightening up the lyrics, doing away with needless instrumentation, and bringing a diversity unseen since IaW. The songs flow better internally, and thus the album flows better as a whole. A new addition is the few seconds of "soundscaping" between each track that ties them all together, an interesting concept that makes everything flow together despite unrelated subject material.
The new album kicks off with "Root of All Evil", the continuation of the Alcoholics Anonymous saga begun on SDOIT, and is probably the strongest of the three. It makes an awesome album openener, with an awesome drumline leading into a doubly awesome riff that holds the song together without ever getting old. The song is a real rocker that holds your attention from start to finish, unified and cohesive. Labrie's singing is tighter and better than on any previous album and shows just how much he has improved as a singer. The next two heaviest songs on the album, "Panic Attack" and "Never Enough", are both excellent. "Panic Attack" opens with possibly the catchiest riff on the album, if not in DT's entire discography, and tears into a blazing fast cacophony that perfectly invokes the emotions of its lyrics and title. Once again we find very nice vocal work by Labrie, especially during a little falsetto bit on the bridge that reminds me in all the best ways of Queen. "Never Enough" is an odd song stylistically for Dream Theater, with some definite Muse influence there, but not a bad thing.
"The Answer Lies Within" is the album's ballad, a strangely uplifting acoustic song that makes a perfect break after the rockin' intensity of "Root of All Evil". Rudess and Labrie dominate this one, and it's one of their best soft songs, up there with Silent Man and Disappear (although lyrically and thematically the opposite of the latter). It features some very nice violin work and heartening lyrics such as 'You've got the future on your side'. It transitions into "These Walls", the catchiest song ever written in a major key, and a huge radio hit if they do it right. Radio hits? An oddity for Dream Theater, but one that reminds me of Images and Words, and that's a good thing. "Walls" has an awesome chorus and some sweet key harmonies, and despite being an extremely simple song for Dream Theater it is excellent nonetheless. The final of the album's lighter songs is "I Walk Beside You", a song that could only be a tribute to U2, and just as good as any of the best that they have written. Catchy, poppy, but I love it nonetheless.
But just for those who would complain about Octavarium's not being "proggy" enough, DT threw in the final two, beastly tracks: "Sacrificed Sons" and the title track. "Sons" starts out slow and sad, building up through a heavy instrumental section into an awesomely heartbreaking melody and a haunting orchestrated outtro. It has lyrical ties to "In the Name of God", featuring themes from 9-11-the title is about partly about the reverence for fanatical suicide in terrorist culture, and partly about the war in Iraq-- and has some of the best vocal and guitar work on the album.
Finally is the album's beast, "Octavarium", a track that picks up slowly but surely builds intensity throughout multiple musical landscapes until the chilling ending, a lyrical summary of the album that ties everything together. The lyrics are bit out, the rhythm frantic; this is Dream Theater at their most intense and emotional, and every time James Labrie bites out the words "TRAPPED-IN-SIDE-THIS-OC-TA-VAR-I-UM" in a half-scream, it sends chills down my spine. The song then closes with a melodic outtro that reminds me of some of the best work Kansas has done. Throughout the song, there are references to classic rock and Dream Theater's own work; the reference to Nightmare Cinema (DT's "alter ego" band from the FII era) was especially subtle and amusing. Dream Theater fans have asked since 1995 if they could manage an epic that would compare to Change of Seasons. They have, and while Octavarium is a different song, it is just as surely a prog masterpiece.
Is it Images and Words? Musically, no- it reflects every stage of Dream Theater's evolution since then. But it features everything that made IaW an amazing album: great songwriting, varied music, technical ability, melodic playing ranging from beautiful to haunting to rocking-and blends in everything Dream Theater has learned since then. It is easily one of their best albums, and a classic for the ages.
Free Music Review: Another great Dream Theater album.
Hit: 5 Stars
I honestly don't understand where all the flak on this album is coming from. In my opinion, this is a highly solid album that carries on the Dream Theater that I have come to love. It is definitely less heavy than 2003's Train of Thought, but I appreciate their willingness to take more of a diverse approach after their relentlessly angst-filled previous outing.
In my opinion, Octavarium has two of Dream Theater's best songs: Panic Attack and Sacrificed Sons. Panic Attack can only be described as a sort of metal Liquid Tension Experiment song with vocals. The riff is relentlessly heavy and very fast, with a great driving bassline and the awe-inspiring solos from Petrucci and Rudess we've come to expect. The lyrics get a bit contrived at points, but it's a minor quibble, because Panic Attack is in my opinion tied with The Glass Prison as the best song to come out of a Dream Theater album since Metropolis Part II. Sacrificed Sons is also a fantastic song, and is without question the best song ever written about 9/11. It starts off in a very ballad-like fashion, but don't let that fool you. After the first chorus, the band really starts rocking. Petrucci's guitar work really takes center stage here, with his powerful riffs driving the tempo, especially during the final verses. Just a fantastic all around song.
Octavarium is rounded out with 3 songs that are still great, but not quite the classics that Panic Attack and Sacrificed Sons are. These Walls is a more proggy song than most on here, with Rudess's keyboards doing most of the flashy work. But Petrucci shows that sometimes a little can go along way, and the slow but thumping guitar work on These Walls is just as easy to rock out to as any of his most complex solos. These Walls ends on a great note, the last minute or so is just so polished and dramatic it really reflects on the track as a whole. This is Scenes From a Memory style Dream Theater, walking the line between prog rock and metal.
The Root of All Evil is the continuation of Portnoy's saga of alcoholism, picking up where The Glass Prison and This Dying Soul left off. Like the previous two parts, The Root of All Evil is an unapologetic, in-your-face rocker. It reprises several lyrical themes from the previous two parts, but that's only natural considering they all share the same subject. This song will be sure to please those who liked the metal direction Dream Theater took on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and especially Train of Thought.
Finally, we come to the sprawling, 24 minute title track. Octavarium is Dream Theater's giant shoutout to all their influences. There are pieces here that sound like progressive pioneers Pink Floyd, Rush, and Yes, and even some metal bands like Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden. Octavarium does drag in parts, but that's only natural when you're writing a song that long. Octavarium really picks up at Full Circle (which I believe is Part 4 of the song, but I'm not sure). Here we see Dream Theater driving up the tempo, building tension for the conclusion of the piece. The lyrics here are fascinating, with James LaBrie intertwining countless musical references. Among them are the Doors' Light My Fire, the Who's My Generation, and in what was the most surprising for me, Pink Floyd's Careful With That Axe, Eugene, which while a live staple during the early years of their careers was only released in their B-side collection Relics and is therefore highly obscure to modern fans. Eventually, Octavarium breaks into the full symphony backing up the band, with some breathtaking solos before the final part, which starts off with a soft riff and spoken verse and builds to thunderous proportions. Octavarium has its flaws, but the overall experience is highly satisfying.
Octavarium has two tracks which, while not my favorites, I can appreciate. The Answer Lies Within is a short ballad track. While not a bad song by any means, I've never been a big fan of their ballad tracks. I Walk Beside You is the song that has generated the most criticism from the fan base, which I think is unfair. While yes, it is very much a commercial song, both stylistically and lyrically, that doesn't make it any worse from a musical standpoint. While Petrucci definitely provides a different style of guitar playing and is much more mellow on this track, all the musicians are still alive and kicking here, and LaBrie puts together one of his best vocal performances in recent works. Dream Theater is simply broadening their style. Before this album gets drowned in the cries of 'Sellout!', remember that it's only one song. If it does succeed in getting them wider radio play, so much the better, because then Dream Theater will finally get the attention they deserve.
As much as I would like to say that I love every track on this CD, I really cannot get into Never Enough. I'm not sure why, I guess it just seems a little whiny to me. I tend to just skip this song when I listen to this CD. Still, nearly all albums have at least one weak song, and Octavarium's strong tracks more than make up for it in this regard.
In short, Octavarium is yet another solid release by Dream Theater. If Amazon permitted half stars, I would give it 4.5, but because it's Dream Theater, which puts it ahead of basically everyone still making music, I'm rounding it up to a 5.
If you're a Dream Theater fan, you will not be disappointed. If you're looking for a place to start getting into this band, I would not suggest this as a place to start. Instead, go for Images and Words and work down their discography from there.