Dream Theater - Octavarium
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Free Music Notes for Octavarium
Free Music Review: 4.5 stars
Hit: 5 Stars
I unwrapped this at Christmas after asking a LOT. This is the fourth Dream Theater cd that I got, after Awake, Six Degrees, and Train of Thought, which I loved every mintute of. After reading mixed reviews, I was hoping that I wasn't going to be let down. From the opening seconds, to the final "shout at the top of your lungs chorus", I knew that this cd was a masterpiece.
1. The Root of all Evil- The intro reminds me a lot of Pink Floyd. The "soldier marching" drums and abrupt notes which go from one ear to the other, build up to the opening riff of heavy metal. Every part of this song is heavy and powerful. But one thing that bugs me about this song is that they use the exact same lyrics from "dying soul" on Train of Thought. 9/10
2. The Answer Lies Within- This is the ballad of the album, which uses a nice, emotional piano and a softly strummed acoustic guitar, and of course a good drum beat to go with it.
9/10
3. These Walls- Tied with Panic Attack for my favorite song on the album, is These Walls. The monstrous roar of Petrucci's guitar stars off the song with a bang. I love the pre-chorus! "Watch me, Fading, I'm losing, all my instincts" The lyrics are kind of over used but it doesnt matter to me. 10/10
4. I Walk Beside You- This is kind of an electric guitar ballad. It has a very uplifting beat, tune, and lyrics. But it sounds like James LaBrie loses his voice a little on the chorus "no MAAAATER how far!!" But it is still awesome. 9/10
5. Panic Attack- The fastest song in the album. A bassline kicks off the song which then goes into the heavy version of the same line with Portnoy beating away on the drums. It reminds me of "The Glass Prison from Six Degrees.." before the solo when Myung plays that fast bass line, then the guitars and the drums kick in. Very similar to that part. 10/10
6. Never Enough- Blaaaaaa.. repetitive and boring. The only down side about the album. 4/10
7. Sacrificed Sons- A deep and powerful song about 9/11. It's one of those songs with the "news reports" at the beginning then leads into a ballady song. Awesome solo too. 7/10
8. Octavarium- A very LONG song, but still great. The first 4 minutes are just guitars and keyboards waning in and out softly. (i usually fast forward through it.) I think they probably could've split this song into 2 tracks. The first 2 parts of the song are soft and lighthearted, relaxing tracks. The 3rd picks up the tempo a little more, and the 4th, leads into "TRAPPED INSIDE THIS OCTAVARIUM!!" It's definitely the best part in the song. whew, what a ride. 9/10
All in all, a fantastic album, you'll get your moneys worth. The only reason I give it 4.5 stars is because of "Never Enough." But there is still 7 other fantasic tracks.
Free Music Review: The Facts: or, What Makes DT Stand Out
Hit: 5 Stars
The purpose of an Amazon review is not to tell the reader what to think about the album, but whether or not it is worth buying in their opinion. So, in the interest of not being another parrot saying how awesome you should think this album is... I will stick to the facts.
Octavarium is a new thing for Dream Theater, one where they accepted criticisms about Train of Thought, in particular the excess length of tracks. Therefore they challenged themselves to write concisely and focus on the tracks' value as songs, shifting the focus off of the album as a whole and onto songwriting.
The result is undeniable. The songwriting is more cohesive, the band plays together, and the sound is overall better. The downside to this is that these shorter songs are also simpler. Tracks like "The Answer Lies Within"--written by Petrucci for one of his children--"These Walls" and "I Walk Beside You" have less of the soloing that Dream Theater is known for and more music where the band works together as a whole. On these three tracks in particular, the music is catchy, even "poppy" in some respects, but not as far as "mainstream". The best of these three is probably "These Walls", a song that could almost be radio rock, but it is radio rock the way only Dream Theater could do it.
But it is DT's other virtues that make the radio-friendliness on this album overlookable, even enjoyable. Beyond these three are a Dream Theater that is more focused and intense than ever before. Of particular note is Octavarium, the 24-minute epic, which could be their most emotional song from any album. It invokes at once Pink Floyd, Kansas, Yes, Genesis and Megadeth.
It is these continual references to rock influences and the way they are used that makes Dream Theater stand out. They take elements of many styles and blend them together in a way that can only be called progressive. If "Never Enough" reminds you of Muse, then DT intended it to be so. But they have done something with the song that Muse could never do.
So, is the album worth buying? For the fan, it is always worth hearing the band "do something new like they always do" and succeed at it. For the new listener, this album gives a good sample of what Dream Theater is all about, having moments from every period in their history but looking toward the future. Some of it is hard to digest, especially for the hardcore fan who never expected a U2 song out of Dream Theater-- although anyone who has heard their Elton John covers shouldn't really be suprised at the variety of their influences. But this one is definitely worth a listen. Or ten. Then decide for yourself what you think. Make sure to give yourself this opportunity.
Free Music Review: Posers, Go HOME!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have seen enough. How many of you have been DT fans since 1991? I HAVE. The band took the world upon it's shoulders- literally- to bear the weight as the Greatest Rock Band on Earth. EVERY SINGLE album sans "Live: AT Budokan", has been a piece apart, clever, precise, eccentric, bombastic, revolutionary, outrageous, spontaneous, and with a tad of humor and utterly amazing self-indulgence. DT is SO smart, they are FULLY aware they are pulling everyone's string, except for the most "devoted", who REALLY look for the magic pearl in every priceless melody.
John Petrucci pretty well says it all in the final lyrics on this amazing project: "The story ends where it began...", and sure enough, and only one other reviewer even seemed to notice- "Octavarium" reprised the beginning of "The root of all Evil." In addition, "The root of all Evil" climaxes with passages directly from the arrangement in "Octavarium." DT is so intelligent as a band, they love to tease, and if you listened instead of "expecting"...you would fine little gemstones of absolute magic throughout this magnificent Magnum Opus.
John Petrucci's guitar work is stunning. Some of his finest work on chord progression and tones I have never heard from his instrument. John Myung- what can I say- every album he is a genius. Jordan Rudess actually pulls out some solos more reminicent of Wakeman/Emerson, but just ever-so-slightly. Mike Portnoy is the biggest surpise of all! Laying low, it's almost like he is using brushes on parts of "Octavarium", with perfect timing on that massive drum package!!! For Mike to "tame his shrewd", is just absolutely necessary on this project.
The vocals of James LaBrie are not "stellar" because his "pipes" aren't really the "fifth" instrument here, except on the title track and "Root of all Evil." Basically, he is just calm and relaxed. Again, for the album itself, it was necessary.
I am sick of all the comparisons. Although DT has NEVER hidden their influences, people keep comparing, yet no one on the PLANET can come close to this musical machine. I have never seen such a mass of pathetic reviews mixed in with thoughtful and intelligent reviews in my life! I don't mind negative reviews, but save it for the bands you are comparing DT to. Don't insult this band nor it's core of REAL fans who live by their sound and vision.
"Octavarium" is a monsterous and superb album. By the way, DT has done a 42- minute opus and a near 80- minute opus in addition to these 20- minute tunes we have heard. To them, 20 minutes is a piece of cake. Go buy the album. Put on the headset. LISTEN. Be amazed.
Free Music Review: Versatile album that grows on you...
Hit: 5 Stars
The eighth DT album, Octavarium, is much more diverse than its predecessor, the dark "Train of Thought". At first it appears less coherent than TOT, but after half a dozen listenings I can only appreciate the variety of moods DT so elegantly offer on this CD.
The opening track, "The Root Of All Evil" is a hardrocker that could have been on TOT. In fact, there is a 15 second insert of "This Dying Soul" in the middle of the song. The second track, "The Answer Lies Within" is to me a less impressive soft breather. Not really my cup of tea, but still a fine song when you're in the right mood. "These Walls" with its spacious sounds during the verse and melodic chorus over metal guitar sounds is quite radio friendly, and after hearing the U2-like "I Walk Beside You" the progrock enthusiast may wonder where this band is heading. These songs are certainly enjoyable, but not typical of DT. Especially so with the lack of instrumental virtuoso passages typical of DT during tracks 2-4. But not to worry, the remaining four songs represent the diversified DT at their best. The hard rockin', up-tempo "Panic Attack" immeaditely became one of my all time DT favourite songs even before it got to the awesome solo sections by Rudess and Petrucci. "Never Enough" with ethereal vocals of LaBrie climaxes with a beautiful guitar passage towards the end. The epic "Sacificed Sons" deals with the 9/11 tragedy. After starting off smoothly the song builds up to typical DT characteristics. The title track is a 24 minute epic starting off with soft soundscapes featuring only keyboards and guitar. This intro sounds like Pink Floyd, later like Yes. LaBrie comes in at 5+ minutes and the song enters an instrumental pre-climax at 12+ minutes. We hear - among other things - (early)Genesis/Marillion-like keyboard passages and later, after further vocal parts, Zappa-influenced instrumental exercises. This piece of work grows on every listening and - although it after a mere 5 listenings may not appear very compact - is an all time DT's epic classic candidate.
As with any DT album, the musicianship amazes. The musical style and songs on some DT records may not have made justice to James LaBrie's abilities, but on this record his versatility has to be appreciated in a big way. Despite my one ore two worries during the first playback of this CD I feel now that this is an essential piece of work by DT. If you are new to Dream Theater, the musical diversity makes this CD a good introduction of the band alongside with "Images and Words", which may require less listenings for full appreciation.
Free Music Review: It's been a long time
Hit: 5 Stars
I've always loved Dream Theater's music, but have frequently found that they never quite acheived their potential as a band . . until now.
In the early days, they had good songs, but they were buried under arrangements that showed off each member's technical skill at the expense of the songs themselves. But they improved. In 1994, they finally released an album where the themes of one song would be revisited in another song, and the cd as a whole had a conceptual arc. And they continued to improve. In 1997, the band finally released an album which was all about the songwriting and creativity, not the showoff virtuoso instrumentalism. Unfortunately there was nothing connecting the songs. It was just a collection of songs with no arc, and nothing really connecting them. 1999s Scenes From a Memory gave us a sequel to the prog-anthem Metropolis off their 1992 Images and Words album, but also found the band getting more and more bogged down in their attempts to show off how complicated their time-signature changes could be (ever heard of 19/16). And this trend continued right up to the nearly unlistenable noisefest they released in 2003, Train of Thought.
But now they've shifted gears and given us an album which is all about composition, songwriting, creativity, and beauty. Yes, there are still impressive virtuoso bits, but they serve the songs, as opposed to the songs serving as vehicles to show off the virtuoso runs. And it makes for the best album of Dream Theater's career.
The opening track is part 3 of a trilogy of songs which began in 2002 with "The Glass Prison" and continued with "This Dying Soul" (the latter of which has its chorus reprised in this new song). It's a powerful opening to a great album. The second track finds the band charting new territory with a piano-driven song that you'll be wanting to sing along with from the very first time you hear it. There's also an honest-to-goodness popmetal song on here called I Walk Beside You (something I never thought DT would ever do). All of this culminates in the half-hour masterwork that is the title track. Here, we get reprises of several themes from the album, along with a reprise of the melody to Voices from their Awake album, and a fully symphonic bombastic ending that'll have you requeing the thing to track one the moment it's over.
So yes, I'd call it Dream Theater's best work ever. And considering that two years ago, I was ready to write them off, that's saying something.