Dream Theater - Octavarium
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.31 You Save: $14.67 (77%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.60 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Octavarium
Free Music Review: Another Excellent Album!
Hit: 5 Stars
Let me first start off by stating that I've been listening to Dream Theater for many years now. While Scenes will probably remain my favorite album for years to come, I must say that I have enjoyed each studio album for its individual merits.
I will now attempt to give you my perspective on this new release. I would have reviewed this earlier, however as with all DT albums, you must give it at least 10 or so listens first!
Track 1: The Root Of All Evil -
Good opener to the album. As many have already pointed out, this is Portnoy's continued drumming saga that started back from SDOIT. 8/10
Track 2: The Answer Lies Within -
For all of you people that are upset with this track, look back to albums like Scenes or Awake and notice that some of their best tracks are slower. While I don't feel this track is as good as The Silent Man or The Spirit Carries On, I still feel that it's a solid track. 7/10
Track 3: These Walls -
Easily classic Dream Theater. It just feels right. I love this track. 10/10
Track 4: I Walk Beside You -
The ONLY REAL problem that I have with the album... It's almost as if this track was designed for radio play, and that aggrevates me. At a mere 4:29 and with catchy "pop like" lyrics, I feel that this track was a horrible choice... 5/10
Track 5: Panic Attack -
Those who loved TOT will love this one. Easily DT's fastest track to date, it has a pounding bass line that'll make several listens seem very fresh. Great summer track. 9/10
Track 6: Never Enough -
Another great classic DT track. Don't really know what else to say here. 8/10
Track 7: Sacrificed Sons -
This is where the album REALLY picks up. The symphony here just ROCKS as this dramatic track builds to an AWESOME climax. One of my FAVORITE Dream Theater tracks of all time. 10/10
Track 8: Octavarium -
Can't say anything other than "beautiful". I loved this track. Any prog rock/metal fan will. Believe me. The album is worth buying simply for this track. Clocking in at a whopping 24 minutes, this epic starts slowly and progresses to a roaring and dramatic finish that'll have you longing for more.
All in all, we have classic Dream Theater here people. I just wish they didn't release "I Walk Beside You"..... ugh...
Kris Taylor
Free Music Review: A great comeback for Dream Theater
Hit: 5 Stars
Its 2005, and after two quite dull albums (in my opinion), Dream Theater unleashes an amazing prog album once again that completely surpasses my expectations. I was quite disappointed with Train of Thought and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, but this album is just great, so atmospheric and emotional, its great.
1. The Root Of All Evil: Continuing Mike Portnoy's alcoholism saga, this is probably my favorite of the three. Very catchy, and awesome melodies through the verse and chorus. A great introduction to the cd with a very energetic song.
Rating: A
2. The Answer Lies Within: I usually skip this song, it seems so boring. I feel as if theres nothing catchy or anything in this song to make it stand out.
Rating: C
3. These Walls: Now here is a catchy song. Great keyboard performed by Jordan Rudess (who in my opinion finally pulls a good performance) along with a very atmospheric song. Great vocals by Labrie and an overall good song.
Rating: A
4. I Walk Beside You: Can anyone say U2? I think that says enough for me.
Rating: C+
5. Panic Attack: KILLER song, I can definitely hear some Iron Maiden and a tiny bit of Muse influence in parts of this song. Really fast paced, really heavy, and once again very atmospheric. Great keyboard solo in this one.
Rating: A-
6. Never Enough: Now this is the song with a bunch of Muse influence. I find it to be average, some of the parts of the song I don't quite like that much, but some parts are great as well. A fairly decent song, worthy of a listen.
Rating: B
7. Sacrificed Sons: Probably the most emotional song on the album featuring great vocals, melodies, and atompshere. I can feel a lot of power coming from this song, and although the message it covenes may be hackneyed (9-11), the song itself is definitely not. I love the lyrics in the chorus "Who would do this to our people? And proclaim that his will done?...." Brilliant.
Rating: A
8. Octavarium: The albums epic-of-all-proportions closer, in my opinion the best song on the album. By far the most atmospheric in the album, regardless of how bad the intro may be ripped from Pink Floyd, I still love it. Just a brilliant song with some brilliant parts. In my opinion, the outro solo is John Petrucci's best EVER. Amazing.
Rating: A+
Overall, I highly suggest this album to any prog fan, a great album.
Free Music Review: Brilliant (As usual from these guys)
Hit: 5 Stars
DREAM Theater are one of those rare bands that can release a completely different album from the last yet still sound like Dream Theater.
It's what we've come to expect from these guys in the past and Octavarium - Dream Theater's latest installment - continues that trend.
From the opening track "The Root of All Evil" to the 24 minute epic title track, the listener is taken on a sonic journey, never really knowing where they will end up.
Prog fans will find a lot here, and Dream Theater fans will love this latest offering. John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy - usually the dominant musicians in the compositions - take a backseat which gives more space for the keyboards and vocals to make a statement.
Before I bought the CD a review I read said Petrucci doesn't go all out on this album. I was immediately suspicious. But you don't really notice what's missing or what is there because this is an album in its own right. Yes it is less intense than Train of Thought but what were you expecting from a new DT album? The same old stuff? No way.
Only one song didn't do it for me like the others. I Walk beside You is the song that gets the most flak from what I've read and in the main most of it is justified. It does sound a little U2ish and while that's okay I expect more from DT.
Despite what I say about that song I don't skip it when I give the album a listen. DT don't write bad music but with so much great stuff the lesser songs stick their heads out.
Panic Attack, Never enough and Sacrificed Sons are more immediately recognisable as DT songs and metal fans will enjoy them more than the others.
Octavarium the song is very different from DT's usual stuff (what is their usual stuff?) but the Yes/Genesis/Pink Floyd comparisons are valid here.
There is a bit of an Images and Words feel to the album and I think it's mainly due to LaBrie's vocals. He has cut back on the harsh, grindy tone of the previous three albums and focused more on his natural range. The result is some scintillating vocals adding to an already polished album.
I've tried hard to pigeon hole this album but the best I can come up with is that it is a little of Scenes from a Memory, Six Degrees and Train of Thought. That really tells you nothing but you'll know the parts I'm talking about when you get to them.
Free Music Review: OH the lament of the savage spoiled fans...
Hit: 5 Stars
"Octavarium" is a bit of an enigma. If this was released in the 70's, the title track would sprawl one side and the band likely would have thrown in "The Root of all Evil" and "Sacrificed Sons" on side two. It would have been huge. In the mastery of YES, ELP and older RUSH, Dream Theater have spoiled fans worldwide by overblowing everything in their path. Packing CD's to the hilt and throwing everything they can into their repetoire, they have done the unbelievable- and yet FANS...if you want to call them that- still WHINE for another "Images and Words" or "Scenes from a Memory."
Get OVER yourselves! I too started listening with the title track. It was bizarre, but suddenly 24 minutes were gone, and frankly I didn't want it to be OVER! I guess I was trapped in the Octavarium! An ambitious piece of work, in which the band sounds so laid back but completely and masterfully in sync, and Jordan Rudess providing Wakeman/Emerson solos until John's endearing solo at the 20+ minute mark sends the song to the edge. I do believe it is the best mastered track the band has ever done, with a unique cohesion that is awe-inspiring right up to the frantic pace with James wailing is reached. EASILY one of the band's best compositions and I have no doubt it will become a "LIVE" favorite for years to come.
The rest of the album has 3 tracks, 2 I mentioned previously...that are definitive DT keepers. Add "Panic Attack" and you have a MONSTER DT album. I wait for Dream Theater much like I did YES in the 70's, but whereas YES disappointed me with it's creative battles and member changes, Dream Theater has stayed on course. Only 2 albums have disappointed me. "Falling into Infinity" was a shock, I never expected another keyboardist, and the band almost never made another album thanks to the leeches who almost drove Mr. Portnoy over the edge. The recent live set was horrid because James LaBrie was invisibly hidden and compare it to the "Images and Words" DVD live tour and you will see and hear what I mean.
"Octavarium" is a transition for DT. It has been 20 years. Portnoy, Myung and Petrucci have spent more than half of their lives together, and this album speaks of a maturing band, still able to topple the world saturated with garbage like Coldplay and other wannabe Rockers. Frankly, I can't wait to see them this Summer! Go Dream Theater! Rise UP!
Free Music Review: Lean, Mean, Prog-rock Machine!
Hit: 5 Stars
Octavarium is Dream Theater's 8th full-length studio album and it shows the band stripped down in terms of song length, playing tight, muscular 5-8 minute songs in their own style. And it's great!
The album starts off with part 3 of Mike Portnoy's AA suite, The Root of All Evil. After an atmospheric beginning, it launches into a brutal riff that moves from point to point during the song, leading to an excellent chorus. It's followed by a very nice ballad-type rocker, The Answer Lies Within. These Walls is another favorite of mine. An all-out metal assault, slow and burning, with once again a really great chorus. Never Enough and Panic Attack are two of the heaviest songs Dream Theater have ever committed to disc, and they're EXCELLENT. I Walk Beside You is pure DT pop, the poppiest song they've ever recorded. It is, however, catchy and enjoyable.
Which brings us to the last two songs on the album, the first being the 9/11-related Sacrificed Sons. It starts off hauntingly with excellent singing from James LaBrie before going into a really powerful and emotive metal section. It returns to the haunting beginning as it ends. 11 minutes of pure emotion.
The last song, the title track, Octavarium, clocks in at 24 and is the most "prog" sounding long song DT have written since the title track of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. It's 24 minutes long, the one song going against the pared-down song lengths on the album. It's also one of DT's finest moments. Moving from section to excellent section seamlessly, and recorded with an orchestra(!), it starts off very atmospheric before kicking in around the 4 minute mark. The overriding theme is the circular nature of life, the world, the universe, etc (as far as what I can tell from the very cool lyrics). Throughout it all there is metal riffing, Rush-like rock, acoustic sections, and snarling vocals from LaBrie when he wants to be "out of this octavarium". A rollercoaster ride of a song that leaves you breathless when it ends 24 minutes later. Genius.
Octavarium shows that Dream Theater, nearly 20 years on, is still evovling and changing, not rehashing old ground yet retaining their signature songwriting, level of musicianship, and signature sound. We can only look forward to their next offering knowing this!