Dream Theater - Octavarium
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Free Music Notes for Octavarium
Free Music Review: Back to their roots
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all, I have been a die-hard Dream Theater fanatic since 1989 so my reviews might be considered "Biased" but I will try to be as objective as possible.
For the first time in a long time, the first 2 tracks off the new DT CD didn't impress me. I am not saying that they are bad but I just feel that they were somewhat "Stale" and regurgitated, reminding me of tracks from "Train of Thought" and "Anna Lee" from Falling Into Infinity".
Things got better with "These Walls" and the VERY U2 sounding "I Walk Beside You" but then came "Panic Attack" and I got those old goosebumps that DT has given me over the past 16 years. This song just rocks your sock off and could have easily been on Train of Thought. "Never Enough" is a good song but the CD really get exciting and worth the money when you get to the last 2 songs, especially the title track "Octavarium". This is what Dream Theater is about...it's hard, it's mellow, it's both. it's complex, it's ORCHESTRA!!...It's AWESOME! Can you say another epic in the mold of "Change of Seasons"??
I CANNOT WAIT to see some of these songs live, especially "Octavarium". Like any Dream Theater CD, this CD will (and is) get better with every listen because it is just impossible to absorb the complexity and beauty with one or two listens. That is why I love these guys so much...their CDs don't get old fast and they give you a LOT of good music to digest.
It is unfair to rate this CD to other Dream Theater CDs because I need to listen to it about another 300 times! 8-) However, as far as first impressions go, I would rate it over "Train of Thought" (mainly due to the versatility of this CD...not just "Heavy") but definitely lower than "Scenes From a Memory", which I consider the best CD ever, PERIOD!.
Bottom line, if you are an old time Dream Theater fan like me, you will love this CD because it contains all the elements of "Classic DT". However, if you came onboard the "Train of Thought" CD, this CD might shock you because only 2 of the songs ("Panic Attack" and "The Root of all Evil") are heavy enough to qualify. Still, if you are a musician or just appreciate beautiful, complex music by the greatest ensemble of musicians in one band on the planet...BUY THIS CD NOW!
Free Music Review: How could you rate it less than 5 stars? It's a masterpiece.
Hit: 5 Stars
I haven't quite listened to every Dream Theater album yet (still haven't heard Falling Into Infinity) but I can surely say that this may very well be the best of their works. In fact, the title track is worth the price of admission. I'll go into it song-by-song of how great it is.
1. The Root of All Evil - 10/10 - The newest in a series of songs about the 12 steps in the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Genious main riff, awesome solos, and great lyrics. One of the highlights here.
2. The Answer Lies Within - 9/10 - It gets a bit cheesy about 2/3 of the way through when he sings "...You're gonna shi-i-i-i-ine!" Otherwise, it's a fairly well-written song.
3. These Walls - 10/10 - I always find myself singing along to this song. Catchy, but prog.
4. I Walk Beside You -10/10- I don't care how commercial it is, a great song is a great song. I applaud it.
5. Panic Attack -10/10- Another big highlight for me. Heavy, with a sweet shred solo from Petrucci. This one recalls Train of Thought.
6. Never Enough -8/10- It's grown a bit stale, but it's still pretty good. A bit weaker of a song.
7. Sacrificed Sons -9/10- Had lots of potential, and even though it's a good song, it could've been a bit better.
8. Octavarium -[off the charts]- AMAZING. The Continuum noodling is cool in the beginning, then we get Medicate Me, which holds you in suspense for what's to come ahead. The keyboard solo is too fast for me to air-key to, and that's pretty remarkable. Then, it goes into Full Circle (which mentions GENESIS!), a little instrumental, then Intervals, which ends in an emotional burst of "TRAPPED INSIDE THIS OCTAVARIUM!" and it couldn't be sang any better. Then, the beautiful Razor's Edge comes. This is always the part that gives me chills down my spine. It's just amazing.
Overall: The first 7 tracks are pretty good separately, but they're way better when listened to together. The last track is just mind-blowing and I don't understand how you couldn't like it. This is close in the running with Scenes from a Memory as my favorite Dream Theater album. GREAT FOR DREAM THEATER BEGINNERS! This is what I started with and now I'm addicted. Awesome album. I always come back to it. 10/10
Free Music Review: Everything Is Never Enough
Hit: 5 Stars
I recently came to know about Dream Theater through the amazing U.K. prog-rock band Porcupine Tree. It said, on Amazon and iTunes and everywhere else that people who bought PT also bought Dream Theater. Intrigued, I gave them a listen, checking out their newest album, Systematic Chaos. My first thought was meh. It was unimpressive, unoriginal, overlong, and just dang annoying sometimes. So I left them alone. When I heard my cousin listening to Octavarium, I asked "Who is this?" He said, "Dream Theater," much to my amazement. So I went home and checked out Octavarium on iTunes, and I thought "Wow, this is some good stuff."
The album Octavarium has been said to be one giant nugget, meaning it has thousands of musical and other references and just plain cool stuff hidden in it. The main theme is that things always go in circles, which is certainly stressed, as the piano note that opens "The Root of All Evil" is the same one that ends "Octavarium." The other cool thing about it is that it has eight songs: each of them a step above the other, forming a complete octave.
The music itself ranges from hardcore nerd metal (Panic Attack), power ballads (The Answer Lies Within), political songs (Sacrificed Sons), and everything from straight prog-rock to alt-rock (These Walls, I Walk Beside You). Songs like "Never Enough" and "I Walk Beside You" are consistently bashed because of them sounding too much like other bands. "Never Enough" has been attributed to Muse. While it does sound a lot like them, remember that some of Muse's stuff is in turn similar to Radiohead, and so on and so on. You really can't judge an amzing band like DT because they sound like other bands. The real kicker of this album is, of course, the stunning 24-minute title track. It has been touched upon in other reviews, and I can't really say more other than that you should buy this album just to listen to this song, for it is one of the best pieces of music ever written.
In all, Octavarium is a great prog-metal album that has something for just about everybody. Me being a new fan, I'm just now digging into their other stuff (except the unimpressive Systematic Chaos), like Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Scenes from a Memory. Check 'em out. You won't be dissappointed.
Free Music Review: Simply a matter of Constant Evolition and keep it Perfect
Hit: 5 Stars
I have to start my review with one simple question, why don't you make up your mind? When you reviewed ToT, everybody said it is too heavy and now with Octavarium it is too soft, well what do you want?
This is an incredible album that has everything we (the real fans) always want from DT, it is brilliant, never expected, surprising and most of all NEW this is not an Images or Scenes 2nd effort it is a total new sound form DT and for me that is something I always appreciate. I cannot understand the "fans" that destroy this album simply because it is not Images and Word (my personal favorite) but let's face it if you want Images go to you room and listen it again and again, me I'm just waiting a new DT album just to listen how they have evolve.
I have to agree with a few of you guys who mention the fact that Portnoy and Petrucci aren't the spotlight of the album, James and Jordan are and for me that is fantastic it was about time so there is one more fact to enjoy Octavarium on a different basis do it and you will find it simply fantastic.
I love the whole album but I'm going to stand up for one song, one everybody has destroyed I WALK BESIDE YOU, how can you say it is U2's sound it is not, and you can understand my point if you have listened to James's Mullmuzzler 2 that is the sound this song has, just listen "a simple man" and you will see what I'm talking about, so please do not trash a song just because you want it, listen to all the music in which any DT member is involved and you will be pleased with all the music they deliver
Once again, DT delivers one helluva album that proves that a band that has proven themselves can still evolve.
Need to mention that Octavarium the song, is simply fantastic a major epic from Dream Theater, would be great listening live on its enterity.
By the way listenting to the root of all evil and octavarium Live is the best f****n experience of my live... I was at front row here at their mexico show and believe me their are the bests of all time simple amazing heyy my wife love them too and she doesn't like prog music¡¡¡¡¡
DREAM THEATER RULES¡¡¡¡
Free Music Review: Comes Full Circle
Hit: 5 Stars
I'll admit, I was rather late in picking this one up. To be honest, I was a bit burnt on Dream Theater after _Train of Thought_ which is a fantastic, if sometimes exhausting, album. (Sidenote: I also saw them on that tour and was there at the show where the guy fell out of the balcony.) When I heard this was coming out, I held off for a long time, mainly because I had a backlog of albums to catch up on. At the insistence of a friend, however, I checked it out and was very surprised (which seems to be a running theme) at what I heard.
The album starts off well, with the Root of All Evil continuing what I've now deemed the Recovery Cycle (see also Glass Prison and This Dying Soul). The song features one of my favorite chorus melodies in a long time. The Answer Lies within is a quieter song that showcases the band's versatility. It's probably the softest they've been since Scenes... That's followed by These Walls, which picks up the tempo yet again before they go U2 on everyone with I Walk Beside You, a tune I like in spite of myself. Panic Attack is the speedster of the album and proves that they haven't forgotten their metal side, as does Never Enough. James Labrie gets the lyric credit for Sacrificed Sons, another religion-themed track that is less angry though more moving than TOT's In the Name of God. Then, comes the best part of the show: Octavarium. It shows everything that Dream Theater is about and more. Portnoy's collaborations with Neal Morse shine through here, as Myung's bass really comes alive with a great, fat sound and Rudess's synths are warm and analog. There's not much showmanship or many fireworks, but the song grows and builds from a quiet, Floydian exercise up to a huge crescendo that ends the album where it began. The track alone is worth the price of admission.
One thing that struck me was the conciseness of the songs. There are not as many technical fireworks, but it's still Dream Theater and the album is stronger for it, making it an easier but no less interesting listen than previous records. Indeed, its subtleties are its strengths. They have always been one of 'My Bands' and they proved why once again with this release. Definitely one for the ages.