TRAIN OF THOUGHT

DM came quite soon back with "Train of thought" continuing the way of more stripped, less pompous approach and high dose of heaviness. One thing a listener notices almost immediately is the increased influence of Metallica in guitar playing and singing, which is not something I welcome. Besides that, the music is intense, very technical and you can hear many sonic details. Songs like "This dying soul" border with death-metal in terms of speed (not vocals ;]). "Endless sacrifice" is more playful as Portnoy and Rudess have plenty of opportunities to show off and vocals are sparse. Another prog highlight is the last song "In the name of god" as it shows not only technical mastery but also some emotions while allowing room for experimentation with semi-Latin rhythm. I think this album takes longer to get into and not so many songs need to be over 10 minute long but DM made it again with another strong album.