OCTAVARIUM

Dream Theater are, as one astute reviewer has observed, in the same bracket as ELP when it comes to making over-blown, pretentious rock music. I hear nothing that remotely sounds like Progressive Rock here and a whole lot that shouts "look at us,we can really play." Yawn, yawn guys - write a decent song will you!

Review the album damnit!! Ok, Petrucci's endless riffing is tiresome as is Portnoy's heavy- handed sub-Peart drumming. "Octavarium" (the track) is a case - in - point: the first few minutes are fine, but 20 minutes of this? Henry James said "In art economy is always beauty"- they should hang this on the wall next time they venture into the studio!

The first track "Root Of All Evil" starts wonderfully; a single piano key, a Floydian pulse, jangly reverb-guitar, then the drums enter battering away full of portentious intent. One full minute of intrigue and interest then bang! Heavy metal riffing. *Sighs* This track sums up the whole album!

This pretentious ponderous collection of metal disguised as God's own Prog is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Dream Theater, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?' Two stars. Bah!