TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Train of Thought is where Dream Theater begins to discard some of the prog rock aspect of their music for a more metal approach. This is of course DT's heaviest album, Petrucci's riffs are heavier and more metallic sounding, and LaBrie shows why he can indeed be a metal singer by fitting the role perfectly. Jordan's keys are great as always, as is Portnoy's drumming, but Myung seems to be a little buried in the mix due to the heavier sound. The music itself is still very much Dream Theater, with more melodic parts accompanied by the extended noodling with Petrucci and Rudess doing their thing. All of the songs are a bit on the longer side, with five of seven hitting over 10 minutes in length. All of these compositions are solid though, and it's amazing considering they made this album in under a month.

The album starts with homage to Metallica in 'As I am.' Dream Theater never hides their influences, and Metallica is definitely on of them. The song overall is hardly prog, but is indeed a very good metal song.

'This Dying Soul' continues Mike Portnoy's 12-step suite started with the equally heavy Glass Prison. This song has some amazing riffs and fantastic vocals by LaBrie. Rudess adds his touch with the piano as well.

'Endless Sacrifice' starts off as a slower song with guitar and keys leading the way. There are a few metal/alternative riffs before hitting a fantastic instrumental section at around five minutes. The keyboard is really nice here and compliments the guitar well.

'Honor Thy Father' is a decent song and perhaps the most metal sounding one on the album. The riffs are relentless and never let up. I wouldn't consider as good as the previous two songs though.

'Vacant' relieves us from the constant heaviness and intensity of the album. The strings are a nice touch as are the vocals. This song also segues perfectly in the next track, 'Stream of Consciousness.' The song is completely instrumental and is one of Dream Theater's best. There are few ideas used in the song, but they are all repeated and built upon well. The mandatory soloing is here, but doesn't detract from the feel of the song at all.

'In the Name of God' is another solid track and is an epic close to the album. The heavy riffing of the rest of the album is here, and the chorus is instantly memorable. The crazy soloing that happens at eight minutes might be a bit much, but it is nice to be actually able to hear Myung's bass.

Train of Thought is a solid album considering the amount of time they put into it. Unfortunately the overly metal sound is a slight turn off, and they seemed to forget about the prog roots they had in album like Images and Awake. Despite this, the album doesn't have a dull moment and is a great offering from the kings of Prog Metal.

7/10