TRAIN OF THOUGHT

The third DT album I checked out was the worst of all, and had me convinced that the revered prog-metal figures weren't right for me. As usual, it proved an unrelenting, and totally unsubtle assault that didn't use the talents of the band's individuals properly. There's way too much heavy riffing and shredding going on for my liking and I don't think I could stomach being the keyboardist in a band as one dimensional as this. As I Am (which reminds me of some Metallica song off the Black Album), The Dying Soul (try pausing it 1:32 mins into the song and then playing it again at 5:25 and see if you tell the difference between Petrucci's tedious solos), Honor Thy Father (which admittedly accords Ruddess some solo time) and In The Name Of God all seem to go by in one long painful blur.

The only moments of variety come during Endless Sacrifice, Stream Of Consciousness and the piano/violin ballad Vacant, but they're not really worth wading through all the cliches for. I swore to give up on Dream Theater after this ... and yet when Octavarium came out, I couldn't resist yet another bite at the cherry! ... 19% on the MPV scale