TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Train of Thought is actually one my my favorites by Dream Theater. This wasn't a 'fall in love immediately' album though, as the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, tracks all seemed to drag on too long, with excessive annoying solos. At first I used to skip to track 5, "Vacant", because of the sudden feeling of emotion after being ruthlessly battered by Dream Theater in overdrive for nearly 40 minutes. "Stream of Consciousness" flows perfectly out of "Vacant" and is an outstanding instrumental, and the one song that really saves this album. Myung's mastery of bass is best shown here in the middle section. "In The Name of God" is one of my favorite epics, even though I always scream at James to "shut up!" as he keeps singing and singing and singing during the "Blurring the Lines" bridge (my only mark against this song). The third verse is outstanding, along with the solos. After listening to this album more closely, I've come to appreciate the artistic and lyrical presentation better. I give 4 stars now after letting this one collect dust after it's release.