OCTAVARIUM

Absolutely fantastic! The only way to identify this truly masterpiece of progressive music (This time, a Progressive with "Capital Letter", soon...) That´s the one, my friend! Anyway we can say that any DT´s album is poor or bad...Anytime. But, this time, the guys traveled so far in the progressive lines. I really love the efforts on SDOIT and TOT. Glass Prison, Misunderstood and Honor Thy Father are some of my favorite DT songs ever. But... Since, SFAM a could wait for an album that reminds me the Images & Words era. Is not been a "pieceful clone", a broken mirror, but just a fresh release, a kinda sound that lead us to that age, that reborn the taste of the progressive rock. The heaviest and "inselfish" music in the last 2 albuns sounds pretty good and show anothe face of the power and straight of DT´s musicians. However, I can repeat: Octavarium is the most solid and straight DT´s effort in many time. How an assembly of progressive songs, Octavarium is simply brilliant and wonderful, with each member going to the edge of the line between the complexity/technique of names like yes, king crimson and genesis, the simplicity and beauty of the Beatles, Elton John and U2 and the heaviest and doom of Meshuggah, Pantera and 80´s Metallica. Dissecting the newest album, piece by by, we can do a more specific analysis, trying to understando what´s too special in Octavarium. "The Root of All Evil": The part 3 of the "AA" songs. A little less heaviest than "The Glass Prison" and "This Dying Soul", is a typical DT´s last 2 albuns opener song. Up and intense, TRoAE bring us back many melodic and rhythmic pieces of the 2 mentioned other songs. Heavy and powerful, it´s a good match and great prelude to the rest that´s coming. Its necessary to say yet, this is not a conceptual album. However, in some moments of the tracks (like TRoAE and TALW), some melodic phrases are repeated, showing us a kind of prelude to the "grand finale" epic, self titled. Its like the effect used in "Awake", tracing a web between the tracks. I like it so much, yet. "The Answer Lies Within": A typical DT ballad reminding Elton John´s work. Like the "Anna Lee" melodic line, based on the piano. Otherwise, this is, surely, a Rudess album. Mr. Rudess is, much more than in your other works, is experimenting many different keyboard effects, trespassing to DT´s music new interesting entries, sounding, sometimes, like a classic 70´s progressive rock band. Truly, this the Rudess best effort ever; "These Walls": A very exciting track, balancing weight and melody. It´s another ballad, this time, in the "Misunderstood" style. The main riff reminds yet to the Nu-Metal sound, but still in homeopathic doses, never running away from the Dt´s quality standard! "I Walk Beside You": Still this track sounds like the more pop addictions in the Sherinian´s era, its stay too beautiful, soon. Its true that´s reminding the U2 sound so much. But, still a great peaceful. Another point of entry is the passage between track to track. It's a continuous album. The heatbeat between These Walls and IWBY is preety good example and maintain the audition and expectative. I´m not an U2 fan, but this song became too special for me. "Panic Attack": Oh! Heavy metal pulling up from speakers! This is, surely the most heaviest DT song ever, more than SDoIT and TOT effort, sometimes. Otherwise, is too melodic and, the most important: Myung is back! The bass intro its sublime! Also, I have to pay redemption to the LaBrie´s work. He is better, and better, year after year. Simply brilliant. Wel, one of the best heaviest DT songs ´till now. "Never Enough": Another good track with a excellent vocal interpretation from LaBrie. Very very good. But, between any other masterpieces, NE still so obscured. Listen, this is not "worst track". Far from this. But, I consider it the less expressive song. Well. "Sacrificed Sons": A long speaking intro and a depressive piano sound, open the area to another DT epic, this time, based on 09-11 facts. A very beautiful chorus and a little remembrance from SDoIT . Well.. Who likes the DT epics, with rhythmic breaks and evermore and makes DT the best progressive band since the classics 70´s, will like this piece so much, surely. "Octavarium": Ah! I can´t explain in words what you will listen here. Magnify is too poor to do. I think I didn't listen to something specialy truly progressive since the release of Yes´s "Gates of Delirium". God! It´s absolutely perfect! The new Rudess´s toy, the "continuum", on intro, remind us to the classic Yes and Pink Floyd albums, like the mid-time keyboard, at the same time that acoustic guitar and the flute sound like the King Crimson efforts. Since a Change of Seasons i´m waiting for realy DT´s masterpiece. A 24 minutes epic! I can´t say more, soon. Again and again, the bass of Myung is here! The Labrie´s melody! The Petrucci´s and Portnoy brilliants! Rudess sounding so better! Definitely, the best and most beautiful song I heard in years ever. No more comments. Unique! Singular! Fantastic! Well, tonight I can sleep happy. The True Progressive Metal (This time, a progressive rock too) is back. And now to stay!