OCTAVARIUM

This is probably DT's most controversial album to date, and i seriously doubt whether or not this band will meet again such fan response in the future. I believe that the album's multiformity is it's curse and bliss simultaneously. The apparent musical disjunction between the tracks and the distinct style that each one carries, prevent the album from flowing harmonically. The opening track (tRoAE) is a nice heavy song with a lot of energy, which is, unfortunately, followed by a ballad (tALW) that slows drastically the album's pace. Then again, "These Walls" is a very dynamic song which rises the tempo, but what comes next (IWBY) proves to be the album's most commercial, soft song so another confusion arises. The rest tracks seem to be widely accepted (it couldn't be any other way, they kick ass) so there's little to say about them. Regarding those who keep on saying that DT imitate other bands like U2, Muse etc. First of all, DT were always proud to say that their music was FULL of their influences, they never denied the fact that themselves are fans of other bands. Secondarily, being a U2 fan myself i find IWBY better than many, many U2 songs. Why so much fuss? "Because it is commercial, simple and DT should be extra-complex and heavy!" Hmmm...you mean like "Wait for sleep", "The Silent Man"," Hollow Years"," Through Her Eyes" or "Solitary Shell"? We should be grateful for this change. One of the main reasons all of us love this band for, is their ability to keep their sound fresh by adding every time new elements, which coexist tunefully with their trademarks. Until now, we haven't heard 2 alike DT albums, but for all of them we have dozens of reasons to love them. Give this record a chance, it is full of emotions and in my humble opinion this is much more precious than blistering solos and heavy drumming. Being compromised with the idea that DT won't ever release something equal to "Awake" or even I&M and SFAM, i believe that it would be best for us to listen to what the band has now to offer and not stick to the past. It is still zillion times better than anything else in the genre and worthy of carrying the DT logo upon it. Dream Theater is without a single doubt the last GREAT metal band.