CAUGHT IN A WEB

I was never a huge fan of this song until I realised it was easy enough and fun enough for me to drum along to, provided I didn't conform to Portnoy's incessant double bass pedalling. However, just like the tarantula image on the single cover, this song is quite an ugly one. Throughout the song there seems to be too much going on: too many bass pedals, too many chugging riffs; there's just no simplicity. The only place this works is in the instrumental, which is actually quite a good one, as it incorporates some sporadic time signature changes. If I ever got to meet the men of Dream Theater, I'd use this song as an example, and ask just why they felt the need to have an extra crotchet in those particular bars. The best part of the song is the musical breakdown at 3:33. Occasionally, Portnoy would use this breakdown to have a drum solo during live shows. This isn't a particularly memorable Dream Theater track, but it's one that I'm grateful for.