OCTAVARIUM

I used to really lay into people that criticized Dream Theater back when I was in college, the days of Awake and Falling Into Infinity. That was before Dream Theater began ripping off other artists in an attempt to sound like the contemporary music of the time. Seriously, from 1992-1997, Dream Theater did not sound like Nirvana, Soundgarden, or Oasis. This album (and the previous), however, are nothing more than brilliant musicians that have run out of new ideas.

The album begins with a decent enough heavy song, The Root of All Evil, in the vain of Countdown-era Megadeth. Labrie does an excellent job on the prechorus in this track. However, the lyrical material is 2 albums tired by this point. The Glass Prison was cool, but the idea of doing a multi-album mega-song on the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous is waning a bit thin for me. The Answer Lies Within, track 2, was a neat surprise given the band's recent venture into the nu-metal chugga-chugga sound. Labrie never comes off insincere on a good ballad, even one with NO soloing.

These Walls, I thought at first was really cool. After the third spin, I found myself wondering if Petrucci had listened to Meteora by Linkin Park a few too many times. It's a catchy song but its also a big reason why Avenged Sevenfold fans seem to all of a sudden like Dream Theater. Track 4, I Walk Beside You, is the highlight of the album....and it sounds nothing like a "typical" Dream Theater song. It has a huge U2/Coldplay thing going on, but the performance by Labrie again puts in the soul on this one. It's not progressive at all, but this album isn't progressive, evidence by the heavily borrowed styles throughout.

The album kicks back into riff-driven metal again with Panic Attack. The song is catchy and jams like hell, but the main riff seems to be something that a zillion metal bands have all played before. Again, this is a great technically executed song with nothing but rehashed riffage. I also wonder when Petrucci started having panic attacks seeing that he wrote the lyrics. He always seemed pretty chilled out to me. Labrie again steals the show with his Matthew Bellamyesque line "I try to hide, overwhelmed by this complex delirium." The next track, Never Enough, is perhaps one of the most pathetic things this band has ever done. This song is basically Muse's Stockholm Syndrome with a really cool keyboard/guitar solo with more whiny Portnoy lyrics. It seems the guy that pretty much single handedly carries this band has developed a bit of a soft spot for criticism. Much like the average Dream Theater fan as I was, you are not allowed to say anything negative about Dream Theater or Mike Portnoy might write a song about you. While I understand his frustration and know that there are some freaked out fans out there that will go to great lengths to be idiots, why not just take the high road and write a cool song that will not give people a chance to make fun of you. All that said, the song rocks...but so did Stockholm Syndrome.

The next song I just call the 9/11 song. Dream Theater has never been afraid to be sappy with their ballads, and this one is no different. However, and perhaps this is too critical, but I just don't dig the idea of cashing in on 9/11. I'm sure their heart is in the right place and not being that calculating, but Labrie already did a 9/11 song on his solo album that came out months before Octavarium. The latter musical section is brilliant, very Yes-like, and uplifiting. The title track, oddly enough, was recently recognized as the most popular/best Dream Theater song in a dichtomous poll conducted at the official website message board and other websites. The song itself is a lot of fun and jams like crazy, after the first 12 minutes that is. Of course, every major prog band from the 70s is represented throughout this track with a little Spock's Beard as well. Dream Theater throws on their angle with the continuous long, fast 16th note scales in an alternating 15/16 and 9/8 with the ensuing madness. The climax is a little cheesy with Labrie's attempt at hardcore vocals (just kidding!).

In the end, we get a mishmash of song styles as DT did on their earliest albums but overall nothing really progressive as they are known. The music is technical and very well constructed but there is nothing that the band hasn't done before. The final judgment is that this is for good but non-essential for the average prog listener. Although it continues the trend of ripoffs begun by the previous album Train of Thought, it's a much more diverse album with some really great vocals by Labrie.