OCTAVARIUM

After Train of Thought, many fans and critics believed that Dream Theater was headed toward a musical and stylistic dead-end. I, of course, did not jump on that bandwagon and enjoyed the album for what it was, a superb heavy metal album with progressive influences. Its was a vastly underrated effort, and I listened to it countless times, with the knowledge that Dream Theater would inevitably follow it up with another solid and musically progressive work.

Dream Theater's next album was waited for with unrivaled anticipation, and band members hinted at a return to the "glory days" of Images & Words and Awake. It was said to be more melodic, more structured, and more passionate than anything they had previously written in their careers. And guess what?

It was.

Octavarium oozes with depth from the first bass drum kick on opening track, The Root of All Evil, which consequently is the same rhythm that ended This Dying Soul off of Train of Thought. Without going into too much detail, the reason for this similarity is that this track is the third part in an album-spanning saga that began with The Glass Prison on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The song soon blasts into a Velvet Revolver-esque riff and takes off from there. What amazed me the most about this opening cut, is the relative simplicity of the song. Compared to the shred-fest that was the majority of Train of Thought, this was a brilliantly straightforward song that wad rife with emotion from the onset of the chorus till the very end. While it is, by no means, the greatest song in the Dream Theater catalogue, The Root of All Evil packs a powerful, passionate punch and opens this unique album with a kick... literally.

The Root of All Evil - 7/10

From here, the album takes a shocking turn into the wonderful ballad, The Answer Lies Within. Its seemingly motivational lyrics are a stark contrast to the melancholy combination of piano, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and the string quartet that serves as its backing. While many has described this song as "cheesy", I believe that it quite immature to degrade a song simply because it has uplifting lyrics. James LaBrie has a wonderful vocal performance on this song, as he does on this entire album, but more on that later. This song possesses the first of many wonderfully written build-ups on the album. You'll know the climax of the song when you hear it. Overall, a satistying and unexpected foray into the world of ballads.

The Answer Lies Within - 8/10 This is where the album truely begins to shine. These Walls begins with some bizzare guitar noodling that can only be described as "revving ups" for what is about to ensue. Suddenly, an almost undescribably powerful instrumental section begins (which is essentially the chorus without the vocals), dominated by a skillfully written keyboard line. The verses to the song are shockingly mellow and have an almost Carribean feel to them. James LaBrie really demonstrates his versatility on this song by passionately singing during the verses and belting out the vocally challenging chorus perfectly. The remainer of the song continues with a conservative instrumental section and the best Dream Theater ending since Scarred. What more could you possibly ask for?

These Walls - 10/10

Following a brief interlude, the next song breaks in with a very pop-influenced rhythm. And for good reason, because this track, I Walk Beside You, is the band's intentional experiment with the genre. I've always said that Dream Theater can take any style of music and perfect it. This is no exception to the rule. The expertly orchestrated instruments seem to just weave into each other to create one solid sound, melding with the vocal melodies. The chorus also has one of the most beautiful chordal progressions I've heard in recent music. John Petrucci really outdoes himself with the lyrics for this song, harkening back to his old style of writing during the verses and merging it with his new, more deliberate approach to lyrics. Other than taking a point off for simple personal preference on a certain section, this is as close to perfect as any pop-esque song can get. I Walk Beside You - 9/10

From the lightning fast bass solo at the beginning of this song, you can tell that Panic Attack is going to be something special. The guitar and keyboards erupt out of nowhere with a force never heard before in Dream Theater music. Even songs such as Honor Thy Father don't possess this kind of power. Without a doubt, this song is at the pinnacle of progressive metal. There are far too many sections to even describe, but overall the song is bombastic, furious, and relentless in typical Dream Theater style. Every instrument, from drums to keyboards stands out during the whole song, yet none overpower the others. James LaBrie continues his onslaught with vocals that are quite shakey... in a good way. He utilizes a very approprite panicked tone throughout the entirety of the song. Once again, this is a song that I could find nothing to improve upon.

Panic Attack - 10/10

Jordan Rudess begins Never Enough with a grinding keyboard solo that sets the dark and frantic tone for the ensuing song. Mike Portnoy then rolls in with drum fill that still gives me chills. While I'm still on the subject, the drumming is exceptional on this song, and it ranks with some of Portnoy's greatest work. Guitar and bass then blast in simultaneously and continue their maniac pace through the verses and the token instrumental section. The chorus is very distinct, and like Mr. Portnoy's drum work, ranks with some of Dream Theater's best. While Never Enough has plenty of exceptional pieces, a truely good song is the sum of its parts, and this lacked the climax that I was waiting for throughout the song. Once again, this is personal preference and most likely a stylistic choice on their part.

Never Enough - 7/10

Now, Dream Theater brings out the big guns with Sacrificed Sons, a song that tastefully tells the tale of the 9/11 tragedy as well as searches for a deeper meaning to it. After a chilling aural collage of news samples chronicling that horrible day. A slow piano bit fades in over an echoey and sustained guitar. James LaBrie sings innocently in near- falsetto until the immense crescendo that is the chorus. Along with the usual quartet of instrumentalists, a full orchestra sweeps in and highlights the section incredibly. Then, one of the most interesting instrumental portions I've heard commences. It builds... builds... and builds until it reaches a unbelievably passionate guitar solo that is followed by an angry riff that (without sounding too cheesy) perfectly simulates the emotional chaos that was 9/11. Finally, the orchestra blares in a again and completes this masterwork of a song.

Sacrificed Sons - 10/10

The brilliance that is Octavarium can not even be described. It is not only an absolutely perfect epic, it is an absolute summation of progressive music since its creation. I refuse to spoil this song for those who have not heard it. Octavarium can only be described as an experience. In my honest opinion, never before has such perfection been achieved in progressive music. Admittedly, it does borrow heavily from past influences, but that its the underlying meaning behind the album and most relevantly, the song itself. Listen and be amazed.

Octavarium - 11/10

I really have to applaud Dream Theater for their true skill in making this album. No other bend could have pulled a project like this off as well as they did. The individual members even strayed from their usual styles to better fit the overall music. John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy took a surprisingly conservative approach and it resulted in some of their most tasteful work, Jordan Rudess sacrificed much of his usual speed for an incredibly majestic and melodic composition, James LaBrie provided the most varied and solid performance of his career thusfar, and John Myung played as tremendously and approriately as usual. Bravo, Dream Theater!