Flashback CD Reviews #7 - Dream Theater - Octavarium

This review was originally posted on the now defunct Rock Is Life.com website in 2005. (2011 Update: This album finished at #2 on my 2005 Best of List.)

Dream Theater

Octavarium

Atlantic Records - 2005

http://www.dreamtheater.net

What's the 4-1-1?

The leaders in the field of progressive rock / metal return with the follow up to 2003's metallic masterpiece Train of Thought.

Genre

Progressive Rock / Metal

The Good

The band sure has figured out a way to combine their unbelievable music ability and solidly constructed songs as of late. The albums after Awake and before Train of Thought left me cold because they seemed to me to be more about showing they could play and less about providing the listener with outstanding SONGS. Now, for the second album in a row, they've really nailed it. I loved the very "metal" opening track "The Root of All Evil." It was a pulse-pounding helping of pure metal and also had the more showy instrumental pieces in the appropriate places. "These Walls" is probably the most commercially accessible track on the disc, and it features a pretty good vocal turn by James Labrie.

The thing that stood out to me most about "I Walk Beside You" is that it sounded almost like a track from U2. I'm not kidding, that's what I thought of when I listened to the song. At least it sounded like good U2, rather than the spectaculary bad U2 though. "Sacrificed Sons" is where the more progressive sounding nature of the band really kicks in. However, they are smart enough to contain it within the structure of a pretty good son. Portions of the instrumental breaks in the song felt as if they would be perfect to use as the background music for scenes of triumph in movies.

The title track "Octavarium has an amazing final 12 minutes. Dream Theater just explodes from the speakers, grabs you by the throat and throttles you to the end of the CD. As the end of the song approaches, there's a lyrical passage where Labrie just starts spewing out the lyrics like a madman. It's a very odd thing to hear but he does it quite nicely. I also appreciated how the end of the album actually turns out to lead into the beginning of the album. You need to look at the album booklet to fully understand what that means, but trust me; its a very cool thing. My favorite track on the album is "Panic Attack." It's the most pure sounding heavy metal (rather than progressive) sounding track on the album. It's got a superb opening and it just continues on from there. It's simply a great song.

The Bad

I really only had one problem with this album, but it really detracts from the overall enjoyment of the album. The problem is the FIRST 12 minutes of the title track "Octavarium". If you are going to craft a 24 minute song, I'd think you would take great pains to make sure you have something that pricks up the listener's ears throughout the entirety of the song. Sadly, this was not the case with this one. The first 12 minutes struck me as being rather pedestrian. I broke it down to illustrate.

The first 5 minutes were all instrumental, then a 4 minute lyrical passage, followed by another 3 minute instrumental section. I was just about ready to scream at the CD player, and then the band seemed to say "Oh yeah! Now we'll kick your butt!"

The Verdict

Yes, as I was accused by an irate emailer, I am a fan of Dream Theater. I wear that badge proudly. I thoroughly enjoyed most of the album. The band has, for me at least, finally melded their highly prized technical skills and actual songwriting abilities into the necessary cohesive force needed to rise to the pedestal of progressive music. If only other bands could take that lesson.

Did You Know?

Octavarium was leaked early on the Internet, causing drummer Mike Portnoy to shut down the message boards on both his own personal site and the band's forums until the album officially hit store shelves.

Rating: 4 out of 5.