Octavarium

So my initial issue with this release was they excluded the interludes that appear in the negative space of the CD. But that's fixed now! So let's review the music. It's Half amazing! and Half slow. Octavarium as a track makes up for all of this! It's one of the best pieces of music ever written.

A track by track analysis: 1. The Root of All Evil 4/5 stars The quality of the AA set of songs by Mike Portnoy declined a little on this one and the next installment in the series. Regardless, this song has got nice flow and is a very good piece of heavy metal. 2. The Answer Lies Within 2.5/5 I’m apathetic about this song. It sounds too much like Coldplay, and utilizes a melody from the title track despite only being the second track. Don’t love it, don’t hate it. I think it’s overrated by the band and some fans. 3. These Walls 6/5 John Petrucci is the star of this show, as I love his playing on this tune. There’s nothing wrong with this one, except maybe it’s little pedestrian for Dream Theater. 4. I Walk Beside You 4/5 Repeating the copying of U2 from Lifting Shadows Off a Dream (Awake), Dream Theater is not as successful this time around. It lacks the element of prog Shadows had, and sounds interchangeable with a random popular U2 song. But it’s still a good song all the same. It’s just that it’s flaws keep me from rating it higher. 5. Panic Attack 6/5 There is Metropolis Pt 1, The Dance of Eternity, and Panic Attack. All three songs are what people think of when you mention Dream Theater. Their heaviest song for years until Awaken the Master, the song showed considerable musical talent with titanic metal chaos. Eight blissful minutes. 6. Never Enough 4.5/5 Quite a good jam. The only problem I have with it is that the chorus goes on a little too long. 7. Sacrificed Sons 6/5 A dark and disturbing progressive metal track dealing with the topic of 9/11. The music is a convincing match for the subject matter, and Petrucci does his thing brilliantly. 8. Octavarium 6/5 This 24-minute monster takes you away on a strange musical journey full of twists and turns while keeping your interest. Dream Theater has yet to fail on 20 minute+ songs, and that is a good thing. Consensus: The blend of many different styles of music makes this a diverse, though slightly uneven, album. It combines much of Dream Theater’s previous material to add to the mix, and pulls it off somewhat. Panic Attack and These Walls are the definite highlights. A unique entrance to the bands work.

This album is a very unique one within the DT discography. The sound is far less heavy than the albums that came before and after it. All the songs are great, but Octavarium (the track) is legendary. My second favorite song of all time, it is probably the most musically compelling, lyrically evocative, and complexly conceptual piece of music I’ve ever listened to. I would quite literally pay 10 dollars for the title track alone.

The music is so freaking amazing

My fave is these walls and the root of all evil! How!?!?!?

One of the greatest Hard Rock and Heavy Metal albums ever made.

Had to listen to Octovarium to get the sound of the new album, “The Astonishing” out of my head. I wish they would learn how to write like this again.

This was my intro to Dream Theater about 6 months ago, and I can happily say, that because of this album, my catalog for these guys has grown to a huge number! Seriously! I have never been more impressed with a band than these guys! They're extremely complex, compelling, and addictive. And this album, along with Images and Words, could be good intros to new fans as well, mostly because of the balance on this album. There are crunching riffs one song, then a soaring ballad another! Here's my individual song reviews: -The Root of All Evil: 5/5 Incredible way to start off an album! This is Mike Portnoy's 3rd song in his 5 song suite, and this one I swear will always have a special place in my heart as it was the moment my jaw dropped to the floor! -The Answer Lies Within:4.5/5 Completely switches gears from heavy riffing to soft strumming. Very beautiful. -These Walls:5/5 Mixes heavy down tuned guitars with soft lyrics and vocals about isolation. Never would've seen that coming! Defiantly one of my favorites! -I Walk Beside You:3.5/5 While a good upbeat song, it gets stale after a while. If you like to repeat songs, I'd only do this one 2 or 3 times, or this one can get old fairly quickly. -Panic Attack:5/5 OMG! This one! This is the most metal you're gonna get on this album! Crunching, powerful, SUPER ADDICTIVE! Quite possibly one of Dream Theater's all time classics! -Never Enough:4/5 Very sinister song. This one they're talking about how sick they are about fans complaints, and how there is always someone who wished for more. This is their way of saying YOU TAKE WHAT WE GIVE OR GO THE F**K AWAY! -Sacrificed Sons:5/5 Very good song about 9/11. Dark, yet soaring at the same time. Love it! -Octavarium: 6/5 This is the crown jewel if the album! Clocking in at 24 minutes, this song is the one song that just floored me! Although I have had my listening time with other epics like this (i.e., Pink Floyd's Echoes, Rush's 2112) this one out does all these! Starts off atmospheric, and takes off from there. I just couldn't believe that this song, even after 59 listens (according to iTunes play counter), this song still sounds just like the first time I listened to it. It's crazy! Overall, I have never enjoyed an introduction to a band other than this. Dream Theater never ceases to amaze, and nothing about this album is short of that! If you like prog rock/metal, check these guys out! I promise you'll not be disappointed!

One of the greatest albums of all time. Panic Attack was the first song I ever heard from them (it was in Rock Band 2) and it is one of my favorite songs by Dream Theater. I've only heard 3 of their albums though (Train Of Though, Octavarium, and Systematic Chaos), but this is by far my favorite. The best songs are These Walls, Panic Attack, and Octavarium. Octavarium is amazing. Around the 19:00 mark, he starts saying lyrics from the previous seven songs. The first line is from track one, and in the background you can hear a clip of that song, and the second line is from track two, and in the background you can hear a clip of that song, and so on. I strongly suggest buying this album. Mike Portnoy is amazing.

Dream Theater at its best, and a tribute to many incredible groups before them (The song Octavarium's beginning reminds me of Shine on you Crazy Diamond by Pink Floyd). I've listened to their 24 minute epic so much I can now sing the darn thing in my head (sure helps to pass the time!). And don't misinterpret my words, my point is the song is beautiful and one of my favorites! And how its end is the very beginning of the first track. perfection. Lastly, Panic Attack. UNF!! :D