Dream Theater - Octavarium

circus_brimstone

Forest: Sold Out
Jul 5, 2003
5,154
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Indiana
Dream Theater – Octavarium
Atlantic Records – Atlantic 83793-2 – June 7th, 2005
By Jason Jordan

octavarium.jpg


Before the proverbial leakage, I thought I’d be facing a triumphant follow-up to the great Train of Thought. Now that I’ve fully experienced Octavarium – inside and out – I realize that Dream Theater have disappointed for the umpteenth time in their career. In a nutshell, their 2005 piece is sort of like Falling into Infinity with more integrity, and I was stunned when I wasn’t impressed by any of the instrumentation, which is an attribute I remain fully cognizant of at all times.

The positives traits of Octavarium, worth mentioning, are few and far between. Most of the music found within the aforesaid is seemingly dumbed-down, and the group has lost their overriding penchant for heaviness. Some individuals detest the wankery of Dream Theater, but I’ve always enjoyed marveling at the group’s incredible abilities. However, the record I’m listening to right now is devoid of the band’s usual representation as dull riffs, lackluster drums, and (predominantly) weak songs rule the day. “The Root of All Evil” is a sequel to “This Dying Soul” (Train of Thought), which is a sequel to “The Glass Prison” (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence). Ultimately, the tune is forgettable, though the reoccurring lyrics work very well. As per quota, the listener receives mellower tracks in “The Answer Lies Within” and “I Walk Beside You.” I find the aforementioned utterly useless as I do with, well, castrated Dream Theater, except for the incomparable “Space-Dye Vest” (Awake). I didn’t bat an eye at “These Walls,” due to its banality, but “Panic Attack” is where things begin to look up. The latter commences with instrumentation that recollects System of a Down; it quickly skirts its influence, though, and morphs into familiar form. “Never Enough” and “Sacrificed Sons” don’t possess the supernatural gifts it would take to save Octavarium from its self-defeating plight. The title-track, “Octavarium,” harbors the exemplary characteristics, and at twenty-four minutes contains all that a long venture should. Without a doubt, “Octavarium” is the centerpiece of the record whether it desires to be or not.

It may seem like I’m ragging on the proggers pretty hard here, but there are several reasons why I’m critiquing them so harshly. I own their entire discography and they were my favorite band, like, five years ago, which means I’m comfortable with their material. Hands down, they’ve coined stuff superior to this. If you don’t mind the masturbatory instrumentation, seek out Images and Words, Awake, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, or Train of Thought. While you do that, I’ll go ahead and group Octavarium with the more undesirable releases of their catalog: When Dream and Day Unite, A Change of Seasons, Falling into Infinity, and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Bah, screw all the extraneous live albums, singles, and miscellany.

7/10

Official Dream Theater Website
Official Atlantic Records Website
 
Lee_B said:
If I were Muse I'd be seeing my lawyers about that "Never Enough" track!

Shit, I meant to mention that but forgot. :oops: I also forgot to recommend the latest from Circus Maximus and Shadow Gallery, over Octavarium, for our friends that like prog. :)
 
A Change of Seasons shouldn't be lumped into the "forgettable" section as it is one of their best and widely acclaimed songs.

Further, I am of the mind that technical wankery is as meaningless as chromatic excercises as far as song development is concerned. Dream Theater have always had the tools with which to create amazing music, and sometimes they have done so.

Personally, my favorite songs by the band are their softer and slower songs, where they tend to "Take The Time" to write good music. Songs like "Surrounded", "Another Day", "Space Dye Vest", "Hollow Years"... "I Walk Beside You" and "The Answer Lies Within" fit right into this category.

The title track, aside from its lengthy intro that drags more than it should, is quite well crafted. This shows that the band hasn't lost the ability to write good music, they just don't want to. Songs like "Panic Attack" with its endless shredtacular stupidity are toss outs to me. As is "These Walls" with the similar instrumentation and weak lyrics. "Never Enough" is decent but hardly worthy of the ability Dream Theater possesses. "The Root of All Evil" is hardly above average for any band, let alone a band like Dream Theater (whom, like you, I have been following since their beginning). "Sacrificed Sons" would have been great if the middle instrumental section with its haphazard "look how prog we are, we use odd rhythms and time signatures for no reason" section was removed.

Ultimately, this leaves around 50 minutes on the disc that I find worth listening to, making it a "good" album, certainly miles ahead of Train of Thought, which was a blatant attempt to usurp Metallica. Train of Thought's high points being "Endless Sacrifice" and "Vacant"... I was hoping for more of that sound on Octavarium and the band delivered: I consider the rest of the album "bonus tracks" which don't appeal to me.

i'd give it a 6 or 7.
 
Silent Song said:
A Change of Seasons shouldn't be lumped into the "forgettable" section as it is one of their best and widely acclaimed songs.

I think it's forgettable but, you're right, most fans don't see eye to eye with me on that particular issue.

Silent Song said:
Personally, my favorite songs by the band are their softer and slower songs, where they tend to "Take The Time" to write good music. Songs like "Surrounded", "Another Day", "Space Dye Vest", "Hollow Years"... "I Walk Beside You" and "The Answer Lies Within" fit right into this category.

I don't like any of those except "Space-Dye Vest." :p

Silent Song said:
Ultimately, this leaves around 50 minutes on the disc that I find worth listening to, making it a "good" album, certainly miles ahead of Train of Thought, which was a blatant attempt to usurp Metallica.

I liked Train of Thought quite a bit, even though the band's influences jut out perhaps too much. Still, very enjoyable listen imo.

Silent Song said:
i'd give it a 6 or 7.

Seems pretty low score for an album you like. :confused: Either way, well thought-out remarks. :wave:
 
I'd give this album about a 3. Dream Theater are just so boring these days.
 
yes, this has been done by the band before and is quite boring. not bad, just bland. this is a band that needs to break up and do something totally different.

is is just me or "I walk Beside You" has some U2 vibe to it?
 
Agalloch said:
I'd give this album about a 3. Dream Theater are just so boring these days.

Hear hear...
Made a big name for themselves and now can release a CD full of themselves reading jokes, knowing it would sell well and that there would always be some fans who would find a justification for such a move...
The last album that had "the" magic of Dream Theater was Metropolis pt.2 IMO.
 
ehhh....I can't even get into DT anymore. I used to be a HUGE fan and recieved heaping servings of abuse from my friends because of it - so don't think I'm getting on the bandwagon here. They were awesome back in the Awake days but since then....well, i dunno what they've been trying to do. Scenes From a Memory was amazing but it seems like an anomoly to me - like it was an accident that it turned out so good. Everything else has been mediocre phony-prog. I'm still impressed but JP's handiwork but that's if I can stop yawning from having heard the same thing from him for the past five or six years.
Whatever. I'm sure they're happy.
 
Another mediocre album by the "prog kings". I'm sorry, but I believe that DT have really lost their touch after Metropolis part II...

I would never trade Fates Warning's X for Falling into Infinity, Train of Thoughts, and definitely not Octavarium. I am still awaiting for them to create their chef d'oeuvre like FW did with A Pleasant Shade of Gray. Sadly enough, Images and Words lies so deeply into the past, they don't even remember how to copy it...

Really, really disappointed.