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Dream Theater - Octavarium
James LaBrie - Vocals
John Petrucci - Guitars
Mike Portnoy - Drums and Percussion
John Myung - Bass
Jordan Rudess - Piano/keyboards
This is 8th studio album by Dream Theater released on June 7th 2005. I feel that this album is noticeably more toned down than Train of Thought, less heavy metal riffs and insane solos, and more emotion. John Petrucci seems to have cut down on the emotionless solos. However, Petrucci and Portnoy still dominate. Rudess (luckily) has several moments on this album but Myung, sadly, still seems overshadowed by his other band members. LaBrie's vocals complete the band. I had high expectations in this album, and though it wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be, I wasn't let down'd. Those who have only heard Train of Thought, however, might be a little disappointed.
1. The Root of All Evil [8:39] - Starts off the ominous piano and some effects. Fantastic buildup in the intro. Runs the theme from The Glass Prison and This Dying Soul. Nice, heavy riffs by Petrucci, Portnoy sounds good as well. It struck me after listening to this song a few times that the usage of drums was pretty standard, mostly bass, snare and cymbals. Some lyrics of the song taken from This Dying Soul. The instrumental part of this song is pretty good, the usual shredding by Petrucci. 4/5
2. The Answer Lies Within [5:19] - Way different feel from The Root of Evil. Nice, slow melody on piano carrying the song all the way, some strings and Petrucci does acoustic strumming in this song. Standard bass snare bass bass snare rhythm by Portnoy, suits the song. It's a pretty song, but it's my least favourite. 3.5/5
3. These Walls [7:36] - Okay, the first thought that occurred to me while listening to this song was the uncanny similarity to Linkin Park's From The Inside, especially the drums and guitar. Drums sound good in this song. There's nothing very impressive about guitars, Petrucci seems like he's toned down a notch on the shredding. The solos were okay, nice and slow. Ends with a heartbeat-like thudding. 4/5
4. I Walk Beside You [4:29] - Starts off by palm muted guitars with clicks (which reminds me of SFAM), and then joined by drums. This song's about friendship, I really like the lyrics. It's a pretty catchy song, radio friendly and I think it'd appeal most to those who aren't used to the heaviness of Dream Theater. Palm muted notes mostly all the way by Petrucci in this song (doesn't he get tired of doing that?), Myung sounds at least a bit more audible. LaBrie's range sounds pretty good in this song. A beautiful song. 4.5/5
5. Panic Attack [8:13] - Change of mood once again. Starts off with a kickass bass intro by Myung, lasting for about 7 seconds before joined by heavy riffs and drums. Fantastic buildup, and the feel's carried for the rest of the song. This song is about, not surprisingly, a panic attack experienced by a body. The short breaks in this song reminds me of 'In The Name of God'. Vocals are pretty decent. This song gives you the feeling that you're actually experiencing it yourself. Portnoy sounds good. Rudess puts in some nice touches in this song, some piano, some keyboard effects. Instrumental breakdown begins at 4:30, nothing short of excellent. Petrucci's soloing is fucking awesome. Vocals join around 6:13 again, with some piano. It seems a little drowned out. Ends with some effects, and something a little extra. It's not random noises, but at one point I thought I heard a door opening (?) 5/5
6. Never Enough [5:34] - This is ultimately the heaviest song in this album. It was a :eek: moment for me after just recovering after Panic Attack. One hell of a heavy riff, but rather toned down drumming by Portnoy. The guitar solo isn't the usual wankering by Petrucci, no notes overload, and it sounds pretty good. Pretty much all LaBrie does is yelling on the higher side of his range, at times even seeming incomprehensible. This song is definitely Petrucci's and Portnoy's spotlight. At 3:46 it slows down, and a visible participation by Rudess on keyboard now. Petrucci plays a different riff towards the end (besides the rhythm). Song ends the same way as it starts, and fades out with strings. 4/5
7. Sacrificed Sons [10:43] - Starts off with whisperings (sounds Arabic), and quotes about terrorism. It stops abruptly, and begins with a lone piano, and later joined by everyone else. Very ominous sounding, talking about terrorism (9/11, I believe) and war. It's a very meaningful song, the attraction seems to be more towards the lyrics than the music. The music, of course, is nothing short of good as well. Grand-ish guitar and keyboard work. Ah, finally, something else that makes Myung stands out. He has a short bass solo with effects, which then ensues into quite an impressive instrumental breakdown. Nice solos by Rudess and Petrucci. Relatively heavy song, but not as heavy as Never Enough. 4/5
8. Octavarium [23:59] - At first glance, the length of this song was shocking. The initial mood was very different from the rest of the songs on the album. Begins with some strings, nice ambience going on. Guitar joins in subtly, heavy on the delay. This goes on for awhile, just strings and delay'd guitar. Nice relaxing feel. After the long intro, the mood picks up slightly when drums join in. 4:21 has Petrucci switching to strumming acoustic. I was expecting something heavy, seems kinda anti-climatic but anyway. Vocals finally come in, with LaBrie sounding ominous. Bass and drums audible after awhile, and the song picks up with the usual bass snare bass bass snare by Portnoy (I wonder if he realizes he's doing that all the time?). Around 8:40-ish the mood changes. It's a bit more upbeat with Myung having his moment with just Portnoy accompanying him, joined a bit too quickly by Rudess and Petrucci. Goes on for a while, and then yet another drastic change with Rudess and his keys at 12:20. Awesome solo by him, with everyone else equally as good in accompaniment. 13:50 the feel shifts, with Petrucci and Rudess leading the way. LaBrie resumes singing. Another yet awesome solo by Rudess, joined in by Petrucci with his own. Myung is quite meh, following in Petrucci's trails. Another kickass breakdown ensues. Sudden signature changes, hell yeah. LaBrie comes in, just speaking. He does resume singing, sounding quite sinister. Then the initial guitar melody from the beginning of the song comes in. :confused: Pretty damn random. And wtf LaBrie is screaming. Not the most pleasant but bearable. Slows down with some strings, resumes some of the feel from earlier this song. Guitar solo, slow and awesome. Ends with the initial theme on strings, and a grand finish by Portnoy. Fades out with the flute-ish melody. Brilliant song. 5/5
All in all, I think this was an amazing album by an amazing band. It had its heavy moments, but there were some really nice, slower songs and there was a lot more emotion involved than ToT.
Rating: 4.5/5
ps don't be too harsh on me this is my first review.
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Really great effort for your fist review. Keep up the good work :thumb:
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It's a good album.
3.5/5
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good review I'll check it out
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Good review. I see this was snatched up before I got a crack at reviewing it. ;) Good album on first listen, less heavy, true, but very melodic and pleasent. If we could somehow marry Train of Thought with this album, that would be perfect.
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Albums grown on me, but only to a 4.
Some great parts on here but some areas feel really forced and un-Dream Theaterish.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks. I actually prefer this album to ToT, actually. ToT sounded more forced, like they were being heavy for the sake of being heavy (sense --?)
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
A lot of people are complaining about how similar they sound to Muse at times (on Never Enough especially). Sure, there's similarities, but it still sounds pretty good. Dream Theater's never really been so good at hiding their influences.
I really enjoy most of the album, even with a few stabs at making pop songs. The only track I really just can't stand though is "Sacrificed Sons". Musically, it would sound good if it didn't sound exactly like "The Great Debate" and "In the Name of God". Whereas those two songs actually had decent political lyrics, the lyrics on "Sacrificed Sons" are just terrible.
The title track is absolutely incredible though. Some people would call it very unoriginal, but I don't see it as stealing ideas from some of the prog greats, moreso just recognizing their influence.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Nice going for a first review, Nis.  It's just occured to me that I haven't posted about 8V on MX at all yet.
I had no idea what to expect beforehand, but I've really been digging it this week. The title track is incredible, and I like the more accessible route they've taken with this record. At the end of the day, if I want heaviness I don't turn to DT, and I think they do the slightly poppier stuff better.
That's not to say that they don't rock out here though. First time I heard The Root Of All Evil kick in, was a :eek: moment. (And did anyone think it was November Rain starting with that opening piano note?). These Walls is a great mix between heavy and catchy, and I adore I Walk Beside You - not at all a typical DT track, in fact it's deceptively basic, but the chorus is just so.... joyful.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
As for the downsides - well, I won't complain about lack of technicality because all I need to do is whip on ToT or something, but for the few standout parts Myung gets, only the Octavarium bassline is any good. Panic Attack's intro sounds messy to me, almost amateur-ish. And I'm not digging Sacrificed Sons due to the dire lyrics, and how it just feels so forced (like el doctor said, it was like they felt they had to fill out the record with a TGD/ITNOG style politi-song). Compare that to the title track, which has the band sounding absolutely inspired.
I think I'd give it 4.2/5. Oh, and the best moment on the whole record is the little acoustic riff in Octavarium at 17:51 - 17:55. I love it, but it's so frustratingly short.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Great cd. Panic Attack and Sacrificed Sons were my favorites. This wasn't the best effort as far as creativity from Portnoy. They really do need to let Myung show what he can do... he really is a great bassist.
Dream Theater are one of a kind, I'll be listening to this for a while.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
[quote="Distorted Youth"]Oh, and the best moment on the whole record is the little acoustic riff in Octavarium at 17:51 - 17:55. I love it, but it's so frustratingly short.[/quote]
I would've loved to have heard a short break into acoustic work. As you say, that one acoustic riff is just awesome, and it's something I'd like to see them extend in a live show.
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I'm a HUGE DT fan and I'm not that impressed with this album. But this might be an album I need to listen to a lot to get it under my skin. I almost feel like it WANTS to be like ToT but just can't quite make it. I really dig These Walls and Panic Attack and the opening of The Root of All Evil is bad ass as is the breakdown riff about 5 minutes in...
I give this album a 3.75/5
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i love this album, i just find a couple of the songs are a let down, but the root of all evil, these walls, panic attack and octavarium are great
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I actually thought that Panic Attack sounded heavier than Never Enough. But 'eh.
These Walls is definately my favorite song on the album, some great vocals and lyrics IMO, the instruments are good and the begining is pretty kick ass.
The Root of All Evil definately made up for This Dying Soul, which didn't even come close to touching The Glass Prison.
This album really does have more emotion, which I love. I was at an emotional time in my life, poifect.
And I agree, Myung doesn't get enough time to highlight his skills. One of the reasons I love The Glass Prison.
I love this album, the instruments are great, as usual, and LaBrie really put effort into singing. These songs had more meaning that ToT. I was afraid that this album would be like it, ToT wasn't exactly my favorite work of DT. Great review.This Message Edited On 07.12.05
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Good review.
I didn't like this to begin with, but it grew on me. I still rekon that they'll never do anything as good as Metropolis pt.2. Never Enough sound's too much like Muse's Hysteria, and the start of Octavarium sounds too much like Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Apart from that I think its tops. Heaps more thought in the song writing than on ToT, and less meaningless Petrucci solos. 4/5
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
This album seems like pop to me. The songs aren't complex at all, and on most songs the band comes off like U2 or Coldplay. The singing on "I Walk Beside You" just makes me want to put my head into a meat grinder. Still pretty decent, saved by the goodness of the title track.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
No, they're right.
Good review, although I would have liked to see a bit more general info at the top, but that's just me. Good job.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Train Of thought is better IMO. I like this album alot though. Good review.
| | | Album Rating: 3.0
only the title track is good of this album IMO
and the root of all evil isn't too bad either.
nothing special
good review though
| | | Album Rating: 2.5
Good review.
I find it only worthwhile to listen to Ocavarium and The Root of All Evil on this album. The other soings don't seem to do anything for me.
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