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Full Review | User Ratings (452) |
| Summary: The kings of prog metal are back with another good but ultimately slightly disappointing album. |
1 of 1 thought this review was well written
Dream Theater are undoubtedly the kings of Progressive Metal, providing album after album of consistently good (or at least decent) material. It is because of this that when they come so close to making a classic to join their finest hour 'Images And Words' at the top of the prog tree it is infuriating. 'Octavarium' has so much potential and yet most of it is left unfilled.
The album gets off to a promising start with the continuation of Mike Portnoy's 'Alcoholics Anonymous Suite'. The Root Of All Evil is less distinguished than Portnoy's previous efforts in the same vein but it is still good enough to give the album a bit of a kick to get things started. It's such a shame that the band then provide the first hammer blow preventing this album getting to where it could have done. Dream Theater have always done ballads, or at least tried to, but few have ended up sounding quite so lame as The Answer Lies Within which, despite only lasting around five and a half minutes, seems to drag on for at least twice that. The only positive of this song is James LaBrie's vocals which are amongst the best I've heard from him since his vocal problems in the mid 90s. Fortunately my interest, and senses, are regained with the next track These Walls which, despite sounding a little like Linkin Park, passes by quite satisfyingly. It's Muse like intro also sounds great. The song ends with a rather dramatic heart beat sequence seguing into the next song I Walk Beside You. Now I don't have any evidence to back this up but I swear that this song was placed here just to irritate me. Just when I've recovered from the own goal the band had scored a couple of tracks ago they bring out another total failure, almost as if trying to persuade me to turn the record off. The only word I can think of to describe I Walk Beside You as is bland. It sounds horribly like U2 at their most gut wrenchingly average and it should really be the end of this albums chances.
The second half of the album however saves the record by containing three examples of Dream Theater at, if not the top of their game then somewhere nearly at the top. Panic Attack opens with one of Myung's finest bass lines and proceeds to dole out an aural panic attack to the listener with both Petrucci and Portnoy at their best. It's up there with most of previous album 'Train Of Thought' as Dream Theater at their heaviest. Penultimate track Sacrificed Sons is the, now seemingly standard, political song on the album. Opening with a confusing and rather disorientating mixture of arabic whisperings and 9/11 news bulletins it flashes by in a ridiculously quick ten minutes.
Before moving onto the closing masterpiece that is the title track, Never Enough better be mentioned. Sandwiched between Panic Attack and Sacrificed Sons it seems rather unimpressive but if listened to on its own it can be realised that it really isn't all that bad, despite what some people say. It's up there on heaviness and Portnoy really gets going as the song progresses.
As you undoubtedly know the last song on the album is Octavarium itself. The word 'song' doesn't really do it justice though. An epic concerto would be more appropriate. All the band members play their part with Myung's bass unusually audible and Rudess's continuum sounding like it's having far too much fun. James LaBrie also impresses with some soaring vocals and some surprisingly good screaming towards the end. The whole thing is slightly reminiscent of 1995's 'A Change Of Seasons' in it's twenty-four minute run time and journey through different movements. It all ends before you know it with Petrucci's guitar and Portnoy's drums being abandoned before a solemn flute returns from earlier in the song to provide a haunting coda.
Overall I think you know what I'm going to say about 'Octavarium'. I think perhaps I gave away a little too much in the opening paragraph and I think, well know, that I'm not the only one with this opinion. 'Octavarium' has some superb moments but when you've finished listening you cannot help but feel let down because you can't stop thinking about what might have been if Dream Theater had just abandoned or at least drastically refined two or three of the songs here. The phrase 'so near and yet so far' comes to mind.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | |
Panic Attack is a great song.
Digging: Grief - Come to Grief
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Dream Theater are undoubtedly the kings of Progressive Metal
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...No.
Otherwise good review.
Digging: Scald - Will Of The Gods Is Great Power
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Ha ha I was waiting for someone to say that 345
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Damnit, someone beat me to quoting that line.
Digging: United Nations - United Nations
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Nice review, and I mostly agree. Most of Octavarium starts off promising but then leaves it dull. Still I enjoy the Hell out of it whenever I put it on though.
Digging: Depeche Mode - Construction Time Again | | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
pretty good review man, keep it up.
Digging: Cynic - Traced In Air | | |
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Panic Attack opens with one of Myung's finest bass lines and proceeds to dole out an aural panic attack to the listener with both Petrucci and Portnoy at their best.
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I see what you did there
Digging: 65daysofstatic - One Time for All Time
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This is the way tbt's should be done. Well done! Dream Theater's worst album.
Digging: Enslaved - Vertebrae | | | Album Rating: 3
i basically agree with this review. quite a long, drawn out album with great songs interspersed with dull ones.
i feel the same about systematic chaos
Digging: Nevermore - Dreaming Neon Black | | | Album Rating: 4
The last song could have been shorter, I often don't even listen to it
Digging: Draconian - Turning Season Within | | | Album Rating: 3.5
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The last song could have been shorter, I often don't even listen to it
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Then, you fail.
This review doesn't give Sacrificed Sons the merit it deserves, it's the best song in the album after the title track. It gives me chills every time. But, still, it's a pretty good review.
Digging: Cynic - Traced In Air | | |
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