Artist: Dream Theater
Label: Elektra
Release Date: 11/11/03
|
|
Title: Train of Thought Artist: Dream Theater Label: Elektra Release Date: 11/11/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
3 | ||
|
5 | ||
|
5 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
I should have known something was horribly amiss when I saw the swine take flight. And while Hell has not actually frozen over, it is experiencing record low temperatures. All of this because of a single album, Dream Theater’s Train of Thought. The follow-up to the should-be-outlawed-for-crimes-against-humanity album Six Degrees of Inner Crapulence (or something like that), this album is a powerful little slab of progressive metal that (gasp!) actually seems to have a heart beating beneath its over-orchestrated musical masturbation. This album is actually pretty damn good, finding a line between music that can entertain as well as impress.
"One word review: WHAAA!?!" The main reason for this revelation is the songwriting, always the weakest aspect to this band, which has improved tenfold, all the while maintaining the technical proficiency that their legions of geeks (oops, I mean fans) find so exciting. The precedent set by their last few releases of opening the album with the strongest track only to devolve into a quagmire of crap could easily have been repeated here. “As I Am” is the lead track that I’m sure every single Dream Theater fan has already heard many-a-time. It is a strong song with impressive, almost oppressive riffs that have grit and balls and a genuine hook. Shocking, I know, but the real surprise is that it’s not the only one. Almost all of the songs bring something to the table, especially “Endless Sacrifice”, “The Dying Soul” and “Honor Thy Father”, and for the first time, I find myself not only not despising a Dream Theater record, but actually liking it. I almost find it hard to believe that the same songwriters that put out all of their previous sonic wanking are involved, perhaps they’re actually doppelgangers, but whatever the reason this has come to pass, it has worked.
"This album is actually pretty damn good, finding a line between music that can entertain as well as impress." Now, I’m not going crazy, this is far from a perfect album. It would be far more effective if was around 50 minutes long rather than 70, as many of the jams/solos drift a little too long, running out of ideas long before they run out of playing time. The ballad “Vacant” is tepid and wan (lucky for us it’s rather brief as well), but is the only true liability on the record. Even lead singer Labrie’s usual nasal and annoying delivery is more palatable here. It seems he’s going for a James Hetfield-type sound in many parts (indeed, many aspects of this album, from production to songwriting, seem heavily influenced by Master of Puppets), but he also hits an almost Alice in Chains (see “As I Am”) style drone that suits his whiny voice quite well. The only place he truly drops the ball is on a few distorted ‘raps’ (see “Honor Thy Father”) which are just laughable. But these criticisms don’t really take much away from the rest of the record, which is really strong.
In conclusion, don’t sign me up for the Dream Theater fan club quite yet (I don’t think my hair’s quite poofy enough anyway), but I’ll be the first to admit that not only is this a must have for even the casual DT fan, it also has the ability to sway even the hopelessly jaded, like myself. I fear that the world is ending. One word review: WHAAA!?!
Death's Review:
This might be a bit of a polarizing release within the Dream Theater camp. I’ll get to that in a minute. For now, let me start by telling you that I absolutely love this album. Dream Theater has latched on to what seems to be a current trend (see, e.g., Metallica’s St. Anger release) and gone darker and heavier. Now when I say “heavier,” death metal fans, you have to put that in perspective – I’m talking heavier like Awake as opposed to Falling Into Infinity or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, not black or death metal. But everything about this record shows us a rawer, darker, more focused, more stripped-down and streamlined Dream Theater. Frankly, a more “metal” Dream Theater. Which if you ask me, sounds awesome. The sound is a bit less “prog” and a bit more “metal.” Of course, once again, you have to keep this statement in perspective. Thus, the album sounds more like Fates Warning’s No Exit or Perfect Symmetry than it does Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. For those of you who liked this year’s John Arch EP, A Twist of Fate, or for those who liked stuff like Queensryche’s Rage For Order or the two Engine albums, this will be right up your alley. Focused, catchy songs played within a prog/power metal construct. The lyrics are straightforward and realistic, and the riffs pack a punch. All in all, it seems that this time, instead of running screaming from the success the “Pull Me Under” single had years ago, Dream Theater has embraced that side of the band, and has come up with a great album in the process.
"The sound is a bit less 'prog' and a bit more 'metal.'" Of course, I recognize that I am not like all fans. In fact, I often find my taste to be part of a narrow niche. Dream Theater has long had a broader fanbase than just fans of well-played, headbanging metal with a high-pitched vocalist. In fact, Dream Theater has probably been able to remain with their major label (Elektra Records, also home to Metallica and Pantera) all of these years because of the ability to expand the audience-base. They are and have been the 21st-century successors to the Rush/Genesis/Yes prog-rock crown. And just like bands like Rush and Yes got softer and kinda cheesed-out over the years, Dream Theater has pretty much done that too. With Six Degrees, there was one kick-ass song, “The Glass Prison,” but the rest was pretty much long-winded sappiness. Still, the band got a full-page review in Entertainment Weekly and an outdoor ampitheater tour with Joe Satriani and King’s X, so it was clear that they still were perceived as having some commercial clout. Trust me, all of those fans are not metalheads. Some of them probably even like Genesis with Phil Collins singing and are psyched for the new Rush studio album (I admit I do like Rush but they lost me years ago). Those fans will be bummed at Train of Thought’s “metalness.” Here we have a darker and heavier album, with more crunch and headbanging than pianos and ballads. Even the album cover is black and white, while the last album was white and earth-toned.
The crazy prog fans might be bummed too. Sure, there is serious musicianship on display here. Petrucci in particular stands out – there are some amazing ripping guitar leads. But the real underground pro geeks, those who make the pilgrimage to the Atlanta Prog Power fest, whose favorite Metal Blade bands are Symphony X and Spock’s Beard and who buy everything Inside Out Records releases, they might be disappointed. The songs are somewhat simplified. They are all still really long (7 minutes plus), but because of the tight songwriting and lack of useless masturbatory passages, they don’t feel that long. In fact, they pretty much feel just right, length-wise. But the musicians out there who just want to hear Dream Theater perform feats of musical dexterity like some circus seal might wonder what happened. Me, I’m satisfied with a good riff and a bit of crunch. That said, I must remind you again to take this review in context. We’re talking Dream Theater here, and a dumbed-down Dream Theater riff is still infinitely more complex than 98% of the music out there today. So keep it in perspective.
"In the end, I think this album is fantastic." The bottom line is that if Awake is your favorite Dream Theater album, or if “The Glass Prison” is your favorite song from Six Degrees, or if you still love hearing them play “Pull Me Under” live, then you – like me – are going to be psyched for this record. I love the opening single “As I Am”. Lyrically, it reminds me of Queensryche’s opener from Promised Land, “I Am I.” It is hard to call this radio-friendly, but if there is anything that could garner airplay on this album, this is it. Great riffs (love the opening Sabbath-doom riff with the Zakk Wylde-type guitar tone), great empowering lyrics, and overall a great tune. This segues right into the totally metal, double-bass attack called “This Dying Soul”. “Endless Sacrifice” reminds me of Engine on the chorus, but it really packs a punch and features great leads. I also really like “Honor Thy Father” another totally heavy and aggressive track with some bitter, spiteful family-strife inspired lyrics that LaBrie really delivers well. In fact, it is not until track 5, “Vacant,” that we get anything even remotely resembling a ballad (and remember that on a Dream Theater album, track 5 comes like 30 or 40 minutes in), and it is still dark with cellos, etc. I also really like the last two tracks, “Stream of Consciousness” and “In the Name of God.” In the end, I think this album is fantastic. Hopefully, enough of you do to, so that we can keep the band headed in this direction.
Hel's Review:
I’ve been a Dream Theater fan for a very long time. Their last album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence disappointed me because too much of it was so mellow. This time around, we have just one disc and it is primarily filled with what may be the heaviest material they have produced in quite some time. I’m relieved, because I don’t think I could have handled another disc 2.
"This may be the best album they’ve come out with in years." Longtime fans will find the awesome levels of technical musicianship completely intact and the songwriting filled with the self-reflexive riffs and lyrics we all enjoy. Yes, there are the occasion mellow sections, and there is a sappy, fully orchestrated ballad, but thankfully there’s just one, and it’s fairly brief (by Dream Theater standards), and the other parts are sections in longer, overall heavier songs. The rest of the album consists of a variety of heavy guitar and slammin’ bass, alongside the quality vocals and keys you expect, and the highlight of every Dream Theater album, phenomenal drumming.
This may be the best album they’ve come out with in years. I’m still deciding where in the grand scheme I think it lies. What I can tell you is that they have gone in a heavier direction instead for a change, and I hope they continue down this path in the future. This is the style of Dream Theater I prefer, and while I know not all of their fans will be onboard, fans of their older, heavier albums, like me, will be stoked.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.