Reviewed by Death (7/20/05):
New Dream Theater albums have generally been Judgment Committee material. From the infamous Zero-skull review Abyss gave to Metropolis Part II: Scenes From a Memory back in October of 1999 through my vote for 2003's Train of Thought as the album of the year that year, from our coverage of a variety of live tours and special events through the years, Metal Judgment and Dream Theater have come a long way together. This time, however, the assignment of reviewing the new Dream Theater album falls to me and me alone. It's probably a good thing, 'cause we finally got Abyss to come on board for the very dark, heavy, crunchy and very "metal" Train of Thought record, and while Octavarium is a good album, retaining many of the inevitably shredding and often heavy elements of the classic Dream Theater sound, it takes a step back from the darker, Metallica-influenced crunch of albums such as Train of Thought and Awake, and moves back toward the broader, hard rock direction heard on albums such as Falling Into Infinity or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. So for the strict prog-metal fan, this is not your favorite development.
Still, while there are a lot of mellow parts, there's still lots to love. Opener "Root of all Evil" and the cornucopia of shredding, whimsical and eclectic prog-metal that is "Panic Attack" are enough to salvage this album for long time fans of the heavier elements of the band's sound, the same way that "The Glass Prison" redeems Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. That, and the fact that Mike Portnoy has been seen jamming with Overkill and the band's plan to tour this summer with the likes of Megadeth, Nevermore and Symphony X is more than enough to retain Dream Theater's metal credibility. But add in the 10-minute "Sacrificed Sons" followed by the 24-minute epic adventure of a title track that closes Octavarium (the song covers a wide terrain, channeling equal parts Rush, thrash metal and classic Pink Floyd), both of which are sure to become long-term Dream Theater classics, and absolutely stands on its own two feet. Another milestone in the ever-increasing legacy of one of rock's great bands, and the godfathers of the prog-metal genre. I'm sure seeing the new material in the live setting will only increase my appreciation of this record.
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