Dream Theater
Octavarium

THE REVIEW

A disappointment? Yes. From Dream Theater, one expects something entirely different. I don't expect a new "Images And Words"; indeed, I appreciate artists who want to reinvent themselves. This album feels very little like Dream Theater and very little like Progressive Metal. The solos and the keyboard are, but the characteristic rhythm changes of the genre are missing, the bass is (almost) essential, and LaBrie seems tired and worn out (contradiction, because on the new solo album "Elements Of Persuasion" he proves to be still in shape). That said, I won't describe the lineup (unchanged), praise them (that's been done enough and too much), and talk about every single technical detail. At first impact, it seems like a weaker "Train Of Thought", but after several listens, you notice the presence of new nuances and annoying electronic effects.

Coming to the content...
The artwork captures, making you think of an atmospheric album. Indeed it is, but it still remains repetitive and not very engaging. An indigestible 75 minutes composed of heavy and repetitive riffs, a 24-minute title track that seems to want to emulate "A Change Of Seasons" but quickly falls into oblivion, without leaving that desire to listen to it again, five excellent musicians who seem out of ideas, eight songs that say nothing that hasn't already been said (in the overall account, because there's also something good). The CD, downloading it, is priceless. Joking aside, this is what the album left me with. Bitter words, but blinders shouldn't be used when reviewing, especially your favorite band (Crappy St. Anger, take this 0 out of 5), and I'm finally learning that too.

After my analysis, I briefly take the songs one by one:
"The Root Of All Evil" is almost 9 minutes of boredom taken to extremes. "The Answer Lies Within" is a ballad that dances on a cold piano; it manages to move, especially due to the heartfelt and deep lyrics, the vocal interpretation (voice set differently from the rest of the album), and the charge of melancholy. "These Walls" is a pleasant song that travels between fast explosions and emphatic pauses. "I Walk Beside You" seems like a chart hit (it even reminds me of HIM, which I don't disdain, but from DT, I expect something else), catchy and pointless. "Panic Attack" is literally a masterpiece, the song that makes the album worth it. An intro (introduction is feminine!!!!) that seems taken from "Mezmerize" by System Of A Down but works perfectly, the guitar following multiple rhythms this time, a dense drum, and some keyboard scales that make this song epic. The solo is dizzying, containing one of the fastest scales ever heard. "Never Enough" is nice but fades behind what has just been heard. "Sacrificed Sons" in its length (10.43) manages to stand out with a more "progging" approach compared to the first part of the album. "Octavarium" is really too much. Especially when placed next to the others, this burden lowers the album's quality. Taken individually, it remains an interesting song (!) (let's be clear, not on the level of "A Change Of Seasons"), which, when listened to a few times, may be pleasant, but being even the title track, I cannot separate it from the rest for evaluation.

Neither praise nor blame. Sufficient. Thus concluding, it seems like an album like many others, yet there are great things (few), followed by some lapses of style.