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Expressiveness and intensity in every note.

 

A band able to change and to write the story of music, but after the not very inspired "Train of Thought" , this new album was a very important test for them! This time Dream Theater don't disappoint us and  show  very good ideas, in which the unquestionable technique of these musicians is well mixed with  great arrangements and amazing melodic solutions.
Attention...the album is not the top if it is compared to "Images and Words" , but I can surely affirm that the new Dream Theater production has found that inspiration that seemed lost after the previous album.
The band leaves apart those typical  aggressive thrash parts shown in the previous cd, to give emphasis by melodic visions perfectly arranged with delicate sufferance and the music seems to read in the musicians' soul that thanks to their ability are able to create jewels of emotional music....But the begin of this album is to forget!!!!!
"The Root of all Evil" is pure power-progressive in which the band creates a not inspired refrain that anyway gets only a good melodic part. A classic heavy-alternative metal riff...and the album is opened very bad!!!!A song that seems to remember the worst of "Train of thoughts"....
Fortunately "The Answer lies within" changes all!!! A delicate ballad full of passion in which LaBrie shows the best of his voice thanks to the delicate piano arrangement that is mixed to acoustic guitar and a soft atmosphere . The song can remind the acoustic style shown in "Scenes from a Memory" and I notice a mature approach that leaves apart solos to give importance to the atmosphere. I underline the great keyboard arrangement.
"These Walls" is pure experimental metal!!!!A dark atmosphere full of progressive and melodic ideas are perfectly mixed to the never questionable capability of these musicians!!! Petrucci is able to open your heart by few notes and LaBrie is perfect!
Pure a.o.r - prog in "I walk beside you"! A brilliant song in which the band creates a great refrain that is able to involve you thanks to the groove!!!! Dream Theater shows that are a great band, able to play with a great technique but they never abandon the melodic inspiration to create awesome songs!!!
It's still experimental prog-power metal the follow "Panic Attack" !!!   Very elaborated parts full of technique in which Mike Portnoy and Myung leads the rhymin' in a very amazing way full of intense and technical parts!!!! There's not a great melodic approach in this song but the band is able to amaze me also thanks to the hidden influences that seems to give originality to these songs...
What I say is confirmed in "Never enough" that mixes classic Dream Theater style with The Muse!!!!!!!!!! A very amazing and original song, that involves from the first to the last note. A decaying power-metal song full of sadness and powerful , very elaborated under rhythmic aspect, and arranged in a a perfect way!
It's still sadness in "Sacrificed Sons" that still remind me of "Scenes from a Memory". The song is characterized by those typical instrumental technicality in which the band is ready to amaze in all lives show!!!
Every song of this album is the result of different emotions, D.T. don't follow a particular style, and in this album you can find the soft and suffered ballad like "The Answer lies within" the involving  easy-listening refrain of "I walk beside you", the amazing "Never enough", original and emotional, and there's still the title-track, "Octavarium" ,  that  is a long travel of 24 minutes!!!!!! The song seems to describe an intense state of mind by a suffered composition in which a long intro Pink Floyd style brings us to dream into a soft and suffered atmosphere. The song gets never banal  progressive and melodic solutions .There's an intense and hypnotic part in which Petrucci & C. show what are able to do!!!!!! A great technique! There's expressiveness and intensity in every note! A  composition  worthy of a great soundtrack....the soundtrack of the soul in which emotions are the essence of the genius of this band.

Dream Theater are back!!!!