Dream Theater's 'Octavarium'

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2Hearts

2Hearts

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FYI, Dream Theater's new CD was released this week.

Discuss...
 
Flying FuManchu said:
I was watching a live performance DVD of Dream Theater at Best Buy and have to say the lead singer's voice annoys me but I will give them a try when I have the time. What would you suggest? I've heard rave reviews of Petrucci so I'm willing to listen.
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Start with their live cover of Red Hill Mining Town. I think it's pretty darn good.

http://s51.ysi.com/d.aspx?id=2U9DDFFSQ8D5K098BLX1IYIMR0
 
I'm not a big DT fan, even though I have most of their albums. Every now and then I crave their music, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for them. (On the other hand, I'm always in the mood for U2).

I can see how their sound (and vocals) could annoy people. I would suggest the album Images and Words, as it is a certified progressive rock/metal classic. It has alot of beauty to go along with the technical wizardry that DT is famous for. If you don't want a whole album, try to find some of the following songs:

- Surrounded
- Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper (verrry complex)
- Learning to Live (my fav)
- Lines in the Sand
- Voices
- In the Name of God
- Space Dye Vest (unique for DT)

I'm still forming my opinion of Octavarium. I already prefer it to Train of Thought though, b/c I'm not a big fan of 70 min shred fests.

I'm downloading the Red Hill Mining Town cover now, I haven't heard it.
 
One of my friends is a massive Dream Theater fan and he's sent me a good deal of stuff online, which converted me into a fan, but I never had the chance to buy any of their CDs until I was in the US for six weeks (I got back a week ago). While I was there, though, I took advantage of the extremely cheap prices and stocked up: I got six CDs along with the Live At Budokan DVD. Unfortunately, I didn't get Octavarium, but as this thread seems to have been used as a more general-purpose discussion, I'll write about the CDs I did buy.

So what do I think?

Awake is simply one of the best albums ever made. I played it for an entire day without stopping. 6:00 is a sensational album opener, and Space-Dye Vest is one of the best album closers I've ever heard. My other two particular favourites are The Silent Man and Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, but that said, the entire album is superb. I cannot pick a single weak spot.

And everyone should own a copy of Images And Words. Metropolis Part I: The Miracle And The Sleeper is the only non-U2 song in my top ten songs of all time. Besides that, Pull Me Under, Another Day, and Learning To Live are absolute classics. I'd pay the price of the CD just for Metropolis, though.

A Change Of Seasons is also worth the price of a CD alone. I never thought anyone could make a 23 minute long song that doesn't drag at a single point, but Dream Theater did it with this number. A masterpiece.

The other CDs, I haven't had a chance to play as much. Falling Into Infinity definitely seems to be the weakest just from a cursory listen, though I've heard live performances of Hollow Years and Trial Of Tears that are mindblowingly awesome. Train Of Thought has the first Dream Theater song I ever heard, This Dying Soul, and I also really enjoy As I Am, Endless Sacrifice, and In The Name Of God. The last one, I played a lot the day (well, it was night here) of the London bombings.

That leaves Scenes From A Memory as the final CD to mention, and ... goodness, that one really is incredible, isn't it? I need to sit down with the lyrics book and fully follow the story just to properly sort it out in my mind and understand it. I love music that makes you think.
 
I had one of those "Dream Theater roommates." This is a band that can really infect you. When I first listened to their stuff, I thought it was amazing, but on second listen I was instantly repulsed. It is not metal. It is not rock. It's not pop music either, it's Yngwie Malmsteen on Broadway.

Dream Theater are geniuses at what they do. People say they are weak songwriters, it's not true. Most technical idiots forget to write proper songs, DT writes em, most of their songs are short and well structured, and very melodic. None of the insane catchiness and show offy playing manages to make them better than a one chord punk song, though, and I'm not even the biggest fan of one chord punk.

I have to say Images & Words is one of the worst albums I know. They got slightly less hideous as the production got less '80s, but James LaBrie and Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci and the others are a reason never to value technical skill (or intelligence. or even passion.) over other more important things. I'm glad DT exist, they helped me realize what I did NOT want out of music.

And I will send them hate mail if they ever attempt to cover OK Computer. They seem to cover an entire album every once in awhile. They actually did The Joshua Tree? Hah. As if the vocals werent over the top enough.

(I do admit I get some masochistic pleasure out of hearing their stuff, but god, I hate them worse than any band that has ever existed. Purely for the music. Portnoy=nice seeming guy.)
 
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I dont know if they did. It would just be one more disturbing aspect of Dream Theater if it was true. I assume it must be true since usually that's the only time they cover other bands' songs. They did the side 2 suite of Abbey Road. It was... :huh:
 
2Hearts said:
FYI, Dream Theater's new CD was released this week.

Discuss...
Click to expand...

Octavarium to me sounds like Muse, U2 and Radiohead with a less shite Yngwie on guitar, Petrucci is a class act though but really they should try writing a perfect pop song for once, but DT will forever be DT even if your a fan, there's still a love hate relationship on the go.

Or just ignore me and buy all of the albums or download them as people like myself often have to do:|

Screw it Petrucci owns:wink:
 
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I can’t help but wonder, as to whether or not, I was slightly intoxicated when I first replied to this thread. :wink:
 
Bunbury said:
The only whole album they have cover is Metallica's Master of Puppets Live.
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Not quite correct. Sometimes, when Dream Theater plays two nights in a city, they really mix it up on the second night by covering an album that had a significant influence on the band. Mike Portnoy has said that they'll do five, and thus far, they've done four:

Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Deep Purple - Made In Japan
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (the official bootleg of this is just incredible)

I'm betting the fifth will be a Rush album.

(Earlier this year, in South America, they played one of their own albums on the second night in a city - Scenes From A Memory - to make up for not touring there on SFAM's tour.)
 
Axver said:


Not quite correct. Sometimes, when Dream Theater plays two nights in a city, they really mix it up on the second night by covering an album that had a significant influence on the band. Mike Portnoy has said that they'll do five, and thus far, they've done four:

Metallica - Master Of Puppets
Iron Maiden - The Number Of The Beast
Deep Purple - Made In Japan
Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon (the official bootleg of this is just incredible)

I'm betting the fifth will be a Rush album.

(Earlier this year, in South America, they played one of their own albums on the second night in a city - Scenes From A Memory - to make up for not touring there on SFAM's tour.)
Click to expand...


Do you have their u2 cover?
 
Bunbury said:
They haven't covered a whole U2 album. But they do a decent cover of Bad and Red Hill Mining Town.
Click to expand...

Oh, look at me, I'm so smart, my name is Bumberry, I have all the answers!!!
 
This last album is quiet a good album, but not a great album. They have done better things before this one here, the last 2 albums are frankly a line under compared to big pieces such as Metropolis, Scenes From A Memory (absolutely their ever best album) and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (especially the 2nd cd) I personnally like very much Falling Into Infinity, I must say it's one my favourite and many criticians haven't got this album, it came out after Awake (which is also a grandious album, but very different to FII because it is more stronger. Listen to The Mirror for example!)
Falling Into Infinity has great tunes, songs like Hell's Kitchen, Anna Lee, New Millennium, Trial Of Tears, Hollow Years, Take Away My Pain and Lines In The Sand, Peruvian Skies are simply incredible ones. It's definitely one of their best records despite of what some criticians say and said at the time when it came out. If you want ballads and everlasting melodies but also the usual virtuosims, this is the record you need to get into Dream Theater
 
babyman said:
This last album is quiet a good album, but not a great album. They have done better things before this one here, the last 2 albums are frankly a line under compared to big pieces such as Metropolis, Scenes From A Memory (absolutely their ever best album) and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (especially the 2nd cd)
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I'd have to disagree there. I've never gotten into Scenes From A Memory as much as some others have. It's a good album, but I would never consider it on the level of Images And Words, Awake, or even When Dream And Day Unite and the A Change Of Seasons EP. And as much as I absolutely love the second CD of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, the first CD has a few weak points that stop me from rating the whole album higher.

I think Octavarium is very good, probably on the level of SFAM and SDOIT. Definitely an improvement on TOT, though I think TOT deserves to be rated well too - songs like As I Am, Endless Sacrifice, Stream Of Consciousness, and the amazing In The Name Of God are excellent. Vacant and Honor Thy Father hold TOT back, in my opinion. I don't think Octavarium is held back by any notably bad songs, and it has a few really good ones. I particularly like I Walk Beside You.

I personnally like very much Falling Into Infinity, I must say it's one my favourite and many criticians haven't got this album, it came out after Awake (which is also a grandious album, but very different to FII because it is more stronger. Listen to The Mirror for example!)
Falling Into Infinity has great tunes, songs like Hell's Kitchen, Anna Lee, New Millennium, Trial Of Tears, Hollow Years, Take Away My Pain and Lines In The Sand, Peruvian Skies are simply incredible ones. It's definitely one of their best records despite of what some criticians say and said at the time when it came out. If you want ballads and everlasting melodies but also the usual virtuosims, this is the record you need to get into Dream Theater
Click to expand...

I started to enjoy Falling Into Infinity much more when I deleted You Not Me from my iTunes. That song is a crime against humanity, and if I ever have need to listen to the CD rather than iTunes, I will make sure I burn my own copy without You Not Me. I'll probably cut other boring songs like Anna Lee too and add amazing FII out-takes that should've made the album, like Speak To Me and Riase The Knife. FII is quite under-rated though; New Millennium, Peruvian Skies, Hell's Kitchen/Lines In The Sand, and Trial Of Tears are all classics. And Hollow Years live at Budokan is MINDBLOWING. Definitely one of Petrucci's best solos. It's hard to get better than that.
 
A present:

Dream Theater's cover of Bad: http://www.send space.com/file/gekb7z
(Pretty faithful to the album version, not that spectacular in my opinion. I think there's a big chunk of crowd noise at the end that I forgot to remove from the file, sorry.)

Dream Theater's cover of Red Hill Mining Town: http://www.send space.com/file/ygou21
(If I'm honest, I think this is better than U2's version. LaBrie's certainly a more accomplished singer than Bono anyway.)
 
Axver said:




I think Octavarium is very good, probably on the level of SFAM and SDOIT. Definitely an improvement on TOT, though I think TOT deserves to be rated well too - songs like As I Am, Endless Sacrifice, Stream Of Consciousness, and the amazing In The Name Of God are excellent. Vacant and Honor Thy Father hold TOT back, in my opinion. I don't think Octavarium is held back by any notably bad songs, and it has a few really good ones. I particularly like I Walk Beside You.
Click to expand...



Octavarium on the level of Scenes From A Memory? Definitely not, Axver, definitely not. Scenes From A Memory is a record of its own, unique, for what concerns the theme of the record and mostly the overall of the compositions. The last 2 records were good, but surely not as good as past pieces. They kinda got into a sort of Electro-trash influence which is pretty distant from their usual style, which has always had trash influences but now it seems they're getting more and more into samplings they have never used before. This kinda twists the old Dream Theater style. The songs they're doing now are good, I like them, but not much as their past songs. They're light years from the various Pull Me Under, Metropolis, Lie, Another Day, Erotomania, Fatal Tragedy or Home to mention just a few examples.
 
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