Tuesday, August 02, 2005

CD of the Month (August): Octavarium by Dream Theater


Dream Theater's one of those bands that you never know what you're going to get. So, needless to say, I was very surprised when I heard this disc. I feel it's easily one of their best, good enough to be this month's pick. The album starts off with a rocking tune (Root of All Evil) in classic DT style, then slows down a bit with Answer Lies Within. I was taken back by that song, it wasn't what I'm used to with DT but it is a great track in itself. They have an homage to 9/11 on the disc called Sacrificed Sons that is very moving and the intro itself is hard to get through. The title track is an epic of an opus clocking in at 24 minutes but the styles used in the song evokes memories of Rush, Kansas and Yes to name a few. Only eight songs on the disc but each is a journey of it's own and you'll find yourself listening to it constantly. Beautifully produced and masterfully orchestrated, this is one hell of a good album. It gets ***** out of *****.

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