Prog rockers Dream Theater tallied 19 years as a band with the release of Octavarium, but in listening you're apt to suspect otherwise.
As a collective they remain as tight as they were on 2003's obsessively dark Train of Thought (like all music-school outfits, they've exacted an all-for-one formula that doesn't allow a single player more than his share of swagger), but a post-hardcore edge -- call it a leap into 2005 -- has invaded their pledge of allegiance to theatrical heavy rock.
Hear it on "I Walk Beside You" and "The Answer Lies Within," both of which, at under five minutes, play like charming haikus from a band known for its epic poetry, and also on the orchestra-backed 20-plus-minute final cut, which skips around from Pink Floyd to Rush to Black Sabbath influences, stopping off every so often at a place fans of My Chemical Romance might find familiar.
As with all the band's discs, guitars loom large and both doom and redemption seem no further than the next twisted verse.
What's changed is Dream Theater's commitment to carrying on their reputation as underground progressive rock's classicists, and it seems well-timed.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Root of All EvilMike Portnoy, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 08:25 | 19 MB | 57 MB |
| 2 | The Answer Lies WithinJohn Petrucci, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 05:33 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 3 | These WallsJohn Petrucci, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 07:36 | 17 MB | 52 MB |
| 4 | I Walk Beside YouJohn Petrucci, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | Panic AttackJohn Petrucci, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 08:13 | 18 MB | 59 MB |
| 6 | Never EnoughMike Portnoy, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 06:46 | 15 MB | 49 MB |
| 7 | Sacrificed SonsJames LaBrie, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 10:43 | 24 MB | 74 MB |
| 8 | OctavariumJames LaBrie, John Petrucci, Dream Theater | Dream Theater | Play | 24:00 | 54 MB | 158 MB |
| 75 mins | 173 MB | |||||
| 75 mins | 520 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Anderer | French Horn |
| 2 | Bert Baldwin | Studio Assistant |
| 3 | Elena Barere | Concert Master, Violin |
| 4 | Michael Brauer | Mixing |
| 5 | Colleen Culhane | Assistant Engineer |
| 6 | Jill Dell'Abate | Orchestra Contractor |
| 7 | Dream Theater | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 8 | Karen Dreyfus | Viola |
| 9 | Katherine Fong | Violin |
| 10 | Keith Gary | Assistant, Digital Editing |
| 11 | Robert Gold | Art Producer |
| 12 | William Paden Hensley | Assistant |
| 13 | Kaori Kinoshita | Assistant Engineer |
| 14 | James LaBrie | Composer, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 15 | Colin Lane | Photography |
| 16 | Jeanne LeBlanc | Celli |
| 17 | Anne Lehmann | Violin |
| 18 | Vince Lionti | Viola |
| 19 | Richard Locker | Celli, Cello |
| 20 | George Marino | Mastering |
| 21 | Laura McGinnis | Violin |
| 22 | John Myung | Bass, Bass Instrument, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 23 | Doug Oberkircher | Engineer |
| 24 | John Petrucci | Audio Production, Composer, Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist, Producer, Vocals |
| 25 | Mike Portnoy | Audio Production, Composer, Concept, Drums, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Producer, Vocals |
| 26 | Catherine Ro | Violin |
| 27 | Stewart Rose | French Horn |
| 28 | Jordan Rudess | Keyboards, Lap Steel Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist |
| 29 | Jamshied Sharifi | Conductor, String Arrangements |
| 30 | Ryan Simms | Assistant Engineer |
| 31 | Pamela Sklar | Flute |
| 32 | Frank Solomon | Management |
| 33 | Katherine LiVolsi Stern | Violin |
| 34 | Hugh Syme | Art Direction, Concept, Design, Illustrations |
| 35 | Yuri Vodovoz | Violin |
| 36 | Carol Webb | Violin |
Dream Theater
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |