I would go as far as saying that not having a guitar solo was Petrucci's idea. Portnoy starts recycling drum fills on ToT.
I like Octavarium a lot. I like that they followed up an incredibly heavy album with something a little more melodic and (gasp) commercial sounding. It's not as good as the previous three, but it's still very enjoyable. I appreciate that it's different. The songs on here are among the band's most simple, yet they share the same disc as the immense title track. Despite being really straightforward for the most part, the band still experiments with odd time signatures, alternate tunings, and Portnoy plays some really complicated beats which give the simpler songs some extra excitement. There's very little soloing or crazy instrumental sections, even the title track only has one major instrumental section. The band are focused primarily on songwriting and proving that they aren't just another by the numbers technical metal band.
I also really love the concept. The "nuggets' are really subtly done to the point that I find myself still discovering new things about it today. The idea of structuring the album like a chromatic scale was really cool and they executed it perfectly. Sonically there's a lot of atmosphere involved with the album, with all the ambient sounds but also the way the songs were actually produced. The music feels really "open" in a way that ToT and Systematic Chaos don't. The music really breathes on this album.
This is the end of DT's golden age for me. They've had good albums since then, but as far as I'm concerned, the run from I&W to Octavarium is their finest work and for the most part hasn't been topped. DT12 comes close though. I'm not sure if it's better than Octavarium, I'll get back to that when I listen to it again.
Since the songs are all pretty straight forward, there isn't a lot to say, so this will be pretty brief:
Root of All Evil - Awesome song, better than This Dying Soul but seriously out of place in context of the 12 Step Suite. But as a song it's really cool. I like the chorus and the This Dying Soul reprise is awesome. The drums are super over compressed but something about that works for this song. I also think JLB gives a solid performance.
Here's something nerdy: The first two songs in the 12 Step Suite are primarily in B minor, The Root of All Evil is in F Minor, which is the tritone of B, or the famous Devil's Interval. F diminished is also the chord that TDS ends on, so it's cool how they managed to connect TROE to the rest of the suite by giving it a much needed key change and also managing to make it fit with the album.
The Answer Lies Within - Another great ballad. Just a pleasant song to listen to. I really like the Octavarium reference before the bridge. Good song.
These Walls - A song that really manages to combine heaviness with the sense of melody on the album. Really dark but uplifting at the same time. I like it but I have to vote for something and this is only my 6th favorite.
I Walk Beside You - Awesome song. One of my favorites. The band showing restraint by not having an instrumental section or solos in this song really helps it. The bridge going into the key change is an awesome moment.
Panic Attack - Heavy but in a different way than ToT. They really captured the sense of urgency and despair associated with a panic attack in the music for this song. The 5/8 time signature gives it a really "rushed" feeling. You can ignore the lyrics and still get it. I was initially surprised that JP wrote the lyrics to this one. It seems much more like an MP song to me (think Constant Motion) and MP's vocals are pretty prevalent in it. The instrumental section is nuts. It has that thing I like where MP changes the accents around to give the feel of a different time sig on the same riff. Also an homage to Maiden toward the end. Good song, although it is among the weaker songs and will be getting a vote.
Never Enough - The weakest song on the album. First of all, the elephant in the room: I think MP often gets more criticism than he deserves (though he also often brings a lot of it on himself) so I frequently try to defend him and typically I'm fine with his lyrics. I can't defend him on this one though. I think writing songs bitching about a group of fans is in bad taste. Yea sometimes fans act entitled and ungrateful (we see that constantly on this forum), but frankly that's not the artist's call. MP sounds whiny and like a spoiled brat in this song. In retrospect, the "what would you say if I walked away" bit is ironic, considering he did walk away and the band is doing just fine without him.
But that's the lyrics and I can usually disconnect myself from them easily. Musically the song isn't bad, but a bit generic. I like the rhythm being played under the vocals in the first verse It has one of the few technical sections on the album, which is pretty Muse-y. The part after the guitar/key duel at around 4:45 reminds me of the Raimi Spiderman soundtrack. The whole thing is a bit of a precursor to Prophets of War, which I actually don't hate. At least I don't remember hating it. We'll see what happens.
This gets a vote.
Sacrificed Sons - I actually used to dislike this song a bit. I thought the instrumental section was horribly out of place and contributed nothing to the song. Then one day it finally clicked with me. The lyrics muddle up the narrative a bit, but the instrumental section is actually depicting the attack itself. It's out of place, it takes you by surprise, it's chaotic. It works. I wouldn't describe it as "wanking". Especially considering it's hardly technical. Especially on JP's side, his solo is mostly just making noise. They're setting a mood and telling the story with the music, in a way that's more effective than the actual lyrics (which are still good). My favorite part is when it finally goes into that awesome guitar melody with orchestra. The riffs are also really cool. I'd be interested to know how this song was written, considering they jam first and the lyrics are more of an afterthought. I wonder if there was more collaboration with JLB on this song. It's a very atmospheric tune and a classy tribute to 9/11 (from native New Yorkers with lyrics by a Canadian). The lyrics, like most of what JLB does, are thoughtful and I think it was good that they waited a few years before doing something like this, instead of coming up with some knee jerk reactionary song (I'm looking at you Iced Earth).
Octavarium - Now we get to the good stuff. This is my favorite DT song and possibly my favorite song of all time. Everything about it is perfection and has pretty much all the qualities I look for in a good song. It's the only DT epic that truly feels like a journey, while also being undoubtedly a single entity. I even love the ambient stuff at the beginning, but I'm a sucker for ambience anyway. It's an obvious homage to Floyd, but they DTified it very well. As soon as the song gets going with the main theme, it's nonstop awesomeness. I also like that this song takes a bit of a time to get going. It really builds up and the finale is really satisfying as a result. This is something DT never did with their previous epics and they never did again. The 24 minutes fly by I also like how unified everything feels. There's no "Solitary Shell" moment where the song stops feeling like a single piece and starts to feel more like a medley.
I don't usually do this, but I'm going to talk about the individual parts a bit:
Someone Like Him: From the flute solo to the twelve string guitars, this is one of the few DT moments that's taken from the Genesis playbook. It does a great job at setting the mood for the rest of the song. I also really like Myung's bass sound on the whole song. He doesn't do anything flashy but he has a nice tone and gives everything a nice foundation.
Medicate: Awesome bass intro and one of my favorite Portnoy beats. It's a good example of what I was talking about earlier, throwing a cool complicated groove underneath a simple tune to give it a bit more excitement. Not that it needs more excitement. It's a great vocal melody. The chorus is one of my favorites in the DT catalog.
Full Circle: This part starts with an authentic mini moog solo from JR, one of his finest moments. Awesome solo. The lyrics don't make any sense, but I don't care. The references are cool and I discovered Spock's Beard because of it. There's a sense of urgency to this part that I just love. The real treasure in this part is, of course, the instrumental section. Possibly my favorite DT instrumental section. It's incredibly written. It has a main theme, a structure, it's not just mindlessly stitched together. You can tell there was a thought put into it. The 4/4 to 7/8 (Zeppelin homage) drum beat is another one of my favorite Portnoy beats and the unison there is insane. Every time the song gets to this section I'm at the edge of my seat the entire time.
Intervals: They previously attempted something like this on A Change Of Seasons but I think it's more effective on here. The buildup is intense and gives me chills. The samples are a really cool touch and I like how it brings the whole album together. JLB nails the end (he also hits his highest note).
Razor's Edge: A fitting end that doesn't feel forced. There's no other proper way to end such an immense song. Every epic they've done since then is really just trying to rewrite this part, but they'll never top the original. It's huge and, once again, gives me chills every time. Great solo from Petrucci, complemented by the orchestra. Love the french horns at the end.
Actually haven't listened to that song in a long time. Was giving it (and DT as a whole) a break until now. It's still the best.
A perfect cap to DT's golden age.
Ranking:
Octavarium
I Walk Beside You
The Root of All Evil
The Answer Lies Within
Sacrificed Sons
These Walls
Panic Attack
Never Enough
