OCTAVARIUM

This is a somewhat underrated album. Octavarium was the first Dream Theater album I owned, although not my first exposure to them (that was Six Degrees). I still like this album very much even after listening to earlier Dream Theater Material.

Octavarium starts very strongly with "The Root of All Evil," another song in Mike Portney's "AA Saga." This is followed by "The Answer Lies Within," one of DT's softest songs. "These Walls" is a solid song on this album. The only song I don't care for too much is "I Walk Beside You," although it's not a terrible song. The next song on the album is "Panic Attack," a very good fast-paced and heavy song, possibly one of DT's heaviest. "Never Enough" is a song that doesn't sound like typical Dream Theater, but is still very good nonetheless. "Sacrificed Sons" is one of the better tracks of Octavarium, which is about the 9/11 attacks. Finally, the title track "Octavarium" is 24 minutes of amazing music. It's difficult to describe, as the sound of the music changes through the different stages of the song. It's one of DT's best songs!

Although Octavarium departs from the typical "Dream Theater" sound, it's still a very solid album. Keep an open mind with this album, and don't expect it to sound like any of their previous albums!