TRAIN OF THOUGHT

This is the most controversial of all albums on ProgArchives. The breakdown of ratings for this album reveal a strong initial positive reaction - labeled 'fanboy' by critics - followed by an equally unwarranted slew of one-star ratings by those determined to shift it out of ProgArchives' top 10. So take the overall rating for this album with a grain of salt.

In my opnion this is an essential album for those interested in progressive metal. Here DREAM THEATER are bursting at the seams with ideas. Yes, some of them are other people's ideas. Of course, no one else in the history of creative pursuits has ever adapted someone else's work and placed it in a new context. LED ZEPPELIN did it, the ROLLING STONES did it, most everyone does it- it's just that DREAM THEATER, with their slavish respect for other musicians, have been a little more obvious. So be it. I can cope with it.

However much I personally enjoy the record - it was on high rotation for me for a year - I cannot in good conscience claim it as a masterpiece. Like so many of DREAM THEATER'S efforts, it is flawed, in this case by solo overload. The first track, the excellent 'As I Am', is a case in point: Petrucci's solo is breathtakingly fast, but only enjoyable when he settles back and lets his notes breathe. But, despite the flaws, there are enough outstanding moments to let them pass. 'Endless Sacrifice', 'Vacant/Stream of Consciousness' and 'In The Name Of God' are all classics of the genre, in my opinion. The others, apart from the average and laboured 'Honour Thy Father', are also excellent tracks.

Don't let the debate about the merits of DREAM THEATER or of this album put you off giving it a listen.