TRAIN OF THOUGHT

This album is an attemt to go onto Metallica territory and it's mostly complete bilge. DT are excellent musicians but don't write the sort of memorable riffs and songs that make Metallica so excellent. There's the usual barrage of shredding and heavy riffs but they are forgettable and this album is much heavier than most of their efforts, lacking the keyboard textures and runs that redeem many of their songs and make them listenable if not enjoyable. Images and Words and Octavarium are never going to make it into my top 50, but at least I can listen and enjoy occasionally. Not this. Labrie's vocals are dodgy at the best of times but he certainly ain't James Hetfield and when it comes to a more metal approach, he falls down badly. The best track, Stream of Consciouness is an instrumental and the other good bit is the instrumental section of Endless Sacrifice - enough said. Several tracks sound like rejects or ripoffs from Metallica or even (God forbid) Linkin Park. Petrucci as usual plays at warp factor 9, leaving out any soul or emotion; if only he'd listen to Latimer or Hackett and learn to communicate. So talented, so wasted. Overall, I can't give it 1* because there are just enough decent songs and enough good musicianship from the rhythm section to save it. But they should leave Metallica territory to Metallica and stick to a more prog approach. Their worst album by a mile. Just 2*. (And I'm NOT a DT hater - I'm just not deaf to their faults)