Fenderek 09.06.2005 04:19 |
It's out, got it and it kicks some serious ass. It's soooo different than the last one (ToT), definitely more delicate and beautiful (The Answer Lies Within is just... oh what a song!!!), yet still bloody complex and... Is this the best band on earth right now or what??? :) The last thing- 24minute epic is just great. They have never went so prog before... And the "Never Enough" could be on Muse album. AWESOME!!!! |
willem-jan 8923 09.06.2005 04:54 |
I really look forward to it. I'm going to buy it this afternoon, and will give it a few spins in my car, before arriving at my holiday destination! I really do love DT. I listen way more to this band than to Queen to be honest. |
Fenderek 09.06.2005 05:25 |
willem-jan wrote: I listen way more to this band than to Queen to be honest.Here, here :) |
Bob The Shrek 09.06.2005 05:56 |
Got it last night - fantastic. I will probably have to listen to it a few more times and then decide that it's the best album they have ever done. |
Stephan 09.06.2005 12:11 |
There is a Queen-part on the title track of the album. Listen to "Octavarium" (the song) from 06:33 to 06:40. It's like the beginning of "Bohemian Rhapsody". BTW, "Octavarium" is vocally a masterpiece. There are some really exciting JLB parts: -the end of "Octavarium": "where we begaaaaaaan" -"As far as I could tell..." The Answer Lies Within is such a beautiful song! I was speachless when I listened to it for the first time. It's like the sun rising when LaBrie sings "shine"! |
Stephan 10.06.2005 05:06 |
It's a bit sad that a lot of the Queen fans seem to be a bit ignorant. Dream Theater is a great band. Give them a listen! |
Fenderek 10.06.2005 09:37 |
LaBrie sang someamazing stuff on this record. I think OCTAVARIUM (track) is absloutely perfect, better than Change of Seasons (heresy? I guess...) but there's so many great ones on this album- I love "Never Enough". And some stuff on "Sacrificed Sons" is just mindblowing. But yeah, "The Answer Lies Within" is just beautiful... |
Fenderek 10.06.2005 09:46 |
<font color=#FF399> Linda Of The Valley wrote: are they a metal band? :Pkinda but... this last one sounds more like Muse than Metallica, so I don't know... |
Fenderek 10.06.2005 10:03 |
Try Dream Theater than. :) |
Mr.Jingles 10.06.2005 11:01 |
Dream Theater sounds very instrumental. They combine 70s progressive rock with a taste of 80s heavy metal. Those who love listening to albums with 8 or 10 minute long epic songs will sure enjoy it. If you like bands like Genesis, Yes, Metallica, and the guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malsteem, you might probably like Dream Theater. |
The Real Wizard 11.06.2005 00:24 |
Octavarium... WOW! This is the first Dream Theater album that didn't require 4-5 listens to fall in love with it. I need to listen to it a few more times before I can give a decent review. All I can say right now is that I'm just completely amazed with DT yet again. They manage to have a completely different sound on each album. What an incredible band they are. Surely they're the best band today. Tonnes of Yes influence in the title track, btw, both guitar and keyboards! |
Stephan 11.06.2005 07:19 |
Try Octavarium, Images & Words or Scenes From A Memory. Train Of Thought might be a bit too heavy for the beginning. |
Daburcor? 11.06.2005 08:53 |
I've only heard the first track on it, But I have to say, I was QUITE impressed. I will be owning this one soon! And hopefully before "Gigantor". |
Stephan 11.06.2005 16:18 |
There is a lot more to discover on Octavarium. And you will find out that James LaBrie is the best singer of the post-Freddie-era. |
Fenderek 14.06.2005 08:58 |
WOW- 2 nights in London (Hammersmith), second part of the second one covering classic album in its entirety. I WANNA TICKETS. (not on sale yet). What album will they do? ANATO could be a nice surprise... ;) Nah, they're not gonna do it. Floyd? Metallica? Zeppelin? CAN'T WAIT!!! |
Mr.Jingles 14.06.2005 09:37 |
They should cover Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffitti. Although taking the length of the album, I doubt they will. Metallica's 'Ride The Lighting' would be an awesome choice as well. |
*goodco* 14.06.2005 13:32 |
I've given it three listens.....I thought 'Answer' a bit too soft and long, considering that it's the second track. The rest doesn't quite 'reach' me as disk 2 of 'Six Degrees' did, but it ain't weak. Love 'Panic Attack'. Can't wait for the title track 45 version to be released;-) B+ to A- Nothing 'Queenish' jumped out at me like a few moments during 'Metropolis 2' Looking forward to seeing them in Virginia real soon. Glad to have seen them three years ago, and that others on this NG made me give them a serious listen. j+III |
The Real Wizard 15.06.2005 00:43 |
Fenderek wrote: WOW- 2 nights in London (Hammersmith), second part of the second one covering classic album in its entirety. I WANNA TICKETS. (not on sale yet). What album will they do? ANATO could be a nice surprise... ;) Nah, they're not gonna do it. Floyd? Metallica? Zeppelin? CAN'T WAIT!!!Man, you're lucky! Do enough enjoying for the both of us!! Wouldn't ANATO be amazing.......? |
Bob The Shrek 15.06.2005 04:02 |
I have my ticket ordered for October 25th - can't wait. |
Stephan 15.06.2005 06:46 |
I suppose that they are going to cover "A Night At The Opera", because they've already played "Death On Two Legs" on the last tour. |
Fenderek 15.06.2005 07:56 |
Stephan wrote: I suppose that they are going to cover "A Night At The Opera", because they've already played "Death On Two Legs" on the last tour.I refuse to believe it, BUT taht would be absolutely AWESOME! :) I remember when they played DOTL- I was in heaven. Who knows...? |
Fenderek 16.06.2005 07:40 |
If you wanna read about hidden messages... here: link Incredible stuff. Like the spider in the booklet that has no way out (trapped inside this ocatavarium) or the fact that the lyrics in 4th part of the title track are references to... previous tracks on the album...! "Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath Remove all obstacles from our path" - The Root of All Evil "Asking quesitons Search for clues The answer's been right in front of you" - The Answer Lies Within "Try to break through Long to connect Fall on deaf ears and failed muted breath" - These Walls "Loyalty, trust, faith and desire Carries love through each darkest fire" - I Walk Beside You "Tortured insanity A smothering hell Try to escape but to no avail" - Panic Attack "The calls of admirers Who claim they adore Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more" - Never Enough "Innocent victims of mericless crimes Fall prey to some madmen's impulsive designs" - Sacrificed Sons AND if you listen really acrefully you can actually hear fragments of thsoe tracks under the vocal parts! Than balls and birds make a... piano keys! (balls- white, crows-black), on the back sleeve there are piano keys and... the album starts and ends with exactly the same piano sound... (trapped inside this... he, he)... The references in the 3rd parts are just pure fun to guess, there is even a little nod towards The wall (spoken This is where we came in on the begining of it). Intro is of course nod towards Shine On You Crazy Diamond, and so on... It's just amazing, magical. This album is just perfect. I'm trapped inside this octavarium :) That's what I call genius!!! And the title track is just still growing on me... The best thing they have ever done...? Who knows... |
Fenderek 16.06.2005 07:46 |
It's 17 pages! One of the posts for the starters! "We'll start with the cover. As you all probably noticed, when folded out it makes one complete picture includiung front and back. This forms a Newton's Cradle with 8 balls. There are five birds, strategically located. If you imagine the first balls as F on a keyboard, the first bird is F#. This pattern continues with the balls representing white keys and the birds representing the black keys. I'm still unsure as to the significance of the person in the wierd position on the back. Any suggestions would be welcome. All I can come up with is that the theme of circles is present in the way that she is waving her body/hair in circles. It's a stretch, I know. Then comes the first page. We see a young boy hold one of those can and twine telephones held up to his ear. The line trails off of the left side of the page. Second page we get credits. Nothing special. Page 3: there is a treble clef and staff in the top left corner with the key of F minor and time signature 1/8 preciding the text "the root of all evil." The one represents the number of the track. Below this header are the lyrics. Next page we are presented with the same header except the key og G minor and time signature 2/8 is shown before "the answer lies within." It is all set against a picture of a hillside reminiscent of the cover with two monstrous dominoes in the foreground and middleground. The first dominoe has 3 and 2 on the face (5) and the second has a 5 and 3 (8). This reflects the number of black and white keys in one octave of a keyboard, and also represents the five band members. There are some birds flying around (3), but I see no real significance in this. The next page has the key of A minor and time siganture 3/8. The next page shows an 8-sided maze with a spider (8 legs) in the center. There are five layers to the maze, again depicting the common 5 vs. 8 theme. There is no way to get out of the maze unless the spider breaks down the walls on the last layer ("Break down these walls for me") Next page has the familiar header with the key of B minor and time signature 4/8 shown. Page 8 has the header for panic attack (C minor and 5/8). The next page has two headers, one in D minor and 6/8 for never enough and one in E minor and 7/8 for sacrificed sons. Never Enough is the first song NOT in the time signature denoted by its track number. (Saying TROAE is in 1/8 and TALW is in 2/8 is scraping by on a technicallity, but still) The opposite page shows an OCTOpus with FIVE fish and an OCTAgonal sign with the Dream Theater Logo inscribed. The following page has F minor and 8/8 for Octavarium parts I and II. Opposite this page is a sheet of grid paper with a very complex structure mapped out (The builing that IS an Octavarium?). At first glance it is obviously the same as the symbol on the CD itself, an OCTOgon with a FIVE-pointed star inscribed. Dimensions are given on a 5:8 scale. The dimensions are a 29 foot and 6 and 3/4 inch square, with right triangles with legs of 8 feet 8 inches cut off. (The 8'8" is actually not explicitly given. Instead they chose to give a hypotenuse of 12'3" which yields, using basic trig, sides of 8'8"). There are spaces in each wall of dimensions 5'8" (again, five vs. eight. these dimensions are also not explicitly stated, but if you take the measure of each square and multiply by 3 you get 5'8"). The rest of the structure's drawing's significance escapes me. Any help here would be appreciated. Of course, there is one more aspect not specefically related to the structure itself. Around the edge (starting at the left most side and going clockwise) the F Lydian scale is spelled out. Inside the walls are the accidentals that would be present should it be a chromatic scale, one for each point of the star. On the following page the remainder of 8vm's lyrics are written out (parts |
The Real Wizard 17.06.2005 13:34 |
It's going to require months for me to take this all in! Typical DT... they give you something to think about. I love it. |
willem-jan 8923 19.06.2005 16:53 |
Still didn't listen to it, because the album was NOT sold on this island I went to. Gonna buy it tomorrow. In the meanwhile I have to listen to the live shows I download this evening (not too many 8VM songs though). I now have the Stockholm show, as well as the Arrow classic rock show. Dimeadozen kicks ass! |
willem-jan 8923 19.06.2005 17:09 |
Wow, they play Amsterdam 2 nights as well. Be sure I'm there the second night! |
Fenderek 20.06.2005 03:57 |
Sacrificed Sons kicks bloody ass. Is it the best thing they've ever recorded? Might be... |
ImGoingSlightyMad 20.06.2005 04:55 |
Ocatavarium is a kickass album! Portnoy and company rule on every track! |
*goodco* 20.06.2005 08:20 |
As to drawings on the CD.....all the 5 and 8 pix....five members, eight album maybe? 'Balls' on the cover with the leaning lass.....it's her just leaning to get out of their way? Can't comment on any of the musical notes. The album title doesn't refer to any suffocating Catholic roots of any of the members, does it? Rather fun to look at a cover and related artwork and try and find hidden meanings again. I will say, not indulging in illegal substances does hurt ones ability to find the obscure;-) Listened to it again last night....definetely no worse than an A- now. |
willem-jan 8923 20.06.2005 08:26 |
Finally I purchased the album. From what I've heard up till now, it's really really good. I'm going to see them live next week, hoping they will play some of the new songs. I guess they will pick 2 of the heavy songs (since it's a metal festival they play at). Furthermore I've got tickets for the 11th of october (i.e. second night in Amsterdam, where they will hopefully play the full ANATO album). |
Fenderek 11.07.2005 12:22 |
I listen and I listen and I listen... And I can't stop! "I'm trapped inside this octavarium"! Bloody hell- those 2 last tracks (title one and Sacrificed Sons") are one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard in my life!!! |
The Real Wizard 11.07.2005 22:07 |
Fenderek wrote: I listen and I listen and I listen... And I can't stop! "I'm trapped inside this octavarium"! Bloody hell- those 2 last tracks (title one and Sacrificed Sons") are one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard in my life!!!I'm right with you. I'm starting to think that the song Octavarium is perhaps the greatest progressive rock track ever. I still can't think of words to convey my feelings for that piece of music. |
willem-jan 8923 12.07.2005 05:23 |
I'm really looking forward to here a live version of this "song". Would be a nice extra after the full cover album on their Amsterdam concert. They did it with ACOS, so why not with 8VM! |
Fenderek 12.07.2005 05:39 |
I'd love to hear ANATO in Hmmersmith, but... somehow I can't see those guys performing Seaside Randezvous... |
willem-jan 8923 12.07.2005 06:02 |
That's why they will be playing Queen II instead of ANATO ;) I think prophets song might cause some difficulties as well |
Fenderek 12.07.2005 06:34 |
Queen II? can you see them doing Funny How Love is...? :) On the other hand- their version of WHITE QUEEN could be absolutely AMAZING! |
willem-jan 8923 12.07.2005 07:02 |
On the official DT forum quite a few people are speculating about this album. It's on top of the wishlist of many people over there! Now lets hope the guys listen to their fans! However, I don't think it'll be the most easy to perform Queen album. But if they do so, I would be very much pleased. |
Stephan 08.09.2005 11:52 |
If one band can perform a Queen album, it's Dream Theater. |
Fenderek 01.02.2006 06:30 |
Ha, ha Listen to OCTAVARIUM (song) at exactly 6:32. Jordan plays two bars of... BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY!!!!!!! Also, at 17:47 he plays (much quicker) a bit of... jingle Bells! |
willem-jan 8923 02.02.2006 02:36 |
Hmmm...sounds funny. I'll have a listen when i'm back home :) |