The Details: Unquestionably the biggest name in progressive metal, Dream Theater is hardly an underdog these days. With their eleventh release, they stay with roughly the same approach from their last album, albeit slightly darker, and the end result is a solid disc full of virtuosic metal. The lineup is the same as the last two studio albums, and the band seems more comfortable here than in previous releases. At first glance, the song titles might tip off that this album deals quite a bit with religion, politics, and the interactions between them. While this is certainly true, the songs don’t tend to come off as preachy.
The Highlights: The major difference between this and past DT albums is the conspicuous level of restraint that the band presents throughout the album. Solos are more carefully placed (which often makes them seemingly more explosive) and ornamentation is often vetoed for solid grooves. This is especially evident on the first track, As I Am. The Metallica-esque track is as close as the band gets to a single, at nearly eight minutes. The second track, This Dying Soul, is a great continuation of the opening track from 2002’s Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. Some of the best soloing occurs during the middle tracks Endless Sacrifice and Honor Thy Father. The short introductory piece Vacant, which features some excellent cello work, leads into a thinking-man’s instrumental entitled Stream Of Consciousness. This often Rush-like instrumental is filled with surprises for the active audient. The final piece, In The Name Of God, is a tremendous politically-charged piece and contains some of the premium vocal and instrumental solo work on the album. Jerry Uelsmann provides some very interesting photography and artwork as the packaging has a dark B&W theme. You’ll also want to check out the Enhanced CD features on the disc.
The Bottom Line: For prog-metal fans, Train Of Thought is a must-own. It should be more accessible to the larger metal audience compared to some of their previous releases. All in all, seven tracks of odd-meter headbanging glory.
http://www.dreamtheater.net
- Dustin Wall
