I bought two Dream Theater albums in December 2006 and have been listening to them almost constantly since then. I figured it would be enough to review one of them and mention the other, but I waffled back and forth on which one to write about. Originally, I intended to write about their 2003 release, Train of Thought, which is sometimes referred to as "the heavy album," and clearly exhibits the influence of the complete Master of Puppets cover show that the band did around the same time. Lately, though, I've been listening to Octavarium a lot more. While it's more hit-and-miss, it's also more varied.

One of the things I really enjoy about Dream Theater is that you can tell what they've been listening to by the sound of their albums and songs. Train of Thought exhibited a definite Metallica influence; Octavarium has some tracks in that vein, but also references Muse, among others. Musically, they're open about their influences without being derivative -- indeed, it's hard to imagine a band with the raw musical ability of Dream Theater writing something that sounded more like another band than like themselves. There's more variety in Octavarium's 24-minute title track than in many complete albums, and yet it doesn't feel a second too long. Some of Dream Theater's longer songs are a little too musically varied, without enough thematic consistency to really tie them together. Others require some history, making thematic allusions to songs on previous albums. The title track, though, is self-contained, and within its 24-minutes there is frequent musical self-referencing and subtle thematic modifications to keep the song cohesive through a wide range of musical styles. This, more than any other I've heard, is the song that reveals the depth of Dream Theater's virtuosity.

Having said that, there are a couple of tracks on the album that I consistently skip over -- they just get too cheesy for me. Train of Thought is more even, but it's also more consistent sonically, especially when compared to the variety of sound on Octavarium. In the end, I really enjoy both albums, but if you're looking for an introduction to Dream Theater and you don't love Metallica's Master of Puppets, start with Octavarium.

The Record: Octavarium (Dream Theater), 2005
One-line verdict: A little hot-cold, but the ones that are good are really good.
Standount Tracks: Never Enough, Octavarium