A very pivotal album for Dream Theater as a lot changed after this album, culminating in the departure of Mike Portnoy a couple of albums later. This was the last album on their major deal before they relocated to Roadrunner, and the sound beefed as well.
This album and Falling Into Infinity are my two favourite DT albums. I got to witness the band on this tour at Hammersmith Odeon for two nights. On the first, this album was played in its entirety, and on the second night they played Dark Side Of The Moon in full. Not much will ever beat those two shows and I think they plateaued after this.
This is such an incredible album, both in the writing and execution, it doesn’t get better than this in DT world. Take my word for it, this album should live in your home and you should play it often. Every track is epic. From the heavy riff and groove of The Root Of All Evil, to the delicate and beautiful The Answer Lies Within. My favourite track on this album, and possibly my fav DT track of all time, is the 24 minutes of utter Prog metal brilliance on the title track, Octavarium. Words cannot express how I’m affected by this track. From emotional feelings of euphoria and joy, to melancholic sadness at its ending. The band suffered with the departure of MP, as he was a huge part of the creative process, but life goes on as they say.
10/10 from The Grooveman.
