Dream Theatre - Train Of Thought (2003) (Japan WPCR-11703)

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Dream Theatre - Train Of Thought (2003) (Japan WPCR-11703)

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Let's face it, Dream Theater has always been a metal band, but with such a heavy emphasis on progressive elements such as melody changes, unconventional song structures going beyond the verse-chorus-verse-chorus formula, and their extended and intricate instrumental sections and solos, the heavy riffing and drumming has just always served as a building block and base to build their sound on. And yet they've been known to go heavy on songs such as Lie, The Mirror, Caught in a Web, Home, and The Glass Prison on their previous albums and positive fan reaction at concerts to these songs inspired the undertaking known as Train of Thought. It is this album that Dream Theater reminds us that they are technically a metal band, but, much like later releases such as Octavarium, it has forever polarized and divided their fanbase. Some applauded the new direction while others complained of the band going "commercial." But really, with the exception of cranking up the heaviness and intensity, all of the progressive elements that made Dream Theater what they are are still present, making this one of the best they've ever released.

Opening track As I Am picks up right where Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence left off, beginning with the same symphonic keyboard note that Losing Time/Grand Finale ended on. But then a low and foreboding guitar chord is heard, and you know things are about to get heavy. As I Am really helps set the stage for what this album will be. Although there aren't really any melody changes, the skillful instrumentation is in no ways lost and John Petrucci delivers a solo that will make shred fans cheer. The lyrics are somewhat simpler and more straightforward for this song, as well as the rest of the album, than the band has been known for, but often times it really helps get the point across rather than trying to over-rely on metaphors and symbolism, something the band had struggled with in the past. The theme of the album is truly what the title implies, as most of the songs flow almost seamlessly into each other. Right as As I Am ends, This Dying Soul (the second part of the Twelve-Step Suite) begins. Easily the heaviest, fastest, and most intense song on the album, the track features frantic double-bass drumming by Portnoy and heavily riff layering from Petrucci and John Myung giving it a deep and booming feel. But there is no lack of progression, as the song is chock full of melody and time changes, solos, and even a reprisal of the Glass Prison. LaBrie also exhibits his range, interchanging soaring and melodic vocals with distorted quasi-rapping. Like the transition from the previous song, This Dying Soul goes right into Endless Sacrifice, which features a nice soft/loud dynamic in the verses and chorus and features an extended solo section in the middle with some of Jordan Rudess' finest keyboard work. It's elements like these as well as in This Dying Soul that show the band can keep some familiarity with their instrumentation and solos while experimenting with heavier sounds.

Starting with a mind-blowing drum fill by Portnoy, Honor Thy Father is perhaps the most controversial song on the album. Many fans have long complained that LaBrie's rapped-like aggressive vocals in the verses make the song (gasp!) "mallcore" or "nu metal." With the exception of LaBrie's vocal delivery as well as more simplistic lyrics (the song is basically an "I hate you" to Mike Portnoy's step-father) Honor Thy Father continues the trend of this album: traditional Dream Theater progression with heavier riffs and faster drumming. The song also features a soundbyte montage, an occasional Dream Theater characteristic not heard since Space-Dye Vest on Awake. The heaviness comes to a screeching halt in the next song though, Vacant. Clocking in at under three minutes, it is a melancholic symphonic and orchestral-sounding ballad about James LaBrie's daughter who fell into a brief coma from suffering a seizure. Similar to Wait for Sleep serving as interlude to Learning to Live on Images and Words, Vacant seemingly serves as an interlude to the instrumental Stream of Consciousness. Dream Theater has been known for their knack for instrumentals, but Stream of Consciousness is in all likelihood their best effort, even beating out favorites such as Overture: 1928 and the much-revered The Dance of Eternity. Featuring a fairly consistent mid-paced melody, the song also features numerous masterful guitar and keyboard solos (being the longest instrumental there's time for plenty) and MIke Portnoy's constant time changes and drum fills has led Stream of Consciousness to be considered as his crowning performance. The final track is In the Name of God, an over-fourteen minute epic. The band goes all out with a heavy-yet somber sound in a song denouncing Muslim extremists that picks up in emotion and desperation to the very end, which features a nice background rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", ending with a low piano note that begins the opening track on the next album, Octavarium.

Train of Thought will probably never be as universally accepted as albums such as Images and Words, Awake, or Scenes from a Memory, but without a doubt this album is one of Dream Theater's most stacked and consistent efforts. James LaBrie still impresses with soaring melodic vocals interchanged with aggressive rasps, John Petrucci is still capable of a masterful shred solo, John Myung's basslines increase the intensity of the riffs, and Mike Portnoy switches off double bass pedalling with crazy fills. While some will continue to complain about the album's emphasis on a heavier metal sound, none of the instrumentation, melody, or emotion you would expect from a Dream Theater album is lost. Rather, everything is still there and that normal base metal sound is just turned up a few notches.

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