I was never the biggest fan of this album. It would have made an excellent single-CD with the right editing, but this orchestra-backed performance is mind-blowing. The opening "Overture" section is a little long-winded since they extend it a few extra minutes, but the song really takes off once the full band joins in. Petrucci even straps on a new double-neck guitar for "Solitary Shell," which allows him to play the rhythm parts on 12-string.
They slow things down next with a few orchestra-appropriate ballads beginning with Train Of Thought's "Vacant," which has always bored me to tears, followed by "The Answer Lies Within," the Octavarium ballad that is propelled by the beautiful orchestration and Labrie's superb vocals.
Up next is my favorite song from Octavarium, "Sacrificed Sons." Here we have a song performed in New York City, by a New York band, that is essentially about 9/11, and LaBrie hasn't a single introductory word to say about this powerful song he wrote? I guess he wanted to let the lyrics and disturbing video images speak for themselves.
Petrucci and Myung face off with each other several times, trying to out-riff one another, and the climactic ending to the song was most powerful. Clapton is God? I say Petrucci is God after this one - well, Thor at least.
Closing out the set is Dream Theater's latest opus, the 27-minute tribute to progressive rock and title track to their latest album, "Octavarium." The song borrows from several prog pioneers, most notably during Jordan Rudess' long keyboard intro, which pays tribute, to put it kindly, to Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."
I was surprised to see Rudess play the lap steel portion of the song, which he performed brilliantly. I have never been a fan of his keyboard style. I think both Moore and Sherinian were much better fits for Dream Theater, but he was a friggin' wonder to behold on this song.
Rudess has ditched the single keyboard approach, in favor of the keyboard barricade look, à la Emerson and Wakeman. I like my keyboard wizards surrounded by a mountain of keyboards, playing a different one with each hand, dammit. His incredible performance on the Haken Continuum Fingerboard is fascinating to watch. It was the first time I had ever seen one of these instruments.
Article comments
1 - Lee
Nice review, it's an 18 string not a 12 string though!
2 - Tony
The most technically proficient band to grace the planet earth, of course the new dvd was amazing.
3 - Nicholas
"Dream Theater was everything I had been waiting for in a band - the progressive grandeur of Yes, the power and intensity of Metallica, the melodic charm of Boston, and the instrumental virtuosity of Rush."
Give yourself a hand, that is poetry.
4 - greenblob
ok..
call me stupid.. call me naive.. but i had never listened to Dream Theater before..
im a big fan (and player) of tech metal like Cynic, Death, Athiest..
bought this dvd.. and damn...
what a show.. not the kind of vocals im used to, but damn that guy can sing.. as for the rest of the band.. wow...
i agree, the PCM 2 chan mix is great.. much better than many many others i have heard on main stream dvd releases..
awesome review man.. it pretty much sums up the dvd.. guessing i'll be a late comer to join the dream theater bandwagon. will have to buy "images and words" in the coming days..
sorry.. a long post... but i'm just damn impressed by this..
blob..
5 - Paul Roy
Welcome to the club greenblob. Dream Theater has always enjoyed good crossover appeal, which is why they can more than hold their own with the likes of Megadeth and Fear Factory on a mostly thrash metal tour like Gigantour, while at the same time not being entirely out of place opening for Yes.
6 - Nicolas Salas
Hi..... Jordan Rudess has the best style from dream theater....... derek sherinian its the worst thing that ever hapened to dream theater
7 - mascha
yup, derek sherinian its the worst
8 - Tumpal
I have no problem whatsoever concerning this album, the set list is simply acceptable. And thats what Dream Theater is all about: Simply the best band one the surface of the world up to the stratosphere.
9 - davo
Kevin moore is better than rudess, he does wonders in Images and words. Although rudess is awesome, they should get all the guys back together for a jam sesh. Any ideas as to why they fired Dominici in the early stages?