This album is fucking sublime. I can't think of any other word to describe it, because it's so incredibly powerful and consistent that every time I listen to it I'm blown away all over again. So get ready for some gushing 'cuz we're doing this shit.
Context or "Progressive Music is way too boring way too often"
So why is this album so good? Put simply, it's because it's different. See, one of the ironic things about the "progressive rock/metal/whatever" genre is how goddamn boring it can be. A lot of the time it seems like "progressive" before that rock or metal really just means "we have keyboards and long songs". Yes, we get it, you're expressing yourself and it's very impressive. I just don't want to listen to a 15 minute song about overcoming your problems or space or whatever silly thing those songs are always about. Oh yeah, that's another problem with this type of music - the songs are always about nothing. Sure, sometimes there'll be one song about the guitarist's last breakup thrown in there, but 95% of the time you aren't even engaged in the topic that these guys have spent so much time turning into a song that drags on far too long, which is a real shame.
And Dream Theater is definitely guilty of this, but a lot less than some other bands *cough The Flower Kings cough Yes*. It seems like for every "Take the Time" you have to sit through 20 minutes of "These Walls" - which gets old. And when you look at the albums that preceded Train of Thought, you'll notice how abstract things were getting - Scenes From a Memory was a concept album about reincarnation and Six Degrees was almost entirely about mental illnesses - not exactly relatable. All of the songs on Train of Thought, however, are much more grounded in their subject matter and are a lot more grokkable as a result.
Finally, this album was a chance for the band to fully explore their metal leanings in earnest, which had never happened before and probably will never happen again now that Mike Portnoy is gone. It immediately followed Six Degrees - a very good album, but one that was pretty firmly "Dream Theater" stuff. Train of Thought ditched that for something much more raw and much more straightforward.
Now that we have that crap out of the way, maybe I should talk about the goddamn CD eventually, right? Yeah.
The Actual Review
Holy shit. If anyone had doubts about Dream Theater's ability to write some serious metal riffs, then they might've busted their mouth putting their foot in there so fast! The first track, As I Am sets the bar high - it also has (I think) the only actual legit studio track drum solo in DT's whole catalog, not counting instrumental songs! Honestly, it just keeps getting better from there. This Dying Soul continues the 12 Step Suite brilliantly, leading right into my personal favorite, Endless Sacrifice. This mofo is an 11 minute jamfest with some of the best headbanging riffs I've ever heard and some absolutely incredible vocals and lyrics. You barely have time to breathe before the opening riff to Honor Thy Father starts pounding your eardrums and sends you right back to the moshpit - another shining moment. At this point things dial back a bit with Vacant, a short little vocal piece a la "Wait for Sleep" which flows right into the album's instrumental piece, Stream of Consciousness. This is my favorite instrumental after "The Dance of Eternity", and it has all of the qualities of that song - incredible solos that keep you interested and a great hook right off the bat. Finally, we have the album closer: the 14 minute monster In the Name of God. This one starts off a little slow, but really picks up after the 6 minute mark and has an incredible ending, making for an excellent conclusion to a jaw-dropping album. So why do I like it so much?
- The songs are actually about real, relatable stuff. As I Am is juvenile defiance at it's best, Endless Sacrifice is probably my favorite love song ever, In the Name of God is about religion, This Dying Soul tackles alcoholism, and Honor Thy Father deals with awful father-son relations. Notice anything about space? How about finding the inner light inside your mind? Nope, none of that shit. These are all real songs about real issues, and the change of pace is greatly appreciated.
- Length. These songs are all around 10 minutes long, but they do not feel like it - which is perfect! These songs are all packed to the brim with changing tempos, riffs, and dynamics enough to make each one seem like a self contained experience, which is hugely important and a big part of why I love this CD so much: these songs all feel like complete, well-rounded compositions that aren't drawn out unnecessarily. They're all beefy and full of content, solid yet light, heavy but quick on their feet.
- Emotion. Since Dream Theater is a bunch of music nerds from Long Island, they don't usually have the same feel that you get from listening to a Neil Young album - but that couldn't be more the opposite here. When you here Portnoy's fill at the end of Endless Sacrifice, you feel the emotion he put into it. When you hear James LaBrie's snarling in Honor Thy Father or the Battle Hymn of the Republic being chanted during the final minutes of In the Name of God, you can feel all the blood, sweat and tears that went into this record.
- Playing. Crazy musicianship is a staple of Dream Theater's work, but they manage to raise even their level of playing for this one. The guitar and drum solos in As I Am, the guitar + keyboard solo In the Name of God, the drumming in Endless Sacrifice and Stream of Consciousness - all of the guys outdid themselves here, and you really just have to listen to appreciate it.
These guys poured their souls into Train of Thought and it shows - the disc is packed front to back with emotion and vision. Even if you hate Dream Theater's regular stuff, even if you hate progressive rock, hell, even if you hate metal - you owe to yourself to give it a spin. No one should miss an album this good.
