#4: Dream Theater - Train Of Thought (2003)
---TRACKLIST---(1) As I Am (2) This Dying Soul (3) Endless Sacrifice (4) Honor Thy Father (5) Vacant
(6) Stream Of Consciousness (7) In The Name Of God
This probably won’t come as much of surprise, since we’re on a forum about them, but Dream Theater is, and probably will continue to be for a long time, my all-time favorite band. While my musical tastes have branched out a huge amount since I first discovered them, and while they aren’t exactly perfect, they’re still the best band I’ve ever come across, and for a long time, Train Of Thought was my number one favorite album of all time. So, why do I love this album so much? Well, same reasons why a good chunk of the fanbase dislikes it, I suppose. I love the huge amount of heaviness. I love the ridiculous, wanky instrumental sections. I love the anger; I love the balls-out style. But what makes this album far superior to say, Systematic Chaos or Black Clouds & Silver Linings is that instead of letting the metal elements overpower the progressive elements, Train Of Thought throws in as much of both as it possibly can and cranks both of them up to unfathomable levels. In my eyes, this album is the band throwing every single element of their sound together and supercharging them to ridiculous proportions. And while that might turn a lot of people off, I fucking LOVE it. Like a lot of my all-time favorite albums, this record is pretty insane, hands-down the craziest thing the band has ever done. Who needs subtlety when you can do a ridiculous album this damn well? Train Of Thought has perhaps the highest amount of energy of any record I’ve ever listened to. After the first track, the record kicks up to full-speed and heads into one of my absolute favorite strings of songs on an album.
This Dying Soul is absolutely insane. It never stops to take a break, and instead repeatedly fucks your brain with wave after wave of breakneck-speed, brutal, technical goodness.
Endless Sacrifice starts out with some calm verses and a heavy chorus, then breaks into one of the band’s greatest instrumental sections, which is saying a lot. Ridiculous solos, heavy riffs, and a perfectly fast tempo make it perhaps the best segment on the album. Think things are going to cool down after that? Hahahahaha, NO. Time for
Honor Thy Father. It really took a lot of balls for Dream Theater to follow up three immensely heavy tracks with their angriest song ever. I absolutely love this track. Hell, I even love the lyrics. Angry music is just a joy to listen to for me, and this song absolutely nails that vibe. Finally, after the fourth brutal track in a row has finished and the level of heaviness is at a complete bursting point, the album realizes it’s time to cool down and heads into the soft, melancholy ballad
Vacant. While it’s just an okay song on its own, its place in the album is absolutely perfect. If it were cut from the album, the whole thing would have collapsed under its own weight. But no, it provides a much-needed breather before the record gets back into gear for the final two tracks. Anyways, this write-up is getting overly long so I gotta wrap things up. In conclusion, I can see why this album isn’t liked by everyone. It’s unapologetically heavy, never subtle, and mostly one-dimensional. But that’s exactly why it clicks so well with me. It might not be my favorite album of all time anymore, but I still absolutely love it to pieces.
---FAVORITE SONGS---This Dying Soul,
Endless Sacrifice,
Honor Thy Father,
Stream Of Consciousness
Topic: Buddyhunter1's Top 33 Albums! v.The End (Read 30804 times)
