Train of Thought 10th Anniversary

[TAC]

I remember getting this at the now defunct Vigin Megastore in Downtown Disney for the drive home.  Took me a while to get into, even with its metal leanings.

It also came out at an odd time where mikes were babies and my DT fandom was quite distracted.
I actually missed this tour, and the one preceding it, and it wasn't until Live At Budokan came out that I got reimmeresed in DT.

I love many of the songs on TOT, but when I want to hear them! I listen to LaB. I actually just ran through all of DT's albums last week, and there's something flat about TOT. I hardly ever listen to it because of that.

[OsMosis2259]

This one is def a special one for me because it was the first DT album that I listened to.
Still rocks to this day 

[mikeyd23]

Ah, yes, ToT was my first DT album as well.  Still has a special place in my heart!

The funny thing was, unlike most people who had already heard DT prior to ToT and were surprised at how heavy it was, since I had never heard DT before this album, I was surprised when I started listening to previous albums and they weren't as heavy! haha

[Zook]

This was the first DT album that came out while I was a fan, and the first one I anticipated the release. I remember hearing As I Am on the radio before I got the album (lolradio) and being taken back by the heavier edge.

Then I remember the first spin of the album while watching the original Transformers Movie, and having it line up eerily well. I didn't start them simultaneously, but Vacant lined up perfectly with the death of Optimus Prime scene.
And I had no idea TDS was a continuation of TGP, so it wasn't until it got to the reprisal heavy riff half way through that it clicked. That was one of those cool moments when you're a new fan and don't know these things.

Still an album I really enjoy when I'm in the mood for heavier stuff, and As I Am and ITNOG are still top DT songs in my book.

Who listens to music while watching a movie?

[BlobVanDam]

This was the first DT album that came out while I was a fan, and the first one I anticipated the release. I remember hearing As I Am on the radio before I got the album (lolradio) and being taken back by the heavier edge.

Then I remember the first spin of the album while watching the original Transformers Movie, and having it line up eerily well. I didn't start them simultaneously, but Vacant lined up perfectly with the death of Optimus Prime scene.
And I had no idea TDS was a continuation of TGP, so it wasn't until it got to the reprisal heavy riff half way through that it clicked. That was one of those cool moments when you're a new fan and don't know these things.

Still an album I really enjoy when I'm in the mood for heavier stuff, and As I Am and ITNOG are still top DT songs in my book.

Who listens to music while watching a movie?

Obviously me.


That one time.




Don't be a party pooper, or I won't be your friend any more.

[emtee]

Wow that time sure passed quick.

This one stayed atop my rotation for over a year. Very solid album. As time has passed I wish most songs were a couple minutes
shorter.

[sylvinception]

One of my favorite album from DT, and yet I'm not really a "heavy-metal" fan!!

"In the name of god" worth the buy of the cd by itself, it's one of their (many ) masterpieces!!

1 - In the name of god
2 - This dying soul
3 - Endless sacrifice
4 - As I am
5 - Honor thy father
6 - Stream of counsciousness
7 - Vacant

[adastra]

Time goes by so fast ._. It still feels like yesterday when I bought the album.

[Sycsa]

This was the first DT album that came out while I was a fan, and the first one I anticipated the release. I remember hearing As I Am on the radio before I got the album (lolradio) and being taken back by the heavier edge.

Then I remember the first spin of the album while watching the original Transformers Movie, and having it line up eerily well. I didn't start them simultaneously, but Vacant lined up perfectly with the death of Optimus Prime scene.
And I had no idea TDS was a continuation of TGP, so it wasn't until it got to the reprisal heavy riff half way through that it clicked. That was one of those cool moments when you're a new fan and don't know these things.

Still an album I really enjoy when I'm in the mood for heavier stuff, and As I Am and ITNOG are still top DT songs in my book.

Who listens to music while watching a movie?

Obviously me.


That one time.




Don't be a party pooper, or I won't be your friend any more.

Listening to DT while watching the original Transformers. I'd be hard-pressed to even think about something that sounds remotely as geeky. 

[BlobVanDam]

Listening to DT while watching the original Transformers. I'd be hard-pressed to even think about something that sounds remotely as geeky. 

Thank you. I do my best.

[weezul]

always been one of my favorites, especially mix wise. I think the mix is really good, exactly what the style needed. Definitely slicker than anything heavy that came after it

[kirksnosehair]

Train of Thought is very high on my list of Dream Theater albums.  Definitely in the top 5.  I love the angry and aggressive mood it sets and Petrucci's guitar playing is incredible.  My only slight complaint about it is the relative lack of distinctive keyboard sounds.   

[BlobVanDam]

Train of Thought is very high on my list of Dream Theater albums.  Definitely in the top 5.  I love the angry and aggressive mood it sets and Petrucci's guitar playing is incredible.  My only slight complaint about it is the relative lack of distinctive keyboard sounds.   

Also JR is mixed a bit lower overall, which contributes to that I think. On As I Am, you could forget they even have a keyboardist until it gets to the bridge section, when the big strings come in.

But there are some cool keyboard sounds on there too, still a bit more inventive to my ears than sounds on recent albums. I especially love the big sliding portamento on the strings sound in SoC, where it slides from that rumbly low root note to the higher notes, creating that crazy synthetic string sound. One of my favourite things about the song.

That's one reason I really enjoy the Budokan versions of the ToT songs, because the keys are mixed much more present, from the xylophone type sound in the pre-chorus of As I Am, to the evil pads behind the spoken verse of This Dying Soul, which just elevate that section well above the studio version.

I also think it's great how well he manages to incorporate quite a bit of his piano work into such heavy songs. It works really well.

I do agree it's a bit cut back on the keys though, especially coming off of SFAM/SDOIT, which are JR's most keyboard driven albums with DT.

[KevShmev]

But there are some cool keyboard sounds on there too, still a bit more inventive to my ears than sounds on recent albums. I especially love the big sliding portamento on the strings sound in SoC, where it slides from that rumbly low root note to the higher notes, creating that crazy synthetic string sound. One of my favourite things about the song.

Are you talking about the part near the end of the mellow middle section?  Like right after the 7-minute mark?  That always makes me think of screeching violins.  Definitely a bad ass JR moment. 

[Prog Snob]

Train of Thought is very high on my list of Dream Theater albums.  Definitely in the top 5.  I love the angry and aggressive mood it sets and Petrucci's guitar playing is incredible.  My only slight complaint about it is the relative lack of distinctive keyboard sounds.

Well at least I seem to agree with you musically.        This is exactly how I feel.  The heaviness is killer but I feel like some of the keyboard parts were there because they had a keyboardist, not necessarily because they fit the song. 

[kirksnosehair]

Train of Thought is very high on my list of Dream Theater albums.  Definitely in the top 5.  I love the angry and aggressive mood it sets and Petrucci's guitar playing is incredible.  My only slight complaint about it is the relative lack of distinctive keyboard sounds.   

*snip*

I do agree it's a bit cut back on the keys though, especially coming off of SFAM/SDOIT, which are JR's most keyboard driven albums with DT.

When I first heard the album I was seriously wondering if there were any keyboards even recorded for it.      But as the album played longer I started noticing the piano parts and some pads here and there.  Then I read an interview somewhere and JR told the guy that the reason fans didn't "hear" the keyboards was because he was playing a lot of the same notes and riffs that JP was playing on guitar.


I actually think that's one of the things that makes the guitar sound so unique on that album 

[TheGreatPretender]

My only slight complaint about it is the relative lack of distinctive keyboard sounds.

That would be a problem with me, if it was the sign of a permanent change in direction. But usually, if a band decides to do something different for one album, but then returns to form in the following album, I tend to embrace the 'different' album, even if it may or may not lack certain things that I fell in love with about the band in the first place.

This is pretty much the case with Megadeth's "Risk" album. While it's not a spectacular album, I think it has plenty of great moments, and while not exactly a "Megadeth" album in terms of sound, I don't mind that, because they returned to their true form afterwards anyway.

[BlobVanDam]

But there are some cool keyboard sounds on there too, still a bit more inventive to my ears than sounds on recent albums. I especially love the big sliding portamento on the strings sound in SoC, where it slides from that rumbly low root note to the higher notes, creating that crazy synthetic string sound. One of my favourite things about the song.

Are you talking about the part near the end of the mellow middle section?  Like right after the 7-minute mark?  That always makes me think of screeching violins.  Definitely a bad ass JR moment. 

Actually nope, although that bit's awesome too!
I just mean the main synth string part that comes in at 0:20. If you listen carefully between those high notes, you can hear a really low string sound (I'm talking sub-woofer low here), which is what creates that short slidey sound into the higher notes. It's subtle, but just adds that something extra.

[Lucidity]

Vacant is, although not necessarily one of my favorites, probably one of the best songs DT have written, in my opinion.

[RaiseTheKnife]

My first reaction to Train of Thought was the imaginative and contemplative album artwork.  Couple years ago a local museum featured a large exibition of Jerry Uelsmann's  photography, which naturally featured the "As I Am" print.  The installation even credited the piece to Dream Theater.  It was quite a marvel to enjoy a bit of Dream Theater on display in a museum. 

[hefdaddy42]

Vacant is, although not necessarily one of my favorites, probably one of the best songs DT have written, in my opinion.

I think it's the best song on that album, for sure.