Octavarium

by Dream Theater

Overview

Prog rockers Dream Theater tallied 19 years as a band with the release of Octavarium, but in listening you're apt to suspect otherwise. As a collective they remain as tight as they were on 2003's obsessively dark Train of Thought (like all music-school outfits, they've exacted an all-for-one formula that doesn't allow a single player more than his share of swagger), but a post-hardcore edge -- call it a leap into 2005 -- has invaded their pledge of allegiance to theatrical heavy rock. Hear it on "I Walk Beside You" and "The Answer Lies Within," both of which, at under five minutes, play like charming haikus from a band known for its epic poetry, and also on the orchestra-backed 20-plus-minute final cut, which skips around from Pink Floyd to Rush to Black Sabbath influences, stopping off every so often at a place fans of My Chemical Romance might find familiar. As with all the band's discs, guitars loom large and both doom and redemption seem no further than the next twisted verse. What's changed is Dream Theater's commitment to carrying on their reputation as underground progressive rock's classicists, and it seems well-timed. ~ Tammy La Gorce

Product Details

Release Date:	10/10/2025
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0081227810689

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dream Theater   Primary Artist
James LaBrie   Vocals
Jamshied Sharifi   Conductor
John Petrucci   Guitar,Vocals
Elena Barere   Violin
Carol Webb   Violin
Stewart Rose   French Horn
Joe Anderer   French Horn
Pamela Sklar   Flute
Catherine Ro   Violin
Vincent Lionti   Viola
Richard Locker   Celli,Cello
Jeanne LeBlanc   Celli
Mike Portnoy   Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Anne Lehmann   Violin
Karen Dreyfus   Viola
John Myung   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Jordan Rudess   Keyboards,Lap Steel Guitar
Katherine LiVolsi Stern   Violin
Katherine Fong   Violin
Yuri Vodovoz   Violin
Laura McGinnis   Violin

Technical Credits

John Petrucci   Audio Production,Composer,Producer
Mike Portnoy   Audio Production,Concept,Composer,Producer
Bert Baldwin   Studio Assistant
James LaBrie   Composer
Dream Theater   Composer
Jamshied Sharifi   String Arrangements
Keith Gary   Assistant,Digital Editing
Colleen Culhane   Assistant Engineer
Frank Solomon   Management
Ryan Simms   Assistant Engineer
Petrucci   Composer
Kaori Kinoshita   Assistant Engineer
George Marino   Mastering
William Paden Hensley   Assistant
Kevin Moore   Composer
John Myung   Composer
Doug Oberkircher   Engineer
Jordan Rudess   Composer
Hugh Syme   Design,Concept,Art Direction,Illustrations
Michael Brauer   Mixing
Jill Dell'Abate   Orchestra Contractor
Robert Gold   Art Producer
Colin Lane   Photography