Train of Thought is the sound of a band forcing what it perceives to be heaviness in an unnatural and awkward way. Sometimes forced heaviness can result in goofy yet lovable metal magic, but Dream Theater's misguided attempt at sonic brutality is goofy in all the wrong ways. This is a group that is entirely based around calculated, concentrated efforts - the absence of anything organic whatsoever. Playing composed and thought-out music is not "soulless," as many critics would say. When Dream Theater's tried and true formula is a success, it reaches lofty heights.
Despite the inherent ridiculousness of the formula itself, the band had mostly succeeded at it up until
Train of Thought, releasing music that was intricate, upbeat, and interesting. Elements of Rush, Queensryche, Yes, and Metallica were blended into a shake that seemed intitially unappetizing, but somehow worked.
Train of Thought features the group eschewing this recipe for a bloated mixture of Metallica, Pantera, and - although fans and the band themselves would deny it - elements of nu-metal. Ironically, this total change in direction is one of the band's most truly progressive moves, but unfortunately, their experiment falls entirely flat.
Dream Theater cannot resist going back to their old tricks at times throughout the album, but these old tricks simply don't jive with the overall decided attempt at "heaviness." If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if Fates Warning's
Parallels were covered by members of Godsmack and members of Metallica circa-
Reload, engineered by the same guys who did Queensryche's
Promised Land and Pantera's
Reinventing the Steel, this is it. Myung is nearly inaudible. Rudess' attempts at atmosphere are contrived and silly. Petrucci's tone throughout focuses on everything he had done
wrong up to this point - he is far better suited taking his cues from Lifeson, Howe, Di Meola, and should have never gone for Cantrell or Dimebag. The worst performance from anyone is clearly James Labrie, who is absolutely grating. Clearly being coached by control freak Portnoy to bring out the brutal, the best he can muster is like some quasi-Hetfieldian, Godsmackian feline. "As I Am" sets the tone for the whole album - first-time listeners may be compelled to ask themselves if this is Disturbed's temporary prog rock excursion.
Despite having a clear stylistic direction,
Train of Thought sounds entirely directionless. Even the instrumental "Stream of Consciousness," the highlight, sounds as if the band were at times scratching their heads, pondering how to sound heavier when it was not at all necessary. Worse than being directionless, the album is dull, bloated, unconvincing, and entirely contrived.
