Octavarium - The Full Circle

alexislago999 posted:

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Octavarium is such a mystery isnt it. Well i know the answer to what exactly that song is about, and some of you wont really follow me at first but i will explain.

The song is about Dream Theater and their influence on progressive rock. The first 13 and a half minutes of that song sound very similar to pink floyd, yes, genesis, the beatles, and many other progressive rock pioneers. This is done on purpose, considering that they started the genre, so Dream Theater started the song by playing their music very much like their influences - "i never wanted to become someone like him" basically means Dream Theater, when they were young, never wanted to be like their influences because they wanted to be independent. However no matter how hard they try they will end up being just like them in some way, although still original - "Then all I swore that I would never be was now, so suddenly, the only thing, I wanted, to become, to be someone just like him."

The next part of the song is sort of a metaphoric explanation of how Dream Theater became like them, other than that there is not much i can explain.

At about 14 minutes into the song, a strong, very progressive metalish riff comes into play, and that is where the line "Isn't this where we came in?" (sample from Pink Floyd The Wall) is heard. The basic reason for this quote is to explain that at this point in time (around 1989), Dream Theater opened the door to a new genre (Progmetal, for those of you who dont know). Now Dream Theater realizes that they will always be like their fathers, and yet original, so they pay homage to their influences in this section.

- Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper, diem's ready
...sailing on the seven seas: OMD song
...seize the day: famous DT line from A Change of Seasons
...day tripper: Beatles song
...diem's ready: Carpe Diem from A Change of Seasons

-Jack the ripper, Owen's Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
...jack the ripper: Judas Priest song
...owen wilson: if you dont know this youre retarded
...phillips and my: not sure lol
...supper's ready: Genesis song

-Lucy in the sky with diamond, Dave's not here ive come to save the day
...lucy in the sky with diamonds: Beatles song
...daves not here: Yes song

-For nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again
...nightmare cinema: antonym to Dream Theater, and also a joke band they made with Derek Sherinian (former DT keyboardist)
...home: Dream Theater song

-Eugene Gene the dance machine messiah, light my fire, gabba gabba hey hey
...gene gene the dance machine: TV character from the 70-80s
...machine messiah: Yes song
...light my fire: Doors song
...gabba gabba hey: Ramones song

-Hey hey my my generation's home again
...hey hey my my: Neill Young song
...my generation: The Who song
...home again: Dream Theater song again

The next part, Intervals, is about the songs on the album Octavarium itself.
I need not explain, just read this:

The Root of All Evil
Root
Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath
Remove all obstacles from our path

The Answer Lies Within
Second
Asking questions
Search for clues
The answer's been right in front of you

These Walls
Third
We try to break free
Long to connect
Fall on deaf ears with failed muted breath

I Walk Beside You
Fourth
Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
Carries love through each darkest fire

Panic Attack
Fifth
Tortured insanity
A smothering hell
Try to escape but to no avail

Never Enough
Sixth
The calls of admirers
Who claim they adore
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more

Sacrificed Sons
Seventh
Innocent victims for merciless crimes
Fall prey to some madman's impulsive designs

Octavarium
Octave
Step after step
We try controlling our fate
When we finally start living it's become too late

Root second third fourth fifth sixth seventh and octave are musical intervals, thus the name of the section. And all the songs on Octavarium are on different scales spaced interavally: Root of all evil is in F, Answer lies within is in G, These walls is in A, I walk beside you is in B, Panic attack is in C, Never enough is in D, Sacrificed sons is in E, and Octavarium is in F, therefore making that album a full circle.

TRAPPED INSIDE THIS OCTAVARIUM basically means that the band cannot be different or independent anymore because they have already defined themselves.

A perfect sphere
Colliding with our fate
The story ends where it began

Notice the first note in The Root Of All Evil is an F, well the last note in Octavarium is the same F, making it a full circle and saying that the story ends where it began musically as well.

This song = pure genius

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Retirado de http://boards.ign.com/progressive_music_board/b8310/129953463/p2/

PORRA É NESSAS HORAS QUE EU ODEIO O PORTNOY POR TER LARGADO A BANDA! A parte das bandas sendo homenageadas já tinha lido, mas "Intervals" foi genial demais, OMG. E cada música é num tom, credo. Parafraseando um amigo do fórum, "Dream Theater really is cocky as hell"

Tava fazendo uma conta por alto, considerando que Octavarium tenha 20 minutos (na verdade tem 24) e que eu tenha ouvido somente as 68 vezes registradas pelo last.fm, eu teria ouvido coisa como 23 horas, quase um dia inteiro, só de Octavarium (a música).

Ah sim, hoje foi o dia que finalmente o Helloween saiu da minha lista de bandas mais ouvidas no last.fm. Acho que foi ultrapassado pelo Judas Priest, em breve será passado pelo Queen também (257 x 242). Pra ter ficado tanto tempo na lista mesmo depois de muito tempo depois de enjoar, é sinal que foi uma relação muito intensa. (não quero mais saber de Helloween, mas confesso que lembrando deles ontem, deu uma certa vontade de ouvir Keeper of the Seven Keys)

*ao som de Stratovarius (4000 rainy nights) e depois Pink Floyd (Another brick on the Wall parte 2)