| Released | June 7, 2005 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | November 2004 – February 2005 at The Hit Factory, New York City |
| Genre | Progressive metal, progressive rock |
| Length | 75:44 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Producer | John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy |
Octavarium is the eighth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 7, 2005, it was the band’s final release with Atlantic Records. Recorded between September 2004 and February 2005, the album holds the distinction of being the last album ever recorded at The Hit Factory in New York City. With Octavarium, the band decided to create “a classic Dream Theater album”,[1] drawing upon their various stylistic influences while trying to make the music less complex. It was the first Dream Theater album to feature an orchestra on their tracks. The album’s structure was based around the concept of the musicaloctave. Looking at the history of the word Octavarium reveals very little. The only historical record of it is a historical book in the Vatican called the Octavarium Romanum. It consists mainly of lessons regarding various Catholic feasts. Notable in its history, however, is many 5’s and 8’s. The book was first mentioned underthe pontification of Sixtus V (1585-1590) (Sixtus the fifth in 1585) and then was not mentioned again until it was brought up under Clement VIII (1592-1605) (Clement the eighth).
Octavarium peaked in the top five in the Finnish,[2] Italian,[3] and Swedish charts,[4] and in the top ten in the Dutch,[5] Japanese,[6] and Norwegian charts.[7] Critical reception of the album was generally positive; the diversity of the music was praised, although critics found some of the songwriting to be inconsistent. Dream Theater promoted the album on a year-long world tour, with the majority of concerts lasting almost three hours and featuring a different setlist each night. The tour finished at Radio City Music Hall accompanied by an orchestra; this performance was recorded and released as a live album and concert video entitled Score. They co-headlined the 2005 North American Gigantour with Megadeth.
Background
After completing a North American tour supporting one of their main influences, Yes, in summer 2004, Dream Theater took a two-month break.[8]The band reconvened at The Hit Factory in New York City in November 2004 to begin work on their eighth studio album. The Hit Factory, a studio in which artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2 and John Lennon had recorded, was earmarked for closure. Dream Theater was the last band to record there before it was permanently closed.[1]
After writing the concept album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, the double album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and the metal-focusedTrain of Thought, the band decided to create “a classic Dream Theater album”.[1] Keyboardist Jordan Rudess described it as “really going back to creating a real band effort, as well as drawing upon all our various stylistic influences.”[1] On Octavarium, the band wanted to make the music less complex, featuring songs which Rudess regards as “quicker to appreciate”,[1] although noted that the twenty-four-minute “Octavarium” was not as accessible.[1] Guitarist John Petrucci noted that they wanted to focus on writing strong songs.[9] To achieve this, the band stripped the sound down to piano, guitar and vocals when writing, focusing on the melodies and song structures. A symbol that is seen in the Octavarium artwork is an octagon circumscribed around a 5-pointed star. These numbers, 8 and 5, figure prominently in Octavarium and Dream Theater in general, and are littered everywhere throughout this album. – Octavarium – 5 syllables, consonants, and vowels, Dream Theater’s 8th studio album – 5 current members of Dream Theater – 8 total members in the band’s history (this does not include Chris Collins as he was only a part of Majesty) – DT has 5 official live albums (at the point of Octavarium’s release) – DT formed in 1985 – The Octavarium World Tour began with a European Festival series, which appeared in eight countries (Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Italy, France, and Belgium) – 5 of the 8 songs on this album were recorded with Mike “Hammer of the Gods” kit, the 8th drum kit he has used in his career
Drummer Mike Portnoy dismissed claims that Octavarium was an attempt to write a more commercial album, stating that the band simply “[has] that side to [them]. We love bands like U2 or Coldplay, as well as liking shorter songs as well.”[9] Portnoy noted that, after writing Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Train of Thought, they had not written an album of shorter songs for some time. He said that the band had found writing longer songs easier than writing shorter ones, and that the band was not trying to write a radio hit as “the label wouldn’t have done crap with it anyway.”[9]
The band had previously written an orchestral-style piece in the form of “Overture” on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, but recorded it using keyboards. The tracks “The Answer Lies Within”, “Sacrificed Sons” and “Octavarium” marked the first time Dream Theater worked with an orchestra, conducted by Jamshied Sharifi (who studied at Berklee College of Music at the same time as Portnoy, Petrucci and bassist John Myung). The orchestra was selected based on their sight reading ability, allowing all their parts to be recorded in a maximum of two takes, even though they had never seen or played the music before.[10]
Sharifi would later go on to conduct the Octavarium Orchestra on Dream Theater’s Score album.
Concept
When starting to work on what would become Octavarium, Portnoy noted that it would be their eighth studio album and that they had recently released their fifth live album, Live at Budokan. This sequence mirrored the octave on a musical keyboard: each octave contains eight naturals and five accidentals. Portnoy suggested that they write the entire album based around the concept.[11] When writing, the band delegated each song a different key. Sound effects were placed between songs to connect them: for example, “The Root of All Evil”, written in F, and the following track, “The Answer Lies Within”, written in G, were connected by a sound effect in the key of F#. The album’s lyrics and song titles featured references to this concept. Portnoy cited the titles “The Root of all Evil” (referring to the musical term “root“) and “Octavarium” (“the octave of the octave”) as two examples of this.[11]
Octavarium begins “The Root of All Evil” with the final note of the band’s previous album, Train of Thought with “In the Name of God”. Train of Thought started “As I Am” with the last note from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence with the title track, which in turn started with the noise that ended Scenes from a Memory at the end of “Finally Free”. Portnoy was inspired to do this thanks to the Van Halen album Women and Children First; the outro of the album’s final song ended with a new riff being played which faded out.[11] Portnoy recalled that he expected Van Halen’s next album to start with that ending riff, but was disappointed when it did not. He later realized he had “dug a hole where we’re expected to do it every time”.[11] He solved this problem on Octavarium, where the final track ends with the beginning of the first one. This made the album a cycle in itself, allowing the band to have a clean start with their next album.[11]
Content
“The Root of All Evil” is the third part of Portnoy’s Twelve-step Suite, a set of songs from various Dream Theater albums which describe hisjourney through Alcoholics Anonymous. The song contains parts six and seven of the suite: “Ready” and “Remove”.[12] “The Answer Lies Within” and “I Walk Beside You” are the two shortest tracks on the album. Rudess regards them as radio-friendly songs which still maintain Dream Theater’s style.[1]
The song, “The Answer Lies Within” features a bell at the beginning that tolls 8 times. Also the same note as The Glass Prison bell.
The heartbeat in the ending of the song, “These Walls” is beating at 58 bpm (beats per minute).
In the song, “Panic Attack”, the final riff sounds in each speaker 5 times (includes the first time the riff is played as well as a very faint one at the end).
Portnoy wrote the lyrics to “Never Enough”, attacking the small portion of Dream Theater’s fanbase who Portnoy perceived to complain about every thing they did. Portnoy stated that while he appreciated the devotion of Dream Theater’s fans, he was frustrated because he was “constantly tearing [himself] away from [his] family”[12] to give more to the fans. He found it discouraging that, even though he spent “countless nights”[12]writing special setlists and the band spent days rehearsing, some fans would still complain that they went to a show and did not hear “Pull Me Under“. “It’s discouraging and makes me crazy sometimes,” he said.[12]
“Sacrificed Sons”, at just over ten minutes long, is the second-longest song on the album. Its lyrics, written by vocalist James LaBrie, deal with theSeptember 11 attacks.[12] Rudess noted that the band enjoyed writing about more serious topics instead of love songs. When working on the lyrics, LaBrie said that there was “a lot of discussion”[13] about the song’s wording and how direct it should be.[13]
The title track “Octavarium” is the longest track on the album, at twenty-four minutes. Petrucci stated that the band wanted to write an epic song that thematically developed and would use an orchestra. The band was heavily influenced by the progressive rock sound of Genesis, Yes andPink Floyd. The instrumental introduction, heavily influenced by Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond“, was performed by Rudess using alap steel guitar and Continuum. Additionally, there are many references to other progressive rock songs in the lyrics.[14]
Artwork
Hugh Syme provided the artwork for Octavarium. The idea of depicting a giant Newton’s cradle was born out of discussions between Syme and Portnoy. The two talked about how “for everything you do in music you create either a cluster or triad“, according to Syme. “And then it became evident that for every action there is an opposite reaction. So I thought we could do something based on the Newton’s cradle.”[15] There are numerous references to the numbers five and eight throughout the artwork, alluding to the album’s concept. For example, the Newton’s cradle has eight suspended balls, and there are five birds on the cover. The album booklet features an octagonal maze, spider and octopus, among other references. The landscape on the cover is made up of a sky and grass from Indiana, and a background from the Lake District.[15]
Release
A week before the scheduled release of Octavarium, Portnoy shut down the official Dream Theater and Mike Portnoy forums. Blabbermouth.netreported that this was in response to the album being leaked.[16] Portnoy stated that “[he] chose to do this mainly [emphasis removed] to build anticipation for the big ‘official’ unveiling next week”, although noted that “the repeated requests to refrain from spoilers and links for the new album against the band’s wishes were frustrating”.[17]
Octavarium was released on June 7, 2005. It was their final album with Atlantic Records, ending a contract which had lasted fourteen years. Although in recent years the band had been allowed creative freedom, they were dissatisfied by the lack of promotion the label offered them.[18]Portnoy released a DVD entitled Drumavarium in 2005, containing footage of his drum performance from the Octavarium recording sessions.[19]Rudess released a solo piano version of “The Answer Lies Within” on his 2009 album Notes on a Dream.[20] “Panic Attack” is also featured as a playable song in Rock Band 2 as the Hardest Song In the Game for drum and bass.[21]
Reception
Octavarium reached the top five in the Finnish,[2] Italian,[3] and Swedish charts,[4] as well as the top ten in the Dutch,[5] Japanese,[6] and Norwegian charts.[7] Critical reception of the album was generally positive. Writing for Blistering, Justin Donnelly praised the album as “diverse, melodic and hard hitting all at the same time”,[24] ranking it as one of Dream Theater’s best releases. He particularly praised the title track, considering it to be “another Dream Theater classic”.[24]Billboard considered the results of the band’s attempt to write shorter songs and use warmer instrumental textures to be “excellent”,[23] particularly praising “The Root of All Evil”, “These Walls” and “I Walk Beside You”.[23]
Harley Carlson of MetalReview.com regarded Octavarium as “successfully [showcasing] the band’s ability to craft emotive music,”[27] although noted that it is “unquestionably Dream Theater, yet there is something missing.”[27] Vik Bansal of musicOMH praised “Never Enough”, “Panic Attack” and “Sacrificed Sons”, but dismissed “The Root of All Evil” as “Dream Theater by the numbers”.[28] He criticized “Octavarium” as “bloated”,[28] although noted that fans of the band’s A Change of Seasons would enjoy it. He said that “there’s enough on the remainder ofOctavarium to keep the rest of us interested and the prog rock haters whining dismissively”.[28] Writing for Exclaim!, Greg Pratt praised the album’s artwork and production, but said that “there’s nothing that blows any minds here, or even gives a mild bend; hell, a good chunk of this disc feels like basic radio rock from the local old-guy bar band”.[25] He noted that although there were some longer songs on the album, “this just feels like 76 minutes of overdramatic rock, too heavy on the light and weak, and not enough time spent on just showing off”.[25]
Donnelly considered Octavarium to be “somewhere between Images and Words, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and Train of Thought“.[24]Carlson stated that the album “draws closest comparison to Falling Into Infinity and Metropolis II: Scenes From A Memory, but with far less complexity and edge.”[27] Tammy La Gorce of Allmusic noted that “a post-hardcore edge – call it a leap into 2005 – has invaded [the band’s] pledge of allegiance to theatrical heavy rock… What’s changed is Dream Theater’s commitment to carrying on their reputation as underground progressive rock’s classicists, and it seems well-timed.”[22] Critics noted a strong Muse influence on some tracks.[24][28]
Touring
Dream Theater began touring in support of Octavarium in Europe on June 10, 2005, beginning at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg. The band co-headlined the Gigantour withMegadeth across North America from July 21 to September 3.[29] The Montreal concert was recorded and released as a live album and concert video on August 22, 2006 and September 5, 2006 respectively, titled Gigantour.[30][31] The main Octavarium world tour began in September in Finland, and saw the band continue with their “An Evening With Dream Theater” concert format. This meant the band would play for almost three hours, with a different setlist each evening. Combined with interviews, rehearsals during soundcheck and meet-and-greet sessions with fans, the band became physically and mentally drained.[29]
Dream Theater performed two shows on consecutive nights both in Amsterdam and London. On the second night in both cities, the band covered the entirety of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon album.[29] Theresa Thomason, who had previously performed on Scenes From a Memory, was flown in to perform vocals on “The Great Gig in the Sky“.[32] The London performance was released as a live album and concert video in 2006 by Portnoy’s YtseJam Records.[33][34] The band covered all of Deep Purple‘s Made in Japan at concerts in Tokyo and Osaka; a recording of which was also released as a live album by YtseJam Records in 2007.[33][35][36]
To celebrate the band’s twentieth anniversary, the final concert on the tour was performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York on April 1, 2006. For the second half of the concert, the band was accompanied by a thirty-piece orchestra conducted by Jamshied Sharifi. The concert was filmed and released as a live album and concert video named Score on August 29, 2006 by Rhino Records.[35][37]
Track listing
All music composed by Dream Theater.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “The Root of All Evil”
|
Mike Portnoy | 8:26 | |
| 2. | “The Answer Lies Within” | John Petrucci | 5:33 | |
| 3. | “These Walls” | Petrucci | 7:36 | |
| 4. | “I Walk Beside You” | Petrucci | 4:29 | |
| 5. | “Panic Attack” | Petrucci | 8:13 | |
| 6. | “Never Enough” | Portnoy | 6:47 | |
| 7. | “Sacrificed Sons” | James LaBrie | 10:43 | |
| 8. | “Octavarium”
|
LaBrie, Petrucci, Portnoy
|
24:00 | |
|
Total length:
|
75:44 | |||
Lyrics
1. The Root Of All Evil
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]
[VI. Ready]
Proud enough for you to call me arrogant
Greedy enough to be labeled a thief
Angry enough for me to go and hurt a man
Cruel enough for me to feel no grief
Never could have just a part of it
I always need more to get by
Getting right down to the heart of it
The root of all evil has been running my whole life
Dirty enough for me to lust
Leaving nothing left to trust
Jealous enough to still feel envious
Lazy enough to sleep all day
And let my life just waste away
Selfish enough to make you wait for me
Driven blindly by our sins
Misled so easily
Entirely ready to leave it behind
I’m begging to break free
Take all of me
The desires that keep burning deep inside
Cast them all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me be what I can be
[VII. Remove]
Self-centered fear has got a hold of me
Clutching my throat
Self righteous anger running all through me
Ready to explode
Procrastination paralyzing me
Wanting me dead
These obsessions that keep haunting me
Won’t leave my head
Help to do for me what I can’t do myself
Take this fear and pain
I can’t break out this prison all alone
Help me break these chains
Humility now my only hope
Won’t you take all of me
Heal this dying soul
I can feel my body breaking
I can feel my body breaking
I’m ready to let it all go
I can feel my body shaking
Right down to the foundation
The root of it all
Take all of me
The desires that keep burning deep inside
Cast it all away
And help to give me strength to face another day
I am ready
Help me what I can be
I am ready
Come to me
Take me away
[Dedicated to Bill W. and all of his friends]
2. The Answer Lies Within
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: John Petrucci]
Look around,
Where do you belong
Don’t be afraid,
You are not the only one
Don’t let the day go by,
Don’t let it end
Don’t let a day go by in doubt,
The answer lies within
Life is short, so learn from your mistakes
And stand behind, the choices that you made
Face each day with both eyes open wide
And try to give, don’t keep it all inside
Don’t let the day go by
Don’t let it end
Don’t let a day go by, in doubt,
The answer lies within
You’ve got the future on your side
You’ve gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You are gonna shine!!! (shinee)
Don’t let the day go by
Don’t let it end
Don’t let a day go by, in doubt
You re ready to begin
Don’t let a day go by in doubt
The answer lies within
3. These Walls
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: John Petrucci]
This is so hard for me
To find the words to say
My thoughts are standing still
Captive inside of me
All emotions start to hide
And nothing’s getting through
Watch me,
Fading
I’m losing
All my instincts,
falling into darkness
Tear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under
You are the only one who knows
I’m holding back
It’s not too late for me,
To keep from sinking further
(I’m trying to find my way out,
Tear down these walls for me now)
So much uncertainty
I don’t like this feeling
I’m sinking like a stone
Each time I try to speak
There’s a voice I’m hearing
And it changes everything
Watch me,
Crawl from
The wreckage
Of my silence
Conversation
Failing
Tear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under
You are the only one who knows
I’m holding back
It’s not too late for me,
To keep from sinking further
(I’m trying to find my way out,
Take down these walls)
Everytime you choose to turn away
Is it worth the price you pay?
Is there someone who will wait for you
One more time? [x2]
Watch me,
Fading
I’m losing
All my instincts,
Falling into darkness
Tear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under
You are the only one who knows
I’m holding back
It’s not too late for me,
To keep from sinking further
(I’m trying to find my way out,
Tear down these walls for me now)
Tear down these walls for me
It’s not too late for me
Tear down these walls for me
4. I Walk Beside You
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: John Petrucci]
There’s a story in your eyes
I can see the hurt behind your smile
For every sign I recognize
Another one escapes me
Let me know what plagues your mind
Let me be the one to know you best
Be the one to hold you up
When you feel like you’re sinking
Tell me once again
What’s beneath the pain you’re feeling
Don’t abandon me
Or think you can’t be saved
I walk beside you
Wherever you are
Whatever it takes
No matter how far
Through all that may come
And all that may go
I walk beside you
I walk beside you
Summon up your ghosts for me
Rest your tired thoughts upon my hands
Step inside this sacred place
When all your dreams seem broken
Resonate inside this temple
Let me be the one who understands
Be the one to carry you
When you can walk no further
Tell me once again
What’s below the surface bleeding
If you’ve lost your way,
I will take you there
I walk beside you
Wherever you are
Whatever it takes
No matter how far
Through all that may come
And all that may go
I walk beside you
I walk beside you
Oh, where everything is wrong
Oh, where hopelessness surrounds you
Oh, the sun will rise again
The tide you swim against
Will carry you back home
So don’t give up
Don’t give in
I walk beside you
Wherever you are
Whatever it takes
No matter how far
Through all that may come
And all that may go
I walk beside you
I walk beside you
5. Panic Attack
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: John Petrucci]
All wound up
On the edge
Terrified
Sleep disturbed
Restless mind
Petrified
Bouts of fear
Permeate
All I see
Heightening
Nervousness
Threatens me
I am paralyzed
So afraid to die
Caught off guard
Warning signs
Never show
Tension strikes
Choking me
Worries grow
Why do I feel so numb
Is it something to do with where I come from
Should this be fight or flight
I don’t know why I’m constantly so uptight
Rapid heartbeat pounding through my chest
Agitated body in distress
I feel like I’m in danger
Daily life is strangled by my stress
A stifling surge
Shooting through all my veins
Extreme apprehension
Suddenly I’m insane
Lost all hope for redemption
A grave situation desperate at best
Why do I feel so numb
Is it something to do with where I come from
Should this be fight or flight
I don’t know why I’m constantly reeling
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run
Try to hide
Overwhelmed by this complex delirium
Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety
Run
Try to hide
Overwhelmed by this complex delirium
6. Never Enough
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]
Cut myself open wide
Reach inside
Help yourself
To all I have to give
And then you help yourself again
And then complain that
You didn’t like the way
I put the knife in wrong
You didn’t like the way
My blood spilled on your brand new floor
What would you say
If I walked away
Would you appreciate
But then it’d be too late
Because I can only take so much of your ungrateful ways
Everything is never enough
Sacrifice my life
Neglect my kids and wife
All for you to be happy
All those sleepless nights
And countless fights to give you more
And then you say how dare that
I didn’t write you back
I must be too good for you
I only care about myself
What would you say
If I walked away
Would you appreciate
But then it’d be too late
Because I can only take so much of your ungrateful ways
Everything is never enough
7. Sacrificed Sons
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: James LaBrie]
[Begins with samples from 9/11]
Walls are closing
Anxiously
Channel surfing
Frantically
Burning City
Smoke and fire
Planes we’re certain
Faith inspired
No clues
A complete surprise
Who’ll be
Coming home tonight
Heads all turning
Towards the sky
Towers crumble
Heroes die
Who would wish this
On our people
And proclaim
That His will be done
Scriptures they heed have misled them
All praise their Sacrificed Sons
Teach them
What to think and feel
Your ways
So enlightening
Words they preach
I can’t relate
If God’s true Love
Are acts of Hate
God on High
Our mistakes
Will mankind be extinct?
There’s no time to waste
Who serves the truth
For Heavens’ sake
8. Octavarium
[Music: Dream Theater]
[I. Someone Like Him] [0:00 ‒ 8:47]
[Lyrics: John Petrucci]
I never wanted to become someone like him so secure
Content to live each day just like the last
I was sure I knew that
This was not for me
And I wanted so much more
Far beyond what I could see
So I swore that I’d
Never be someone like him
So many years have passed
Since I proclaimed
My independence
My mission
My aim
And my vision
So secure
Content to live each day like it’s my last
It’s wonderful to know
That I could be
Something more than what I dreamed
Far beyond what I could see
Still I swear that I’m
Missing out this time
As far as I could tell
There’s nothing more I need
But still I ask myself
Could this be everything
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
[II. Medicate (Awakening)] [8:48 ‒ 13:49]
[Lyrics: James LaBrie]
A Doctor sitting next to me
He asks me how I feel
Not sure I understand his questioning
He says I’ve been away a while
But thinks he has cured me
From a state of catatonic sleep
For 30 years
Where have I been
Eyes open
But not getting through to me
Medicate me
Infiltrate me
Side effects appear
As my conscience slips away
Medicate me
Science failing
Conscience fading fast
Can’t you stop what’s happening
A higher dosage he prescribes
But there’s no guarantee
I feel it starting to take over me
I tell him not to be ashamed
There’s no one who’s to blame
A second shot
A brief awakening
I feel the relapse
Can’t break free
Eyes open
But not getting through to me
[III. Full Circle] [13:50 – 16:36]
[Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]
Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper diem’s ready
Jack the ripper Owens Wilson Phillips and my supper’s ready
Lucy in the sky with diamond Dave’s not here I come to save the
Day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again
Running forward
Falling back
Spinning round and round
Looking outward
Reaching in
Scream without a sound
Leaning over
Crawling up
Stumbling all around
Losing my place
Only to find I’ve come full circle
Flying off the handle be careful with
That axe Eugene gene the dance machine
Messiah light my fire gabba gabba
Hey hey my my generation’s home again
Running forward
Falling back
Spinning round and round
Looking outward
Reaching in
Scream without a sound
Leaning over
Crawling up
Stumbling all around
Losing my place
Only to find I’ve come full circle
[IV. Intervals] [16:37 – 19:53]
[Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]
[Root]
Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath
Remove all obstacles from our path
[Second]
Asking questions
Search for clues
The answer’s been right in front of you
[Third]
Try to break through
Long to connect
Fall on deaf ears and failed muted breath
[Fourth]
Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
Carries love through each darkest fire
[Fifth]
Tortured Insanity
A smothering hell
Try to escape but no avail
[Sixth]
The calls of admirers
Who claim they adore
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more
[Seventh]
Innocent victims of merciless crimes
Fall prey to some madmen’s impulsive designs
[Octave]
Step after step
We try controlling our fate
When we finally start living it has become too late
Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium
[V. Razor’s Edge] [19:54 ‒ 24:00]
[Lyrics: John Petrucci]
We move in circles
Balanced all the while
On a gleaming razor’s edge
A perfect sphere
Colliding with our fate
This story ends where it began
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