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Octavarium (song)

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For album of the same name, see Octavarium (album).
"Octavarium"
Song

Octavarium is a song by progressive metal band Dream Theater, from the album of the same name. It is notable as being the band's third longest song at 23 minutes and 58 seconds, behind "In the Presence of Enemies" (if both parts are to be considered one song) and "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence". Both songs, however, span through various tracks on their respective albums, Systematic Chaos and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which makes "Octavarium" the band's longest studio track. The title track from Six Degrees is technically one whole song and is considered as such when played live and on CD, however when played on the itunes version it shows up as 8 separate tracks. It was featured on the live album Score.

The song starts with Jordan Rudess using his Haken Continuum and his lap steel guitar, drawing references from Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", Tangerine Dream, Marty Friedman's Scenes, and Queen's "Bijou".

Movements

Octavarium has five parts.

I. Someone Like Him

Beginning with a lengthy Continuum / lap steel guitar solo by Jordan Rudess, this section is told from a first-person perspective. It portrays the thoughts of a person as he decides on what to do in the course of his lifetime, as well as his wish to never become an ordinary person.

He succeeds in living an extraordinary life, but reflects upon it, and ends up wishing he had become an ordinary person, 'Someone like Him'. This is also in line with the 'Full Circle' theme of Octavarium: "this story ends where it began".

In the live performances of the complete version of Octavarium, John Petrucci uses his custom-made "Blue Sparkle"[1] twelve-string/six-string double-neck guitar for this section of the song. The only other songs he uses this particular guitar on are the live performances of Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence's "Solitary Shell" and "Regression" from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory.

II. Medicate (Awakening)

A person wakes up to discover a doctor sitting at his bedside. The doctor informs him that he has been in catatonic sleep for 30 years. The doctor, however, believes he was able to cure him. Suddenly, the patient is in dire need of help as he feels his consciousness fading. The doctor prescribes a higher dosage of medicine, but it doesn't seem to help. Despite the doctor's failure in assisting him, the patient tells the doctor that he's not at fault, and that he shouldn't feel ashamed. Eventually, the patient slips back into unconsciousness. This is in line with the events of the movie Awakenings.

Again, this also reflects the theme of 'Everything ends where it began.'

III. Full Circle

Full Circle is Mike Portnoy's ode to progressive rock, shown in the lyrics by several underlying references to his favorite songs, bands and more. Once again a reference is made to the unifying theme of the song ('Everything ends where it begins'). The enumeration using the last syllable/word as the beginning of the next reference enhances the message that everything is linked, a common theme throughout Dream Theater's albums. (i.e. Day for Night, mare Cinema, Show). There is also another subtle nod to the theme in the references themselves; the section begins and ends with a Pink Floyd reference.

IV. Intervals

Before each stanza in the lyrics, Mike Portnoy says a scale degree. In each stanza, a song from Octavarium is referenced, and an audio clip from that song is played in the background[2].

Root Our deadly sins fill his mortal wrath
Remove all obstacles from our path 		Fifth Tortured insanity, a smothering hell
Try to escape but to no avail
The Root of All Evil Panic Attack
Second Asking questions, search for clues
The answer's been right in front of you 		Sixth The calls of admirers who claim they adore
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more
The Answer Lies Within Never Enough
Third Try to break through, long to connect
Fall on deaf ears with failed muted breath 		Seventh Innocent victims of merciless crimes
Fall prey to some madmen's impulsive designs
These Walls Sacrificed Sons
Fourth Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
Carries love through each darkest fire 		Octave Step after step, we try controlling our fate
When we finally start living it's become too late
I Walk Beside You Octavarium

To finish the Octave, LaBrie repeats the line "Trapped inside this Octavarium", meaning that the speaker is trapped in the Octavarium's full circle, which begins and ends the same. To enunciate the intensity of this statement, LaBrie screams the line, straining his voice more than he had done for over a decade. By the time the song reaches the fourth repeat of the line, his voice has reached as high as G5, the highest note heard on a Dream Theater studio song from vocals, beating the famous F# in "Learning to Live". During live performances, LaBrie usually sings the first three lines the with the same notes, then jumps to the note on the last two syllables of the word "Octavarium", sometimes going as high as G5, holding the note and doing trills downwards on the last.

V. Razor's Edge

This movement simply emphasizes the cyclical nature of all things, as well as the album, as it begins where it ends, using the same melody as the end to the first track, it also ends with the same note that The Root of All Evil begins with. However, the final chord also represents the chord at 00:03 in Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper. This song is the prequel to Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From a Memory, which is the beginning of a series of album transitions that, ending with Octavarium, things move in a cycle, and the story ends where it began. There is also an alternative ending where the main flute theme is reprised and faded at the end of the song.

This movement also serves as the capstone for the song and the album which shares its name, being the fifth movement in the eighth song on the album. In this way, it continues the 5:8 theme. When performed live as part of "Schmedley Wilcox" on Chaos in Motion, Mike Portnoy adds in additional vocal emphasis to portions of this movement.

Another way in which this part ties in to the cyclical nature of the album is that it is part five of Octavarium. The first song on the album, The Root of All Evil, begins with part six (as it is continuing the Twelve-Step Suite).

This movements lyrics also references Rush's Progressive epic Hemispheres, by mirroring the "Perfect Sphere Theme".

Hemispheres - "...With the heart and mind united in a single perfect sphere."

Octavarium - "A Perfect Sphere, colliding with our fate..."

Personnel

References

  1. ^ http://www.johnpetrucci.com/gear.htm
  2. ^ Octavarium analysis
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