41. Dream Theater- Octavarium


I will be honest- this isn't their best album by a mile but it speaks volumes that Dream Theater are leading the symfo-pack yet again. Throne-pretendents Spocks Beard and Flower Kings haven't been able to string together consistent albums, the former only releasing a live album this year, the latter disappointing with their last effort, 2004's Adam & Eve and even heavyweights as Pallas and IQ are releasing patchy albums. Octavarium is (here come the cliches) tight as hell. John Petrucci shows no sign of gving up his reign as guitar god as he pounds out riff after riff in the excellent opener The Root Of All Evil. But it's the whole band that shines in the 24-minute classic title track, pulling out all stops technically and musically, calling in the help of a symphony orchestra and showcasing the various elements of their trade, from mystique interludes to raw heavy metal, knocking all pretenders flat on their ass- on basis of that track alone they deserve this entry!