Octavarium (album)
Occupation
- Vocals: James LaBrie
- Guitar: John Petrucci
- Bass: John Myung
- Keyboard: Jordan Rudess
- Drums: Mike Portnoy
Octavarium is the eighth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, which was released on 6 June 2005.
After the rather thrashy previous album, Train of Thought Dream Theater returns with Octavarium back to a more progressive style back. For the first time Dream Theater is accompanied on the album by an orchestra. It was Dream Theater 's last album with Atlantic Records ( after 14 years of contract ), and the last album, which was recorded at The Hit Factory studio in New York. After Dream Theater had finished recording, the studio was closed.
Octavarium reached the Top Five in Finland, Italy and Sweden and the top ten in Poland, the Netherlands, Norway and Japan. In reviews it was mostly positive.
Concept
A theme that runs at various levels through the entire album, is the octave, and related to the numbers 8 and 5 An octave is an interval of eight pitches, and five is the number of semitones within an octave ( the black keys on the piano ). The reason for this approach will be that Octavarium is the eighth studio album by the band.
On the night or on the octave is already alluded to in the album title (see below). The album contains eight songs. The keys, in which the songs are written (all in a minor key ), just include an octave: It starts with f, and followed by ( in ascending order) g, a, h, c, d, e, and finally f again ( an octave higher than the first song ). Matching is on the back of the CD case, a piano keyboard indicated, also by f goes to f, and on the song titles are written on each correct key. Even the eight balls and five birds on the album cover can be interpreted as white and black piano keys, which go from one to the overlying f f. Many other, more or less hidden references to the octave or on the night and the Five were built into the pieces themselves, in their name and in the illustrations in the booklet.
Another issue is the circularity of all things - the idea that history is moving in a circle and everything eventually returns, as the end point of an octave interval at the same time is the beginning point of the next. This expresses itself, among others Key in the scheme of the album, which leads from f to f, or the fact that the album begins with the same note with which also ended the previous album. In addition to explicit mentions of the topic in the texts, there are also numerous textual and musical allusions to earlier songs by Dream Theater itself and of other bands. Even in the illustrations is this topic before (eg always come back swinging Kugelstoßpendel on the cover ).
The name
Originally, the album Octave (Eng. " octave " ) should be called, but as the progressive rock band Spock 's Beard beginning brought out in 2005 it also eighth album Octane (Eng. " octane " ), decided to Dream Theater album name more of this to differentiate. Following the announcement of the name Octavarium there was a lot of speculation among fans, which may mean this.
Linguistically, it is considered at Octavarium by a Latin or borrowed from the Latin word consisting of the root word Octave (from Octavus = " eighth " or octava = " eighth ", derived from " the octave " ) and the suffix - arium ( neuter of - arius ), whose basic meaning " ... concerning " is. The literal meaning of Octavarium can therefore about with " the Eighth concerning " or " relating octaves " are circumscribed, which fits well with the concept of the album (see above). With the mentioned suffix words are formed in Latin adjectives, but are also often a substantive. In the latter case the noun is not mentioned, but must be inferred from the context (in this example " ... Affected [Factory / album ] " or similar).
The word octavarium existed in the post-classical ( late antiquity ) Latin and called at that time a tax of 1/8 ( literal meaning in this case: " the eighth part in question [ tax ]"). As a working title, the word is also used in front of Octavarium Romanum ( "Roman Octavarium "), a Catholic liturgy treated book from 1628 ( " liturgical octaves Affected [book ]"). Whether or not this far back in time and content secluded uses of the word had an influence on the name of the Dream Theater album, is another question.
The on Internet forums widespread name resolution in octa varium with the alleged meaning " eight variations " (or similar ) is grammatically incorrect (which of course does not exclude that Dream Theater could theoretically have had in mind also such an interpretation ).
Title list
Guest musicians
Orchestra
- Officers: Jamshied Sharifi
- Concertmaster: Elena Barere
- Violins: Katharine Fong
- Ann Lehmann
- Katherine Livolsi Star
- Laura McGinniss
- Catherine ro
- Ricky Sortomme
- Yuri Vodovoz
- Violas: Vincent Lionti
- Karen Dreyfus
- Cellos: Richard locker
- Flute: Pamela Sklar
- Horns: Joe the other
- Stewart Rose