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List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Atlantic / Wea
Salesrank: 5421
Released: November 11, 2003 |
| Our Price: $6.67 |
| Used Price: $4.50 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Train of Thought Track Listing:
1. As I Am
2. This Dying Soul
3. Endles Sacrifice
4. Honor Thy Father
5. Vacant
6. Stream Of Consciousness
7. In The Name Of God
Train of Thought Reviews:
The best they've done since Awake. 
2008-05-22 - My title says it all.
I didn't like Falling or Metro Pt II.
Six Degrees was awesome.
This disc is a cross between Six and Awake.
Masterful!
And the fact that they wrote it and recorded it in like five minutes says just how great these guys are.
A must have for prog rockers or metal heads
Near Perfection 
2008-01-24 - This is certainly no I&W or Awake, but at least it's not a step backward to their first album.
As with all their newer stuff, there's bound to be some parts not everyone will enjoy. The band is evolving and always will be evolving, and many of their songs can be looked at as experiments; mostly they succeed, but sometimes they don't--at least to me. So there are a few songs I don't listen to much and some that I keep repeating so often I burned a nice ridge in my CD.
Here's my take on each song:
As I Am - Great opening song! Sort of reminds me of early Sabbath, slow and heavy. Good lyrics, great solo's, nice drumwork.
This Dying Soul - Reminds me of classic DT, with overlapping solos and a tight rhythm. Love how it brings in pieces from the `6-Degrees' album. Great ending! Really cool song!
Endless Sacrifice - An okay, song. Certainly not the best on the album. Can almost hear Portnoy falling asleep as he's playing.
Honor Thy Father - Possibly their best song EVER! Killer drumwork, rhythm patterns, guitar, and lyrics too! Has that middle part with audio clips (similar to `Space Dye Vest, The Great Debate, ) that go perfectly with the song, and I really enjoy how they mix that in there.
Vacant - If you're a fan of LaBrie's vocals, you'll love this song. Sort of a `duet' with Rudess, but very unlike `Space Dye Vest.' A sleeper.
Stream Of Consciousness - Great instrumental track! So good to get a break from LaBrie's vocals, as it would have only ruined this song. Have to admit, the end gets kind of tiresome, but still good.
In The Name of God - A good song, but has its moments where it drags, especially during the chorus and ending. But great solos and instrumental section, kind of reminds me of `Trial of Tears.'
Great album overall. Didn't get a perfect score because there are moments where the songs just dragged on too much, and I felt it didn't work well. I understand that's the concept of progression, but it was just too slow at times for me. Worth it for 'Honor Thy Father' alone, but the other songs offer something to hold on to.
Hey, it's Dream Theater, so it's okay. 
2008-01-16 - This album isn't horrible. It's clear that DT wanted to create a more thrashy, heavier, sound on this release. However, I thought the first track was painfully awful, and it took me some time to recover before I could start digesting the compositions later in the album.
Ultimately, there are some maniacally genius moments here - but, for the most part it just isn't accessible enough. And I'm saying that from the point of view of a DT fan who has listened to and thoroughly enjoyed some of their other albums. There were too many times when this album just lost me in the sludge between the more interesting structures.
Still, DT do what DT does. And this is exactly that. They aren't just a progressive band on the track level, they are also a progressive band on the album level - where each album progresses and introduces new styles and nuances. All is forgiven.
A Close second
2008-01-12 - If the rating of cd's was like a 100 yard dash, Train of Thought would come in second in a photo finish with Falling Into Infinity. Endless Sacrafice is probably my all time favorite DT song, but the whole cd is great.
The pinnacle of the progressive metal epic
2008-01-10 - To be short, this album is a collection of songs, and not a concept album. Most of these songs rank among the best Dream Theater has ever created. All of them feature absolutely mind-bottling displays of instrumental virtuosity from each band member. If you love max-speed guitar-keyboard synchronized lead work, this is the best ever. If you're a fan of DT but wish their balls would drop, this is when they finally did. All in all, a masterful performance by the kings of Prog Metal.
