Dream Theater

“Train of Thought”

Elektra

It doesn’t take long for “Train of Thought” to skid right off the tracks. “As I Am,” the opening cut, finds Dream Theater singer James LaBrie defiantly spouting enough cliches to cause a bad derailment. Saddled with one of John Petrucci’s most forgettable lyrics, LaBrie sulks: “Now under your command / I know where I stand / I won’t change to fit your plan /Take me as I am.” Hmmm — think we’ll pass.

Things don’t improve much as far as the lyrics are concerned, and Petrucci isn’t the only band member at fault. LaBrie and drummer Mike Portnoy’s contributions tend to be trite (“This Dying Soul”) or slight (“Vacant”), but give credit where credit is due. As family portraits go, Portnoy’s “Honor Thy Father” couldn’t be more vicious, profane or laughably overwrought, right down to the final, crushing verse: “Never in my life have I seen / Someone so [expletive] blind to the damage he’s done / You’re the rotted root in the family tree.” Calling Dr. Phil.

Suffice to say that the album’s redeeming virtues, such as they are, generally surface when Petrucci is displaying his prog-metal mettle on guitar, whether adding crunchy chords to the gothic ballad “Endless Sacrifice” or making dazzling sprints across the fretboard on “This Dying Soul,” with Portnoy and bassist John Myung in hot, pummeling pursuit. Thanks to their handiwork, along with a few baroque, lighthearted twists from keyboardist Jordan Rudess, “Train of Thought” offers some familiar pleasures now and then. If only getting there was half the fun.

— Mike Joyce