10 Best Hard Rock Songs Over 10 Minutes Long
3. Dream Theater - Octavarium - 24:00
Dream Theater’s Octavarium is one of the nerdiest records of all time based purely on its concept and the sheer depth of Easter eggs it contains from front to back. The theme of the record is based around an octave (of 8 notes) and its intervals (of 5 notes). For example, the record’s title track is the eighth song, and is divided into five movements.
But it’s not enough for something to be simply stuffed with winks and nods so it’s a good thing that Octavarium, which clocks in at a deliberate 24:00, is Dream Theater firing on all cylinders. Running the full gambit of synthetic ambience, mellow piano-driven ballad, furious hard rock and more guitar runs than you can shake a stick at; it may well be the best representation of the band during a high point in their career. Not only does every member of Dream Theater have a crowning moment of awesome during Octavarium’s runtime but Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci’s production is so crisp and clear that the song sounds fresh over fifteen years later.
As Octavairum heads towards its crescendo, it becomes an ode to its contemporaries and the greats of prog rock’s past with lyrical references to Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and more. Perhaps what makes Octavarium so great is indeed the band proudly wearing their hearts on their sleeves. A joyful homage to progressive music and all of its intricacies, ridiculousness and elongated song times.