View Full Version : Concept behind Octavarium!!
Margaret
06-26-2005, 03:53 PM
Just a couple of days ago I bought me a Dutch rock/metal magazine called 'Aardschok' which included a big giant DT interview with both Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci.
In this interview (done by Denis Schoen - ex DTIFC boss) JP said that the concept behind 8V is not in the form of the tradional story telling.. (obviously enough ;) ) and as Denis asked John to enlighten him a bit about the concept, he didn't really give him the answer. All he said is that the concept is for the fans to figure out! So, that's cool I thought and kept on reading and as I progressed reading the interview and Mike gave some more hints, I THINK I have figured out the concept. Here's what I came up with and i'm sorry if it has been posted before...
8V has eight songs and DT has released 8 albums now *obviously*
So here goes my idea of the concept.
The 1st track off of 8V relates to the 1st track off of WDADU (1st album)
The 2nd track off of 8V relates to the 2nd track off of I&W (2nd album)
The 3rd track off of 8V relates to the 3rd track off of Awake (3rd album)
and so forth.... Just go and compare the lyrics/themes of the songs with each other and you'll be surprised...
I figured this out when Denis commented on 'The Answer Lies Within' being the 2nd song on the album, which he found weird... Mike then said: 'Well, it was the concept that forced TALW to be the second song' and THAT'S where I started to 'see the light' and picked up all the booklets and started to complete my puzzle :D
What do you think?!
assassin
06-26-2005, 05:37 PM
What is SDOIT's 6th song? Overture? Or if you count it from the 2nd disc, Solitary Shell?
mesavox
06-26-2005, 07:06 PM
If the concept isn't in here, 8v nuggets (http://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=898674), it's probably not a concept at all. LOL
aibohphobia
06-26-2005, 10:16 PM
What, it's not possible that a Rudess fan could come up with something that a Portnoy fan didn't see?
BlobVanDam
06-26-2005, 10:59 PM
When he said that the concept forced it to be second song, he might have been reffering to the whole key signature piano thing. Since the first track is in the key of F, it had to be track 1 to match up with the keyboard, and so on. As for the theory, I see a relation between ITNOG and Sacrificed Sons, but I'm not sure about the others (mainly because I don't have a damn clue what they're about).
hephiroth
06-27-2005, 12:16 AM
yeah, i think the concept has more to do with the key signatures n stuff. plus, i don't hear too many of those song relations...but maybe?
-jeff-
AFKAR
06-27-2005, 01:23 AM
i want to know whats with the 5 & 8 being represented all over the cd artwork eg, the dominos, piano keys etc
thats the thing driving me nuts!!!
BlobVanDam
06-27-2005, 01:42 AM
The 8 is the number of white keys in an octave. The 5 is the number of black keys in an octave. I'm sure that's where it derived from.
^ yes. and also because of the 5 band members - 8 studio albums, etc...
Ive been following the nuggets thread(s) at MP.com for a while now, and ive heard every crazy theory there is.
I really dont think they (DT) intended to go much further than to follow the structure of a piano's octave throughout the album, and to make the last song an autobiographical account of their careers. I dont beleive there is any correlation/connection between the different songs in the album, LYRICALLY, but musically, margaret's idea of 'the 3rd song relates to the 3rd track of the 3rd album' makes sense.
Its a good theory, but i really dont think the connection goes deeper than the music - reason being because, for example, 'a fortune in lies' is about theft and imprisonment, while 'the root of all evil' is the 3rd part in a song about alcohol addiction. I dont know, some people might be able to draw connections lyrically, but i think its a bit far fetched.
AFKAR
06-27-2005, 01:57 AM
The 8 is the number of white keys in an octave. The 5 is the number of black keys in an octave. I'm sure that's where it derived from.
yeah i knew that....
i just thought it was much more involved than that
posted this in the nuggets thread at MP.com:
http://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=898674&mpage=5
BlobVanDam
06-27-2005, 02:16 AM
yeah i knew that....
i just thought it was much more involved than that
I don't think it is more involved. I just think they came up with a million clever ways of using it though. They probably came up with some really involved way of using it.
just read over the post on MP.com, and I can confirm that Octavarium still fits in with this theory. It links up with the 8th track of DT's 8th album :P
merijn
06-27-2005, 05:48 AM
If the concept isn't in here, 8v nuggets (http://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=898674), it's probably not a concept at all. LOL
Mesavox are you tha guy? Man your work is amazing!! Truly brilliant!!!
Its a good theory, but i really dont think the connection goes deeper than the music - reason being because, for example, 'a fortune in lies' is about theft and imprisonment, while 'the root of all evil' is the 3rd part in a song about alcohol addiction. I dont know, some people might be able to draw connections lyrically, but i think its a bit far fetched.
That being said, i have found a few connections:
Innocence faded / These Walls
"Trinity jaded
I break down walls to find you..."
"Tear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under..."
And Hollow Years / I Walk Beside You
"Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water..."
"I walk beside you
Wherever you are..."
Thats all i have found sofar.
mesavox
06-27-2005, 02:18 PM
What, it's not possible that a Rudess fan could come up with something that a Portnoy fan didn't see?
Did I say that? I was making a joke out of the sheer amount of info in that post. I thought people here might like to read through it as plenty of things were brought up, even to the point as someone suggested here, of being waaaay beyond any nugget intent the band probably had.
Mesavox are you tha guy? Man your work is amazing!! Truly brilliant!!!
That was me, but it's not too brilliant. lol. I just compiled what every one else had already said about it, and put it in one post because the original thread had gotten so repetative it was hard to keep track of what might be useful information. lol. While I had found many of those nuggets before reading them, I didn't find them all, and I only posted two or three of them in the thread I compiled all that info from. For instance, while I had seen that the key signatures above each song's lyrics were the relative major/minor key of the song itself, I hadn't caught that the keys on the back of the cover were in line with the song to the left and it's key.
Basically, it's really a lot of people's findings and a lot of me arranging and typing. lol
Radical Edward
07-01-2005, 03:43 PM
Gaz said:
That being said, i have found a few connections:
Innocence faded / These Walls
"Trinity jaded
I break down walls to find you..."
"Tear down these walls for me
Stop me from going under..."
And Hollow Years / I Walk Beside You
"Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water..."
"I walk beside you
Wherever you are..."
Thats all i have found sofar.
My friend's brother pointed out another one to me.
Scarred-Awake Album:
"Thirty years say we're in this together, so open your eyes."
Octavarium (song) Part 2-Medicate:
"For 30 years
Where have I been
Eyes open
But not getting through to me."
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