Train of Thought

Train of Thought is the seventh full-length studio album by progressive metal band Dream Theater.

History
Inspired by the audience response to Dream Theater’s heavier songs while on tour[1], Train of Thought is widely considered their heaviest album to date. The album was written in three weeks.[2] It was engineered by Doug Oberkircher and mixed by Kevin Shirley.[3]
There are some connections to previous and following albums of the band:

The album has seven songs, while its predecessor (Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence) has six and its successor (Octavarium) has eight.

The first song “As I Am” starts with the ending synth/orchestral chord of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and the ending piano note (F) of “In the Name of God” is the first note of Octavarium’s “The Root of All Evil”.
“This Dying Soul” continues Mike Portnoy’s Alcoholics Anonymous suite, started with “The Glass Prison” on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and later continued with “The Root of All Evil” on Octavarium and “Repentance” on Systematic Chaos. The songs share some of the lyrics and melodies.

Reception
The reception of the album by fans was and continues to be mixed. Some newer fans enjoyed the harder, more straightforward metal sound. Many elitist Dream Theater fans were disappointed with the style, though, and thought it was too mainstream and pandered to younger audiences. The angst and bitterness of songs like “As I Am” and “Honor Thy Father” bothered many elitists who previously thought of Dream Theater as a more mature, less angst-filled progressive group. Regardless, “As I Am” is one of the most popular songs by the group in many metal-circles.