Listening to this on vinyl for the first time. It's quieter. The production on the album in general is far better than the followup. It's still a bit muddy but you can at least hear most instruments clearly. This album was actually perfectly tracked for vinyl. Behind the Veil is the perfect opener for disc 2 and the other side openers and closers work really well. The album has a really good flow to it, unlike BC&SL which seems haphazardly stitched together.
False Awakening Suite - Awesome way to start the album. It does seem a bit tacked on but I still think it's great. It at least sets the tone for the album, as the rest of the songs are similarly dark, heavy, and cinematic.
The Enemy Inside - This song is a bit bland but does a great job at giving this album an energetic start. I love the machine gun riff and the double time second verse but I think this is probably the most generic thing on the album. Still lightyears better than the generic stuff on the last few albums (BMUBMD, AROP, Forsaken). JP delivers an excellent solo. This song was also really great live. It really heightened my appreciation for the song, which I didn't care for at all prior to hearing it live. Gave me goosebumps.
Good song, but I will probably be voting for it.
The Looking Glass - This song is interesting because the intro is clearly ripping off Limelight, but the rest of the song reminds me more of
Power Windows. The artwork is also obviously an homage to that album. Great song that really hearkens back to the more melodic proggy Dream Theater of the 90s. This song is proof that you can have something proggy and engaging but under 5 minutes.
Just heard autotune on JLB.
The instrumental is awesome. It was so refreshing to hear a guitar solo without an army of guitar overdubs underneath. JM finally gets that sonic space back. The guitar solo itself is also fantastic.
Awesome song.
Enigma Machine - I was initially disappointed with this one. When I heard they were doing another instrumental I was hoping it would be filled with awesome riffs like SoC or maybe something really technically exciting like TDOE, what we got was closer to Ytse Jam which I'm meh about. This has grown on me since then. It's a very fun riff and the bridge before the solo section is insane. I love how it starts out pretty fast and then the melody tempo
doubles. That blew my mind the first time I heard it.
The call and response between the guitar and the organ is very cool.
This song also shows that JR has come a long way with his iPod stuff. His iPod solo here sounds much more natural and less jarring than the bebot solo on AROP. Love all the keyboard and guitar solos here.
Rush reference #2 with the very YYZ-esque half time interlude. Love each instrument taking a stab at the melody afterwards.
Mangini UNLEASHED. Awesome drum solo. Out of the three albums I think his best performance is on this one. It feels like he was actually part of the creative process this time.
Fun tune, I might vote for it depending on what I think of the rest. It was indeed awesome live.
The Bigger Picture - Incredible song. Like The Looking Glass, it's DT finally being more subtle and doing something progressive that isn't a 13 minute epic with a huge instrumental section. I love the way this song builds up, getting progressively heavier and more intense. Great dynamics. It also rarely repeats itself. The only part that comes back at all is the "shed your light" bit which only happens once and builds into something else the second time. Every verse is different. JLB's singing is also fantastic. JP's guitar solo is melodic and awesome. Really reminsicent of the guitar work on Funeral For a Friend by Elton John IMO. The twin harmonies are more Queen than Maiden.
The lyrics definitely have religious overtones but I think they're actually pretty subtle in that regard. JP has always done lyrics heavily influenced from lyrics, I think it's actually one of his strong points.
The outro is incredible. Best moment on the album. For me, this is the most exciting song DT has done since Octavarium.
My one complaint about the DT12 tour was that they didn't play this. When I first heard the album I thought this song would be the most exciting live. Make it happen DT!
Behind the Veil - The ambient opening is really cool, very similar to the stuff on SDOIT. Great opening riff. I enjoy this song but it's a bit bland. I suppose this is DT's equivalent of a generic rocker. The chorus is meh. JLB gives a killer performance though and I love the bass driven second verse. The keyboard/guitar bridge is really awesome. Petrucci delivers another top notch solo.
The riffing after the solo is colossal.
OK I take it back, other than the bland chorus this song is pretty awesome.
I think this would actually make a really good show opener.
Surrender to Reason - Rush reference #3! The main riff to this song is straight out of Permanent Waves. I think this album probably is the most blatantly Rush inspired. The first verse actually reminds me more of Zebra, of all things.
100% agree with Knick. I think this song is a bit of a missed opportunity. The more concise approach to this album is great and really services most of the songs, but sometimes you gotta write an epic. I think the album would've benefitted from a song in the 10-15 minute range and Surrender the Reason should've been that song. It has the classic Myung lyrics, lots of really great ideas, lots of changing sections, but it just kinda abruptly ends*.
BTW the little riff before the "life gives you brighter days" is totally ripped off from Ozzy's Diary Of a Madman and I can't believe nobody has said so yet.
The solo section is really cool, once again very Rush inspired. It's Petrucci meets Lifeson in the same way that Spirit Carries On was Petrucci meets Gilmour.
The chorus is really uplifting and I love how it goes into the Restless Angels bit at the end.
You can also hear Myung throughout the whole song!
Overall, this is a cool song but shows potential for being much better than it actually was. With the proper attention it could've succeeded at being LTL 2 where BAI fell short of that.
*Several songs on the album actually have this issue. It gets a ton of things right, but a lot of the songs have really awkward endings. The Looking Glass is another one with this problem
Along For the Ride - This is another song that I disliked initially but enjoyed a bit more after seeing it live. It's another one that was really written for a live audience. The intro is really pleasant and atmospheric. Usually I check out when a DT ballad gets heavy, but it works decently here. Another meh chorus though. I really dig Petrucci's solo, JR's solo sounds like a bunch of recycled licks from Beneath the Surface but actually works well within the song.
It's an OK ballad but still among the album's less interesting tunes.
Illumination Theory - The beginning of this song is immense. You know right off the bat that you're in for something epic. The main riff slays. If you don't get the urge to headbang listening to this, your neck might be broken. I also love Mangini's beat underneath. It's simple but does the job. Love all of JR's crazy keyboard parts during the intro. After a relatively subdued performance on the rest of the album, he really lets loose on this one.
Love the Mangini drum solo before the verse riff kicks in. Still gives me chills. JLB's vocal performance is intense. The chorus is awesome, love how it's 7/8 the first time and 4/4 the second time. Gives it a sense of resolution. More tasty piano work from JR in between verses. The second verse is a bit djenty but way more interesting than anything the actual djent bands have ever done.
The classical instrumental bridge is really cool and different for DT. There's a lot of counterpoint there, DT has never really experimented with that before. It's always been unisons or harmonies. Of course we do get an actual unison after which is top notch.
Love the ambient section. It's atmospheric and unexpected. It's a bit disjointed but I like that it takes you by surprise. The orchestral section is beautiful. Love the way the band comes back in. JLB's singing during this part is intense. Love the way it builds up with the drums getting increasingly heavy.
The second instrumental bit is awesome. Love the way it builds into that crazy double time riff going into the epic melody. That part always gives me goosebumps. The unison building into the reprise of the main riff is also awesome. One of the most intense JR solos. JP out-Kirk's Kirk in his guitar solo. One of my favorite DT instrumental sections. It's short but it really works perfectly as a transition between the two parts.
The finale is fantastic. It almost dethrones Octavarium. Almost. Satisfying conclusion to the song. Love JP's backing vocals during that part too. Wish he'd sing them live. The guitar solo at the end is thrilling.
I think I still prefer this to TBP, but it's close. One of the best DT sidelong epics.
The "easter egg" is neat, nice calm down after the epic.
Overall, I expected to come out of this album liking it less but turns out I still love it. Some of the songs are a bit bland at times but still not without great moments. First DT album with no bad songs since Train of Thought, and also the best album overall since then. Probably a good example of the whole being stronger than the individual parts.
It's missing that sense of unity that Portnoy era albums had, but I think we're just going to have to get used to that. Even the weaker songs are still really enjoyable and not weak at all. Still better than ADTOE for sure.
Illumination Theory
The Bigger Picture
The Looking Glass
False Awakening Suite
Behind the Veil
Enigma Machine
Surrender to Reason
The Enemy Inside
Along For the Ride
