Dream Theater

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After initial listen:

Still love The Alien. Maybe their best song since ADTOE.

Answering the Call is great.

Invisible Monster still sucks. Incredibly boring imo.

Sleeping Giant feels like a grower, need more time to digest.

Transcending Time has major I&W feel, I really liked it!

Awaken the Master is fantastic, very heavy but actually very melodic as well. I dig it so much!

Title track feels underwhelming. It feels much closer to an even longer Trial of Tears (I mean, 3 movements in both...) than to the other 20+ minute songs. It'll probably take the most time to appreciate.
 
First listen thoughts:

The Alien - Good music, great lyrics and guitar melodies, terrible vocal melodies. Last minute and a half is spectacular.

Answering the Call - Catchiest song here by a mile. Kudos to LaBrie again on the lyrics. Really great tune.

Invisible Monster - Autopilot. Shit song. “I need self-help books, part 1.”

Sleeping Giant - Incredible music, really interesting choices here. Vocal melodies and lyrics are pretty flat. “I need self-help books, part 2.”

Transcending Time - Upbeat, cool song. Again with some pretty flat vocal melodies, but I guess that’s just how Petrucci writes now. I like the harmonies.

Awaken the Master - Another killer song that will need more time to sink in. “John Myung writes a self-help book.”

A View From the Top of the Word - Classic DT epic. Absolutely stunning. “John Petrucci writes a self-help book while also comparing his guitar skills to climbing Mt. Everest.”
 
After watching excerpts of the "virtual release party" I must say Andy Sneap is a super cool guy, even if I don't really like his sound. As is Jimmy T. In terms of the band, I do have a a problem with some of the guys' dyed hair and beards... but that's probably just me being narrow-minded.
Also, this is a very good interview:
 
jazz from hell said:
After watching excerpts of the "virtual release party" I must say Andy Sneap is a super cool guy, even if I don't really like his sound. As is Jimmy T. In terms of the band, I do have a a problem with some of the guys' dyed hair and beards... but that's probably just me being narrow-minded.
Also, this is a very good interview:
Click to expand...
Oh, Daily Doug! I like that guy. I've discovered him few months ago, but I must admit his Maiden videos are that interesting. In his defense, there is not much (from professional musician's view) to discuss there. But his video on more "complex" music like Tool and Dream Theater are fun to watch. It's interesting to see somebody who had no connection with heavy metal music discovering those nuggets in Octavarium or discoverin Fibbonaci in Lateralus. Speaking of "voice coaches" who discovered the gold mine of heavy metal, there is also pretty recent interview with James LaBrie here:
I've heard just first 30 minutes where they talk about tea, but I bet James said a word or two about new album since the interview is over two hours and it was done just a couple of days before new album came out.

I've heard "A View from the Top of the World" 5 or 6 times from front to back now and first opinion is this: It's short. One song is easily skipable and I haven't quite grasped the last epic which leaves me with 5 songs and one of those I've heard two months ago. IDK really how to describe it, but it seems like this album is really lacking some material....

@KidInTheDark666 - I wouldn't trust people who rate Astonishing over S/T album... And there is also "new-album-hype" factor that you have to include into that poll.
 
Spambot said:
Oh, Daily Doug! I like that guy. I've discovered him few months ago, but I must admit his Maiden videos are that interesting. In his defense, there is not much (from professional musician's view) to discuss there. But his video on more "complex" music like Tool and Dream Theater are fun to watch. It's interesting to see somebody who had no connection with heavy metal music discovering those nuggets in Octavarium or discoverin Fibbonaci in Lateralus. Speaking of "voice coaches" who discovered the gold mine of heavy metal, there is also pretty recent interview with James LaBrie here:
I've heard just first 30 minutes where they talk about tea, but I bet James said a word or two about new album since the interview is over two hours and it was done just a couple of days before new album came out.

I've heard "A View from the Top of the World" 5 or 6 times from front to back now and first opinion is this: It's short. One song is easily skipable and I haven't quite grasped the last epic which leaves me with 5 songs and one of those I've heard two months ago. IDK really how to describe it, but it seems like this album is really lacking some material....

@KidInTheDark666 - I wouldn't trust people who rate Astonishing over S/T album... And there is also "new-album-hype" factor that you have to include into that poll.
Click to expand...
That is a very good and informative interview indeed. Recommended to everyone.
 
Spambot said:
Oh, Daily Doug! I like that guy. I've discovered him few months ago, but I must admit his Maiden videos are that interesting. In his defense, there is not much (from professional musician's view) to discuss there. But his video on more "complex" music like Tool and Dream Theater are fun to watch. It's interesting to see somebody who had no connection with heavy metal music discovering those nuggets in Octavarium or discoverin Fibbonaci in Lateralus. Speaking of "voice coaches" who discovered the gold mine of heavy metal, there is also pretty recent interview with James LaBrie here:
I've heard just first 30 minutes where they talk about tea, but I bet James said a word or two about new album since the interview is over two hours and it was done just a couple of days before new album came out.

I've heard "A View from the Top of the World" 5 or 6 times from front to back now and first opinion is this: It's short. One song is easily skipable and I haven't quite grasped the last epic which leaves me with 5 songs and one of those I've heard two months ago. IDK really how to describe it, but it seems like this album is really lacking some material....

@KidInTheDark666 - I wouldn't trust people who rate Astonishing over S/T album... And there is also "new-album-hype" factor that you have to include into that poll.
Click to expand...
That thumbnail though! :D Look at the Charismatic Voice's cup...At least, it "matches" James's...
 
Spambot said:
I've heard "A View from the Top of the World" 5 or 6 times from front to back now and first opinion is this: It's short. One song is easily skipable and I haven't quite grasped the last epic which leaves me with 5 songs and one of those I've heard two months ago. IDK really how to describe it, but it seems like this album is really lacking some material....

@KidInTheDark666 - I wouldn't trust people who rate Astonishing over S/T album... And there is also "new-album-hype" factor that you have to include into that poll.
Click to expand...
Which song do you think is skippable?

I wouldn’t trust them, either. I think DT12 is quite underrated, and in no way is that bloated pile of crap Astonishing superior. Hell, I might even rate that album lower than Octavarium - an album I try to forget ever happened.
 
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Detective Beauregard said:
Which song do you think is skippable?

I wouldn’t trust them, either. I think DT12 is quite underrated, and in no way is that bloated pile of crap Astonishing superior. Hell, I might even rate that album lower than Octavarium - an album I try to forget ever happened.
Click to expand...
I know that you've explained your opinion of Octavarium several times but I just find it so strange. That album recently climbed its way into my list of top 10 albums of all time.

I personally don't think that any of the tracks from A View From The Top are necessarily skippable, it's just that many of them just blend together. Transcending Time is one of my favorites because it stands out from the others.
 
I’m also gonna double down on the Octavarium hate. It’s Dream Theater at their most impressionable - songs literally sound like Muse ripoffs or U2 ripoffs. Never Enough and I Walk Beside You are bottom tier terrible. Panic Attack gets way too much love. It’s fine, but average, same as Root of All Evil and Answer Lies Within. These Walls is cool, but also subject to nu-metal fuckery. Sacrificed Sons is the only great song, as I find the title track to be one of the more boring DT epics.

I am 100% aware that most Dream Theater fans disagree.
 
I have to revisit the album once more, but my initial impression is that it lacks memorable choruses and this severely impacts my enjoyment of it. r. There are always two or three memorable ones, but not really this time around. There's no Paralyzed here (best single for at least a decade), but I suppose Invisible Monster is what comes the closest. I thought the vocal lines in general were rather dull too and too much layering. I instantly liked ADTOE, ST and DOT, but this one might turn into a grower instead. Or maybe it won't, we will see.
 
I've gone through about maybe 6-7 listens. I think this is easily the best album we've gotten since ADTOE, possibly even better! The only stinker here is 'Invisible Monster' which is really just a boring rip off of 'Pull Me Under.' They shoulda just left that one off imo. Everything else here is great though. However I went in with lowwwwww expectations so whatever.
 
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