Dream Theater
- Thread starter p0ke
- Start date
-
- Tags
- dream theater prog
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Lorcan Ward
7slinger
I haven’t listened to any of the recent Dream Theater albums so I’m really enjoying this.
This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.
Rock4ever
Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever preordered via itunes and the tracks won't download upon release? I can't even manually download the album. I think it's the last time I preorder. This has been going on for years and they don't take their support seriously at all.
I think the album is great... Musically. It's getting harder and harder to defend James vocals with each passing album. He's shot.
nickgray
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2008
- Messages
- 1,793
- Reaction score
- 2,978
Well, I gave it a try, it's about as exciting as the singles. Same old sound, but the riffs are particularly uninspiring this time. James' performance is just bad, I don't think I'll be listening to this album again unless they release an instrumental version.
Distance over Time had a really good standout - At Wit's End, and also Barstool Warrior, S2N, Room 137, were pretty good songs. The new album though... I guess Answering the Call is alright. Alien is decent, but formulaic. Nothing else caught my ear. Couldn't even get through Transcending Time, it's so bleh. The 20 minute song has no business being 20 minutes, it's just stretched out (Iron Maiden style). The 8 string sound is a dud, it just doesn't work, there's nothing there that couldn't have been played in B standard or even higher. So basically, nothing remotely as good as At Wit's End.
I dunno, maybe I'll warm up to it a bit if they'll release an instrumental, but so far it's as much of a dud as their self-titled.
Distance over Time had a really good standout - At Wit's End, and also Barstool Warrior, S2N, Room 137, were pretty good songs. The new album though... I guess Answering the Call is alright. Alien is decent, but formulaic. Nothing else caught my ear. Couldn't even get through Transcending Time, it's so bleh. The 20 minute song has no business being 20 minutes, it's just stretched out (Iron Maiden style). The 8 string sound is a dud, it just doesn't work, there's nothing there that couldn't have been played in B standard or even higher. So basically, nothing remotely as good as At Wit's End.
I dunno, maybe I'll warm up to it a bit if they'll release an instrumental, but so far it's as much of a dud as their self-titled.
wankerness
Well-Known Member
ffs, at first I thought this was a parody of The Count Of Tuscany
Haha. I have pasted that so many times over the years as an example of lyrics so bad they ruined music for me. It's impossible to ignore it, the phrasing is so awkward!!
Captain Butterscotch
Well-Known Member
Time for James to retire. Give him a pension or something for being such a swell guy and then get a new person.
Some cool riffs and I really like the start of the 8 string song but then it all falls into this pattern
Crazy opening riff
Chugga chugga
Slows down with haunting piano notes
Back to mid tempo riff
James enters
Chorus
Crazy opening riff
Chugga chugga
Slows down with haunting piano notes
Back to mid tempo riff
James enters
Chorus
I like the album quite a bit, some super cool songs for sure. But the eponymous song made no sense to me whatsoever. It just sounded like a collection of mini songs. I kept thinking the song had ended and another one started, but nope. Same tune all along.
StevenC
Needs a hobby
Listened to it. It's fine but JP really meant it that he didn't do his job and trim the fat on the songs at all.
And it feels like there are so many verses like this in that "song".
Evan89
Well-Known Member
My box set arrived a few days early on Tuesday, so I had a busy week.
TheShreddinHand
Uber Stringer
I listened to it twice today and feel the same as you. The whole album sounds like it was recorded underneath a giant moving blanket. Sure there are good riffs here and there and there are “parts” of songs I enjoy but no complete/cohesive song from end to end really. And it is really apparent that the vocal lines and melodies were a complete afterthought on this album. Doesn’t help that James sounds uninspired on every tune as well. Honestly the vocals all sound the same from song to song. The 8 string song sounds like The Enemy Inside just played on an 8 instead of a 7 which is disappointing. And since when did JP rely so heavily on 0-0-0-0 riffs?? Not every part of a song needs to be filled with guitar. Oh well, at least the new Northtale song that came out on my preorder today as well kicks ass!
Weird, I really liked James on DOT and think he absolutely crushed this new album. He stood out to me the most after my first listen.
I really really enjoyed this album after my first listen. So many moments just brought smiles to my face because I knew I’d be listening to this for a while.
Furtive Glance
Unfamiliar with the type of thing I’m seeing.
Listened once through last night... Exceptionally disjointed album. I don’t even know if I have an opinion on it, yet. Not a single thing stood out to me aside from the aforementioned vocals just being phoned in and the 8-string song sounding exactly like I expected. I can’t see JP using that guitar much, if ever again.
Marked Man
Well-Known Member
I'm definitely going to give it a chance....on the interets first....
Marked Man
Well-Known Member
When you realize that DT has already played virtually all of the cool Prog Metal riffs and solos imaginable in one form or other 50 times each, there is an inescapable feeling of strange deja vu....
I'm sure that is part of what pushed Portnoy over the edge as well, in addition to endless touring for 3 decades. Regardless, I am absolutely stunned that a group of 5 humans can remember all of those intricate odd timings and play them in perfect synchronicity together on tour. I guess I simply don't have enough memory.
Marked Man
Well-Known Member
First time EVA for them to try that one!
I recall Petrucci didn't really properly strangle the 7 string for numerous albums, always have a rather soft, rolly polly Low B string. He finally started nailing it starting on the first song of Black Clouds....
Let's hope he likewise turns up the aggression of the 8 string. Although the song with still basically remain the same.....they are a highly developed and extremely skilled band, but we all have our comfort zones....no one has ever managed to continually reinvent themselves for 30-40 years yet. Most can't do it well for more than 10 years, although DT has already beaten that by miles and has stayed relevant in their musical sphere.
