Official Dream Theater Thread

[Amps211]

4 tracks in and the astonishing is just fantastic IMO ... James is soooo goooood

[J2112YYZ]

I find it funny that James is getting so much praise for his singing on the new album. His performances are always great on the records, so why would anybody expect anything else?

 

When I hear him on the new album, I just think "James is doing a great job as usual again, bravo sir" :clap:

 

At least you know he's there unlike Myung. I mean did he even play on the new release? I know it's a lot of music to take it but after three listens I can't recall anything from him so far.

Edited January 29, 2016 by J2112YYZ

[KenJennings]

I absolutely adored Dream Theater's last two albums, I've loved this band through their best and worst...

 

...but this album loses me. I don't get it. It's too lofty, too a-melodic, too disorganized. There are parts that I really enjoy, but then long stretches of unnecessary filler. The theatrical elements of it don't play well to me either... and Mangini seems to be trying very hard to be 'accessible', which just feels out of place for a band that threw 'accessibility' to the dogs years ago. This album just feels like a mishmash of disperate ideas, and I do not get it.

 

I love Dream Theater, and am hopeful that they will get back on track with their future material; but (at least for the moment) I honestly think The Astonishing is going to go down as their worst release.

[Segue Myles]

I find it funny that James is getting so much praise for his singing on the new album. His performances are always great on the records, so why would anybody expect anything else?

 

When I hear him on the new album, I just think "James is doing a great job as usual again, bravo sir" :clap:

 

At least you know he's there unlike Myung. I mean did he even play on the new release? I know it's a lot of music to take it but after three listens I can't recall anything from him so far.

 

Yeah, I agree. But I think this might be the best showcase for Labrie's vocals ever.

 

I am going to stave off this album until I am in the mood for metal.

[J2112YYZ]

I absolutely adored Dream Theater's last two albums, I've loved this band through their best and worst...

 

...but this album loses me. I don't get it. It's too lofty, too a-melodic, too disorganized. There are parts that I really enjoy, but then long stretches of unnecessary filler. The theatrical elements of it don't play well to me either... and Mangini seems to be trying very hard to be 'accessible', which just feels out of place for a band that threw 'accessibility' to the dogs years ago. This album just feels like a mishmash of disperate ideas, and I do not get it.

 

I love Dream Theater, and am hopeful that they will get back on track with their future material; but (at least for the moment) I honestly think The Astonishing is going to go down as their worst release.

 

I've listened to it three times and will certainly listen to it a few more to get a feel for everything but right now, i've got no problem ranking this as their worst as well. I don't see it going above any of their other albums upon further listens.

 

There are some pretty good songs and it's enjoyable if you don't think about it too much while listening. But the album just comes off as too much and it's a pain to listen to in full. Maybe releasing the two discs six months apart from each other would have been better?

 

They did something different and in the end it might bite them in the ass. But for better or worse they at least tried something a little out of their comfort zone. Most bands wouldn't even attempt something this grandiose.

[Segue Myles]

I absolutely adored Dream Theater's last two albums, I've loved this band through their best and worst...

 

...but this album loses me. I don't get it. It's too lofty, too a-melodic, too disorganized. There are parts that I really enjoy, but then long stretches of unnecessary filler. The theatrical elements of it don't play well to me either... and Mangini seems to be trying very hard to be 'accessible', which just feels out of place for a band that threw 'accessibility' to the dogs years ago. This album just feels like a mishmash of disperate ideas, and I do not get it.

 

I love Dream Theater, and am hopeful that they will get back on track with their future material; but (at least for the moment) I honestly think The Astonishing is going to go down as their worst release.

 

Those parts in bold, I agree with!

 

Dream Theater are already by their very nature a showy and flamboyant band, to their merit. To try and utilise elements of theatre and Broadway style strings and orchestra really strikes me as too much. It doesn't work for me, even if the material itself sounds okay.

 

I do have a strong interest in hearing this album live, though. Maybe it will click on stage! This could easily be one of those albums that benefits from the live experience.

 

I have my doubts, but I am willing to bet it could be tremendous!

 

My main issue with this album is that absolutely nothing stands out. And when an album runs to over two hours, that is a problem!

 

But I didn't hate the experience, so I will return to it a disc at a time.

[Del_Duio]

I honestly have a lot of trouble picking out where one song ends and another begins.

 

Also the way many of these end (with that big grandiose chord, the "dunn dunn dunnn!!" of rock opera or whatever) it's almost like this should be listened to as a complete soundtrack. Maybe if they played all this alongside a bunch of live actors doing their thing it would come off better.

 

Really the only 2 things I can think this can be compared to would be 6DOIT and SFAM, though both are better albums. With 6DOIT (the 42 min song side, that is) it's grandiose and even a little soundtrackish like The Astonishing however it's very cohesive and you never get lost. And at 42 minutes it's also a lot easier to listen to in one sitting. With SFAM you have your other big theme of murder and reincarnation and though it's not the most complicated story ever told you get to know your 3 or 4 main characters right away and can enjoy the rest a bit easier than with The Astonishing's big cast.

 

RE: Myung

 

I think he changed his sound up for this one, which is why we're having trouble picking him out this time around. Regardless, he's still low in the mix. Can you think of another bass player of his caliber who's overshadowed by his own band like Myung is? He's the Alex Lifeson of Dream Theater :)

[bluefox4000]

Re-Myoung he Is indeed one of the most poorly treated bass players soundwise in rock history.

 

he came out of the shadows on the self-titled but disappeared again.

 

Regaurdless i still love the album, lol

 

Mick

[Amps211]

I find it funny that James is getting so much praise for his singing on the new album. His performances are always great on the records, so why would anybody expect anything else?

 

When I hear him on the new album, I just think "James is doing a great job as usual again, bravo sir" :clap:

 

At least you know he's there unlike Myung. I mean did he even play on the new release? I know it's a lot of music to take it but after three listens I can't recall anything from him so far.

 

I don't understand why he doesn't get more little spots to shine like the one in octovarium .... right before james stars singing "doctor sitting next to me, asks me how I feel" ... I love his sound right there ... sounds Geddy-ish

[bluefox4000]

The Astonishing is a LOT to take in. i almost feel like it might have been better to release it in 2 volumes. Cause when i listen to it.........i take like a 40 min. break in between discs.....no joke.

 

but i don't know what else people were expecting.......it's a DT Record.......it SOUNDS like a DT record to me.

 

yea they didn't branch out but at this point i don't expect them too.

 

anyway. i still enjoy it around 5 plays in.

 

Mick

[HemispheresserehpsimeH]

I tried going through the second disc, but it's just as bad for me. I love this band, so it's not fun to pan something like this. Especially something like this, where you know they put a ton of time and effort into it. And I appreciate all of that. Always will. But this album is awful. Ken said it perfectly: the album is lofty. But for me, it's extremely lofty. It seems every climactic moment has to have all the clichés ticked off the checklist. It sounds fine as an album, even if I feel like I need to hang up WANTED posters to try to find Myung's bass. LaBrie sounds great as usual, but I've never really had a problem with his vocals. He's always been consistent to me. Petrucci has good solos here, but they're surrounded by fluff. As a whole, the album sounds fine, minus some mixing errors. So, in those aspects, the album is fine. But that's about it.

 

Every decent moment is short and seems like a wasted opportunity for something greater. Even Begin Again, as cheesy as it is, has a cool little "Christmas-like" part near the end. It works surprisingly well, and would've been interesting to explore, but it just ends. These kinds of moments are all over the place. It's a microcosm of the entire album. Little great parts here and there, with a ton of mediocre music plaguing the rest.

 

Blah. This album is the epitome of frustration. It seems like such a waste. I mean, why listen to this when you have other DT albums that do everything better? The loftier moments, the heavier moments, the dramatic, the tense, etc. These moments are all done better on other albums. Maybe I'll give it another chance sometime this week to see if it may settle a bit in my evaluation. But as of right now, it's a colossal disappointment. I was not expecting it to be like this.

[Segue Myles]

The Astonishing is a LOT to take in. i almost feel like it might have been better to release it in 2 volumes. Cause when i listen to it.........i take like a 40 min. break in between discs.....no joke.

 

but i don't know what else people were expecting.......it's a DT Record.......it SOUNDS like a DT record to me.

 

yea they didn't branch out but at this point i don't expect them too.

 

anyway. i still enjoy it around 5 plays in.

 

Mick

 

You did complain about Springsteen lacking innovation and always sounding like Springsteen.

 

Complaints are just as valid and appropriate for DT.

 

It's a major let down for me. I honestly thought this was going to be something different.

[Day of Light]

I got the Astonishing today and I'm listening to it right now; I'm not all the way through.

 

I feel like the production quality's really, really good. The drums are loud, the guitar sounds warm and rich, and James sounds good on the record as usual. One thing that irked me a little bit is that I swear I can hear some unnecessary pitch-correction on The Gift of Music.

 

I loved Portnoy but Mangini sounds just as good to me.

 

As for the album itself, it's definitely lofty. But it's not a bad thing to me. I haven't really heard any highlight-worthy songs, though, which is to be expected with a rock opera. If we were to compare it to another rock opera like The Wall, you'd expect 80% of the music to only make sense in the context of the album.

[bluefox4000]

The Astonishing is a LOT to take in. i almost feel like it might have been better to release it in 2 volumes. Cause when i listen to it.........i take like a 40 min. break in between discs.....no joke.

 

but i don't know what else people were expecting.......it's a DT Record.......it SOUNDS like a DT record to me.

 

yea they didn't branch out but at this point i don't expect them too.

 

anyway. i still enjoy it around 5 plays in.

 

Mick

 

You did complain about Springsteen lacking innovation and always sounding like Springsteen.

 

Complaints are just as valid and appropriate for DT.

 

It's a major let down for me. I honestly thought this was going to be something different.

 

ok but springsteen's been making the same album since Born to run........sorry he has..........DT has been making different albums their whole career.

 

i'm not angry if that's gonna slow down now.......it's almost understandable.

 

Mick

Edited January 29, 2016 by bluefox4000

[Segue Myles]

The Astonishing is a LOT to take in. i almost feel like it might have been better to release it in 2 volumes. Cause when i listen to it.........i take like a 40 min. break in between discs.....no joke.

 

but i don't know what else people were expecting.......it's a DT Record.......it SOUNDS like a DT record to me.

 

yea they didn't branch out but at this point i don't expect them too.

 

anyway. i still enjoy it around 5 plays in.

 

Mick

 

You did complain about Springsteen lacking innovation and always sounding like Springsteen.

 

Complaints are just as valid and appropriate for DT.

 

It's a major let down for me. I honestly thought this was going to be something different.

 

ok but springsteen's been making the same album since Born to run........sorry he has..........DT has been making different albums their whole career.

 

i'm not angry if that's gonna slow down now.......it's almost understandable.

 

Mick

 

Well DT have had the same sounding album since Six Degrees.

 

And the last three have been really "nice", but I think the last great album from them was Black Clouds.

 

And Bruce has not been making the same sounding albums since BTR. Not even close. Sound or lyrics wise.

[Hemispheres4Echo]

I picked up The Astonishing at my local record store today and listened to it with headphones this afternoon. I must say I really enjoyed it. But I guess I'll have to listen to it a few more times before I can give a detailed review. At this point I can say that I really liked James' vocals performance in When your time has come.

[Union 5-3992]

A bit too much to take in. I have to listen to it a second time to really form an opinion

[MusicHead]

Mine should be here in a matter of hours. Which is all right...been one busy day, and I need a chance to catch my breath.

[treeduck]

So everyone's got the fuckking album except me?? :eyeroll:

 

:smash: :smash: :smash: :smash:

:smash: :smash: :smash: :smash:

[djflex]

I got through about 3/4 today. However it was not a focused listen as i was pretty busy. Definatly highly theatrical as others have said. Perhaps one of the most ambitous releases i have ever heard. But will need multiple listens to determine if i like it lol

[djflex]

Hard copy is here!

[Aikenrooster]

Amazon delivered mine today, bit I didn't listen to much.

[catherine]

Same here. I have mine but no time to devote to it tonight. Soon.

[RUSHHEAD666]

"I'm waking up now that yesterday is gone"

 

Get it?

[RUSHHEAD666]

I love this recored. One take.

 

So Rushhead Haters "Take On Me."

 

Signed,

 

AHA