Dream Theater entered the studio in February v. No News is Good News

[Train of Naught]

I was curious....what's the latest on the new album? This thread is massive! Figured it may be easier to ask.

Quick summary:

[ResultsMayVary]

Well, we do have a ballpark release date. So rumby isn't entirely accurate.

[NotePad]

I wouldn't mind another album like 8VM. But I have a feeling their next release will be more ADTOE/SFAM than Awake or  8VM.

[wasteland]

I wouldn't mind another album like 8VM. But I have a feeling their next release will be more ADTOE/SFAM than Awake or  8VM.

You say it as if it would be a bad thing 

[BlobVanDam]

If the next release was like ADTOE, I'd be disappointed. If it was like SFAM, I'd be over the moon.

[Sycsa]

I've been away a couple of weeks, where was it established that the release will be in 2016? Originally, it was supposed to be late this year, iirc.

[Fiery Winds]

I've been away a couple of weeks, where was it established that the release will be in 2016? Originally, it was supposed to be late this year, iirc.

Someone at the Minsk show reported that JLB said the album is likely to drop in January 2016:

Later on he said they're working on the album, which is not 100% finished yet, but will be right after this tour. Planned release date is Jan 2016 and then obviously a world tour (he also promiced to come in Minsk again on that tour, but that's probably what he would say at any show).

[Infinite Cactus]

FII-8VM-TOT

[BlackInk]

FII-8VM-TOT

Sure.

[ResultsMayVary]

I've been away a couple of weeks, where was it established that the release will be in 2016? Originally, it was supposed to be late this year, iirc.

Someone at the Minsk show reported that JLB said the album is likely to drop in January 2016:

Later on he said they're working on the album, which is not 100% finished yet, but will be right after this tour. Planned release date is Jan 2016 and then obviously a world tour (he also promiced to come in Minsk again on that tour, but that's probably what he would say at any show).

JLB is on video saying that album will be out in the early part of 2016 and he has said that at several shows on the current festival tour. He also said there would be an extensive world tour to follow the release.

[Darkstarshades]

I'm pretty much convinced that the new album will be very proggy, and I find very likely that it will be a concept album.

We have since SC without a real Labrie lyric, and now they say that he has more influence during the creative process of the album. I think the man has a lot of ideas he hasn't been able to materialize.
Now, let me be honest with you, as much as many people hate Prophets of War, I actually think that's the second strongest and most stand-alone song in the entire SC, and it's very well structured.
Sacrificed Sons is too much instrumental, too little voice, but the ideas that he wrote in there were actually pretty cool, and the Medicate part of Octavarium is probably the greatest part lyric-wise in the song.
6DOIT had two Labrie songs, and while Blind Faith wasn't his greatest moment, Disappear is very, very powerful and does create a lot of emotions on me.
One Last Time, although short, is also incredibly powerful, and personally, it's the lyrical climax of the entire album (Here I am inside his home...), gives me chills everytime I hear it.

I don't know, but given his reading tastes and musical ones, I think he has some nice ideas for a story he can work around with Petrucci and Myung, and create a concept album, because I'm pretty much tired of Petrucci writing all the lyrics, and I'm quite sure he's tired as well.

(Anna Lee rocks btw)

[erwinrafael]

Thr JLB albums are very good. I especially like MullMuzzler 2 and Elements of Persuasion.

[Thoughtspart3]

I am thinking they are going to something big or different for this album since it is their 30th anniversary.  That is why I am leaning to concept album or something more different than what we have seen lately. 

One big reason they might be in a rut is that they give too much weight to "this is what DT's sound is" or "this is the DT brand"  I have heard JP make statements like this. It seems like he and that band believe that fans expect a certain experience from DT and that they can't stray from that.  They don't say that explicitly but it is implied in these types of comments.  I have wondered that if this type of thinking is holding them back and keeping them from experimenting.   

[erwinrafael]

I don't think Dream Theater is in a rut. The reason that the self-titled sounds like standard DT is because that was their goal with their last album: to make a concise statement of what Dream Theater is about, which is consistent with their decision to self-title it. From John Petrucci interviews:

"Well, it’s sort of like, you know, renewing our commitment to what we do, to what we love to do, to our fans that have been with us for a long time in this thing. The band, this year with this album is just as enthusiastic and passionate about what we do, we’re excited about it, we’ll never stop putting our best foot forward. We’re always going to love doing this kind of thing and we wanted to illustrate that with the title, and share that, demonstrate that the music we have been doing for a long time is something that we believe in and it’s something that we still feel really strong about. And we also appreciate everybody that stayed with us for so long, continuing to like that kind of music. In a lot of ways its a renewal of our commitment to the music and to the band and it felt like the right time to do it, for sure, on this album."

"Because we believe that, although we have a very deep and rich history and we’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve done, we’re still making our best music. So we wanted to make a point of that. The other thing is that a lot of our longtime fans already have their favorite albums of ours, but newer fans don’t have that reference point. We wanted to make this album a reference point for them as far as what Dream Theater is all about. That was the goal and the mission, and it set the tone for the entire project."

From Jordan Rudess:

" When we started to put this material together we felt like you know what? This is an album we can really put our stamp of approval on it and this is something we can really call Dream Theater because we felt like this is so representative of where we are as musicians and as people that if anybody asks ‘what is Dream Theater all about?’ well in 2013 this is our presentation, it’s who we are, it’s totally us."

From James LaBrie:

"I think with going into this album, it was just about us saying, ‘ Ok, look. We don’t have anything to prove. It’s about us being ourselves and writing an album that we feel epitomizes who and what we are as a band’. So what better time in our career than now to write what we felt would support that with a self-titled album."

[RaiseTheKnife]

We have since SC without a real Labrie lyric,

What's not real about Far From Heaven?

[Darkstarshades]

We have since SC without a real Labrie lyric,

What's not real about Far From Heaven?

My bad, missed it.
Guess it's because I'm not very fond of ADTOE, pretty cool song still, good one there.

[?]

I am thinking they are going to something big or different for this album since it is their 30th anniversary.  That is why I am leaning to concept album or something more different than what we have seen lately. 

Yeah, someone met Jordan in April and asked him about the album - apparently it won't be conceptual, but something different:

I was at the Musikmesse yesterday. Early in the morning we went to the CME stand in order to see Jordans performance. He was a bit early so my friend and I had a short but very nice chat with him. I ask him how things are developing in the studio - of course he answered that everything is perfect. They have been writing music for one month now, now they are tracking the music. I told him with a twinkle in the eye that I know he is here just to tell me everything about the new album and that I want to share this information here on the DTF forum. We laughed about that and of course he replied that he will not give me any information - however after I asked if it will be a concept album? I know that he refused to give any information - however, the situation was really relaxed and we had a good laugh so I kept on asking.

He just smiled and said something like this "it will something a bit different..." - and I replied: So it will be a concept album? He replied with a huge smile that a concept album would not be anything different!! What was clear is that I would not read too much into this. I think that due to the mimics of him my questions remained completely unanswered. But what I read from his reaction was a huge satisfaction about the development and the progress of DT13.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I don't think DT is in a rut, they're just never going to be the kind of band that throws curve balls. They're always going to do their signature sound, but put a small twist on it, which is fine with me. It's kind of nice to know what you're getting sometimes.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

It's gonna be a triple album, and they're gonna choreograph a stage play for the tour.


and Labrie is gonna play the pan flute.

[Kotowboy]

and Labrie is gonna play the pan flute.

  That's what i'm talking a BOAT

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

 

[Thoughtspart3]

Rut might be too strong of a word.  It just seems like there is something amiss when long time fans are saying that they barely listen to some of the newer albums.

I do think poor production has a bigger effect than most people realize.  I like the song writing on DT12 but the production, especially the snare tone, makes it hard to listen to.

[bosk1]

Rut might be too strong of a word.  It just seems like there is something amiss when long time fans are saying that they barely listen to some of the newer albums.

Well, two things:
1.  MOST long time fans are not saying that. 
2.  As far back as I can remember, people have said that about every single release.  Nothing new here.

[erwinrafael]

I think the onus for innovation, for pushing the boundaries of the prog genre, is on the next generation of prog artists, not on these legends that are in their late 40s / early 50s, still playing in the context of a band that they established 30 years ago.

Of course, Haken would sound like they are touching on new ground, because it would be a shame on them if their older influences would become more daring than them at this day. Steven Wilson, for all the praise that he gets for pushing boundaries, had to break out of the context of Porcupine Tree to do what he is doing today.

I also hope that Dream Theater would push boundaries in the next album, but I am not placing on them the burden of becoming the vanguards of innovation. They are the old guard now, and as long as they still continue to produce good music, I would continue listening to them. If I want a dose of innovation, I would turn to the newer acts because they are supposed to innovate.

[King Postwhore]

Rut might be too strong of a word.  It just seems like there is something amiss when long time fans are saying that they barely listen to some of the newer albums.

Well, two things:
1.  MOST long time fans are not saying that. 
2.  As far back as I can remember, people have said that about every single release.  Nothing new here.

Well I think bands with longevity have older fans that don't like the modern sound.  Bands that last into multiple decades change their sound for the most part being influenced by the times.  Band like Rush and U2 have many old fans that did not like the Rush synth or the U2 experimental phase.  The rabid fans still stay with them over the decades like us bosk1. 

[Prog Snob]

Well, we do have a ballpark release date. So rumby isn't entirely accurate.

Define ballpark.

[Zydar]

[bosk1]

Well, we do have a ballpark release date. So rumby isn't entirely accurate.

Define ballpark.

I would say having a projected month qualifies.

[ResultsMayVary]

Well, we do have a ballpark release date. So rumby isn't entirely accurate.

Define ballpark.

I would say having a projected month qualifies.

I concur with Bosk.

[Prog Snob]

Well, we do have a ballpark release date. So rumby isn't entirely accurate.

Define ballpark.

I would say having a projected month qualifies.

I wasn't aware that there was a projected month. 

[hefdaddy42]

January 2016.

[Kotowboy]

The year beginning January 2016.

[Prog Snob]

January 2016.

Oh that's great then. I must have missed that announcement.

[bosk1]

That information came to us at great cost, including the sacrifice of some of our dearest brothers' lives.  Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

[cramx3]

brother's? that means they must be sons, sacrificed sons.  I get it now.