New album 2015 predictions

[King Postwhore]

Prediction: We are going to discuss it on DTF.

BURN THE WITCH

We must see if he floats like a duck!

[commanderbob]

I'm expecting the usual: some good, some forgettable, and 2-3 songs to add to the pantheon. If so, I'll be happy.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I'm interested to see if the band continues down the "short song" path they started with DT12. Honestly, I prefer shorter songs nowadays.

[?]

My prediction is that this time I'll be smart enough to buy the HD Tracks version of the album instead of a brickwalled CD

[The Presence of Frenemies]

There are three albums in DT's career that have featured something of a concerted effort to shorten/streamline the songs--FII, 8V, and DT. It seems that every three or four albums, they decide to do one like that, but never have they stayed in that direction for consecutive albums. Granted, one can chalk up the past direction partly to MP's influence, but to me, the odds are against us seeing a DT, Part II, for better or worse. I have a feeling that the upcoming album will be sort of an "unleashing" of the band after the reigning in of DT12/Petrucci's difficulty writing short songs, etc. What direction that takes it, I don't know. I agree there's a higher-than-usual chance of a concept, maybe some increased heaviness, maybe another epic, who knows. But I do think album 13 represents DT's best shot at creating another really great album, something that could sit in most of our top 5, at least. Not saying they will fulfill that promise, but I have a feeling they're going to give it a run.

[Zydar]

My prediction is that this time I'll be smart enough to buy the HD Tracks version of the album instead of a brickwalled CD

Good call. I'll do that too. I don't really have an interest in physical copies nowadays anyway.

[Chino]

I'm starting to think that 30 years from now, I'm going to be pissed I bought all my songs digitally instead of on CDs.

[Jaq]

Because I'm sick with the flu and grouchy, I'm feeling surly: people will complain about the artwork, finding offense in things a pixel wide, and will find the production atrocious.

It will take approximately 23,000 threads to do these things.

[hefdaddy42]

lol

[nicmos]

I'm starting to think that 30 years from now, I'm going to be pissed I bought all my songs digitally instead of on CDs.

I was buying all digital for a while but I've moved back to buying CDs even though it's slower and more expensive.  1. the sound quality is objectively better (disregarding mastering/mixing differences of course) 2. you can physically hold it, and often it has lyrics that are an important connection to the music.  I find the songs I enjoy the most are ones that I actually know the words to because I was reading those liner notes.  and 3. now that I have kids it will be nice for them to see that something exists called a "music collection" and be able to explore it on their own.  I don't expect them to like all of the same things, but surely they'll listen and find some things in it they like.  They might pull something out based on the artwork or the title, but it's way more enticing than scrolling through a bunch of text in an iTunes/media manager library.  (Yes, you can incorporate the album art, but still not the same as holding it in your hands and reading the liner notes). 

[Chino]

I'm starting to think that 30 years from now, I'm going to be pissed I bought all my songs digitally instead of on CDs.

I was buying all digital for a while but I've moved back to buying CDs even though it's slower and more expensive.  1. the sound quality is objectively better (disregarding mastering/mixing differences of course) 2. you can physically hold it, and often it has lyrics that are an important connection to the music.  I find the songs I enjoy the most are ones that I actually know the words to because I was reading those liner notes.  and 3. now that I have kids it will be nice for them to see that something exists called a "music collection" and be able to explore it on their own.  I don't expect them to like all of the same things, but surely they'll listen and find some things in it they like.  They might pull something out based on the artwork or the title, but it's way more enticing than scrolling through a bunch of text in an iTunes/media manager library.  (Yes, you can incorporate the album art, but still not the same as holding it in your hands and reading the liner notes).

I can totally relate to this. When I was moving a few months back, I found an old record player buried in the attic. It needed about $100 worth of parts to get in working order. My dad gave me what was left of his record collection, about sixty albums or so. The rest got destroyed in a basement flooding about twenty years ago. He had a bunch of Beetles, The Eagles, Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Toto Live, Bruce Springstein, Tom Petty, The Police, etc... I love it. I don't like all the stuff, but I listen to it at least once anyway.

A buddy of mine has been anal about his CD collection since I've known him (about 12 years now). He's got over 1000 CD's in his collection. It's monstrous. I love going to his place and looking through it. He makes a good point that it forces you to listen to whole albums. When I dock my iPod to my car, I always play it by genre at random or by playlists I've made. I've bought albums that I've never listened to because I only play a song or two. By putting a CD in the player, you almost have no choice. 

[mars]

Hello everyone!
I don't want to make any predictions like: "oh, the new album will sound like SFAM or 6 degrees". I am extremely excited 'cause the band are obviously itching to make (record) new music. I think a bunch of amazing ideas is put together or some riffs and bits are already recorded during sounchecks on tour. Three months off and BANG: "attack the studio!". All I can say is that I really love cinematic bombastic A Dramatic Turn of  Events. The self-titled one is full of mid-paced intro/verse/chorus/solos... tracks but whenever I listen to that album I have goosebumps on my shoulders. So, to make the so to make the story short, DT is shure to kick some serious ass! 

[Bertielee]

Hello everyone!
I don't want to make any predictions like: "oh, the new album will sound like SFAM or 6 degrees". I am extremely excited 'cause the band are obviously itching to make (record) new music. I think a bunch of amazing ideas is put together or some riffs and bits are already recorded during sounchecks on tour. Three months off and BANG: "attack the studio!". All I can say is that I really love cinematic bombastic A Dramatic Turn of  Events. The self-titled one is full of mid-paced intro/verse/chorus/solos... tracks but whenever I listen to that album I have goosebumps on my shoulders. So, to make the so to make the story short, DT is shure to kick some serious ass! 

Wow, you're a fan, Mars! Btw, welcome to DTF, you'll sure enjoy your stay here.

B.Lee

[mars]

Thanks! I also hope so. All moaners, please leave the building! 

[adamack]

I truly believe that the band should look back upon what made Breaking All Illusions so special, and use that as a springboard when writing the new album.

The song is the closest thing we have to a "universally loved" DT song in the past decade or so.

I don't mean they should rip off the sound of the song, but I think they should dissect what made it special, and apply some of those characteristics to a few of the songs on DT13.

Likewise, it would be amazing if they did the same thing with Octavarium should they choose to write another epic. Dissect it, brainstorm about what made it one of their best songs, and create something totally new which strives to achieve the same sentiment.

[erwinrafael]

Yet another subtle jab at Illumination Theory and the Dream Theater album? Can we give it a rest? For the silent many that actually like their latest effort, it's getting tiring.

And I don't want DT to look back at what made old great songs great. They already did that with SFAM and ADTOE. I would rather they do an Awake, not the sound but rather the spirit of not trying to recreate an Images and Words.

[Lucien]

I want them to do stuff outside the box. (more ambient, different musical styles, better songwriting that while clever and "progressive" doesn't require extreme technical ability, like Surrounded/These Walls, etc)

But we all know it will probably just be the same stuff they've done on these last two albums, complete with muddy prediction.

Prove me wrong, Dream Theater.

[adamack]

Yet another subtle jab at Illumination Theory and the Dream Theater album? Can we give it a rest? For the silent many that actually like their latest effort, it's getting tiring.

And I don't want DT to look back at what made old great songs great. They already did that with SFAM and ADTOE. I would rather they do an Awake, not the sound but rather the spirit of not trying to recreate an Images and Words.

Was this in response to my post?

If so, I absolutely did not intend to take a jab at Illumination theory. It's clear that Octavarium is one of DT's most universally liked songs, and that is the ONLY thing I meant when I said they should seek to find out what made that song stand out as a favorite. I did not even think about Illumination Theory when I made the post.

You also misinterpreted my post. I made it clear that I did not mean that DT should make DT13 SOUND like Octavarium and BAI. But rather, investigate into what made the charm and spirit of these tracks so successful and loved.

That could mean something as simple as figuring out what emotions the listener feels when listening to these songs, and creating entirely new and original songs which achieve the same kind of emotions, using new and experimental sounds, different arrangements, and so forth.

[Kotowboy]

If they *must* do an epic - please don't do the "stop for 5 minutes in the middle and have an ambient section" again.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Actually the ambient section was one of my favorite parts of IT.

[Jamesman42]

I want them to do stuff outside the box. (more ambient, different musical styles, better songwriting that while clever and "progressive" doesn't require extreme technical ability, like Surrounded/These Walls, etc)

But we all know it will probably just be the same stuff they've done on these last two albums, complete with muddy prediction.

Prove me wrong, Dream Theater.

Amen. That easter egg tease at the end of IT is unfair. Do an album of that, DT.

[Lucien]

I want them to do stuff outside the box. (more ambient, different musical styles, better songwriting that while clever and "progressive" doesn't require extreme technical ability, like Surrounded/These Walls, etc)

But we all know it will probably just be the same stuff they've done on these last two albums, complete with muddy prediction.

Prove me wrong, Dream Theater.

Amen. That easter egg tease at the end of IT is unfair. Do an album of that, DT.

I would buy it, and it would probably end up very high in my rankings, but we've been told by them that they have their "signature sound" which basically completely rules that out. It's sad.

[Mebert78]

1 CD concept album (or at least with a theme)

2 JLB lyrics.

This. Plus one Myung lyric.

Oddly, a small part of me could so see them doing another FII type album and giving the mainstream thing one more shot on the heels of the back to back Grammy nominations.

[BlackInk]

If they *must* do an epic - please don't do the "stop for 5 minutes in the middle and have an ambient section" again.

Yeah, please none of this. I read a description of the songs from DT12 before the album was released, and when I got to IT I actually thought the writer had confused it with TCoT, since it apparently had the exact same structure. Twice is one too many in this case. Or maybe even two too many, since I like neither of them.

[adamack]

1 CD concept album (or at least with a theme)

2 JLB lyrics.

Oddly, a small part of me could so see them doing another FII type album and giving the mainstream thing one more shot on the heels of the back to back Grammy nominations.

Exactly! Was just thinking this earlier. DT seemed to have gained a lot of popularity after DT12 came out, and they got a lot of attention. I heard more people talking about them than I ever have (granted I was not into them when Pull Me Under came out).

As you said, I could see them taking advantage of this by throwing a few mainstream songs on DT13.

[Mebert78]

You know what, I would be OK with it too. DT has given us so much great material over so many years that if they decided to take another shot at the mainstream I would cheer them on. They've totally earned whatever direction they want to go, in my opinion.

[The Letter M]

I concur - no more ambient sections in general. The reasons I love ACOS and SDOIT as large, whole pieces is that they really flow together well, and there's a lot of great musical ideas.

"Octavarium" started with its ambient section, so I was OK with that, it set up some melodies and themes for the rest of the song, but it was still quite long, and even longer in live versions because JR used the intro to extend it into a solo.

"In The Presence Of Enemies" doesn't really had an ambient section, but it did use wind as a bridge between Parts 1 & 2. Thankfully I've merged the two parts in Audacity for a complete 25:12 version that should have been in the first place.

"The Count Of Tuscany" had an interesting effect for me in that this was recorded and released after the 10th Anniversary shows for LTE, and the influence of playing "Rhapsody In Blue" showed in their writing of the album's closing epic. The volume-swelling solo with keyboard accompaniment was similar to what LTE did in their Gershwin cover, so when BC&SL came out, it was a very happy surprise to hear something similar!!! This ambient section was also right before the closing segment of the song, and in my mind, serves as the perfect set-up for the ride out.

"Illumination Theory" is a bit of an odd one for me. It sort of feels like it just stops the song dead in its tracks, but the pick-up after its over is pretty awesome, and the song is just balls-to-the-wall from there on out. I'm still on the fence about the whole thing, but I think by now I like it a little more in terms of the song's structure. The ambient orchestral part itself is VERY beautiful, well composed and performed, but in context to the whole piece, it did feel out of place at first. It was shocking when I first heard it, mostly because it was REALLY unexpected.

At this point, if the boys in DT write another 18-25 minute epic piece, I think they'll try to work out some new ideas for form and structure, and perhaps avoid any sort of ambient section altogether. I'd like to see an approach akin to "The Gates Of Delirium" or "Awaken", rather than "2112", "Hemispheres" or "Close To The Edge".

-Marc.

[Mosh]

I always loved the ambient section and still do. But I get where people are coming from when they say it makes the song lose momentum. That's part of the charm for me though.

[YtseJamittaja]

No more ambient sections - I agree!

[?]

I have no problem with ambient sections if they're well integrated into the songs and don't come out of nowhere. The one in TCOT works, because the transition into it is so smooth and it leads nicely into the ending section.

[RoeDent]

I wouldn't mind the longest track being around the 14-16 minute range. Longer than BAI, but not as long as Illumination Theory.

[The Letter M]

I wouldn't mind the longest track being around the 14-16 minute range. Longer than BAI, but not as long as Illumination Theory.

This. So far, that time range only contains songs like "In The Name Of God" and "The Ministry Of Lost Souls", and you could even extend that to include "A Nightmare To Remember". They need another song in that 14-17 minute range; shorter than a side-length epic typically is, but longer than their usual long-songs of 10-14 minutes (of which they have a TON).

-Marc.

[Polarbear]

- No 20+ minute epic
- Something darker, both lyrically and musically
- Songs that would fall into 7-10 minute or 10-14 minute category

[dream416]

An outside producer that way JP can concentrate just on the
awesome riffs that will make this the ultimate DT album     

[Lucien]

No more ambient sections? Sure I guess.

No more ambient? NO I LOVE IT GIVE ME MORE