Author Topic: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...  (Read 7444 times)

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Offline bosk1

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2015, 12:15:25 PM »
https://www.bigmusicgeek.com/reviews/dreamtheater.html

 :-X

Nice to see such a positive review.  But, man, what horrible writing!  I could barely slog through that.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline WhatsAnOwlVent

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2015, 12:26:53 PM »
https://www.bigmusicgeek.com/reviews/dreamtheater.html

 :-X

Nice to see such a positive review.  But, man, what horrible writing!  I could barely slog through that.

Thanks!

 :facepalm:

Offline bl5150

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2015, 12:38:07 PM »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

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Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2015, 01:15:02 PM »
"woefully-underrated Train Of Thought", "curiously-overlooked gem Live At Luna Park", haha, no.

Also, the way he worded the review wasn't to my liking either, lot of fancy words, little substance, almost reads like a parody article ("introspective lyrical vernacular", "my now unthinkable aversion for their unabashed Progressive wizardry at last eroded within the histrionic strains of “This Dying Soul”", "relentlessly pummeling, PTSD-fueled “The Enemy Inside”", "maddeningly infectious tirade “The Mirror”" and my favorite, "the group consistently punctuates their now-trademark tonalities with a veritable wealth of choral and orchestral flourishes"). :lolpalm:

Instantly made me think of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqhHhLNA7o


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Offline WhatsAnOwlVent

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2015, 01:20:16 PM »
"woefully-underrated Train Of Thought", "curiously-overlooked gem Live At Luna Park", haha, no.

Also, the way he worded the review wasn't to my liking either, lot of fancy words, little substance, almost reads like a parody article ("introspective lyrical vernacular", "my now unthinkable aversion for their unabashed Progressive wizardry at last eroded within the histrionic strains of “This Dying Soul”", "relentlessly pummeling, PTSD-fueled “The Enemy Inside”", "maddeningly infectious tirade “The Mirror”" and my favorite, "the group consistently punctuates their now-trademark tonalities with a veritable wealth of choral and orchestral flourishes"). :lolpalm:

Instantly made me think of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKqhHhLNA7o

Sorry it wasn't worded to your liking. I've been at this for a very long time and have had very few complaints.


Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2015, 01:39:08 PM »
It's an impressive display of self-indulgent grammar gymnastics. I'm not familiar with that site and your target audience, but as far as reviews go, I couldn't pick up anything informative from that endless tirade of empty words other than you liked DT and you have your way with words. Well, I guess a pretentious band like DT warrants an equally pretentious review. :biggrin:


Sycsa is perhaps the most brilliant and insightful man I have ever encountered.

Offline WhatsAnOwlVent

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2015, 01:41:32 PM »
It's an impressive display of self-indulgent grammar gymnastics. I'm not familiar with that site and your target audience, but as far as reviews go, I couldn't pick up anything informative from that endless tirade of empty words other than you liked DT and you have your way with words. Well, I guess a pretentious band like DT warrants an equally pretentious review. :biggrin:

 :lol

Well, I am a bit pretentious myself.

Offline rumborak

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2015, 01:43:58 PM »
Yeah, gotta chime in here, it was almost impossible to get information out of that review. There almost isn't a single noun that isn't preceded by two to three modifying adjectives. Or to write the previous sentence in the style of the review, there almost isn't a single written-down noun that isn't untimely-enough preceded by two to three incredulously modifying awe-inspiring adjectives, respectively.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 01:49:03 PM by rumborak »
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Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2015, 01:49:28 PM »
It's an impressive display of self-indulgent grammar gymnastics. I'm not familiar with that site and your target audience, but as far as reviews go, I couldn't pick up anything informative from that endless tirade of empty words other than you liked DT and you have your way with words. Well, I guess a pretentious band like DT warrants an equally pretentious review. :biggrin:

 :lol

Well, I am a bit pretentious myself.
Hehe, that's the prog mentality!


Sycsa is perhaps the most brilliant and insightful man I have ever encountered.

Offline WhatsAnOwlVent

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2015, 01:51:31 PM »
It's an impressive display of self-indulgent grammar gymnastics. I'm not familiar with that site and your target audience, but as far as reviews go, I couldn't pick up anything informative from that endless tirade of empty words other than you liked DT and you have your way with words. Well, I guess a pretentious band like DT warrants an equally pretentious review. :biggrin:

 :lol

Well, I am a bit pretentious myself.
Hehe, that's the prog mentality!


 :lol

Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2015, 02:01:25 PM »
Based on the comments in the thread, I will refrain from reading the review.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2015, 02:16:32 PM »
Sycsa and rumborak pretty much nailed my thoughts.  Sorry for being so blunt.  Had I realized it was your writing, I might have been more tactful in the way I said it.  But from your post, especially use of the emoticon
https://www.bigmusicgeek.com/reviews/dreamtheater.html

 :-X
...it implied that you were inclined to bash the review but were holding your tongue.  But, yeah, tact aside, what Sycsa and rumborak said.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline me7

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2015, 02:16:57 PM »


I don't recognise the two covers in the top left corner. What are they?

Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2015, 02:27:33 PM »
The blue one is Pawn Hearts by Van der Graaf Generator, the other one escapes me as well. I also recognize Tarkus, Power & the Glory, Nursery Crime and Tales of Topographic Oceans, so 3 are missing. Could you fill me in?


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Offline me7

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #15 on: January 14, 2015, 02:33:29 PM »
The two at the bottom are Meddle by Pink Floyd and Farewell to Kings by Rush.

Offline The Letter M

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #16 on: January 14, 2015, 03:14:50 PM »


I don't recognise the two covers in the top left corner. What are they?

Start at the top going left to right:
Pawn Hearts by Van der Graaf Generator
Minstrel In The Gallery by Jethro Tull
Tarkus by Emerson Lake and Palmer
The Power And The Glory by Gentle Giant
Nursery Cryme by Genesis
Meddle by Pink Floyd
A Farewell To Kings by Rush
Tales From Topographic Oceans by Yes

Oddly enough, no King Crimson, but the border of the meme is oddly reminiscent of Mahavishnu Orchestra's Birds of Fire.

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Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #17 on: January 14, 2015, 03:35:29 PM »
Well played, thanks! Now, if you could also tell me the breed of the dog and the diopter value of his glasses. :biggrin:


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Offline me7

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #18 on: January 14, 2015, 04:27:15 PM »
You can actually tell that the diopter value is zero ;)

Offline Rodni Demental

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #19 on: January 14, 2015, 04:36:10 PM »
"woefully-underrated Train Of Thought", "curiously-overlooked gem Live At Luna Park", haha, no.

Hey man, you only help prove it's underrated by disagreeing. :P

Offline Sycsa

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #20 on: January 14, 2015, 04:59:46 PM »
"woefully-underrated Train Of Thought", "curiously-overlooked gem Live At Luna Park", haha, no.

Hey man, you only help prove it's underrated by disagreeing. :P
I would actually say, if anything,  ToT is much rather over- than underrated, as there are many metal-oriented fans and some casual listeners who regard it as DT's finest album (check the DT13 thread for some recent ToT lovin'). In the end, it's subjective, but to be underrated (woefully, nonetheless), ToT needs to be better than most people consider it to be, I just don't see that being the case.


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Offline Rodni Demental

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #21 on: January 14, 2015, 05:10:55 PM »
Fair enough, I was actually surprised to see the amount of people that think highly of TOT as seen in the thread you mentioned. Because normally (being a Train of Thought lover myself as it was about my 3rd album from the band), I more often than not, see it not getting a whole lotta praise and being labeled as 'one dimensional' (which I don't entirely agree with) and that whole 'balls to wall' phrase just pisses me off to be honest, I don't know why... Sounds painful.  :lol

So I think relatively speaking, it tends to be near the bottom third of a lot of peoples rankings which gives me the impression that it is somewhat underrated. BUT, as you said, there is actually a whole range of DT fans where TOT was literally their gateway into Dream Theater so from that point of view it still does have a fairly solid following.

Of course someone that likes it is more likely to say it's underrated, and someone who isn't as big a fan and sees other people praise it is more likely to think it's overrated. Subjective indeed.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #22 on: January 14, 2015, 05:41:08 PM »
It isn't "underrated" if it is rated right where it belongs.  It is a good album, so are all of DT's albums, and they have done lots that are stronger.  So "bottom third" or so is about right.
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Offline hefdaddy42

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2015, 07:28:35 AM »
I think TOT is pretty solid.  But it is kind of hard to compare to other albums because it is so one-dimensional (not sure why you wouldn't agree with that).  It isn't as good as their top albums, but it isn't anywhere near as bad as their worst.  It's in about the middle quality-wise for me, so bottom third is probably right.

But there are certainly times when I get an itch, and TOT is the only thing that will scratch it.
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Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #24 on: January 19, 2015, 01:45:42 PM »
Middle of the pack album for me too.  But definitely one of the albums I put in the "strong" category with respect to DT.   


As for this review.  It's pretty awful. 

Offline rumborak

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #25 on: January 19, 2015, 03:32:35 PM »
I feel the term "underrated" is often just code for "this is my favorite".
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Offline TAC

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #26 on: January 19, 2015, 05:52:26 PM »
I feel the term "underrated" is often just code for "this is my favorite".
That's an underrated statement. Actually, it's my favorite statement. Wait..what?

um..I agree.  :D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline BlobVanDam

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #27 on: January 19, 2015, 07:01:11 PM »
I feel the term "underrated" is often just code for "this is my favorite".

There are plenty of DT songs/albums I think are underrated that I'd still consider nowhere near my favourite. But it's always going to come down to personal opinion, so obviously it boils down to liking something more than the average person does.
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Offline Rodni Demental

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #28 on: January 19, 2015, 07:18:09 PM »
I feel the term "underrated" is often just code for "this is my favorite".

From a certain angle, I agree with this. But that means anything that one considers overrated is just a way for someone to express their discontent for other peoples preferences.

Really though, things are underrated to the person who thinks something is not getting the praise or attention it deserves. And things are overrated to the person who thinks something is not worthy of the amount of praise or attention it receives. Entirely relative terms really.

Offline WhatsAnOwlVent

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2015, 05:53:08 PM »
I feel the term "underrated" is often just code for "this is my favorite".

From a certain angle, I agree with this. But that means anything that one considers overrated is just a way for someone to express their discontent for other peoples preferences.

Really though, things are underrated to the person who thinks something is not getting the praise or attention it deserves. And things are overrated to the person who thinks something is not worthy of the amount of praise or attention it receives. Entirely relative terms really.

This.

 ;D

Offline AllanM

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #30 on: February 11, 2015, 09:12:52 AM »
So I've read the thread but not the review, and l'm still none the wiser as to whether BT4W is any good. I know I've seen it slated somewhere with regards to the sound. What is everyone's opinion?
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Offline Kotowboy

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #31 on: February 11, 2015, 09:16:31 AM »
I think it's a much better concert DVD overall than Live At Luna Park which had terrible school disco lighting and amateur TV show camera angles and a really lackluster audience.

Offline bosk1

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #32 on: February 11, 2015, 09:31:30 AM »
So I've read the thread but not the review, and l'm still none the wiser as to whether BT4W is any good. I know I've seen it slated somewhere with regards to the sound. What is everyone's opinion?

It is fantastic.  The sound is a bit odd, but not necessarily bad.  I think JP had great guitar tone on this tour, but the guitar is a bit low in the mix and sounds more processed than normal.  But that's really the only knock on the disk.  I would definitely get it.
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Offline BlobVanDam

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #33 on: February 11, 2015, 09:33:22 AM »
The sound is the best they've had with MM by far. MM's kit sounds great, the guitars aren't overbearing, you can hear the keys, and JLB sounds amazing. The only criticism I'd have of the sound is the orchestra. You can barely hear them, and when you do, it sounds like it's synth.
Video quality is great too, very well edited.

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Offline AllanM

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Re: Dream Theater 'Breaking The Fourth Wall' Review...
« Reply #34 on: February 11, 2015, 09:39:15 AM »
Thanks guys, I've always intended to buy it but have kept putting it off because of the reviews I've seen.
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