If there's any pattern, DT13 will be one of my favorites.

[darkshade]

Every group of 3 DT albums always has one that leaves me underwhelmed and/or disappointed.

WDADU
I&W
Awake

FII
SFAM
SDOIT

TOT
8vm
SC

BC&SL
ADTOE
DT

The bolded albums are my least favorite albums, I love the rest, so hopefully DT 13 will be really good or even awesome.

[Evermind]

I don't get it. DT13 will start the new group of three albums, how can you be sure it's not going to be the disappointing one?

[darkshade]

I don't get it. DT13 will start the new group of three albums, how can you be sure it's not going to be the disappointing one?

The pattern shows that that's never happened before, so hopefully it won't.

[Zook]

I don't get it. DT13 will start the new group of three albums, how can you be sure it's not going to be the disappointing one?

The pattern shows that that's never happened before, so hopefully it won't.

But you bolded both WDADU and FII which both start new groups. What am I missing?

[rumborak]

Also, it's missing ACOS.

[The Letter M]

Also, it's missing ACOS.

Technically not an album - it's an EP, so the list in the OP is just including LPs/full studio albums.

If anything, I'd say the Odd albums lean towards more heavier, darker, metal material while the Even albums are a bit more melodic, harmonic and proggier, but those are BROAD generalizations, although sometimes, comparing each pair, it becomes a bit more apparent:
WDADU to IAW, the latter was definitely proggier and a bit more melodic, definitely a bit poppier too (see any shorter song)
Awake to FII, it went from heavier and a bit experimental to shorter songs with more focus on melody
SFAM to SDOIT, while the former was proggy in that it's a concept album, the latter is longer and has more of that classic prog-album feel to it
TOT to 8VM, the most contrast of any of these pairs, it goes from a balls-to-walls metal album to a proggy and melodic one
SC to BC&SL, these are bit less different from each other, but SC was a bit more experimental (POW, Repentance) and heavy (TDEN) while BC&SL rests in influences and typical prog ideas
ADTOE to DT12, these are also a bit less different, but I'd say DT12 definitely focuses more on it's songs and melodies while ADTOE has a lot of songs that are long and a bit heavier than some of the stuff on DT12

So I'd say DT13 will be a bit experimental, a little less safe, maybe darker and heavier than the last album. They always seem to want to shake things up a little.

-Marc.

[Outcrier]

But you bolded both WDADU and FII which both start new groups. What am I missing?

[rumborak]

I don't know, leaving out ACOS on a mere technicality seems like fudging the data to make the theory work. It's ~25 minutes of original DT music.

[The Letter M]

I don't know, leaving out ACOS on a mere technicality seems like fudging the data to make the theory work. It's ~25 minutes of original DT music.

True, but then what about Cleaning Out The Closet? It's 60+ minutes of original DT music, nearly 3-times the amount of new music found in the 23 minute epic "A Change Of Seasons". Should that then count, despite the mere technicality that it was only a Fan Club release?

-Marc.

[rumborak]

One was released officially by the band and is included in any DT discography worth its paper. The other one is ... a fan club release.

[KevShmev]

No, because that is not a CD of music from one year/era/etc., so for the purposes of this thread and the idea behind it, it would make no sense to include it.

[Jaq]

That's not a pattern, though. In the first two groupings of three, the first album is the least liked. In the next two, it's the last. The only way this is a pattern is over the next six albums, 1 and 4 are your least liked (and then for the next six, the last of each three is disliked.) What you're really saying is "I dislike one out of every three DT albums."

So yeah, for this to become a pattern,  DT13 should be disliked. 

[ariich]

I don't get it. DT13 will start the new group of three albums, how can you be sure it's not going to be the disappointing one?

The pattern shows that that's never happened before, so hopefully it won't.

But you bolded both WDADU and FII which both start new groups. What am I missing?

This.

If anything the pattern has been 1st - 1st - 3rd - 3rd, which means we could be returning to 1st, so get ready for disappointment darkshade!

[Calvin6s]

 

I'm sure this post wasn't made in full seriousness, but a code cracker they are not.

[bl5150]

Perhaps by "it's never happened before" he meant that there's never been two duds back to back.   Clutching at straws 

[Dave_Manchester]

Colour me confused also. If anything, the 'pattern', such as it is, points to another 'disappointment'. First, first, last, last, and now back to first, no?

[Randaran]

But we do not know if "first, first, last, last" is a full iteration of the pattern. So we cannot conclude that DT13 will be a disappointment. 

[Calvin6s]

A member has to leave.  That's the pattern (and shaky at best)

JLB enters - we get I&W
KM exits - we get Awake
DS enters - we get ACoS
JR enters - we get SFAM
MP leaves - we get ADToE

So somebody needs to do the right thing and leave the band.  We love ya, but this is bigger than any one person (except Petrucci).

[Dave_Manchester]

But we do not know if "first, first, last, last" is a full iteration of the pattern. So we cannot conclude that DT13 will be a disappointment. 

Well, you have a point, so I propose settling this by analysing all the conceivable patterns:

First first last last...back to first?
First first last last...now middle?
First first last last...continuing with last?

Conclusion is thus - it'll definitely be one of the 3 available options, and the likelihood of each is exactly equal. 

To be vaguely serious, I'm imagining this new one will be in the vein of ADTOE and DT12, which is fine by me, I loved those last 2.

[darkshade]

The pattern wasn't about it being first-first-last-last, just the fact that there was one for every 3 DT albums.

I don't want the pattern to be FFLL 

Also, I don't dislike the albums, they're just my least favorite.

Perhaps by "it's never happened before" he meant that there's never been two duds back to back.   Clutching at straws 

No, you got it.

[Calvin6s]

Well, we've determined there is a 66.66666666666.... % chance it will be good.  Therefore, we know the album we be in the vein of Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast.  Or will it be more like Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil?

Has anybody tweeted Benedict Cumberbatch to get a more definitive answer?

[Plasmastrike]

Really OP? This hardly even makes sense. Even if it did... nice thread

[BlobVanDam]

Also, it's missing ACOS.

ACOS doesn't count.



But this theory still makes little sense regardless.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Hey, my four least favorites are one out of each three too. Except for me it's first, third, second, second, so I'm stumped.

[theseoafs]

Perhaps by "it's never happened before" he meant that there's never been two duds back to back.   Clutching at straws 

No, you got it.

Couldn't you have just said "there have never been two DT albums in a row that I found disappointing, so I doubt the next DT album will be disappointing to me", instead of doing all the numerological analysis?

[Calvin6s]

I thought the general consensus was SC and BC&SL were considered duds by the average DT fan?

[BlobVanDam]

I thought the general consensus was SC and BC&SL were considered duds by the average DT fan?

Perhaps on DTF, but in general I'd say all of the RR era albums are regarded about the same.

[Calvin6s]

I thought the general consensus was SC and BC&SL were considered duds by the average DT fan?

Perhaps on DTF, but in general I'd say all of the RR era albums are regarded about the same.

So then there is another pattern that the next RR album will be better than the last, but not A level?

Predictions on upcoming albums with nothing tangible to go on is so funny.  For all we know, Mangini has been reading The Art of War and has been planning his strike for this album. 
Stage 1:  border on fanboy and follow a drum machine
Stage 2:  throw out some tidbits in songs like Illumination Theory to rile up the fans on your side
Stage 3:  This bitch is mine.  I got this.  I'm not stepping up.  I'm taking over.

Or he's watching Family Guy and doesn't have a care in the world.

[RaiseTheKnife]

Not really sure I see choosing one album from groupings of three as a reliable pattern.  Why not choose two albums from every six releases? or,  or , or  . . .

[darkshade]

Perhaps by "it's never happened before" he meant that there's never been two duds back to back.   Clutching at straws 

No, you got it.

Couldn't you have just said "there have never been two DT albums in a row that I found disappointing, so I doubt the next DT album will be disappointing to me", instead of doing all the numerological analysis?

Yea, but that's no fun.

[SuperTaco]

Um. I'm just looking forward to the album. I'm not concerned with patterns or trends because they don't really mean anything to me. It will be what it will be, and I don't think it's affected at all by this perceived order of great albums/duds.

From what little information we have (The JLB interview), it seems like they already have a direction in mind. I'm excited to find out what kind of direction that is.

[rumborak]

If there's any pattern, we will have a Rush song on DT13.

[Zydar]

If there's any pattern, DT13 will contain music.

[Nefarius]

Maybe even chocolate cake, who knows?

Greetings...
Nef

[theseoafs]

If there's any pattern, we will have a Rush song on DT13.

I personally am hoping for I Think I'm Going Bald.