After 2 years... What are your thoughts on DT12?

[Implode]

Disappointing. It's extremely forgetable.

What album are we talking about?  I forgot.   

Ironically the one not given a name. I feel like it doesn't really have an identity other than its terrible production quality and snare sound. It had a couple good ideas, but honestly the album just doesn't hold my interest in the slightest. I've had no desire to really listen to it in its entirety since the week it came out. That's just my tastes though.

[MirrorMask]

About not having a name... if you forget that it's the name of the band, "Dream Theater" as a title kinda fits the album. With that theatrical / cinematic intro and outro to bookend the album (Ok, maybe it should have been "Nightmare Cinema" then  ) it makes up for a complete beginning - middle - end experience like you would witness in a theater.

[Implode]

Ehhh, I doubt that's why they named it that. The album isn't really cohesive with anything side from its musical style. You just described what could be SFAM (or maybe SDOIT) as well. Nothing unique about having a theatrical/cinematic intro and outro.

[Progmetty]

It's decent, I prefer ADToE. There aren't many intense moments on DTDT, it comes down to Illumination Theory and False Awakening Suite for me and maybe Enigma Machine.
Also I've been listening to it again recently and couldn't help but notice there's a weird submissive tone and vibe to a lot of lyrics on this album.

[Nomaniac]

I voted "Very Strong" . . . when I first heard the album (I'm actually a new fan so it was the first album I was ever there for when it was released) I was a bit ambivalent about it - it just didn't seem like the Dream Theater that I had became obsessed with over the last year and a half. It was an awesome album, but it just didn't click for me yet . . . well, after two years of listening to it, I truly appreciate  the album and proudly consider it another completely unique album by DT. Still not as good for me as ADTOE (which, in my opinion, is the best album since Six Degrees) but still a very strong album with great moments that I keep coming back for 

[Kotowboy]

I voted "Very Strong" . . . when I first heard the album (I'm actually a new fan so it was the first album I was ever there for when it was released) I was a bit ambivalent about it - it just didn't seem like the Dream Theater that I had became obsessed with over the last year and a half. It was an awesome album, but it just didn't click for me yet . . . well, after two years of listening to it, I truly appreciate  the album and proudly consider it another completely unique album by DT. Still not as good for me as ADTOE (which, in my opinion, is the best album since Six Degrees) but still a very strong album with great moments that I keep coming back for 

Out of Africa Interest - what are your top 3 albums ? Mine are :

1. Octavarium
2. Scenes From a Memory
3. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

[Nomaniac]

Out of Africa Interest - what are your top 3 albums ? Mine are :

1. Octavarium
2. Scenes From a Memory
3. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

You're gonna have to give me top 4 - can't choose 3 

1. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
2. Scenes From A Memory
3. Tie - ADTOE & IAW (but not trying to start the debate again on the similarities lol - they ARE different, just like them both the same  )

[Kotowboy]

To which i will add - a song can have the same structure as another song and still sound entirely different.

the rumours about ADTOE being I&W2 were a huge " so what " to me.

OK - worst three ? Should be easier...

10. DT12
11. Awake
12. When Dream And Day Unite

[Nomaniac]

To which i will add - a song can have the same structure as another song and still sound entirely different.

the rumours about ADTOE being I&W2 were a huge " so what " to me.

OK - worst three ? Should be easier...

10. DT12
11. Awake
12. When Dream And Day Unite

Yeah I agree with that! I do find it a bit intriguing if they did intentionally do something like that but it doesn't really matter - at least not enough to get people who are tired of hearing it upset over 

Okay worst three - I love all of them, but here I go:

10. When Dream and Day Unite
11. Systematic Chaos
12. Falling Into Infinity

And in no way am I one of those FII and SC haters, they still beat my favorite albums by most other bands - just how I order it 

Interesting to hear your picks - overall pretty similar taste, especially on the 3 favorites!

[Kotowboy]

Falling Into Infinity is #1 in the production scale. Just a gorgeous sounding album. Especially Hell's Kitchen and Lines In The Sand.

DT12 is worst for production value.

[Nomaniac]

Falling Into Infinity is #1 in the production scale. Just a gorgeous sounding album. Especially Hell's Kitchen and Lines In The Sand.

DT12 is worst for production value.

Well you got me there . . . it is a great sounding album! I still really enjoy it, just not as much as other albums 

Yeah I was reading what you guys were saying about DT12 in the other thread . . . definitely a great album imo but yeah hopefully "The Astonishing" captures more of that original production quality. Would love to hear a FII production album paired with awesome songs like on SFaM . . . imagine that!

[Kotowboy]

I've got Lines In The Sand on now. My 2nd fave DT song after Octavarium and that solo is 

[Kotowboy]

Screw you all. New Millennium is a great song. 

[bosk1]

Yes.  It is.

[Kotowboy]

Plus there's that bit in the middle which sounds exactly like where they went with SFAM.

[CDrice]

It's weird. You guys must have a deluxe copy of the self-titled album because I don't have a song called New Millenium on mine.

But I agree that it's a pretty good song

[Kotowboy]

It's weird. You guys must have a deluxe copy of the self-titled album because I don't have a song called New Millenium on mine.

But I agree that it's a pretty good song

Yes. It is.

[Darkstarshades]

It's weird. You guys must have a deluxe copy of the self-titled album because I don't have a song called New Millenium on mine.

But I agree that it's a pretty good song

It's a special cut song from the album, the name is similar to the original FII song, which is Caught in a New Millenium. Maybe it's similar to how Octavarium has a song named "The Answer Lies Within" and in the new one is just named "The Answer".

[Nomaniac]

  okay guys I give in, FII is a really good album with some great songs!

Haven't listened to it in a long while, think I just might do that now 

[BlobVanDam]

Screw you all. New Millennium is a great song. 

Loved it ever since hearing it on Budokan.

[1neeto]

When it first came out, I had the CD in my car playing on rotation for about two months. And then I would play it on my phone, I think I have given that album 300+ listens, way more than anything after SDOIT. then I went to watch them live on their 2014 tour and loved it but stop listening to it shortly after. Now I listen to that album maybe once every other month or so. Songs like IT and EM are instant classics to me, but the rest as ok at best. Even early favorites like STR, and BTV sound stale now. I still rank the album higher than anything after SDOIT through. Even higher than ADTOE. Now that's an album I haven't listened to in well over a year.

[Pragmaticcircus]

Sorry but DT12 was a huge disappointment to me. But I thought ADTOE was alright (with some excellent tracks), whereas the past 3 albums with Portnoy don't have much reply value to me either. But I'm still having faith in them for The Astonishing, fingers crossed.....   

[darkshade]

Here's how I felt about every album that's come out since I became a fan.

ToT - Awesome. Logical direction after SDoIT. Over time, one dimensional, but when in the mood, this album kicks my ass.

8vm - Aside from opener and Panic Attack, I felt this album was a grower, but I now think it's one of the great albums, title track gets better with age.

SC - Loved it for a week or so, then stopped listening to DT completely for about a year and a half (nothing to do with SC itself, just my music tastes at the time.) When I got back into DT in early 2009, I thought it was solid, but had a few low points in the back half of the album before ITPOE pt2.

BC&SL - Loved it immediately, and has become one of my most listened to albums. However, I haven't listened to it in well over 2 years, partially because I know every note. It has its flaws, but I think it was a big improvement over SC.

ADTOE - Also loved it immediately, but due to the new drummer, I was getting used to Mangini. Then I couldn't stop listening to it. I wore out this album big time, where I can't listen to it any more because I know every note. Definitely better than the Portnoy era albums (SC/BCSL) and maybe 8vm.

DT12DT - Maybe it was my head space, but I couldn't listen to this more than 3 times in a month when it came out, then maybe once every 6 months just to give it another shot. At this point, I can appreciate some songs, like the opening quartet of songs, plus I found I can enjoy the album better if I listen to it 2-3 tracks at a time. It might have to do with the production as well (I only have the CD, and a down-mix I found online, might be from the blu-ray edition but I don't think I like that mix either.) Is the HD tracks worth it?
The epic is cool if I'm in the mood. The middle ambient and then orchestral strings section makes me tear up to the point where I just want to start crying. This part alone is more beautiful than anything DT has made before, so beautiful that I can't always listen to it.) But I think the song is a little disjointed, which I don't really think of DT epics.

So DT12DT was pretty disappointing, even 2 years later. JP's tones are not to my liking. Could, again, be the production.

[pcs90]

Is the HD tracks worth it?

Yes. It's not a huge improvement, but it is very noticeable and the sound is much clearer and it feels a little more open.