Hi everyone! I'm sorry I did not take the time to post my thoughts while keeping on discovering others DT albums - I'm afraid I was too busy with other things. So anyway, I will try to remember the best I can my initial reactions to share them.
Next album I listened to was, as planned,
The Astonishing. There is a lot to say about this one. I knew I was going to try to dig it as much as possible despite all the controversial opinions because the simple fact that the band did such a bold move with it got me pretty confident. Now, I have to recognize it has some flaws. I admit I found myself thinking at some point "there are too many ballads". The pacing is sometimes a bit awkward and the fact that songs can sound the same (done on purpose of course) does not help during the first listening session. But at the same time I was not disappointed because there are a lot of surprises and 'wow' moments that are instantly noticeable. Dystopian Overture is absolutely great and the perfect way to start, and the way The Gift of Music follows right after gives me a kind of About to Crash vibe, which is awesome. Songs like Lord Nafaryus and Three Days feels so fresh for the band they are a real joy to listen to. A New Beginning is just such a theatrical song, I can perfectly visualize what is going on, and the ending solo is just sooo tasty it's hard to believe it! The most impressive thing on this album though is the way the band really wrote the music that goes with the story. First of all, the entire recurring themes thing is really well-done, it's almost like a game to try to spot in which songs this theme appears and why... From a compositional viewpoint, it's really, really impressive. And secondly, it really helps creating incredible moments like I have already mentioned. A track like A Savior in the Square does not make any sense if you are not aware of the context, why does it start so gently then goes on with trumpets before being more heavy and then ending once again softly? But when you know what's going on, it just feels completely right and spot-on! This is true for a lot of songs, but the ones that deserve the most praise in my opinion are Ravenskill, The Road to Revolution, The Path that Divides, The Walking Shadow and My Last Farewell. I especially love the way The Road to Revolution ends the first Act like a big
"To be continued..." where the situation of every character is resumed. It was not really necessary to do because it doesn't drive the story forward, but if it had not been there it would have felt like something was missing. It shifts moods so naturally it's scary, plus the "road to revolution" theme may be my favorite off the album, so... yeah, I really find that one to be an underrated track. Perfect way to wrap up the first Act.
Now, as for the story itself, I understand it is kind of cliché, cheesy, whatever you want, and I agree, it's absolutely true. The ending is such a happy resolution it can get a bit ridiculous, especially considering character development (Nafaryus anyone?). The way the fight with swords in 2285, how it is completely unrealistic for such small-scale events to really change the state of things... really the point is not to take it
that seriously. But it does not mean that when the album wants to get emotional it fails because it is hard to take seriously. When the tension builds in the second act and then explodes with a big twist with "The Path that Divides", I really feel completely drawn in and I feel what the story wants me to feel, just like a good concept album shall do. In some weird way, how the story is conveyed is just so good that even if the story itself is a bit awkward it does not hinder a lot; kind of the opposite compared to what happens with other concept albums, and to be honest, I prefer it this way - even though the best of all is to have both the really great story and the right way to put it into music.
In the end, I really love The Astonishing, even though I listened to it from one end to the other without any big pauses only twice. What I try to do is to listen to some strings of songs that kind of form a "scene" on their own, like from A Savior in the Square to Three Days, and it works well this way to keep on listening to it on a regular basis. I've also come to really appreciate all tracks, the slow ones which kind of interfered with my enjoyment the first time I now really like. Finally, a word on the sound: the production is great even though I know some complain about the drums (but they sound a bit like I&W, don't they?) and I love the way there is a LOT of piano and acoustic work, it is feels like a gentle "stream of sound" (best instance of this, the begininng of Ravenskill!). Finally James does a good job trying to portray all these characters even though for some it can be hard to tell who's who, but I really like what he did with Nafaryus. I just think there are some moments where he tries a bit too much, like Act of Faythe, where the instrumental ending bit is better for my ears!
Anyway, enough said about the Astonishing, time to move onto the next record!
...Which is
SFAM. Yeah, I guess I just wanted to keep on going with concept albums while I was at it. Now, what can I say? I perfectly understand why it is the favorite of a lot of people, I was just mind-blown by the creativity, the musicianship, all the different moods... Each track is a classic. The emotional impact is big. What I can tell I remember the most from my first listening session is how I was
NOT prepared for Finally Free. At all. You know, after the enlightened conclusion brought by TSCO, I was expecting it to be the last epic track which feels glorious to go on with Nicholas finally feeling at peace with himself, and the title seemed to suggest that. Then I heard those bright arpeggios and was like "yeah this is it, epic happy ending"... but... then... something stranged happened... in a subtle and yet fascinating manner, the air arround me started to feel colder... and I could not move and was not even premitted to think about what was happening to me... then I heard the piano coming in and took a look at the lyrics booklet and went completely "oh my god"... then everything felt completely surreal 'till the end... and the words "finally free" got a completely new meaning in my mind... Yeah I know I am exaggerating a bit, but really, this is something I'm not soon to forget. Might be my favorite track just because of that...
I don't really know what else to add about SFAM, when I wrote so much for the Astonishing in comparison, sorry if you would have liked more detailed thoughts. So I will continue with the next one...
Octavarium. This one really feels like more like a collection of songs like Systematic Chaos, the big difference being that they flow much better into each other than they do on SC. Well, it was done on purpose of course, to go with the theme of the album. I really like the heavier songs, TROAE does a great job as an opener and as a part of the 12-step Suite, being more concise than the others. The references to TDS are great and the chorus is one of the most tasty DT has done, with the guitar doing this kind of distorted effect behind, this "I am ready" bit really is unique. Also, already knowing the Octavarium song, I can tell you I was surprised by the ending! Panic Attack really conveys well the feeling of urgency it describes and the Muse-influenced part that comes in the second half is really well-done, it is incredible to hear JLB sing this way. However, I feel that the influence really goes too a bit too far on Never Enough - I don't know the Muse songs it was most probably inspired by, but even without that I can tell it does not feel as natural as Panic Attack... still sounds absolutely great and interesting to listen to, but it is one I will most probably only hear whenI give the whole album a spin. Now, you must wonder what I think of I Walk Beside You which is also heavily influenced? Well, I do like it, it is a fine little song with really simple melodies but where you can tell the band is confident with the mood they're aiming for and JLB does a great job, especially on the last chorus. The only part I like less is the bridge where the "oooh"s feel a bit forced. Now, I would like to speak about the other ballad, The Answer Lies Within, which I find really wonderful. It is also simple and straight-to-the-point (I don't know how Portnoy managed to restrain himself so much for a whole song!) but the chemistry really works for me. I just find it really inspiring and it was a totally unexpected grower for me. These Walls is another song I was pleasantly surprised with, the verses are wonderful with this hit-hat work going on and the smooth keyboard, whereas the rest of the song really has a great more energetic vide. And I really like the lyrics. Finally, Sacrificed Sons is the classic 10-minute DT song with an instrumental break in the middle and JLB totally owns it, he's absolutely stellar to convey this feeling of tension, oppresion and sadness at the same time. The orchestra really adds to the intensity and overall it really is that: an intense song. It took time to grow on me as well.
Overall, a really great album where the band really focuses less on technique apart from some moments. It was one that clearly had to grow on me, but now I find that it is one of their most balanced, well thought-out, regular album, a little breather between ToT and SC. It is great to listen to it as a whole and end with the glorious title track. Now, the last one I've listened to so far is...
Black Clouds and Silver Linings. I got it last week, so it is still fresh in my mind. I find that it kind of fills in the shoes of the most "classic" DT album and most representative of what they are overall. That's what struck me the most upon first listening. It clearly was not one that surprised me that much now that I am used to their sound, but it still high-quality. ANTR is one of those songs that feels like 100% trademark DT but at the same time that has its own caracteristics, its own flavour, still making it unique in the whole discography. The same goes for TBOT and TCOT and those two are really, really beautiful, I think they could be a great introduction to the band. Once again, it's like completely classic but really inspired, with absolutely wonderful melodies. AROP and Wither are the two more simple songs and they are great at doing their own respective job, even though after being pleasantly surprised by the catchiness of the chorus of AROP, the one of Wither disappointed me a bit. Finally, I really liked how TSF concluded the 12 Step-Suite and I tried to catch as much references as I could. Some transitions could have been better but I still really dig it, it may be my second favorite of the suite, at least because those last two steps are really, really awesome! I am a fan of the "I am responsible" part, the way JLB sings it is incredible, "I am res-PON-sible!'
Also, the reprise that really surprised me the most and that I find absolutely incredible is the one from TDS "time to break through the prison wall" section - I was really glad they chose to re-use that one because it is one of my favorite parts of the suite and it appeared only once, and they arranged it in such a brillant way that it really feels fresh and new.
So, here's what I had to say about those 4 albums, I wish I had done a post for each one as soon as I could after listening to it for the first time, like I did for SDOIT.
I hope this thread is still relevant - but if not I can understand, there are individual ones for each album after all and it's not as though I had been really active on DTF sharing my DT experience. Anyway, I will try to post more regularly if possible, and I'll try to write my thoughts on the next album I get as soon as I can (it should be Awake unless I change my mind) so that I don't end up writing such a long post like this one once again when I have listened to the whole discohraphy, it takes waaaay too much time!