It's been out for over a month...

[N4Player]

Absolutely love it all and can't get enough of it. BC&SL dominated my music listening until the release of ADTOE. The next DT album will have to come along and change that with this one.

[petrucci07]

I really don't like it, and I didn't when it was released.
OtBoA - Classic DT, pretty good.
BMU, BMD - Shit. Easily the worst DT song, I can't stand it. Completely derivative.
Lost Not Forgotten - Bad Symphony X imitation, over long, and that ridiculous "tickle section" is just fucking stupid.
This Is the Life - Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.
Bridges In the Sky - Stupid, cluttered, busy intro, boring riffs. First verse is cool, the "bridges in the sky" section is fucking awesome, the "creepy" chord progression is pretty cool, if a bit predictable.
Outcry - Boring and cheesy as fuck. That intro is almost unlistenable for me. And DAMN do those electronic drums sound cheap, and they're badly mixed (too loud and too harsh) too.
Far From Heaven - Boring, over long, terrible lyrics. The part that's reprised in BAI is quite nice though.
Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit. Second verse onwards is pretty boring, the guitar solo is almost lifted from LITS, but the last 30 seconds or so are pretty good.
Beneath the Surface - Cheesy, boring, bad vocals. Don't get the hype.

All in my opinion of course, I don't intend to state as fact

I find it very hard to believe that anyone who likes Dream Theater could honestly think A Dramatic Turn of Events is this bad. I guess my question is: Do you dislike ADTOE because you don't like DT much, or do you dislike ADTOE because it's just way worse than their other stuff?

The second one. I think Awake, Six Degrees and SFAM are fantastic albums, and I love most of their music. I just think ADToE is a massive step down in quality, and it really puzzles me.

Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit.

The bolded part is funny! I actually agree with you that it's derivative... but what makes it funny is that - to my ears - it's actually derived from the "beautiful agony" section, which you seem to like  . To me, "beautiful agony" and the BAI chorus are the highlights of their albums. They share the same chord progression and - to my ears - sound very similar. Because of that I didn't think it was possible to like "beautiful agony" but dislike the BAI chorus. You just proved me wrong. 

It's not. They're both in 6/8, and may share chords relative to their key signature, but the order of the chords and melodies are completely different. Also, the beautiful agony section has the benefit of those epic harmony vocals.

[fitzchrisdt]

Still a bit too early for me to give it my final ranking/opinion, but it certainly has received more consistent spins in this time frame then anything they've done since 6DOIT.  I don't think it will ever take over the top of the ranking's for me, but still firmly believe it's the best thing they've done in ages.  Much better than I could have anticipated.  No tracks that I skip as of yet.  Just like the overall feel of this album. 

[Unimatrix]

It's not. They're both in 6/8, and may share chords relative to their key signature, but the order of the chords and melodies are completely different. Also, the beautiful agony section has the benefit of those epic harmony vocals.

Are we talking about the same section of BAI? I meant the "Searching out/Reaching in" part, which is in 5/4. Anyway, I think that the beautiful agony section slaughters pretty much every chorus that DT ever made, but the BAI chorus is still awesome. You just can't go wrong with those chords IMO 

[petrucci07]

It's not. They're both in 6/8, and may share chords relative to their key signature, but the order of the chords and melodies are completely different. Also, the beautiful agony section has the benefit of those epic harmony vocals.

Are we talking about the same section of BAI? I meant the "Searching out/Reaching in" part, which is in 5/4. Anyway, I think that the beautiful agony section slaughters pretty much every chorus that DT ever made, but the BAI chorus is still awesome. You just can't go wrong with those chords IMO 

I mean the "Life's biggest battles" part, which when I think about it, isn't the chorus 
I do quite like the "Searching/Reaching" part, though it would be A LOT better with a better drum part, I think.

[deadtotheworld]

The thing that frustrates me about forums and about threads like this on fan sites is that if you say something is shit, you are asked to explain in depth. However if you explain in depth why you dont like something, it just gets dismissed as being a 'wrong' opinion and doesnt open up further discussion which maybe leads to people understanding someone elses point.
Another thing that has frustrated me when people started talking about this album is that the people who didnt like ADTOE got flamed for not liking songs or parts and where told that they cant be real DT fans, but then started slagging off the albums such as SC and BCASL and even stuff on FII all of which i love!
I do know a lot of fans that would buy a turd if it had their favourite bands name on it. For example I know people who argued ST Anger was Metallicas best album when that first came out... So why should DT be any different with peoples mentality to the latest album good or bad?
Im hoping one day, maybe when i cant decide what to listen to, that i may throw on ADTOE and all the parts fall into place, maybe when i see them in Feb and see the new stuff live it may all make sense to me, but after many many listens, for now this disc will probably stay in its case.

[kirksnosehair]

Hey, if you don't like it, you don't like it.  I dunno *shrugs* 

I guess I kind of feel bad for the people who don't like it.  Personally, I thought Octavarium, Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds and Silver Linings were all mostly crap with a few moments of brilliance sprinkled here and there, (I could probably make one good CD from those three) and Dream Theater was OFF my "auto-buy" list until I heard "On The Backs of Angels" which intrigued me.

I was lucky enough to hear the new CD in its entirety before I had to buy it, and like the vast overwhelming majority of fans and reviewers, I think it's the best thing they've released in a decade.  EASILY.  For me there's no contest.  I never listen to Octavarium, Systematic Chaos or BC&SL, but I am 100% sure that I will listen to ADToE a LOT more frequently.

[Unimatrix]

It's not. They're both in 6/8, and may share chords relative to their key signature, but the order of the chords and melodies are completely different. Also, the beautiful agony section has the benefit of those epic harmony vocals.

Are we talking about the same section of BAI? I meant the "Searching out/Reaching in" part, which is in 5/4. Anyway, I think that the beautiful agony section slaughters pretty much every chorus that DT ever made, but the BAI chorus is still awesome. You just can't go wrong with those chords IMO 

I mean the "Life's biggest battles" part, which when I think about it, isn't the chorus 
I do quite like the "Searching/Reaching" part, though it would be A LOT better with a better drum part, I think.

Haha awesome! That drum part sounds like kind of an odd choice to my ears, too, but it doesn't bother me too much.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

I really don't like it, and I didn't when it was released.
OtBoA - Classic DT, pretty good.
BMU, BMD - Shit. Easily the worst DT song, I can't stand it. Completely derivative.
Lost Not Forgotten - Bad Symphony X imitation, over long, and that ridiculous "tickle section" is just fucking stupid.
This Is the Life - Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.
Bridges In the Sky - Stupid, cluttered, busy intro, boring riffs. First verse is cool, the "bridges in the sky" section is fucking awesome, the "creepy" chord progression is pretty cool, if a bit predictable.
Outcry - Boring and cheesy as fuck. That intro is almost unlistenable for me. And DAMN do those electronic drums sound cheap, and they're badly mixed (too loud and too harsh) too.
Far From Heaven - Boring, over long, terrible lyrics. The part that's reprised in BAI is quite nice though.
Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit. Second verse onwards is pretty boring, the guitar solo is almost lifted from LITS, but the last 30 seconds or so are pretty good.
Beneath the Surface - Cheesy, boring, bad vocals. Don't get the hype.

All in my opinion of course, I don't intend to state as fact

You sound like you really hate DT. And I don't get how just because the guitar solo is lifted from LitS. Just because a solo is slow and quieter doesn't mean it's lifted from LitS.

[PlaysLikeMyung]

On the Backs of Angels - Excellent song. My opinion hasn't changed since it was released. 8/10
Build Me Up, Break Me Down - not really a fan, but still a fun song. 7/10
Lost Not Forgotten - I love it personally. Despite all the UAGM influence it's still unique. 8/10
This is the Life - honestly nothing special, but I still enjoy it. 7/10
Bridges in the Sky - Absolutely amazing. I can't imagine anyone NOT liking this song. "Shaman take my haaaaaaaand..." What more could you ask for? 9.5/10
Outcry - Love it. Contains my favorite lyric: "You'll never rule me now, though you may stand upon my grave". 8.5/10
Far From Heaven - Beautiful song written by JLB. Can't listen to it on it's own though. 8/10
Breaking All Illusions - Perfect song for this album. Everything is epic, and adding that guitar solo... goosebumps. 10/10
Beneath the Surface - I like the song. Not sure why everyone seems to LOVE it though. It's a great acoustic piece and a great closer. 8.5/10

Overall: 9/10

[Metabog]

Best album since ToT except for Octavarium the song.

edit:

*sigh*
Ok, I don't usually do these rating list things, but here's my attempt.

OtBoA - Because I listened to it tens of times before the album came out, I don't listen to it as much as the others. It's a good intro to the new sound, although I kind of wish BAI was the starting song. The lyrics are ok but not mindblowing, the theme of the song is a bit pedestrian and not something I want to hear about when listening to Dream Theater, but it works. 8/10
BMU,BMD - Unlike most people, I actually really like this one. It's got a nice FII feel to it with some memorable lyrics and vocal lines. Could do without the screams. Yes I will rate it higher than OtBoA. 8.5/10
LNF - Amazing song. I love every moment of it. This is what I want from DT. 9.5/10
TitL - Hehe. Ok, funny abbreviation aside, it's an ok song. I like the Moog solo, but I don't listen to it often. 8/10
BitS - Again, amazing. Long, complex, not boring, great lyrics and vocals. 9.5/10
Outcry - I really like this song because it's got a really strange structure. It starts strong, then it just stops and basically restarts with a completely different theme, then stops again and picks up into the crazy instrumental section and then finished on the chorus. I like this type of song with multiple sections. 9/10
Far From Heaven - It's ok, but it's not something I find myself listening to. 7/10
BAI - Need I say anything about this one? 9.5/10
BTS - This is the Silent Man of the album. It's good, and I like its placement at the end. 8.5/10

Overall I'll give it a 8/10, just because it doesn't quite compete with IAW,Awake,FII,SFAM,SDOIT, and it would be silly to give those a maximum mark, since they're not the absolute best albums of all eternity either. I really like this album, and see it as a return to form for DT.

[energythief]

Personally, I thought Octavarium, Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds and Silver Linings were all mostly crap with a few moments of brilliance sprinkled here and there, (I could probably make one good CD from those three) and Dream Theater was OFF my "auto-buy" list until I heard "On The Backs of Angels" which intrigued me.

Exactly my feelings. ADTOE is more than I ever hoped to get from this band again.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I genuinely can't understand how anyone who likes DT could find fault with this album.

Even though I really like ADTOE, the reason I don't rank it higher isn't to do with what is there, it's to do with what isn't there. I can't really fault anything on the album, and what makes ADTOE great is that it is consistent, but what holds it back for me is that it doesn't reach the same peaks of my other favourite DT songs.
I can't speak for anyone else, but that's all I can "fault" with the album.

There are two common criticisms of ADTOE, it seems.

1) It doesn't reach the highest of highs. This is something I see a fair amount from DT fans, and sometimes from critics.

2) It doesn't bring anything new to the table. It's very safe. This is something I see a fair amount from critics, and sometimes from DT fans.

[BlobVanDam]

There are two common criticisms of ADTOE, it seems.

1) It doesn't reach the highest of highs. This is something I see a fair amount from DT fans, and sometimes from critics.

2) It doesn't bring anything new to the table. It's very safe. This is something I see a fair amount from critical review, and sometimes from DT fans.

I also think it's a pretty safe album, although I don't really consider that a criticism at all (although I will argue the point when people say otherwise). Nothing wrong with an album being safe as long as the songwriting is still good, which most people agree that it is.

[lumpy33]

There are two common criticisms of ADTOE, it seems.

1) It doesn't reach the highest of highs. This is something I see a fair amount from DT fans, and sometimes from critics.

2) It doesn't bring anything new to the table. It's very safe. This is something I see a fair amount from critical review, and sometimes from DT fans.
[/quote]

that's why these guys are the best in the business.  if writing incredibly difficult music that goes anywhere and everywhere is "playing it safe" for them, then they can play it safe for another 20 albums as far as i'm concerned.

sorry.  i'll learn how to properly add on to inserted quotes in my posts eventually.  i'm such a noob!

[Compadre]

The best word I could use to describe this album is "FUN".

The last time I felt a similar way with a new DT release was when Octavarium came out.  As a big fan of focused, dynamic, & well produced albums, I put ADToE at the top of the list of the 3 DT albums that fit this description to a T (#2 being FII and #3 being 8vm).

Of the balls to the walls DT albums, I'd say the trilogy would be 1. Awake 2. ToT & 3. BC&SL

I&W stands on it's own as a pure masterpiece, although I think it is a VERY dated sounding album.  If ACoS was more than an EP, it might have to be the other timeless DT album.

SFAM just plain rocks and SC is more of a shortbus version of a DT record.  Too much head, not enough heart.

And lastly, WDaDU is what I would call a really good demo with a singer who blew too much coke.

All in all, ADToE rocks my tits off...But I kinda like when that happens.

[Evo]

There are two common criticisms of ADTOE, it seems.

1) It doesn't reach the highest of highs. This is something I see a fair amount from DT fans, and sometimes from critics.

2) It doesn't bring anything new to the table. It's very safe. This is something I see a fair amount from critical review, and sometimes from DT fans.

That's just so odd!

1) BAI and BITS  = eargasm.
2) I don't know about "safe", but at least it sounds like classic DT, which is exactly what I wanted.

Oh well, you can't please everyone. But I'm still puzzled by the amount of negative opinions in this thread in contrast to what you would read last month.

[petrucci07]

I really don't like it, and I didn't when it was released.
OtBoA - Classic DT, pretty good.
BMU, BMD - Shit. Easily the worst DT song, I can't stand it. Completely derivative.
Lost Not Forgotten - Bad Symphony X imitation, over long, and that ridiculous "tickle section" is just fucking stupid.
This Is the Life - Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.
Bridges In the Sky - Stupid, cluttered, busy intro, boring riffs. First verse is cool, the "bridges in the sky" section is fucking awesome, the "creepy" chord progression is pretty cool, if a bit predictable.
Outcry - Boring and cheesy as fuck. That intro is almost unlistenable for me. And DAMN do those electronic drums sound cheap, and they're badly mixed (too loud and too harsh) too.
Far From Heaven - Boring, over long, terrible lyrics. The part that's reprised in BAI is quite nice though.
Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit. Second verse onwards is pretty boring, the guitar solo is almost lifted from LITS, but the last 30 seconds or so are pretty good.
Beneath the Surface - Cheesy, boring, bad vocals. Don't get the hype.

All in my opinion of course, I don't intend to state as fact

You sound like you really hate DT. And I don't get how just because the guitar solo is lifted from LitS. Just because a solo is slow and quieter doesn't mean it's lifted from LitS.

Same key (I think) and a similar structure, and similar licks too.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

[ishak540m]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

agreed.

[Nel_Annette]

So cheesy that the album would go good with fine wine.

Am I seriously the only one who likes cheesy music?

[ishak540m]

I disagree that it's very safe.  It might sound a bit familiar but the song structure (especially with BAI) is completely different from what we're used to (which is why a lot of people feel BAI is unfinished).    Honorable mention to the chorus of BMUBMD as well for being uncharacteristic of DT.

[Jay.Ess]

The way I see it is if you connect with the music and lyrical themes in some way, then you are more likely to appreciate the songs and the album. For example, you are more likely to think that Beneath the Surface (for example) is cheesy as hell if you are 100% happy with your life (or, just if you dont enjoy ballads haha), whereas if you are experiencing a situation similar to the lyrical content, you are more likely to connect with the lyrics and thus get more out of the song. This is of course a gross generalisation, but it's sort of how I view it.

And plus, DT make good cheese. And whilst I might prefer my cheese melted on a pizza, I still really enjoy DT's sensitive side. Most of my favourite DT songs are in fact the well written cheesy ones haha.

[petrucci07]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

[PuffyPat]

I still haven't listened to it yet. Is that bad?

[theseoafs]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

It's a fun part of a fun song. I don't see how that makes it unnecessary, honestly. If that were crammed into This is The Life somewhere, I could see that, but as it is it rocks.

[hefdaddy42]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

...

You may have still lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

[petrucci07]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

...

You may have still lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

I don't think so, I just don't like the new album.

[Bertielee]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

...

You may have still lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

I don't think so, I just don't like the new album.

Yeah, I think it's obvious from all your posts. One serious question : are you sure you still like DT? Serious because, I was on the brink of turning my back on DT if I hadn't liked ADToE. Hopefully, it's not the case. Maybe, after all, DT is simply not your kind of music anymore, dunno.

B.Lee

[petrucci07]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

...

You may have still lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

I don't think so, I just don't like the new album.

Yeah, I think it's obvious from all your posts. One serious question : are you sure you still like DT? Serious because, I was on the brink of turning my back on DT if I hadn't liked ADToE. Hopefully, it's not the case. Maybe, after all, DT is simply not your kind of music anymore, dunno.

B.Lee

Yep.

[King Postwhore]

What is it on the new album that you don't like petrucci07?

[petrucci07]

What is it on the new album that you don't like petrucci07?

The songwriting; so melodies, chord progressions, and lyrics. There just isn't much on there that'd I'd consider good. It was a pretty big disappointment for me.

[Jaffa]

Regarding the tickle section: I feel like if you think it's "just fucking stupid" or whatever, then you've kind of lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

Yeah, I worded that one badly.  I think it's out of place, WAY over the top and unnecessary.

...

You may have still lost sight of who Dream Theater are.

If I say that the TMOLS instrumental section feels wildly out of place to me, does that mean I've lost sight of who Dream Theater are, or does it mean I simply didn't care for what they did in one specific song?

I think the so-called 'tickle section' is an interesting and fun piece of music.  I also think its placement in Lost Not Forgotten is very jarring.  One thing I've always admired about DT is their ability to flow.  People accuse them of 'wankery' and criticize them for it, but to me, usuaully the 'wankery' still flows pretty well with the surrounding music, even if it isn't strictly necessary for the song.  In the case of the tickle section, though, I find that it completely interrupts the flow of the song.  And it does this very early in the song, rather than later as is the case with most of DT's 'wankery', which makes it more jarring for me, because it's like the song really hasn't even had a chance to fall into its flow, and that flow is already being interrupted. 

To me, Lost Not Forgotten feels like they had a really cool intro and some great riffs and a cool verse planned out.  And then they decided, "You know what?  This isn't prog enough.  It's proggin' time!  Go go Solo Rangers!" So they inserted the tickle section to prog it up for the sake of it.  I'm not saying this is what they actually did, of course, just that in listening to the song, that's how it sort of feels to me.

I realize I may be in the minority on this one, but I do feel that Lost Not Forgotten would be a better, more cohesive song without the tickle section.

((Incidentally, I now want Dream Theater to perform a cover of the original Power Rangers theme song.  Only when the song is supposed to end, they all shout, 'It's proggin' time!' and launch into the longest and most confusing instrumental section ever.))

[snapple]

Eh, the tickle section fits to me.

[Super Dude]

Beneath the Surface is the most beautiful DT ballad ever...imo.