Dream Theater self titled album discussion - [SPOILER FREE DISCUSSION ONLY]

[TAC]

Thanks, Bosk!

[bosk1]

 

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

That sounds like we're getting some info soon.

[Zydar]

 

[Shadow2222]

Okay, guys, I can also confirm that we will hear at least part of the album at some point in September.

[RoDT]

What's your time zone anyway Lord Bozk? I need to know how soon is soon

[theseoafs]

Okay, guys, I can also confirm that we will hear at least part of the album at some point in September.

r u authorized?

[Implode]

(The mixing and mastering are worth noting, as well, for their superiority and for not succumbing much to the modish "loudness war".)

Let's hope so!

EDIT: Wait, doesn't this album have the same mixer as Clockwork Angels? 

Nope. Richard Chycki was a recording engineer on Clockwork Angels, but it was mixed by Nick Raskulinecz and mastered by Brian Gardner. Nick Raskulinecz also produced, and I remember reading in an interview somewhere that he pushed for the louder sound.

Whereas, Rich did the actual mixing on this album.

I figured someone would come in and tell me what's what. Thank you.

[jonnybaxy]

So it also said the album is an hour long... Anyone got any complaints? Also what if IT is 18:59?

Jeez lighten up people... We've been spoiled.

[TL]

Yeah, I really don't understand complaining about the length of a song we haven't even heard yet.

[aprilethereal]

Well, I'm not really supposed to give out any information about the schedule, but since you guys keep asking, I guess I can share the following:  The next bit of officially-released information is scheduled for August.

[Laich21DT]

Well, I'm not really supposed to give out any information about the schedule, but since you guys keep asking, I guess I can share the following:  The next bit of officially-released information is scheduled for August.

Haha, LaBrie & Chyki --> same beard

Actually, Rich's 'stache is a bit thinner than James'.

[johncal]

Man, you guys are such buzzkills! We get in-studio videos/photos, tweets, album art, track titles, mini reviews and people still complain about "silence" and not enough information.

Now we get some tentative lengths and people bitch about those. It's one thing to analyze and critique them, it's another to get bent out of shape about it.

Be positive, people. We have a new DT album on our hands!

I wasn't a fan until shortly before Portnoy left the band, so I don't know what pre album releases was like then, but y'all must've been seriously spoiled. I'm thrilled with all the in-studio videos, pictures, tweets and all the cool previews we get. Like seriously, very few bands do that. My favorite band is Iron Maiden and when it comes time for them to release an album, we get the artwork and tracklist in one go and that's it. Album announced in May and we wait until August to actually hear the album. Nothing in between. DT and RR do such a great job with trying to give the fans info and make them happy and people bitch anyway. It has to be disheartening to them. "Everything is never enough".

I agree. It' gets fuckin' ridiculous.

[Lowdz]

Man, you guys are such buzzkills! We get in-studio videos/photos, tweets, album art, track titles, mini reviews and people still complain about "silence" and not enough information.

Now we get some tentative lengths and people bitch about those. It's one thing to analyze and critique them, it's another to get bent out of shape about it.

Be positive, people. We have a new DT album on our hands!

I'm as impatient as anyone- waiting for albums like this kills me,  (dons pipe and slippers) but then I remember "the old days" when the first us fogeys knew about a new album was often when we thumbed through the new releases box at the local record shop.

[RMGadelha]

Well, I'm not really supposed to give out any information about the schedule, but since you guys keep asking, I guess I can share the following:  The next bit of officially-released information is scheduled for August.

[Flacracker]

Tomorrow is August 1st. And they have announced stuff on thurdays in the past so...

[TheGreatPretender]

You know, I'm just going to assume that we'll get absolutely no updates or singles or anything until the album comes out. That way, if something does come along, it's a pleasant surprise.

[wasteland]

Indeed I've been considering the idea of the single (confirm) not seeing the light before a week or two prior to the release date of the record. I don't know why, but it seems that the trend of this promotional campaign is to delay as much as possible the details about the music to preserve the full impact of the album.

[RMGadelha]

I'm going to assume that tomorrow we'll get several posts saying "Where is my goddamn august 1st update? ahhhhhhhh!"

[Tis BOOLsheet]

I am far less excited about this album than i was before after reading "there is a slightly more mainstream slant to the album" and "some of the new material is more commercial friendly." They added "in a good way," but I have no idea what that exactly means other than that the writer likes it.

[atmyne]

I am far less excited about this album than i was before after reading "there is a slightly more mainstream slant to the album" and "some of the new material is more commercial friendly." They added "in a good way," but I have no idea what that exactly means other than that the writer likes it.

I interpret that as meaning that it's more accessible to non dream theater/prog metal fans (for instance).

[Tis BOOLsheet]

I am far less excited about this album than i was before after reading "there is a slightly more mainstream slant to the album" and "some of the new material is more commercial friendly." They added "in a good way," but I have no idea what that exactly means other than that the writer likes it.

I interpret that as meaning that it's more accessible to non dream theater/prog metal fans (for instance).

I figured that much....and that is what I am worried about.

[bosk1]

I interpret that as meaning the same thing as when the exact same thing has been said about every other Dream Theater release I can remember:  precisely not much.

[sdfdsv]

Didn't MM say he cut his hair?

[TheGreatPretender]

One of my biggest problems  with ADTOE was the overuse of orchestral and choral keyboards. On OTBOA it was okay. But on all the other songs it felt too overbearing and took away from the rock-ness of it. Especially on BMUBMD, which, if it had been more of a full on rocker without those keyboards on the chorus, I think it would've been better.

So, if being "more accessible" means that the songs have more melodic and riff driven, straight forward rock/metal tendencies, then I'm all for it. I'm sure they'll still have plenty of time changes, and impressive, technical bits.

[johncal]

One of my biggest problems  with ADTOE was the overuse of orchestral and choral keyboards. On OTBOA it was okay. But on all the other songs it felt too overbearing and took away from the rock-ness of it. Especially on BMUBMD, which, if it had been more of a full on rocker without those keyboards on the chorus, I think it would've been better.

So, if being "more accessible" means that the songs have more melodic and riff driven, straight forward rock/metal tendencies, then I'm all for it. I'm sure they'll still have plenty of time changes, and impressive, technical bits.

Being an old Yes fan and liking that type of prog, I really liked the orchestral stuff on ADTOE.

I think the biggest issue DT will always have is the prog guys aren't necessarily all that thrilled with the metal and the metal guys like it hard and rough.... no violins. So there's always something that somebody won't like that much.

Fortunately for me, I love prog, metal, and classical. So I'm all set unless they break out the polka.

[TheGreatPretender]

Being an old Yes fan and liking that type of prog, I really liked the orchestral stuff on ADTOE.

I think the biggest issue DT will always have is the prog guys aren't necessarily all that thrilled with the metal and the metal guys like it hard and rough.... no violins. So there's always something that somebody won't like that much.

Fortunately for me, I love prog, metal, and classical. So I'm all set unless they break out the polka.

I like prog. I'm a big fan of Styx, Kansas, Rush. Haven't heard much Yes, but I like orchestral stuff, like what they did on Octavarium. I just don't really like the way it was used on ADTOE. BMUBMD was the biggest issue for me. But I think the bigger issue was just how big and layered it was, not the sheer fact that it was orchestral. I liked the way those aspects were used on Outcry, though. But considering the length of the songs on DT12, none of them are going to be big Outcry-like epics.

[dparrott]

Especially on BMUBMD, which, if it had been more of a full on rocker without those keyboards on the chorus, I think it would've been better.

But the keyboards in the chorus MAKES IT Dream Theater!  I like it.

All these words like "mainstream" and "catchy" worry me about the new album. 

[Kotowboy]

More catchy and mainstream means more like Octavarium. My favourite album

[TheGreatPretender]

But the keyboards in the chorus MAKES IT Dream Theater!  I like it.

Without it, yes, the song would've had a much more Industrial sort of feel, but when the song first started and that's how it came off, that's what I liked about it. The way the song starts was different from anything DT has ever done, and I was excited about that. And it's still one of the most different songs in DT's catalogue, IMO, up there with Solitary Shell and TDEN, but I just don't like that chorus. Maybe it was dissonance, or whatever, (I'm not sure about the exact music terminology), but maybe if the chorus was more melodic and the keyboards harmonized with the vocals, I would've liked it better. But as it is, it just sounds messy to me.

But when I think about "Mainstream" and "Catchy" in the context of Dream Theater, I think of songs like These Walls, Solitary Shell and Hollow Years, and if it's like that, I think I'm going to enjoy it quite a bit.

More catchy and mainstream means more like Octavarium. My favourite album

Not my favorite, but if it's like that, I think I'll enjoy it. I just hope we're not going to get a bunch of, "Which song is which in parallel to Octavarium?" The way people did with ADTOE and I&W.

[Kotowboy]

I never bought that junk for a second.

[wolven74]

Poor guy!

Can't wait to hear it though. It's gonna kick ass!

Edit I know this can go in the Funny Pics thread too, but I thought it related better to the new album

[TheGreatPretender]

Speaking of which, am I the only one who would just love to have about 6 - 7 minutes of an extended Bass solo on the new tour? I mean, JP and JR did it plenty of times on previous tours. And last tour, they had MM do a drum solo, for obvious reasons. But I've never heard a live album with a "John Myung Bass Solo" track. I think it's about time.

[Nearmyth]

Not my favorite, but if it's like that, I think I'll enjoy it. I just hope we're not going to get a bunch of, "Which song is which in parallel to Octavarium?" The way people did with ADTOE and I&W.

I personally enjoyed drawing those parallels 

Also I think the words like "accessible" are just being thrown around because the album consists mostly of 5-7 minute songs, as opposed to the usual 10+ minute songs on most DT albums. I doubt they're going the mainstream route at all (not considering the inevitable mainstream attempt that's present on pretty much every DT album, i.e. I Walk Beside You, Forsaken, Wither), at least it isn't something to be worried about. After all, we have IT to look forward to.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

One of my biggest problems  with ADTOE was the overuse of orchestral and choral keyboards. On OTBOA it was okay. But on all the other songs it felt too overbearing and took away from the rock-ness of it. Especially on BMUBMD, which, if it had been more of a full on rocker without those keyboards on the chorus, I think it would've been better.

So, if being "more accessible" means that the songs have more melodic and riff driven, straight forward rock/metal tendencies, then I'm all for it. I'm sure they'll still have plenty of time changes, and impressive, technical bits.

I highly doubt he meant "more accessible" in such a way. If anything, he probably meant "more accessible" as in more like BMUBMD as a whole. That being said, I too will be absolutely thrilled if the new album sounds nothing like BMUBMD.

Right now, the single will be important to me in deciding which version to order. I was hoping for a continuation of ADToE, but I don't think I'm going to get that based upon this article.

Also:

You are not alone in hoping for a bass solo on the tour. We get so many guitar and keyboard solos, and never any bass. It'd be nice to hear this change on tour or on the album. I think it would be a breath of fresh air to let Myung take a solo. This band has an excellent bass player. Why not?