The Enemy Inside Discussion Thread

[commanderbob]

For me, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.  I know this next comment will make some want to bang their head against a wall (or mine ), but I can only imagine how much better a song like this would have been in the early 90s, with the keys creating a wonderful atmosphere from start to finish and giving a song this heavy a great melodic undercurrent, instead of some of Jordan's corny sounds slapping you in the face.

When he does this I always think Seinfeld, when Elaine's date went well until "he took it out."  This not that same universe of bad, of course, , it's just a minor nitpick, but it just takes me out of the mood of the song for a second.  I always think, "he took it out."

[Ħ]

The song kinda reminds me of James's solo stuff. At least in the vocal melodies and chunky guitar riffs.

[Jaffa]

= Never Enough - Muse + 6 Degrees Lyrics + Lost Not Forgotten?

So basically not Never Enough at all?

[Viking of the Sagas]

Maybe the lyrics mean they became atheists. 

[Scard]

I think I really liked it. Better than CM and ARoP. Better than On the Backs of Angels? Maybe. Too early to tell.

I definitely have high hopes, though. Sounds very metal, but in a better way than where MP was bringing them.

[chrisbDTM]

HOLY SHIT. that is a good song. Also Mangini is front and center in the mix.


That intro is one of the coolest things I've heard this band do



Fucking bravo

[Onno]

My wish is that someday the "goofy" keyboard moments will go away, but it not this day.

Agreed.  In a song this heavy and straight-forward, some of those Jordan-esque keyboard sounds (like after the first chorus) sounded a bit out of place, but we'll see if they grow on me.

Could not disagree more =D great Jordan moments in this song! I really like them!

Agree with you, Stray Seed. I think they fit well. It's such a DT thing and, after all, we love DT because they do things like that. I really enjoy his crazy musical interludes

This! They may be my favourite bits from TEI.

[farsight]

What is the riff @4:30 very influenced by?  Sounds like The DAnce of Eternity but i feel like theres something else that fits even better but i cant remember.

Seems like there are a few callbacks and nods in the song but im having a hard time placing them. 

Also, songs about the hypnotherapist! >:O

Fatal Tragedy. The last guitar part

What I thought so too.

[LTE3]

I'm waiting for an actual uncompressed version of the song before I judge the quality from an internet stream.

That's a good point, this does sound compressed. The actual album version should sound better.

I think part of the compressed sound is on purpose and that is the sound JP has been moving to slightly since the last album. I miss his old and more natural high gain sound, not his new Periphery djent sound. Also Myung is completely absent in this mix, hopefully it is this version but I doubt it. The keys solo breakdown is oddly familiar as are parts of the bridge, but I guess after almost 30 years its hard not to repeat yourself although Rush have found ways to do it. I can only hope that this is their newbie mainstream song and the rest of the album is more original. That last thing I wanted was to be disappointed but I am. Im sure sure the 20 min epic will be a huge winner.

[tjanuranus]

Maybe the lyrics mean they became atheists. 

How did you get THAT? lol

[Scard]

And just another point. If that was the most suitable song to be a single, I'm excited for the rest of the album.

[The Stray Seed]

My wish is that someday the "goofy" keyboard moments will go away, but it not this day.

Agreed.  In a song this heavy and straight-forward, some of those Jordan-esque keyboard sounds (like after the first chorus) sounded a bit out of place, but we'll see if they grow on me.

Could not disagree more =D great Jordan moments in this song! I really like them!

Agree with you, Stray Seed. I think they fit well. It's such a DT thing and, after all, we love DT because they do things like that. I really enjoy his crazy musical interludes

For me, sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't.  I know this next comment will make some want to bang their head against a wall (or mine ), but I can only imagine how much better a song like this would have been in the early 90s, with the keys creating a wonderful atmosphere from start to finish and giving a song this heavy a great melodic undercurrent, instead of some of Jordan's corny sounds slapping you in the face.

I think it's just another style. I really like my mom's cookery, but some tasty sandwiches can really make my day. Does a traditional way of making things have to be better than a different one? And I rank I&W as no.1 album.

[Joshin U]

Maybe the lyrics mean they became atheists. 

How did you get THAT? lol

I was about to say.  There is nothing even remotely religious/atheistic about this song, unless you choose to worship it   

[wolven74]

Overall, after something like 10 listens, this is much better than OTBOA. I'm thrilled that the drums are higher The guitars have elephantiasis of the balls And while the vocals are mixed slightly low in some parts they're still  and ..... I'm incredibly thrilled with this. Can't wait to feel this drop.

[Lucien]

I'm getting a SoC vibe from that guitar solo

[BFRedrocks]

Wow...first listen and the opeing totally kicked it for me!  Can definitely see this as the tour opener.  I'll hold out thoughts on the mix until the CD comes out, but like most folks, I'm hoping it's a little "brighter" (less compressed) than the streaming version.  Don't mind the deeper snare on this and think it'll take about a dozen or so listens to fully appreciate MM's work on this song.  Not sure if anyone caught any Rush references (based on the song title and Rush's similar song), but unfortunately I didn't.

Anyway, not qite a masterpiece, but certainly a great song in my opinion.   

[wkiml]

Loved the fact that its heavy as shit and Mangini is playing his ass off, but the JR carnival soloing brought the entire song down a notch or 2 for me....

[Kotowboy]

I'm getting a SoC vibe from that guitar solo

i got a Stream of Consciousness vine from quite a lot of ti

[MarkFitDT]

On my 4th listen - hearing (and remembering) more each time - and it keeps getting better and better. I love this song already.

[Metabog]

Worst... guitar tone ever.

The song is good but what's up with the guitar?

Edit: I see other people are saying the tone is great. Maybe it's me. :S

[adamack]

Personal opinion breakdown:

Things I like/love about The Enemy Inside:

-Perfect song length. As mentioned previously, it does not overdo itself as songs such as Outcry have. (I love Outcry, but personally do not like hearing one chorus, then having to wait through like 7 minutes of "guitar exercise"-type instrumentation to hear the hook again....that said, I usually love their technical breakdowns.)

- Killer riffage! LOVING the intro, especially when the keyboards drop into the first verse section around 1:10

- Awesome lyrics. Nothing corny about them. I'm usually satisfied with DT lyrics, but every now and then they will ruin an otherwise incredible masterpiece with some really corny lyrics, a solid example being "The Best Of Times". Not complaining at all...99% of bands will have some corny lyrics from time to time!

- Many will not agree, but I like the drum mix. As aforementioned, snare reminds me of I&W without the reverb overkill. It has a very pillow-y sound, and that provides for a more "signature" sound rather than the typical "snappy" snare.

- MM's performance. Speaks for itself...he is really starting to sound amazing with DT! I personally always liked his drumming with DT. I know some people bash him, but please never forget that he is replacing who many people (including me) agree to be one of the greatest drummers this world has ever seen. Not only that, but he's replacing a guy in MP who was more than just an amazing drummer, but also lived and breathed DT.

- While on the subject of MM...love the double time snare MM introduces to the second verse at 2:32.

- DT's "singles" in the past have generally been in the lower 30-40% or so of my fav. tracks on their corresponding albums. If this holds true (which I am so confident it will, considering that I absolutely love almost every single DT album and their consistency is mind-boggling), then this album is going to be AMAZING, as I am 99% sure it will!

- The keyboard breakdown at 4:43 is AWESOME!

Things I am impartial to about The Enemy Inside:

- I like the chorus. In the category of DT's more "catchy" choruses, it is not my personal favorite, but it is very solid nonetheless.

- I feel the same way about the guitar solo. Very solid, but not my personal fav from Petrucci. But ONLY because it is Petrucci. If it were anyone else, it would be a 10/10. For someone who has constructed, IMO, the most amazing guitar solos of all time, it is good but not the best.


Things I do not like/wish were different about The Enemy Inside:

- As someone previously mentioned, I feel like I have heard parts of the song before. It verges on being a tiny bit predictable, but hey...that's isn't so bad when you have a track record like DT.

- The keyboard solo section reminds me a bit of previous works, namely Stream Of Consciousness and other songs I cannot recall at this time. (Maybe Octavarium?) Again, not a horrible characteristic, but a little more originality could have made it a bit better.

- Overall, the instrumental solo section (right after the keyboard breakdown, but before the guitar solo) doesn't do much for me...I was hoping for something totally new in the instrumental section.

- That it is going to leave me in a state of insatiable craving for more until Sept. 24!


THE VERDICT:

Disclaimer: I am such a DT fan, that I cannot even classify their music aside from other bands/artists. The only band that comes close is Porcupine Tree, but they are still far from DT to me.

That said, I feel like when rating DT music, it needs to be pitted both against other DT music, and against all other music. So:

Rating Vs. other DT music: I'll give it an even 7/10 when compared with DT's total song library.

Rating Vs. All Other Music: When going against all other music aside from DT, I'd give it an 8.6/10


Thanks for reading! Also, please note that it usually takes me awhile to latch on to music. This review is based upon 5 listens back to back...so it is subject to change (most likely in the positive direction!)

[j]

It was aight.

Definitely safe, nothing groundbreaking, which was expected but still a bit disappointing.  Also definitely heard hints of recycled melodies or ideas in LaBrie's part leading up to the solo section, and in the solo section itself.

Not bad for what it is though.  I always enjoy hearing new music from these guys.

-J

[DT_Aus]

Anyone got the Soundcloud URL that isn't "https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F103119258%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-S9l3K"

[hefdaddy42]

At DTF... "Most Online Today: 890."

Possible we finally break the 1000 barrier?

I'm guessing that will happen during this album release cycle, but not today.  I could tell you which date I am predicing that will happen, but if I told you, I would have to kill you, so...

[aprilethereal]

= Never Enough - Muse + 6 Degrees Lyrics + Lost Not Forgotten?

errr not at all

[CrimsonSunrise]

Oh yeah!  That intro absolutely kicked ass.  During the song I was getting a SC + OTBOA's vibe, I think around 2:20 it was very OTBOA-ish.  First impression... Mangini is a fucking maniac.  Otherwise, it's too much to digest in 2 listens.  I'll reserve overall opinion till later.

[TheGreatPretender]

Worst... guitar tone ever.

The song is good but what's up with the guitar?

Sounds fine to me. Not the best I've heard from DT, but hell of a lot better than on ADTOE.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

Holy shit is all I can say right now. I'm not sure how I feel about the song yet. All I know right now is that the drums kicked my ass from beginning to end.

[LCArenas]

The intro was amazing. The song didn't kick as much ass as the beginning but I like it. It plays safe, as if it was something coming from ADToE. I like it more than OTBOA already however.

[Meatrose]

I need to stop listening. I don't want to be fed up with the song when the album finally drops. I almost did that to OTBOA.

[antigoon]

Standard Dream Theater single from the past few albums except heavier, which I wish they would put the brakes on. I also kinda wish John Petrucci would cut it out with his ultra compressed "modern" guitar tone. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more adventurous (don't ask me why). Aside from the instrumental section and the guitar solo, which are both top notch, it feels like any modern metal band could have written this song.

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

I usually don't like when DT goes too heavy but this was pretty bad-ass! Heavy but yet with alot of prog elements, just what I like in a good prog metal tune.

Sounds like Symphony X in a few places (2:30) and wait did I just hear a power metal groove from MM (2:46).

I don't know why people care about the production so much, as long as the song is good I usually don't care about stuff like that , unless it's something completly fucked up of course. If JLB is a little low or MMs snare sounds muffy or what ever I could not care less because in the end that's all about taste and preference and a million other reasons that I don't know about.

Overall i'm very happy with the song which I didn't think I would when I heard it was a heavy one.

I give this:  out of 5.

[wolven74]

DO I HEAR THE KEYBOARD PART THAT GOT MIDI'd?

[Luis W]

FIrst time I listened to it I was like "woah". Second time "definitely not better than Angels". After 11 runs,  it looks like 2 different bands have written the song. One did the parts  with vocals, the other did the rest. The latter, or the good part - if we can call it that - sounds  like a mosaic of past DT songs. The half song keyboard lead break and solo is reminiscent from Angels,  there`s a SOC guitar keys break at 2/3... the best thing on the song is the rush type riff repeated with fifths.

Vocal melodies are completely forgetabble. Something that caught my attention in a good way was the overall  song structure, altough it sounds between trying to be awesome an trying to be bland metal catchy. An album with mid time  songs will really benefit from  more dynamic structures....

If this song tells me anything about the record, it`ll be Chaos meets events. Despite being so far a mid-tier song, that`s a good thing. If everything in the album is like that or better, I guess I`ll enjoy more than the past three albums IF DT gives some memorable vocal melodies with awesome music behind it.

[BlobVanDam]

DO I HEAR THE KEYBOARD PART THAT GOT MIDI'd?

Nope, didn't hear anything. Timestamp?