Illumination Theory... (let's call it appreciation thread)

[mike099]

Love the song.  Does anyone else hear Rush Caress of  Steel(not sure which song)in the  crazy bass part  after the  orchestra section of IT?  Also, I do not get the silent part near the end as well as the actual end  of the song .  I like how Octavarium ended much better.

[The Letter M]

Love the song.  Does anyone else hear Rush Caress of  Steel(not sure which song)in the  crazy bass part  after the  orchestra section of IT?  Also, I do not get the silent part near the end as well as the actual end  of the song .  I like how Octavarium ended much better.

FYI - the song ends around 19 minutes, then after a break of silence, an Easter Egg track appears. Those fans who kept up with the studio diary videos from a couple months ago saw the band's DT 12 Progress Chart, the bottom of the chart listed an "Easter Egg" that was only JR and JP, so that's what we got at the end of the album.

A lot of fans, myself included, feel like it's the End Credits of the "film" that is the album, with "False Awakening Suite" being the Opening Credits.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

Love the song.  Does anyone else hear Rush Caress of  Steel(not sure which song)in the  crazy bass part  after the  orchestra section of IT?

Actually, that bass and drum rhythm (the very beginning of it) reminds me a little of the section around 11:50 in Spock's Beard's The Great Nothing (the rhythmic breakdown before the "The boy has got potential, but he's never had commercial success..." part). 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I've heard the song enough now to have an opinion on it. The first third is absolutely perfect. The second third is also great, although I'd be lying if I said the similarities to other orchestral pieces didn't bother me a touch. The final third has its moments, but it's the definitely the weakest section to me.

Overall, an incredible song. Amazing end to an amazing album!

[BlobVanDam]

I keep getting the riffs from this song stuck in my head, that is the 12/8 riff right after the thematic intro, and the 4/4 riff that kicks in just before the verse and continues lower during the verse. Best riffs on the entire album.

[sylvinception]

I've heard the song enough now to have an opinion on it. The first third is absolutely perfect. The second third is also great, although I'd be lying if I said the similarities to other orchestral pieces didn't bother me a touch. The final third has its moments, but it's the definitely the weakest section to me.

Overall, an incredible song. Amazing end to an amazing album!

At last!!

And I would add that the "screams" of JLB at the end sounds a bit ridiculous to me...

[skipreid]

The string section in IT is so amazing. JR could clearly be a composer and write music for movies. When I hear that part, I picture
soldiers heading home from war after years of long and hard battles. They lost many friends, but they made it, and are reflecting upon
the entire experience. And then I picture other scenes of beautiful weddings and the couples having their first
dance to this piece. Those were my first two thoughts when I first heard the song.

Ahem...I think i need a beer a football game to watch ASAP.

[theseoafs]

Love the song.  Does anyone else hear Rush Caress of  Steel(not sure which song)in the  crazy bass part  after the  orchestra section of IT?

Actually, that bass and drum rhythm (the very beginning of it) reminds me a little of the section around 11:50 in Spock's Beard's The Great Nothing (the rhythmic breakdown before the "The boy has got potential, but he's never had commercial success..." part).

MM also compared this part of the song to The Great Nothing in the interview accessible on the QR code page.

[jimbosile]

Great song. One of my favourite sections is the "noble and brave, lay down our lives for the cause..." from 12:04 to 12:18. I wish they repeated that musically again. Such an awesome section

[RoeDent]

I love how Illumination Theory will simply be known as IT. It. *That* song.

[The Stray Seed]

I love how Illumination Theory will simply be known as IT. It. *That* song.

Agreed!!!

Listening to it now... DAT wah solo o.o

[Another_Won]

iv. The Pursuit of Truth



just amazing . . .

[dparrott]

Love the song.  Does anyone else hear Rush Caress of  Steel(not sure which song)in the  crazy bass part  after the  orchestra section of IT?  Also, I do not get the silent part near the end as well as the actual end  of the song .  I like how Octavarium ended much better.

Actually, I was thinking the music combined with the high notes had a 80's/90's metal sound to it.   

Now the big question is will James be able to hit those notes night after night....

Doesn't make me cry, but makes me rock out, chill out, rock out, and smile at the end.  Love the break, a nice change for them.  This song should be edited for a single. 

I am crying with a raging hardon...

[Cyclopssss]

Man I can already imagine the crowd's reactions to that main riff when it gets started. Instant live classic! 

[Kotowboy]

I'm a sucker for a heavy song in swung 8ths - they're always so catchy.

[Ad134]

Man I can already imagine the crowd's reactions to that main riff when it gets started. Instant live classic! 

I'm already getting goosebumps thinking about it.

[Zydar]

I can't wait to see them play this in February

[Lucien]

Man I can already imagine the crowd's reactions to that main riff when it gets started. Instant live classic! 

I'm already getting goosebumps thinking about it.

[Estiui]

IT 6:00 - 6:56 is the best part of this new album.

[kirksnosehair]

I enjoy this entire song, even the orchestra section, which has grown on me quite a bit (such a beautiful melody    ).   I could have done with it concluding at 10:17, but it's all good.


I could swear that when the song comes back in at 11:10 it sounds like the volume has been lowered from what it was BEFORE the orchestra section. 

[Tom Bombadil]

Am I the only person who thinks the Pursuit of Truth is the weakest part of the song? I think the whole JLB screaming thing sounded pretty forced.

[Öxölklöfför]

Am I the only person who thinks the Pursuit of Truth is the weakest part of the song? I think the whole JLB screaming thing sounded pretty forced.

Yeah, probably

I think the screams are perfectly executed, my favourite JLB moment on the album.

[liran95]

Am I the only person who thinks the Pursuit of Truth is the weakest part of the song? I think the whole JLB screaming thing sounded pretty forced.

I absolutly agree.

[The Stray Seed]

Am I the only person who thinks the Pursuit of Truth is the weakest part of the song? I think the whole JLB screaming thing sounded pretty forced.

I can't say how much I love that part

[Marion Crane]

Am I the only person who thinks the Pursuit of Truth is the weakest part of the song? I think the whole JLB screaming thing sounded pretty forced.

Not being a huge fan of this album, that part is easily my favorite part of the whole record. And probably the coolest thing they've done in years. It might feel forced because it's super high an probably very tough to hit.

[Kayleigh]

Sorry to bother with this, but it just made me cry, I'm serious, i cant tell what happened, i was just listening to it for the first time, and suddenly, tears, melody, instrumentation, sections, lyrics, mix, everything, JL, JP, JMX, MM, JR thanks for such a glorious moment in my life.

Did something similar happen to you guys?

Yes.

The same thing happened to me while listening to ADTOE for the first time, on BAI and BTS: I cried my eyes out so I had a hunch something similar could happen this time (and thus snuck for a private first spin for preventing any crazy fan girl -accusations). And it did, as soon as the orchestral part started. And again after lyrics: "To really feel the joy in life..." etc.
It's a mixed feeling, partly caused by the music, the lyrics and the overall feel but also a sense of joy every time I first listen to a new DT album and get to the last track...it's almost as saying: "They're back! They did it again!".

[Sycsa]

Is the love for the orchestra section unanimous? Because -as much as I would like to love it- it just feels a tad cheesy, at least at this point. It reminded me of some Disney movies of my childhood, not an association I'm keen to have with DT.

[hefdaddy42]

Is the love for the orchestra section unanimous? Because -as much as I would like to love it- it just feels a tad cheesy, at least at this point. It reminded me of some Disney movies of my childhood, not an association I'm keen to have with DT.

[Sycsa]

Okay, that's what I thought.  I reckon it'll grow on me, some of my favorite DT tunes seemed cheesy on the first few listens. (Innocence Faded, the second half of SFAM...)

[JRuless]

great song, one of their best in years. And some younger fans appreciates it too   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjlK5QzgawU 

[1neeto]

Okay, that's what I thought.  I reckon it'll grow on me, some of my favorite DT tunes seemed cheesy on the first few listens. (Innocence Faded, the second half of SFAM...)

I understand what you mean about the string section, but it sounds beautiful to me but it could perfectly fit in (insert movie here). Innocence Faded was cheesy and lame in 1994, and it still cheesy and lame today.

[Nearmyth]

Is the love for the orchestra section unanimous? Because -as much as I would like to love it- it just feels a tad cheesy, at least at this point. It reminded me of some Disney movies of my childhood, not an association I'm keen to have with DT.

I do not love the orchestra section as much as the majority.

The first part of the orchestra is completely unfitting to the song. Sounds like a classical piece from the baroque era of music. Not a big fan.

The second part, where the orchestra revisits the main theme of the song, is great! It fits in perfectly and is very emotional. So my opinion is kind of split, but I do think The Embracing Circle is the weakest part of the song. (<3 the ambience)

[BlobVanDam]

Is the love for the orchestra section unanimous? Because -as much as I would like to love it- it just feels a tad cheesy, at least at this point. It reminded me of some Disney movies of my childhood, not an association I'm keen to have with DT.

I'd expect something Disney to sound more simply positive and happy, while IT's orchestral section feels much more mature and complex in the emotion it's getting across to me.
It doesn't remind me of Disney, it actually reminds me of older movies, like Vertigo or something.

[Thoughtspart3]

Part V. is just truly epic.  A fantastic finale.  Their best since the end of six degrees.  It is the perfect blend of vocals, orchestra, and then emotional guitar solo to the end.  The only thing that would make it better is if the story of the concept was more focused so that the finale had an emotional punch lyrically as well.  It does to a certain extent but what if there was a specific person suffering through out the song whose story we are drawn into, and then that finale starts with "To really feel the joy in life, You must suffer though the pain."  I think I would be in tears.

[Polarbear]

After repeated listens i m happy to say this song is starting to click for me
Even if the other songs are pretty bad IMO, this album is worth getting just for this song.
It's far from perfect, but its pretty damn good. I have a feeling this song is gonna stand the test of time, and be in heavy rotation in their live shows in the future!