Dream Theater entered the studio in February v. No News is Good News

[bosk1]

Just watching the videos again, I think this comment by JLB ("That was the most incredible ... by far!")

https://youtu.be/L609JsPFmmI?t=1214

also corroborates that MM wasn't the immediate first choice. You can only say "by far" if you have a point of comparison, and Mangini was the first to audition, so that comment can't have been about him. It was very likely about Marco.

Hard to say.  That comment to me has always been a bit enigmatic.  That clip is certainly edited to imply that James was completely gaga over Marco in general, but at the end of the day, all we have is an isolated comment out of context that was cleverly edited into the footage to create a certain appearance that may or may not have been true.

Oh, of course, there is only limited conclusions you can draw from that quote. But it definitely indicates that there was a drummer JLB considered to be far superior to the ones he had seen to that point. MM was the first, so it can not have been about him. And in the same token, MM was included in that comparison.

But see, the part that I bolded is what gives me pause.  The footage is edited to imply that that is the case.  And he is definitely talking about Marco.  But we do not know what about Marco he is saying that about.  For all we know, the entire comment could have been something like, "I didn't really care for his interpretation of the material as a whole, and I'm not sure he would be a great fit...but MAN!  The ending fill he did on The Dance of Eternity...  That was the most incredible by far!"  Or it could have been his response to an interview question.  Or it could have been anything for that matter. 

Believe me, I'm not trying to minimize his playing or anything.  But it's just that the documentary was, again, meant to convey the auditions in a particular light, and with a dramatic "reality show" kind of flair.  So not everything may have unfolded exactly how the editing of the footage might tend to imply.  And, no, I don't have any inside knowledge, in case anyone is wondering.  It's just that that comment has always been a bit interesting to me because it could potentially mean a lot of different things other than what the editing would suggest. 

[hefdaddy42]

He could have been talking about the ensemble he wore that day.

[BlobVanDam]

I agree with bosky. Out of context, we don't know what "that" was. Did he mean the whole audition? Did he mean just the jam session? Did he mean just the performance of one of the songs? Did he mean one little nuance? We don't know. It was a typical "reality TV" edit, where they edit it to tell the story they want to tell to the viewer, even if it requires some manipulation.

He may have meant the entire audition, although to say it was by far the best makes that seem less likely to me.

[rumborak]

I agree with bosky. Out of context, we don't know what "that" was. Did he mean the whole audition? Did he mean just the jam session? Did he mean just the performance of one of the songs? Did he mean one little nuance? We don't know. It was a typical "reality TV" edit, where they edit it to tell the story they want to tell to the viewer, even if it requires some manipulation.

My conservative guess is that he referred to a subsection of the audition, be that the jams, or songs. Somebody must have come out with flying colors.

[BlobVanDam]

I agree with bosky. Out of context, we don't know what "that" was. Did he mean the whole audition? Did he mean just the jam session? Did he mean just the performance of one of the songs? Did he mean one little nuance? We don't know. It was a typical "reality TV" edit, where they edit it to tell the story they want to tell to the viewer, even if it requires some manipulation.

My conservative guess is that he referred to a subsection of the audition, be that the jams, or songs. Somebody must have come out with flying colors.

If it was referring to Minnemann, I'd say it was the jam, which I recall he sounded great on. Mangini nailed the DT song performance section, so I doubt they would have said anyone else's performance was the best by far.

[rumborak]

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing. They were drooling so much over Marco in the documentary, and none of the other guys (except MM) so much, I can really only attribute that comment to one of Marco's performances.
And yeah, the way MM made it sound in the documentary when he gets told, it must have been a *long* time between auditions and them telling him.

[Madman Shepherd]

Its been a while since Ive watch the audition doc but I always took James statement as being impressed by the blast beats.

[Kotowboy]

It's gonna get confusing using MM for both.

How about :

• MiMa for one.

&

• MaMi for the other.

Less confusing.

[JayOctavarium]

k KoBy

[Kotowboy]

Min & Man

[Thoughtspart3]

Man.  The silence about the album is starting to get to me.  I usually don't get that worked up about it but I am wondering what is going on. 

[Dave_Manchester]

I on the other hand am loving the silence the longer it goes on.

3 and a half months in the studio already and not a word about what they're doing in there. I'm among Portnoy's biggest fans but even I grew tired of the "this new album is Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets The Supremes meets late Beethoven string quartets meets The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band" nonsense. I think it's great (and, in this age of social media, actually pretty original) that the band are giving no hint about what they're up to. Long may this continue, right up to the announcement of the album itself.

[jammindude]

I on the other hand am loving the silence the longer it goes on.

3 and a half months in the studio already and not a word about what they're doing in there. I'm among Portnoy's biggest fans but even I grew tired of the "this new album is Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets The Supremes meets late Beethoven string quartets meets The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band" nonsense. I think it's great (and, in this age of social media, actually pretty original) that the band are giving no hint about what they're up to. Long may this continue, right up to the announcement of the album itself.

..........so that we can start bitching about the cover!!!   

[Thoughtspart3]

Don't get me wrong.  I like the silence too.  I guess their strategy is working.  It is got me checking every few days for the big reveal.

Does anyone know if they are actually still in the studio?  It looks like Jordon has been doing some other things although he seems to be saying he is taking a break from the studio.

[YtseJamittaja]

I on the other hand am loving the silence the longer it goes on.

3 and a half months in the studio already and not a word about what they're doing in there. I'm among Portnoy's biggest fans but even I grew tired of the "this new album is Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets The Supremes meets late Beethoven string quartets meets The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band" nonsense. I think it's great (and, in this age of social media, actually pretty original) that the band are giving no hint about what they're up to. Long may this continue, right up to the announcement of the album itself.

..........so that we can start bitching about the cover!!!   

If it's done by Syme, let's make a competition who will find the first watermark or weird cutting.

[Dani Helios]

The artwork for the new album has been revealed, as well as the name:

[Zydar]

Seems legit. No watermark or weird cutting though.

[me7]

No watermark or weird cutting though.

Then it's not legit

[SuperTaco]

The authenticity burns.

[Dani Helios]

The authenticity burns.

[Cyclopssss]

Does anyone know if they are actually still in the studio?  It looks like Jordon has been doing some other things although he seems to be saying he is taking a break from the studio.

Someone is.....

[Zydar]

[Dani Helios]

 

[Octavarious]

Thinking loud:
If they will start their European Festival Tour end of June, wouldn't they need a bit to  agree on setlist and rehearsal? Moreover, wouldn't they release the new single just before touring - like they did in 2011?
That's why it's possible they will soon end recording in studio and start preparing... If I' right we may know something soon...

[Kotowboy]

Thinking loud:
If they will start their European Festival Tour end of June, wouldn't they need a bit to  agree on setlist and rehearsal? Moreover, wouldn't they release the new single just before touring - like they did in 2011?
That's why it's possible they will soon end recording in studio and start preparing... If I' right we may know something soon...

Yes. And sometimes the first single is finished first so they can release it - then they finish mixing the rest of the album later.

[The Cat Of Tuscany]

Darn...I go out of town for a week, and come back to find 4 unread pages in this thread.  Still nothing.

But this silence is making me even more excited about it!  I can't wait!

[Setlist Scotty]

Thinking loud:
If they will start their European Festival Tour end of June, wouldn't they need a bit to  agree on setlist and rehearsal? Moreover, wouldn't they release the new single just before touring - like they did in 2011?
That's why it's possible they will soon end recording in studio and start preparing... If I' right we may know something soon...

Yes. And sometimes the first single is finished first so they can release it - then they finish mixing the rest of the album later.

Perhaps, but I don't recall DT ever doing this previously. So while it's possible that they could, it's highly unlikely given their previous track record. I'm expecting they'll probably hold off on premiering any new material until after the album itself is released after this summer run of shows, just as they did with the Escape from the Studio tour in 2003, and by extension, the G3 tour in 2001.

[BRGM]

The did the same thing with AROP 2009.

[erwinrafael]

Update: Mike Mangini is participating in a golf game.

[Jaq]

I on the other hand am loving the silence the longer it goes on.

3 and a half months in the studio already and not a word about what they're doing in there. I'm among Portnoy's biggest fans but even I grew tired of the "this new album is Pink Floyd meets Black Sabbath meets The Supremes meets late Beethoven string quartets meets The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band" nonsense. I think it's great (and, in this age of social media, actually pretty original) that the band are giving no hint about what they're up to. Long may this continue, right up to the announcement of the album itself.

As I said elsewhere in this thread, this is how bands used to do it all the time, before social media demanded constant studio updates and videos from the studio and posts about the content. Not particularly novel at all, just how bands did things.

[ReaPsTA]

The point of listening to music is the music and I've never been as intrigued about the musical direction of a Dream Theater album.  I think their approach has a logic to it.

[?]

Opeth didn't post any studio updates for their last two records either. This kind of silence is atypical for DT, but as long as the resulting music is good I don't mind.

[Setlist Scotty]

The did the same thing with AROP 2009.

Yes, but the whole album was already mixed and mastered, and was actually released during that first leg of the tour. So it wasn't like what Kotowboy was suggesting - completing one track in time for the tour for public release, and then finishing off the rest of the album after the tour ends.

[Darkstarshades]

New album will have an epic titled "My observational point of view" lyrics by Labrie.
It will last around 38 minutes.
One part will be titled "Pull my chicken"

[RaiseTheKnife]

I guess JP's new videos of him playing with his new gear isn't exactly quenching anyone's thirst.