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

[hefdaddy42]

Sweet. I hope this one is super heavy. I'm still waiting for Train of Thought pt. 2.

I would like that.  I think it's time for this type of album.

I don't.  They have had plenty of heavy over the last several albums.

[King Postwhore]

Sweet. I hope this one is super heavy. I'm still waiting for Train of Thought pt. 2.

I would like that.  I think it's time for this type of album.

I don't.  They have had plenty of heavy over the last several albums.

I agree with Hef.

DT is at their best when mixing the heavy with the melodic.

[drod1985]

I agree, Dream Theater thrives at the intersection of heavy and melodic. Since ADTOE they've been moving more towards that sweet spot.

I would however like to hear at least one song that's a bit more dirty prog rock. Distorted organ from JR, and medium-gain riffage from JP. There's some riff Jordan played in the Systematic Chaos documentary that gave me that vibe.

DT:
- 1 album on the arse end the 80s
- 4 albums in the 90s
- 5 albums in the 00s
- 3 at least this decade. With the potential for 4 or 5 if they continue the way they are.

DT are consistent, you gotta give 'em that. Easy to take for granted.

I'm a Van Halen fan, and they've put out 1 album in the last 16 years. Dream Theater makes me feel loved again. 

[vtgrad]

Wow... hard to believe time has passed this fast!

Put me on the cruise ship to better production; the musicianship is always incredible, no worries there.  You can also sell me a ticket for the "realizing how much they spoil us" flight; seriously, these guys are dynamos!  I'm so very happy that my favorite group of musicians is still making music... Spoiled We Are!  Quality and Quantity!

I'd like to hear some FII-style.  No matter how strong the new songs have been over the past 17-years, I always find myself drawn back to FII.

[Mladen]

As far as production is concerned, I thought DT12 was pretty damn awesome. 

[YtseJamittaja]

FII-style album could be great but maybe a little more metal and experimental style.

[King Postwhore]

I would like a more organic sound to the next album.

[Zantera]

ADTOE had me excited, but DT12 popped that bubble instantly. This will be one of those releases I'm not looking forward to, and won't pay any attention to (in terms of news or released songs), but I will probably give it a spin or two once it comes out. It's still DT, a band that released albums like Awake, Scenes and Six Degrees.

[rumborak]

That's kinda where I'm at. I will definitely give it a listen, but it's not "edge of the seat" material, like the new SW album.

[vtgrad]

As far as production is concerned, I thought DT12 was pretty damn awesome. 

Don't get me wrong; I don't think DT12 was terrible production wise, I quite enjoy it.  But when compared to Awake or FII's production, it does fall somewhat short imo.

Personally, I'm always edge-of-my-seat for DT (as I am with Scale the Summit and AAL); if it excites the band, it excites me.

[TAC]

DT12 was middle of the pack for me, but I am still very excited for the new album, as always.

[adamack]

Sweet. I hope this one is super heavy. I'm still waiting for Train of Thought pt. 2.

This! Me too man. I never listen to ADTOE or DT12, so I really want something more on the heavy side. I wasn't interested at all in see the DT 12 tour, but a heavy new CD will chage that on the next tour.

I will never understand why everyone thinks that ADToE wasn't heavy.

What about this? https://youtu.be/S1fNCc_whtU?t=4m45s

And this? https://youtu.be/oasnbzEMV08?t=1m55s

And this? https://youtu.be/22O-8TX015c?t=4m27s

And this? https://youtu.be/lH-I3x5GocU?t=1m59s

And this? https://youtu.be/-i1fNeDEnmU?t=1m48s

And to a lesser extent, even this? https://youtu.be/kFvwSiJ5t40?t=3m42s

Is it correct to assume that people don't think ADToE is as heavy because there are not really any heavy/harsh vocals (such as in Constant Motion, TDEN, The Test That Stumped Them All, etc.)?

Regardless, there are plenty of hard moments on ADToE in every song except for the ballads (BtS, TitL, FFH).

Anyway though, SO EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT DT13!!! BEST NEWS OF THE YEAR SO FAR!

[BlackInk]

To me, there's one heck of a difference between 'hard' and 'heavy'. I feel that DT makes mostly 'hard' music, with real 'heaviness' being more rare.

[adamack]

To me, there's one heck of a difference between 'hard' and 'heavy'. I feel that DT makes mostly 'hard' music, with real 'heaviness' being more rare.

Good point, I think I know just what you mean, and it's helping me to further understand what people mean when they say ADToE is not heavy.

The heavy stuff would be more like The Glass Prison and The Dark Eternal Night, whereas the hard stuff would be more like The Root Of All Evil or even Behind The Veil. Would you agree with that comparison? Just want to see if we are on the same page.

By those standards, I do agree that ADToE is less heavy than it is hard. I guess I just feel like a lot of people pass it off as being neither hard nor heavy, and just being mellow or soft. I really think the album fits into the "hard" category though, as there are a lot of hard moments, especially in the guitar riff sections.

[Mebert78]

This is exciting news. Let the ride officially begin! The years that DT release albums are so exciting. I love the days when album info is released -- song titles, artwork, song clips, interviews. I look forward to that stuff so much. And i love discussing it here and seeing everyone else' take. I also happened to love DT12 very much, so I'm extremely excited about what the next album could bring.

[BlackInk]

The heavy stuff would be more like The Glass Prison and The Dark Eternal Night, whereas the hard stuff would be more like The Root Of All Evil or even Behind The Veil. Would you agree with that comparison? Just want to see if we are on the same page.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I see it.

[rumborak]

A cool idea would be if they rummaged the cutting floor a bit, and maybe flesh out ideas that were canned during writing of other albums. That way they could have a cool mix of "modern DT takes on old, but unheard, DT material".

[rumborak]

<double post>

[Flacracker]

I need more prog.

[Laughingplace56]

DT12 was the first album from DT i received on it's release date (I got really into the band just after ADToE was released) so naturally I was hyped all 2013 for it and loved it instantly. I still love every song besides AFtR, but it doesn't feel as unique to me as, say, the I&W-SDOIT era of albums did. It was completely different every time.I'm not saying their last 2 albums were bad because they've both got awesome tracks on them. And I even lean more towards the heavy side of progressive metal than the prog side so I've no problem with the heaviness. I'd love another album of the ADToE/DT12 format, but I'd love a fresher concept with new experimentation even more.

All that being said, I'm excited to be in a year where a new Dream Theater album is being released! That means another isn't too far away after that! Let the teasers begin!

[orphaeusest]

This a great news, even if we had been waiting for it since the end the Along for the Ride world tour. What can I say? I don't how it will be. I only know that it will be different from all the other albums. Heavy like Train of Thought? Something "oldish" but also new like A Dramatic Turn of Events? Something more classic? I don't know. I only hope for emotions and feelings. That's all I wish!

[aprilethereal]

I agree with those who say they hope for better production and more JR. DT12 was awesome, but JR is capable of much more than he showed on that album. But considering how high he was in the mix on BTFW and how great MM's drum sound on that release was, I am hopeful.

[SuperTaco]

I would like a more organic sound to the next album.

This sums up my thoughts, as well.

[jonnybaxy]

No more Hugh Syme please and also I don't want anymore over the top vocal effects like every song on DT12.

I'm not tooexcited as DT12 was a huge let down for me, hell I havent listened to the album for way over 9 months now

[BlackInk]

I would also like JLB to not force anymore of those high vocals. That stuff on DT12 all sounds so incredibly unnatural. I would be fine if he just kept to lower melodies for the most part.

[BlobVanDam]

I would also like JLB to not force anymore of those high vocals. That stuff on DT12 all sounds so incredibly unnatural. I would be fine if he just kept to lower melodies for the most part.

Aside from the obvious section of Illumination Theory, I don't think he pushed the vocal range any higher than his usual comfortable range, unless there's a section I'm forgetting, so I'm ok with that.

[AngelBack]

Hope I can put this into the right words.  I am hoping for something more emotionally dark.  Lyrically, the last few albums have been about the answers to the problems in life.  I would appreciate a return to songs that lyrically (and musically) relay the pain of being IN the problem. 

[gmillerdrake]

Hope I can put this into the right words.  I am hoping for something more emotionally dark.  Lyrically, the last few albums have been about the answers to the problems in life.  I would appreciate a return to songs that lyrically (and musically) relay the pain of being IN the problem.

As long as it's not vampires and werewolves I'm down for that.

[The Letter M]

How about more medical madness lyrics from JP? Stuff like Voices, SDOIT, Panic Attack...things that affect real people and have real consequences, perhaps more psychological lyrics.

-Marc.

[Sourcegamer101]

I'm torn, I hope they go back to heavy roots with this one, I loved train of thought, but I also love the mellow stuff like vacant, far from heaven, this is the life, wait for sleep, etc

[marlencrabapple]

8 + 5 = 13... OC2VARIUM

/s



I just hope for a focus on strong melodies - it worked for them last time around! I don't care if it's a concept album or not, I just want some kickass prog and I know that if anyone's gonna deliver, it'll be DT.

Oc2varium Part 2: Scenes From A Memory

[The Letter M]

8 + 5 = 13... OC2VARIUM

/s



I just hope for a focus on strong melodies - it worked for them last time around! I don't care if it's a concept album or not, I just want some kickass prog and I know that if anyone's gonna deliver, it'll be DT.

Oc2varium Part 2: Scenes From A Memory

Holy crap, that has 13 syllables!!!

-Marc.

[TheCountOfNYC]

8 + 5 = 13... OC2VARIUM

/s



I just hope for a focus on strong melodies - it worked for them last time around! I don't care if it's a concept album or not, I just want some kickass prog and I know that if anyone's gonna deliver, it'll be DT.

Oc2varium Part 2: Scenes From A Memory

Holy crap, that has 13 syllables!!!

-Marc.

The nuggetz never end.

[mike099]

The first update we get will be the projected coffee budget 

I would love to see a double recording like SDOIT

I like DT12, but nothing special

[425]

I would like a more organic sound to the next album.

This, definitely. If they did this it would go a long way in helping me like it better, because that was a big part of what hurt DT12 for me.

I don't want anymore over the top vocal effects like every song on DT12.

I agree with this to an extent as well.