Dream Theater: The Astonishing (now with moment of betrayal!)

[Kotowboy]

I've thought the title sounded cool from Day 1.

You hipster.

[CDrice]

I've thought the title sounded cool from Day 1.

Same here. It sounds like the title for a movie...

Maybe they'll actually release ''The Astonishing: The Movie'' and the album is the soundtrack for the movie. They seemed to have went relatively deep with the story and the building of this world. And the artist they went with (Anybody remember his name? I forgot) is like a concept artist for movies or something like that. It seems a bit too much for simply an album.

[Kotowboy]

Ma Jie.


M.J.

Michael Jackson.

CONSEPT ALBUHM CONFERMED

[CDrice]

Jie Ma

J M

John Myung

Jie Ma is actually John Myung

[Kotowboy]

 

Myung wrote all the lyrics for this album !!!!



That's INCREDIBLE ASTONISHING !!! 

[bosk1]

[Lucien]

No matter what is said, The Astonishing will always be a better title than A Dramatic Turn of Events

[Shadow2222]

No matter what is said, The Astonishing will always be a better title than A Dramatic Turn of Events

I quite like that title, actually lol.

[Mladen]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

[Evermind]

I think The Astonishing is their best title since Systematic Chaos.

[jakepriest]

Black Clouds and Silver Linings has to be their worst album title imo. Followed closely by ADToE.

[Train of Naught]

One page later we'll be ranking all Dream Theater's 13 album titles (+ maybe a bonus round for live releases), classic.

Oh and least favorite title, probably Train of Thought or Dream Theater.

[Thoughtspart3]

I agree. Black Clouds and Silver Linings and A Dramatic Turn of Events are too long and too descriptive.  A title should be more subtle but still communicate the main idea of the concept. 

I like "The Astonishing" However, it is not obvious how it fits into the story.  What is going to astonish everyone so much?

[Calvin6s]

I really don't care about the title of this or just about any album other than:

Picturing myself liking an album and trying to recommend it to a friend.  If the album title has to come with a "just listen and don't worry about the title", then the title is probably not that great.  The Astonishing is bordering on that.

Something tells me this will not be the album to convert non-DT fans into DT fans.  But that could just mean this album is made specifically for the DT fans (our the perception of DT fans).

They should release an audio snippet quickly as that is the only relevant measure on whether or not I may or may not like the upcoming album.

[Kotowboy]

Black Clouds and Silver Linings has to be their worst album title imo. Followed closely by ADToE.

And When Dream and Day Unite.

[Voices]

ADTOE could be called "Bridges In The Sky". Sounds better to me.

[wolven74]

The album title isn't the best they've come up with in their career, but their music is always evolving, the creative process always moving in different directions. No 2 DT albums have sounded the same. With that in mind, I'm very intrigued about what this album will be about and how the story will influence the music and vice versa.

I find the artwork to DT albums has always driven my speculation and anticipation more than the title.

My biggest hope, knowing this is a concept all the way through ala SFAM is that the lyrics are better than the last full concept "rock opera".

[BlackInk]

It could have been called "A Dramatic Turn of Events: It's Not About Portnoy, We Swear". Would've cleared up a lot of discussion from that time.

[fischermasamune]

This night I dreamed that Petrucci told me JM wrote lyrics for two songs of the album (don't recall other information). Hopefully it's true, because he normally writes lyrics for excellent songs.

[Kotowboy]

Anyone else not consider Myung's lyrics all that great ?

[Setlist Scotty]

okay a point was missed somewhere. I'd rather have 60 minutes of tightly-written music than 120 minutes of them throwing every single thing they wrote into a huge pile.

then again, DT12 was an underwritten mess and it was shorter
now imagine a DT12 twice as long with the same consistent quality
i probably wouldn't have bought a double-length DT12

That's it though, how do you know a double-length DT12 would have had the same consistent quality? Obviously talking about songwriting. Why assume that the quality would be consistent with completely new songs that you haven't heard before? If you don't like it now, if it were double length there's just as much chance that you'll find songs you might like more, as much as there's a chance you also won't like them right? I'm just not sure why you'd assume one way over the other.

Exactly. How do you know all the stuff that got trimmed from the self-titled album wasn't the stuff that would've clicked with you and made it one of your favorite DT albums? We'll never know, but given the chance to have more or less material, gimme more to pick from!

It reminds me of Octavarium. Weird sounding word with some random unrelated origin beforehand, but now it's just second nature to us DT fans. I don't see the point about complaining about a name which we have no context for yet.

Well said and great comparison. Until we know what the story is about or what The Astonishing is or describes, I fail to understand why people are getting bent out of shape (aside from this being DTF).

One other thing that I was thinking that I don't believe was brought up (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) is could it be that The Astonishing describes or is the name given to a group of people, objects or a specific object?

[OnTheBacksofAngela]

Anyone else not consider Myung's lyrics all that great ?

Well for me, I'm not a big fan of his lyrics. My opinion, so no flames please. I mean, with the exception of Fatal Tragedy, the lyrics are too.....deep I guess. I like more of Portnoy and Petrucci's lyrics. Lifting and tears are too deep for me. I dot really like the wording also. Learning to live is alright I guess, but it never stuck too me. My favorite songs aren't any written by Myung except Tragedy. I just enjoy more straightforward songs.

[BlackInk]

I do enjoy the more "deep" lyrics, and Learning to Live and Trial of Tears are both really good lyrically. The rest is either okay or not my thing at all. So I'd say his lyrical history is mixed like anyone else in the band.

[Train of Naught]

BAI has my favorite lyrics of all DT songs probably, and I'm usually not even that big on lyrics, that said, I tend to like songs that have lyrics written by Myung, but not because of the lyrics, maybe Petrucci is just a master at converting JMX's lyrics into great songs.

[V_R11]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

I mean I don't exactly have a problem with it, but I have to agree with the people who say it sounds unfinished. Like, The Astonishing _________ what?

IMO SC and 6DOIT are the best titles. WDADU is the worst

[Kotowboy]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

I mean I don't exactly have a problem with it, but I have to agree with the people who say it sounds unfinished. Like, The Astonishing _________ what?

Have you not read the thread ?

[V_R11]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

I mean I don't exactly have a problem with it, but I have to agree with the people who say it sounds unfinished. Like, The Astonishing _________ what?

Have you not read the thread ?

I have, and I get the point, but it just doesn't make the title sound less unfinished to me

[hefdaddy42]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

I mean I don't exactly have a problem with it, but I have to agree with the people who say it sounds unfinished. Like, The Astonishing _________ what?

Have you not read the thread ?

I have, and I get the point, but it just doesn't make the title sound less unfinished to me

"Deep in the fundamental heart of mind and Universe there is a reason." - Douglas Adams

[hefdaddy42]

Oh yea - there are some new song titles up now.

[Prog Snob]

People are seriously bothered by the title?

I don't see anything wrong with it. It's fine.

I mean I don't exactly have a problem with it, but I have to agree with the people who say it sounds unfinished. Like, The Astonishing _________ what?

Have you not read the thread ?

I have, and I get the point, but it just doesn't make the title sound less unfinished to me

I thought the same exact thing. I'm sure all will be revealed and better understood in time.

[MirrorMask]

I'm not bothered by the title, once we'll hear the album we'll know what it relates to. The Silence of the Lambs is a weird title for a movie about a cannibal, but once you watch it you realize what a great title is.

Lyrics predictions: Will it all be JP's baby or, like SFAM after all, James and John will write part of the lyrics as well? I can see James going for a more emotional and less story-driven lyrics, like JP telling him "Hey, this song is about Character X suffering because of this, have a go at it" and James writing a lyric about that character's point of view.

[The Letter M]

Oh yea - there are some new song titles up now.

ACT I
1. Descent of the NOMACS
2. Dystopian Overture
3. The Gift of Music
4. The Answer
5. A Better Life
6. Lord Nafaryus
7. A Savior in the Square
8. When Your Time Has Come
9. Act of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn

AWWWW YEAH, Nafaryus gets his own track!!!
Abbreviations: LN, ASITS, WYTHC, AOF, TD, THS.

-Marc.

[Lucien]

holy fuck we might have 2 80 minute discs

[BlackInk]

"Lord Nafaryus" is pretty goofy, and "Act of Faythe" is a pun, but otherwise they're decent titles.

[Zydar]