Listening Parties for The Astonishing ***SPOILERS***

[RMGadelha]

Piano on heavy sections sounds amazing. And I really like when he used hammond on Enigma Machine and Bridges in the Sky.

[jakepriest]

The most prominent sound from Jordan is actually the piano. Even during heavier sections there's a lot of piano. And the second most prominent sound is the hammond organ, with a leslie.

What is almost non-existant is keyboard solos. I don't think there are more than 3-4...

This is really nice actually. Ever since Octavarium I have found Jordan's solos a bit lackluster and way over the top.

[chwik]

JR doesn't really need keyboard solos on this album. He is prominent by other means.

[pcs90]

The most prominent sound from Jordan is actually the piano. Even during heavier sections there's a lot of piano. And the second most prominent sound is the hammond organ, with a leslie.

What is almost non-existant is keyboard solos. I don't think there are more than 3-4...

This makes me very happy, I love hammond organ.
A lot of my favorite JR solos are actually from his side projects, not in DT (with a few exceptions), so hopefully that won't be a problem.

[thosava]

That makes me happy too, hammond organ is one of my absolute favourite instruments

[SystematicThought]

Any outros or parts that are similar to the Innocence Faded outro? I've always wanted another outro like that

[ResultsMayVary]

Any outros or parts that are similar to the Innocence Faded outdo? I've always wanted another outro like that

I always saw The Gift of Music as being fairly similar to that, but without a prominent guitar solo.

[RMGadelha]

Any outros or parts that are similar to the Innocence Faded outdo? I've always wanted another outro like that

I always saw The Gift of Music as being fairly similar to that, but without a prominent guitar solo.

Yeah, me too.

[chwik]

Any outros or parts that are similar to the Innocence Faded outro? I've always wanted another outro like that

Cannot remember, but nothing struck me as similar to that part of Innocence Faded; but I might be wrong. I do remember a lot of riffs and sections having this "progged up" 90-ties AOR vibe. And I am not the least surprised if some of JP's solos end up as fan favourites.

[thosava]

I also wonder about the NOMAC tracks. Are they interesting, are they even listenable, do they contribute something to the flow of the album, will they loose their "charm" after a couple of listens and become skip-tracks?

[Estiui]

The most prominent sound from Jordan is actually the piano. Even during heavier sections there's a lot of piano. And the second most prominent sound is the hammond organ, with a leslie.

What is almost non-existant is keyboard solos. I don't think there are more than 3-4...

Yes, fucking YES. I don't like Jordan's wanky solos, although I love him 

[noxon]

I still listen to the NOMACS tracks...

[MirrorMask]

I already imagine a future poll, "your favorite NOMACS tracks" 

Well, I assume that, in a sense,  they will be DT's "worst" songs ever released.

[RMGadelha]

Fans of the NOMACS tracks will be like: "LORD NAFARYUS WAS RIGHT!"

[dparrott]

That NOMAC song in the trailer sounds pretty badass

[noxon]

The best NOMAC track is Machine Chatter.

[dparrott]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

[Thematt202]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

Is there a cut/edit between "Our New World" and "Yeaah!"?

[ResultsMayVary]

13 days. The wait has gone by fairly quickly thus far, but I'm getting to the point where it's starting to bug me. Fortunately, this is the closest I've gotten to a DT release date before I've felt the urge to want to hear it.

[BlackInk]

Thank you. If you program a drum machine to play the TGOM drum parts, you would not get how MM actually sounded on the record.

I heard these types of comments before on his playing in IT and I just laughed.

That's still just... very much not the point...

[pcs90]

To me, Mangini's playing does not sound like a drum machine. The snare sounds triggered (which I HATE), and most of the other drums are little better, but the cymbals (when mixed correctly) do provide some human elements to it. If you listen to him where his drums have not been altered too much (Luna Park or the recent videos) you can hear what's going on -- it's not him, it's happening during and after the recording process in the studio, and based on facebook comments he has made, it isn't necessarily his decision. I get the vibe that he just goes along with whatever JP and RC suggest.

[chwik]

Noxon: how is the review coming along? Looking forward to your reflections compared to the translated italian reviews released the last couple of days.

[Thematt202]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

Is there a cut/edit between "Our New World" and "Yeaah!"?

Anyone able to answer this? The first line doesn't seem to flow properly into the "yeah".

[chego_voice]

Metropolis part 3? 

[Ben_Jamin]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

Is there a cut/edit between "Our New World" and "Yeaah!"?

Anyone able to answer this? The first line doesn't seem to flow properly into the "yeah".

It's quite obvious.

[V_R11]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

This, and I also really like Moment of Betrayal

[Thematt202]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

Is there a cut/edit between "Our New World" and "Yeaah!"?

Anyone able to answer this? The first line doesn't seem to flow properly into the "yeah".

It's quite obvious.

Glad we cleared that up.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Just watched the  trailer again, Our New World sounds like a winner.

Is there a cut/edit between "Our New World" and "Yeaah!"?

Our Neew Wooooorld

[noxon]

No edit.

[PS Head]

Would you say The Astonising is on the prog or heavy side...or is it their typical mix of both.Are the songs musically linked together or are there definable breaks between each number.So many questions I would love to ask but will wait untill my copy drops on the door mat on the 29th......so excited

[Thematt202]

Would you say The Astonising is on the prog or heavy side...or is it their typical mix of both.Are the songs musically linked together or are there definable breaks between each number.So many questions I would love to ask but will wait untill my copy drops on the door mat on the 29th......so excited

Have a look in the other thread.  All of these questions and more have been answered there.

[thosava]

Noxon, did you like/love the album on first listen, or did it have to grow on you?

[noxon]

I didn't have the entire album for a first listen, so I can't possibly answer that.

[Enigmachine]

I didn't have the entire album for a first listen, so I can't possibly answer that.

But would you say each individual song was immediately likeable, or were there some that took a few listens to appreciate?

[Sycsa]

The most prominent sound from Jordan is actually the piano. Even during heavier sections there's a lot of piano. And the second most prominent sound is the hammond organ, with a leslie.

A real Leslie speaker or a simulated one, as usual? The difference can be easily told if one knows what to listen to and how an actual tonewheel Hammond + Leslie combo sounds, as opposed to a digital simulation.

I actually asked Jordan a few years back as to why doesn't he use a real Leslie and he said: "I'm primarily a synthesist and pianist with a lot of experience designing exactly the sound I want to hear. If I use an organ very often it is a specific model that I created to blend with the Dream Theater sound all around including the way it rotates... That said- maybe next time I'll try that in the studio and see if it makes us smile!!" (https://www.jordanrudess.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16110&page=2).

Maybe I had something to do with it.