The Astonishing - Unpopular opinions

[DragonGuitar]

myung is nonexistent on this album. petrucci could've tracked bass

I disagree, I actually thought he was more audible on this album than virtually any other.

[BlobVanDam]

It's not the most audible JM has been, but I can hear him fine on the whole album.

[DragonGuitar]

My unpopular opinions (I think):

1) A Better Life is one of my favorite songs (top 10, at least XD)
2) Same with A Life Left Behind (particularly the intro, which I think is the best thing DT has put out for years for prog fans).
3) I like the cheesy "Faith" and "Astonishing" jokes
4) I think the drum mix on this album was absolutely fine.

More to come as I think of them.

[Lucien]

This is my favorite album of theirs.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

I noticed five or six really cool JM grooves on first listen of the album. I'm not sure I'd recognize five or six non-solo JM parts in the entire rest of the DT discography.

[erwinrafael]

It's not the most audible JM has been, but I can hear him fine on the whole album.

I also can hear him just fine. His playing is just a bit more subdued than playful, seemingly intent on being the rhythm section. I love how he plays the softer sections, like the intro of Savior in the Square.

[pcs90]

It's not the most audible JM has been, but I can hear him fine on the whole album.

Yep, same here. Listening with headphones helps.

[Bertie_Wooster]

DT needs to re release it with more singers.   I would pick the guy from Sigur Ros as Gabriel.  Faythe would be the lady that sings for Anathema.
James would still be Lord Nafaryus. The Narrator would be Placido Domingo.

[erwinrafael]

DT needs to re release it with more singers.   I would pick the guy from Sigur Ros as Gabriel.  Faythe would be the lady that sings for Anathema.
James would still be Lord Nafaryus. The Narrator would be Placido Domingo.

I would like to hear a version of it with different voices, but I prefer it to be a live release, not a studio one.

[Ben_Jamin]

The ending of A New Beginning went on a tad too long. Now, The ending to Begin Again should've been longer.

[rubenchitito]

My complain would be as others have noted -- It is way, way, way too long.

If this story was in movie format, I would have come out of the theater thinking the movie should have been 20-30 minutes shorter.

The story and a lot of the songs are not strong enough to hold my attention for 2 hours. It's a concept album but I find myself getting bored in the middle of the journey.. very unlike Metropolis II where once I heard "Close your eyes and begin to relax" I couldn't stop until the end.

In simple words, this album is like a nice juicy steak with a lot of fat in the sides.

But I have listened to the album for 3 days. My opinion might be different in 3 months as I still haven't absorbed it 100%

[pcs90]

In simple words, this album is like a nice juicy steak with a lot of fat in the sides.

So it's delicious?
Seriously, fat holds a lot of flavor (at least most of the time)...

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Oh come on, you can't tell me that if you used multiple singers, you wouldn't have Russell Allen be Nafaryus. LaBrie could still be Arhys. I'd get John West or Tommy Karevik for Gabriel.

[DragonGuitar]

DT needs to re release it with more singers.   I would pick the guy from Sigur Ros as Gabriel.  Faythe would be the lady that sings for Anathema.
James would still be Lord Nafaryus. The Narrator would be Placido Domingo.

Oh come on, you can't tell me that if you used multiple singers, you wouldn't have Russell Allen be Nafaryus. LaBrie could still be Arhys. I'd get John West or Tommy Karevik for Gabriel.

Theres a whole other thread about casting different singers for other roles in the Astonishing, you should check it out. Personally, though, I would put Michael Erikson as Gabriel, Tommy Karevik as Arhys (hes gotta be in it somewhere), Labrie as Nafaryus, and Russell Allen as Daryus.

[RoadTrain_of Thought]

I don't know if this is considered an unpopular opinion, but I think that Daryus' plan to get hold of Gabriel was better than his father's. 

[ariich]

While it is an entertaining album in sections, I don't think they achieved what they set out to do. For example, only in very few moments do I feel the songs' mood correlates with the plot mood. That causes me to never be "engulfed" by the whole thing, but rather perceive it as a collection of disparate pieces.

Really? If anything I'd say that's the thing they definitely nailed this time around.

Interesting. I guess everybody perceives it differently.
Take for example Losing Faythe. Setting aside the horrendous beginning (I mean, I know they're *supposed* to be crying over the death of Faythe, but it sounds like they're making out), I find the music itself is hopeful. Like, there is no despair or sorrow in that tune at all. IMHO. And that part in the plot is so crucial, as a setup to the townspeople saving Faythe. Starting with hopeful music and then going into uplifting epicness takes away from the next plot item that is supposed to lift the story out of despair into hope.

You hear hopefulness from the music of Losing Faythe? The hopeful version of it is Chosen and if you play it back to back, you can hear the big difference in delivery. The "sadness" stands out when you are aware that it is a reprise fo a hopeful theme.

Yeah, this is how I see it as well. I suppose they could have gone further and really made that song very dark and melancholy, but I definitely don't see the song's opening as hopeful and agree that it's clearly a much more sombre reprise of the earlier themes.

EDIT: As for the later part of the song, this is surely meant to be hopeful because people are asking Gabriel to use his gift to save Faythe. It's not until Whispers in the Wind, which is based a very sorrowful tune, where Gabriel explains that his gift was gone.

[IDontNotDoThings]

DT needs to re release it with more singers.   I would pick the guy from Sigur Ros as Gabriel.  Faythe would be the lady that sings for Anathema.
James would still be Lord Nafaryus. The Narrator would be Placido Domingo.

Oh come on, you can't tell me that if you used multiple singers, you wouldn't have Russell Allen be Nafaryus. LaBrie could still be Arhys. I'd get John West or Tommy Karevik for Gabriel.

Theres a whole other thread about casting different singers for other roles in the Astonishing, you should check it out. Personally, though, I would put Michael Erikson as Gabriel, Tommy Karevik as Arhys (hes gotta be in it somewhere), Labrie as Nafaryus, and Russell Allen as Daryus.

Don't we already have a thread for this?
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=45765.0

[nicmos]

This album is just as cheesy as (most of) Systematic Chaos, and I don't like it.

Also, I can see how it works much better as a show, but as an album the songs aren't strong enough.

[DragonGuitar]

Some of these opinions are just...





ASTONISHING.
Ba-dum-crash.






Thank you, I'll be here all week. 

[Zook]

I usually skip Our New World.

[cygnusx1jg]

Have only listened through twice, but the one thing that's just a little annoying, not sure how to describe it, but IMO a lot of songs have a similar dramatic ending to them.  Kinda like the last two lines of Strange Deja Vu, but without the last word being held.  Just seems like that build up to the finish of the song is used too often. 

PS---I think that Breaking All Illusions is the best individual song by the band in the last 10 years.

[RoadTrain_of Thought]

I usually skip Our New World.

Yes, I can't stand the chorus. It would have been ok if it wasn't just "our new world, a better world" over and over again.

[SchecterShredder]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

[darkshade]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

Most songs by Gentle Giant are short songs, but they're as prog as you can get.

[SchecterShredder]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

Most songs by Gentle Giant are short songs, but they're as prog as you can get.

Interesting. Could you recommend an album to listen to this afternoon?

[Gromit1710]

While I don't dislike Mangini, I think either by design or by limitations, His playing feels automated and bland to me on this album.

Like someone just used a good drum track machine instead of the playing from one of the best drummers in the industry right now.

*points to the groove at the end of A New Beginning*

Not one fill, ting, boop or flan through that whole thing. One or two kick tricks is all. Reminded me of listening to my parent's "Hooked On Classics" records where they just put an endless, looping disco beat behind Mozart and Beethoven. There's a number of other instances throughout the album where the playing feels so conservative and restrained that I wonder if he found himself struggling to keep up or something. 

Oh well. At least his tones are way better than D12, I think.

[darkshade]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

Most songs by Gentle Giant are short songs, but they're as prog as you can get.

Interesting. Could you recommend an album to listen to this afternoon?

Listen to Free Hand. It's a great album.

[SchecterShredder]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

Most songs by Gentle Giant are short songs, but they're as prog as you can get.

Interesting. Could you recommend an album to listen to this afternoon?

Listen to Free Hand. It's a great album.

Ok, so I'm revoking my comment about short songs not being long enough for prog lol. I'm only 3 songs in, but that album is pretty f-ing good, and definitely prog as hell. I still stand by my 'TA isn't very prog' comment though.

[SuperTaco]

"A New Beginning" is the only song that I strongly connect with. The rest are good but not great. This opinion may change as I listen to the album more, but that was my first impression.

[Progmetty]

Here's another, likely to be unpopular, opinion. TA is the least prog album they've released, IMO, which is not surprising since most tracks are only 4 or 5 minutes

Most songs by Gentle Giant are short songs, but they're as prog as you can get.

Interesting. Could you recommend an album to listen to this afternoon?

Listen to Free Hand. It's a great album.

Ok, so I'm revoking my comment about short songs not being long enough for prog lol. I'm only 3 songs in, but that album is pretty f-ing good, and definitely prog as hell. I still stand by my 'TA isn't very prog' comment though.

Pink Floyd's The Wall is prog rock and The Astonishing is modeled after it for the most part IMO.
I used to think "no instrumental wankery = not prog" ,and I'm not saying that's where you're coming from, but now I feel that thought is more specific to prog metal and that prog rock is something that has much more wiggle room in definition. Like The Astonishing is certainly does not lean towards progressive metal but I feel it's more prog rock than anything DT ever released.

[SchecterShredder]

Got another unpopular opinion.....Moment of Betrayal is hands down the best track on the album. IMO, it's not even close.

[emtee]

While I don't dislike Mangini, I think either by design or by limitations, His playing feels automated and bland to me on this album.

Like someone just used a good drum track machine instead of the playing from one of the best drummers in the industry right now.

*points to the groove at the end of A New Beginning*

Not one fill, ting, boop or flan through that whole thing. One or two kick tricks is all. Reminded me of listening to my parent's "Hooked On Classics" records where they just put an endless, looping disco beat behind Mozart and Beethoven. There's a number of other instances throughout the album where the playing feels so conservative and restrained that I wonder if he found himself struggling to keep up or something. 

Oh well. At least his tones are way better than D12, I think.

I really don't want to go negative because I really love the album. But I agree. I've come to this point of acceptance now that
moving forward with DT and staying on this ride I've been on since I&W requires me to understand that nobody will ever
make me as happy as MP did. I realize how uber talented MM is but I tend to think of him as the 2nd bass player who has
4 arms. Nothing about his performance stands out to me (and maybe it's not supposed to) but I was drawn to this band
because of the drummer in 1991 and I came to expect great things from each album. MM serves the music perfectly and
in lock step with everyone else but there are no parts that stand out to me with the exception of repeatedly thinking...
'that was a very fast roll'...

[Hal Incandenza]

I'm left wanting more in the NOMACS style. Those tracks were creative and fun and surprised me in a way that I wish DT did more often.

[Herrick]

Album title should've been The Astonishing...Number of Slow Songs & Ballads.

And I get that the story isn't a carbon copy but Petrucci should've chosen something that isn't as similar to Rush's 2112.

[pantsofeternity]

unpopular opinion: shoulda had 50% MORE ballads