New Album “Distance Over Time’, First Set of 2019 Tour Dates announced!

[Adami]

That's not being an advocate. That's just being kind of rude.

[Buddyhunter1]

So, yesterday, Freddy "thanked" the New York Times for making a cover so similar to the album's artwork, and even tagged three of the journalists. One of them replied. You can read their brief exchange here:
https://twitter.com/FreddyJacobi/status/1065700059071811585

This is pathetic. I'm sorry, but "all over the internet" is hyperbolic as hell. I know we Dream Theater fans like to think of the band as way more important than it actually is, but 99.9% of people out there don't give a shit. Outside of this forum I haven't even heard anyone mention the new album, much less the album art.

Also, it's the same concept because it's not a very original concept and it's the same robotic hand because Hugh Syme has been using barely-altered stock photos for ages now.

Is this call-out tweet an attempt at generating publicity? If so it's a pretty sad way of doing so.

[lucasembarbosa]

Trying to create buzz in a bad way, almost like SoA...

[Buddyhunter1]

"Freddy Jacobi was: James LaBrie, Jordan Rudess, John Petrucci, John Myung, Mike Mangini, Maddi Schieferstein, James T. Meslin, Jake Solomon, Kim Arthur Sakariassen, Victoria Montenegro Martinez, Jessica Lausen, Sean Arnold, Freddy Palmer, Roie Avin, mods of r/dreamtheater, dreamtheaterforums.org and Dream Theater World"

I assume whoever wrote that tweet was one of the people mentioned above, and that they probably didn't consult anyone else before posting it. I hope whoever's responsible comes out soon, since this doesn't just reflect poorly on them, but everyone who's considered "Freddy Jacobi", which goes all the way up to the band itself.

[Ravenfoul]

You guys are blowing that exchange out of proportion.

[Adami]

You guys are blowing that exchange out of proportion.

It was a rude post and response on Freddy's part. I don't know who Freddy is or if he's a person, but it was rude. I don't see anyone blowing it up past that.

[MirrorMask]

Also, it's the same concept because it's not a very original concept and it's the same robotic hand because Hugh Syme has been using barely-altered stock photos for ages now.

Well, this basically.

I like the cover. It intrigues me and I think it will look cool and I'm looking forward to see the whole package, and I'm all up for a "white album" anyway. Still, it's a stock robot hand holding a stock skull, similarities were bound to the found.

[Mladen]

Did Donald Trump take over Freddy Jacobi's personality?

[Adami]

Hah, that would have been funny also calling it Fake News Media.

[Ben_Jamin]

But one is the left arm and the other is the right arm.

[RaiseTheKnife]

Stock photos or not -- its a pretty remarkable coincidence.  Even the background color palette is identical.  Not saying that one artist was aware of the others work, but given the proximity of release, there's something oddly zeitgeist happening-- that unrelated minds can create an identical image conveying a cerebral idea about the human condition in a relatively similar moment.  Quite remarkable from my point of view.   

[nobloodyname]

You guys are blowing that exchange out of proportion.

It was a rude post and response on Freddy's part. I don't know who Freddy is or if he's a person, but it was rude. I don't see anyone blowing it up past that.

It was rather unsavoury and unnecessary, I agree.

"All over the internet"? Do what? It was pretty much the antithesis of being "all over the internet".

[TAC]

Did Donald Trump take over Freddy Jacobi's personality?

[erwinrafael]

Well, the first blunder under new management.

[Bertielee]

Well, the first blunder under new management.

Yep, the reaction is strange to say the least.

[Pax]

Anyway, come on guys, you can all try to make this album cover appeal to you (you could've done the same with the few most recent Syme's works), but it's obviously way worse than artworks like Images and Words, or Awake, for instance, even way worse than some of the Syme's artworks (like Systematic Chaos).
I don't get why the band keeps accepting this shit level of album artworks in the recent times (TA was ok though, but it wasn't Syme).
I mean, it should be ARTwork, not just photoshopping one stock picture over the other

[Scorpion]

Anyway, come on guys, you can all try to make this album cover appeal to you (you could've done the same with the few most recent Syme's works), but it's obviously way worse than artworks like Images and Words, or Awake, for instance, even way worse than some of the Syme's artworks (like Systematic Chaos).
I don't get why the band keeps accepting this shit level of album artworks in the recent times (TA was ok though, but it wasn't Syme).
I mean, it should be ARTwork, not just photoshopping one stock picture over the other

Aaaaand we're back to the old subjective vs. objective debate. It's probably going to be solved this time.

Let me just say that I prefer DoT's cover to IaW and Awake. Less clutter, more conciseness. But I'm probably only convincing myself of that, it's not actually true I guess.

[Train of Naught]

I'd say for the most part their album arts got better over time (except for self-titled). I think WDADU, IAW, Awake and FII all look terrible. My favourite is probably Octavarium or Black Clouds

[Zydar]

I'm liking the new cover art too, I'm more into the minimalistic look anyway. Awake and I&W are too cluttered for my taste.

[IDontNotDoThings]

Anyway, come on guys, you can all try to make this album cover appeal to you (you could've done the same with the few most recent Syme's works), but it's obviously way worse than artworks like Images and Words, or Awake, for instance, even way worse than some of the Syme's artworks (like Systematic Chaos).
I don't get why the band keeps accepting this shit level of album artworks in the recent times (TA was ok though, but it wasn't Syme).
I mean, it should be ARTwork, not just photoshopping one stock picture over the other

That's still art though. It's just art that you don't find appealing.

Anyway, here's my ranking from a few years back. I think I still agree with it.

1. Awake
2. Systematic Chaos
3. Train Of Thought
4. Scenes From A Memory
5. Black Clouds & Silver Linings
(DOT would go here)
6. Falling Into Infinity
7. Octavarium
8. Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
(TA would go here)
9. Images & Words
10. A Dramatic Turn Of Events
11. When Dream & Day Unite
12. Dream Theater

[rumborak]

I liked the original collage-style art of IAW and Awake, but already by the time FII came out I felt they had ridden that horse a bit too long. SFAM was more mosaic style which I thought was cool, and 6DOIT is to this day my favorite (it's not a Syme, go figure). Since ToT they went back to collage style, which IMO isn't doing them any favors. ADTOE stands out maybe as their worst non-WDADU album cover (even though being my favorite Mangini-era album).

[fadetoblackdude7]

I've always liked all of their album covers. Each one has such a cool concept, even if it isn't executed in the best way. 8vm and SC in particular had very original concepts.

[Adami]

I think the new cover is fine. Original? Hell naw. But cool looking? Yup.


However, if I had Dream Theater's budget, I'd always get original art. When I make albums, even without any kind of budget, I still stage my own photography and pay artists to turn it into something unique. Or like Ayreon who gets an artist to design 100% unique album covers.

Why they choose to go with stock image collages at their level and with their budget is a bit perplexing, but such is life. People be odd.

[Architeuthis]

I think the new cover is fine. Original? Hell naw. But cool looking? Yup.


However, if I had Dream Theater's budget, I'd always get original art. When I make albums, even without any kind of budget, I still stage my own photography and pay artists to turn it into something unique. Or like Ayreon who gets an artist to design 100% unique album covers.

Why they choose to go with stock image collages at their level and with their budget is a bit perplexing, but such is life. People be odd.

I wish I could hit a "like" button for this post.    Yeah I agree,  originality is the key. This album cover doesn't do it for me AT ALL but I have no doubt the music will! 

[cramx3]

+1 for Adami, totally how I feel.

[noxon]

And yet the NYT are applauded and linked to at design sites for the ingeniuity of their version of that same image. Funny how music fans are more critical than design fans...

[Adami]

And yet the NYT are applauded and linked to at design sites for the ingeniuity of their version of that same image. Funny how music fans are more critical than design fans...

Who cares?

[noxon]

Apparently you do.

[Adami]

I care about the NYT being applauded and music fans being critical?

I dunno, I'm pretty sure I don't.

[cramx3]

I think the target audience of the NYT is different than DT fans.  Some of us want more original art, the concept is cool and that's more so what NYT is getting props for, just like many here are doing for DT.  But as Adami and myself have pointed out before, some of us just would rather some original art of the concept since we feel the album cover should be more art than just design.

[Adami]

I just said that I find it perplexing that they don't do original art with their budget. I also said the new album cover is cool.

No idea why people are getting mad at this.

[Architeuthis]

I think the target audience of the NYT is different than DT fans. 

You might have a good point.  I could see some rocker dude or metal head looking through a record store and see's the album cover and sais "HEY, what's this?"

[ariich]

Yeah I really like the new cover, regardless of the fact that it's just based on stock images. Might even be my favourite Syme DT cover.

[Bertielee]

Yeah I really like the new cover, regardless of the fact that it's just based on stock images. Might even be my favourite Syme DT cover.

Might as well be mine.

[cramx3]

Yeah I really like the new cover, regardless of the fact that it's just based on stock images. Might even be my favourite Syme DT cover.

It honestly might be mine as well, I really like the concept and even with stock images, it looks pretty cool.  Doesn't change the fact that I'd rather see a band like DT use some original art to get the same message across.  Probably would like the cover art even more.