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

[Ninjabait]

Translation:

DREAM THEATER, the giants of Prog have returned with a new album, DISTANCE OVER TIME, which will be released on February 22nd by InsideOut Music. As we'll tell you right now, we have here a real masterpiece. The group's legendary musicality,  technique, and creativity are waiting for you. The band of John PETRUCCI are not slowing down at all, because after a career spanning more than 30 years the band have released their 14th album. Not to mention numerous live albums and EP.

After the release of their concept album, THE ASTONISHING, to mixed reception, DREAM THEATER proposes here that they know how to do better. Certain parts are maybe too short, but there is a lot of intensity. All of the ingredients that make up a good piece by Dream Theater, have been reunited. This group's style in particular, we have found on each song in a more refined way. DISTANCE OVER TIME benefits from an irreproachable production where every instrument is highlighted. This is all certainly due to the way the band have written and recorded the album, as explained by John PETRUCCI and James LABRIE. For the first time in 20 years, the 5 virtuosos have locked themselves in the isolated Yonderbarn studios, situated in Monticello, New York, for 4 months.

"Of course, we have written a lot of records together, but we have traditionally gone to a studio just for recording. Meanwhile, everyone is on the move or staying at a hotel", explains PETRUCCI. "This time, we've decided to do something different. At Yonderbarn, we did not have any distraction, so we are able to concentrate ourselves creatively, working 12-14 hours a day and enjoying ourselves during our writing sessions." "It was like going to a summer camp," LABRIE tells us. "Being together with each other, in fact, was a profound experience. I think that the songs reflect that energy. It was a lot fun to have a situation so powerful at this point in our careers."

DISTANCE OVER TIME begins with UNTETHERED ANGEL, a title for a classic hit by modern DREAM THEATER. The track features heavy riffs and haunting vocals. In the middle section, we find a classic duel between PETRUCCI and RUDESS, but without padding in a way that may discourage some [literal translation: but without leaving in additions that may discourage some]. PARALYZED gives full meaning to the quality of the production. The heavy riff at the beginning has some similarities to TOOL, the subtleties of John MYUNG's bass playing and LABRIE's vocal arrangements have made an excellent song. FALL INTO THE LIGHT made me think of the "IMAGES AND WORDS era, both in terms of composition and structure. The middle section is a melodic acoustic break that gives you goosebumps before taking you away with the PETRUCCI's and RUDESS's leads.

Much like the previous album [That seems right?], BARSTOOL WARRIOR is simply grandiose. We have returned to the great hour of the prog ambiances of FALLING INTO INFINITY. The guitar lines, piano, and drums are played with incredible finesse. Maybe it's better on headphones [?], but the arrangement is truly excellent.

ROOM 137 and S2N are as far as DREAM THEATER is concerned, more aggressive. Special mention goes to S2N with a solo straight out of SATRIANI which is going to burst live and an epic ending where RUDESS makes a great demonstration of all his talent. AT WIT'S END, the longest track on the album at over 9 minutes, one finds all the different facets of the group: multiple moods, syncopated riffs, slow passages, melancholic piano parts, etc.

OUT OF REACH, the ballad of the album: the melodies of PETRUCCI and RUDESS perfectly accompany LABRIE's vocal lines. PALE BLUE DOT ends the album in a masterful way. More than 8 minutes of happiness with a multitude of instrumental sections and cinematic landscapes. The track will be a place of pride for the 4 musicians, who do not hesitate to make us travel to the complex universe. Without doing too much, MIKE MANGINI floods this song with all his talent. The richness of his playing will blow your mind.

DISTANCE OVER TIME is a total success for DREAM THEATER. This album will for sure make the top of fans' rankings. The band have made a real success in terms of composition and production, and without losing any of their values, will also make it easy for newbies to enter into the complex universe of the Prog masters. ESSENTIAL.

[jonny108]

New JLB interview - https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/james-labrie-of-dream-theater

[bosk1]

Wow, some good stuff in there. 

[GasparXR]

Awesome interview. I don't think we will ever get another DT song after Viper King to be about muscle cars.

[Dedalus]

Very nice interview.

It seems that Viper King is a very different song from DT's catalog.

[Ninjabait]

"At Wit's End" is about... well, it's a very dark subject. It's the after-effect of a very traumatic and horrific experience, which is being the victim of rape. I read an article and then I saw a documentary on victims of such a heinous act, and it's really hard for the couples to go on. So, that lyric is about him telling his wife that no matter what has happened, she has to remember that he still loves her as he always has, nothing has been lost, and that she needs to see that he is still the man she fell in love with. He still does not think anything different. He is there for her, and he needs her to rediscover that yes, she has been changed by this act, but at the same time, she has to realize that there is more to her than what this act dictates. So, that's basically what that lyric is about: her trying to salvage the relationship due to that.

"Viper King" is just a really fun tune. It's about a muscle car - the Dodge Viper.

...

Well, okay then. That was an...interesting transition.

[Progmetty]

Most times JP gives out the impression of being humorless and introverted but boy he cracks me up whenever he lets go. He was so funny and witty on that recent web interview he did, the guy asked him if their were any fresh faces in prog that he likes, JP said "I'm not sure if I like their faces.."

[Dream Team]

Really sucks for JLB (and for us) that his range was permanently compromised. He doesn't mention it, but I feel his power took a hit too.

[nikatapi]

Yeah unfortunately James' age and bad vocal habits have taken their toll on his voice.
I have to say, looking back to The Astonishing, i appreciate the fact that as James says, they took the artistic liberty to do their own thing. I still consider this album one of the most adventurous of them, and it seems like the band (maybe apart from Mike who wasn't that involved) is really fond of this.

[MirrorMask]

Nice interview! now I'm curious to see how Viper King will turn out to be 

I'm glad he's proud of The Astonishing, he has every right to be. And what a horrible situation he was in after the food poisoning accident.... either save the band, or save his voice, as he couldn't do both. Why these things never happen to the likes of Justin Bieber?

[Dream Team]

Nice interview! now I'm curious to see how Viper King will turn out to be 

I'm glad he's proud of The Astonishing, he has every right to be. And what a horrible situation he was in after the food poisoning accident.... either save the band, or save his voice, as he couldn't do both. Why these things never happen to the likes of Justin Bieber?

Hard to strain your voice while lip-syncing.

[gzarruk]

Nice interview! now I'm curious to see how Viper King will turn out to be 

I'm glad he's proud of The Astonishing, he has every right to be. And what a horrible situation he was in after the food poisoning accident.... either save the band, or save his voice, as he couldn't do both. Why these things never happen to the likes of Justin Bieber?

Hard to strain your voice while lip-syncing.

Nailed it

[MirrorMask]

Nice interview! now I'm curious to see how Viper King will turn out to be 

I'm glad he's proud of The Astonishing, he has every right to be. And what a horrible situation he was in after the food poisoning accident.... either save the band, or save his voice, as he couldn't do both. Why these things never happen to the likes of Justin Bieber?

Hard to strain your voice while lip-syncing.

[Max Kuehnau]

Soooo, if anyone was looking to order the Artbook or Box Set from Amazon, they're currently listed as "Unavailable". My guess is that their allotted number of pre-orders were met in the last day or two, so I'm guessing they're not going to get any more of the Box Sets. I guess dropping the price to just under $120 made every on-the-fence fan pull the trigger on buying (it did for me!).

-Marc.

Just went to pre-oder the box set and saw it's unavailable. I'm super disappointed. Congrats on yours!

all is not lost, look here: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/dream-theater-distance-over-time/hnum/8882813 (artbook link) or here: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/dream-theater-distance-over-time/hnum/8882822 (deluxe link), this is my German online store of choice and they're great, not just because of cheap worldwide rates. I'd give them a go if you still want either variety of the box set.

Note: The links I posted are meant to serve as an alternative for those who weren't able to buy the box set editions. Nothing more. Now that the snippets are removed, they should be allowed here.

[mikeyd23]

Cool interview with James. A lot of detail there about lyrics for the new record and the vocal injury.

[Max Kuehnau]

The excitement surely is building.

[RoeDent]

That's a fantastic JLB interview. I love so much that he's still proud of The Astonishing. Even amongst the division that album caused, I've seen nothing but praise for his vocal delivery.

[Madman Shepherd]

Nearly facepalmed when I read that Viper King is about muscle cars but then he compared it to Highway Star and I paused and thought, well I guess that's a pretty kickass song

[fadetoblackdude7]

That's a fantastic JLB interview. I love so much that he's still proud of The Astonishing. Even amongst the division that album caused, I've seen nothing but praise for his vocal delivery.

IMO The Astonishing sits side by side with I&W and Awake for his best vocal performance. Absolutely amazing.

[RoeDent]

I wonder if its relatively trivial subject matter (certainly compared to the grief and rape of other tracks) is what's relegated Viper King to bonus-track status, rather than a fully-integrated album track.

It's a tad annoying that the label chose to go down the bonus-track route, when the band clearly stated that they knew all along which track was going to be the proper album closer; the track we now know as Pale Blue Dot.

[porcacultor]

I wonder if its relatively trivial subject matter (certainly compared to the grief and rape of other tracks) is what's relegated Viper King to bonus-track status, rather than a fully-integrated album track.

It's a tad annoying that the label chose to go down the bonus-track route, when the band clearly stated that they knew all along which track was going to be the proper album closer; the track we now know as Pale Blue Dot.

I wonder if it was the label or the band themselves. With Helloween, Markus (the bass player) was quite happy to write songs with different (sometimes lighter) subject matters and have them released as bonus tracks or B-Sides. Maybe the band already knew the song would stand out like that, I just don't know (but I get your complaint).

[CodyWanKenobi]

It's just really weird thinking that a DT album is going to have a bonus track.  😆

[IDontNotDoThings]

Yeah, I agree.

I really hope it doesn't turn out to be better than any of the album tracks.

[gzarruk]

Yeah, I agree.

I really hope it doesn't turn out to be better than any of the album tracks.

Most of the reviews posted here talk about Viper King as a cool track that doesn't really fit the style of the other tracks, so it makes sense it's listed as a bonus track. I think it'll be better than Out of Reach at best

[Dream Team]

Yeah, I agree.

I really hope it doesn't turn out to be better than any of the album tracks.

Most of the reviews posted here talk about Viper King as a cool track that doesn't really fit the style of the other tracks, so it makes sense it's listed as a bonus track. I think it'll be better than Out of Reach at best

I like the idea of DT doing a straight-ahead rock song Van Halen style. JP is great at that type of guitar playing.

[Kyo]

It's a tad annoying that the label chose to go down the bonus-track route, when the band clearly stated that they knew all along which track was going to be the proper album closer; the track we now know as Pale Blue Dot.

Why? You can just buy the edition without the bonus track if that bothers you.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I never like bonus tracks on any album I buy, from any artist. I believe in silence after the final track of the album. None of this '....but wait, there's more!' nonsense 😂

[Dedalus]

It's a tad annoying that the label chose to go down the bonus-track route, when the band clearly stated that they knew all along which track was going to be the proper album closer; the track we now know as Pale Blue Dot.

Why? You can just buy the edition without the bonus track if that bothers you.

Or press Stop when PBD comes to an end. 

[The Letter M]

Regarding the bonus track, that is definitely an Inside Out thing - a lot of their albums tend to have bonus tracks. Look at The Flower Kings, Transatlantic (in EU, they had bonus disc special editions), Spock's Beard, and who knows how many more (those are just ones I could think of off the top of my head). I think they wanted to entice fans to buy the version with the bonus track, make it seem more "exclusive".

I wonder if its relatively trivial subject matter (certainly compared to the grief and rape of other tracks) is what's relegated Viper King to bonus-track status, rather than a fully-integrated album track.

It's a tad annoying that the label chose to go down the bonus-track route, when the band clearly stated that they knew all along which track was going to be the proper album closer; the track we now know as Pale Blue Dot.

If indeed that PBD is the album closer, you can do what I always do with bonus tracks for albums - insert them into the running order of the album! Find a spot where you think it would sound best between two other songs and create your own running order. Heck, you could tinker with the WHOLE ALBUM if you want, just to keep PBD as the closer! I'll probably find a spot for the bonus track myself, unless it sounds like a good enough coda to the album.

-Marc.

[Lonk]

Guys, it's just a bonus track. Not every version will have it. Is meant to be separate from the album. I'm actually glad they are doing it as a bonus track since the rest of the album sounds like more serious topics. Vypers king is just something extra different than the rest of the album.

[noxon]

Viper King is a nice bonus track - it's like those mid credit sections in some movies - not really related to the story, but still a funny aside and your life just improves slightly for having experienced it

[MirrorMask]

If indeed that PBD is the album closer, you can do what I always do with bonus tracks for albums - insert them into the running order of the album! Find a spot where you think it would sound best between two other songs and create your own running order. Heck, you could tinker with the WHOLE ALBUM if you want, just to keep PBD as the closer! I'll probably find a spot for the bonus track myself, unless it sounds like a good enough coda to the album.

This is indeed one thing that annoys me with bonus tracks, that they're lazily slapped at the end of the album without being incorporated properly in the setlist.

Sure, maybe a song is an oddball and wouldn't find anywhere else in the tracklist, hence why it's a bonus, and sometimes covers or live versions are bonus tracks, but a normal studio song should find its place in the tracklist.

[the keyboard wizard]

Viper King is a nice bonus track - it's like those mid credit sections in some movies - not really related to the story, but still a funny aside and your life just improves slightly for having experienced it

I second that: Viper King does not fit the mood of the album, it's one of the most surprising song and I understand why they decided to put it as a bonus track. I hope we'll get to hear it live as it's just pure fun !

[Moor]

That's a fantastic JLB interview. I love so much that he's still proud of The Astonishing. Even amongst the division that album caused, I've seen nothing but praise for his vocal delivery.

IMO The Astonishing sits side by side with I&W and Awake for his best vocal performance. Absolutely amazing.

Totally agree!

[gzarruk]

Viper King is a nice bonus track - it's like those mid credit sections in some movies - not really related to the story, but still a funny aside and your life just improves slightly for having experienced it

Hey, Noxon, any words on Out of Reach? As it was discussed earlier, it's the only song the reviewers haven't said too much about, other than "oh, and there's a ballad in the album, whatever".