Room 137 discussion thread (POLL ADDED)

[KevShmev]

I figured it was about time the individual songs from the new album got their own threads, so why not take the plunge with Room 137!!

I can't say I am surprised that a lot of people seem to not be digging it a lot, at least compared to the other new songs, but I like it a lot, and I would say it is one of my 3-4 favorites thus far.

That riff is a monster, the lyrics are kinda cool, and it's a great "crank up in the car and rock out" song.   

[BelichickFan]

In the top half for me.  Behind AWE, PBD, maybe FitL.  Other than those, R137 might be my favorite.  Love the lyrics and feel, and the vocal effects combined with the lyrical content work really well too.

[cramx3]

It's near the bottom for me, but it's not bad.  I like the different style of this one and its a good rocker, just not as good as the rest though for me.

[kaos2900]

I'd say it's easily my least favorite on the album but it's growing on me. I don't hate it and it's nice to get something different from the band. Hearing the background of the story helps a bit. I just like all of the songs better so I don't think it will surpass the rest of the album.

[bosk1]

First few times I heard it, I couldn't get Blue Murder out of my head. 

This was the first song title and lyrical concept JP told me about a few months ago before we had song titles, and it sounded pretty cool.  I feel that the song definitely lives up to the hype I felt.  It's different from standard DT fare, and that's a good thing.  It's cool that Mike took such a liking to it so early on in the process and made it his.

[Zydar]

Right now I'd place it 2nd to last after Out Of Reach. Don't know why I don't seem to like it. I'm sure it will grow on me with time.

[Phoenix87x]

It starts out strong enough. The opening part is pretty catchy and brings The dark eternal night to mind as I listen to it, which is a song I like a a lot. I'm not really into the rest of Room 137 though.

[bosk1]

I guess this should be posted here:  Track by track for R137

https://youtu.be/mgiwc1Kjy0Y

[erwinrafael]

This is my third favorite track from D/T. It's so cohesive, like everything was purposeful without sounding stiff. And it's UNAFRAID of the DT fanbase.  I'm listening to it right now, and I still the ending psychedelia section still makes me smile because of the commitment of all the band members to the stylistic choice they made. Especially when Myung goes Sir Paul in that section. 

[Architeuthis]

That riff is a monster, the lyrics are kinda cool, and it's a great "crank up in the car and rock out" song.   

I love that riff and the guitar tone is insane!  I get the feeling that a T-rex is coming and it's time to run for our lives. There's a few riffs on this album that have the Tyrannosaur factor. 

[rab7]

I've been meaning to post this for a while but didn't know where:

My brother noticed something cool about the vocal melody in the verses.

He only dug into it because he didn't know the backstory and the lyric "137 Forevermore" resonated with him, so he wanted to figure out whether the numbers 1, 3, 7, and 4 (four-evermore) had any significance in the song.

The song is in B minor (or maybe B Dorian, I'm not sure).

If you consider the scale degrees of the B minor scale, then the vocal melodies of the verses ONLY use the numbers 1, 3, 4, and 7! (it's a flat-4 and there's also a sharp-7, but still)

The first "Someone" is B. That's 1.
The second "someone" is D. That's 3.
"Is" is Eb. That's the 4th degree but Flat.
"Dying" is B again.

"Tell" is A, the 7th degree, and "Me" is the 7th degree again, but sharp.

Edit: And if we accept this as a nugget and want to exclude the 4 entirely, we can say that the Flat-4 I mentioned is really a Sharp-3 (I don't know if that breaks any music theory laws, so correct me if I'm wrong)

[evilasiojr]

I've been meaning to post this for a while but didn't know where:

My brother noticed something cool about the vocal melody in the verses.

He only dug into it because he didn't know the backstory and the lyric "137 Forevermore" resonated with him, so he wanted to figure out whether the numbers 1, 3, 7, and 4 (four-evermore) had any significance in the song.

The song is in B minor (or maybe B Dorian, I'm not sure).

If you consider the scale degrees of the B minor scale, then the vocal melodies of the verses ONLY use the numbers 1, 3, 4, and 7! (it's a flat-4 and there's also a sharp-7, but still)

The first "Someone" is B. That's 1.
The second "someone" is D. That's 3.
"Is" is Eb. That's the 4th degree but Flat.
"Dying" is B again.

"Tell" is A, the 7th degree, and "Me" is the 7th degree again, but sharp.

Wow, that's something

Maybe it wasn't in purpose, but it surely adds meaning to the whole 137 obsession.

[erwinrafael]

All lines in the ending psychedelia section have 7 syllables.

Main riff is in 7/4.

Main riff has a swing feel, played in triplets.

137 was mentioned in the lyrics three times.

[nattmorker]

Great song! I'm really loving it. I find it different from the usual DT songs, and the riff is rocking. I like the lyrics and the psychodelic part.

So, Room 137 rocks!

[mikeyd23]

Cool song. It probably ranks as one of my least favorites on the record, but I still like it. JP's tone is crushing on the big heavy main riff. MM's drumming has a cool feel to it. Short and sweet.

[KevShmev]

To me, this is one of those songs where the vocal hook is in the verses and then the "chorus" is like the coda to the verses, if that makes sense.

[erwinrafael]

May I just add that this song puts to rest the argument that Mangini does not know how to swing.

[Fritzinger]

I love this song, too! Short, awesome, weird little tune with an unusual, bluesy turn during the guitar solo.

I was actually thinking about looking for connections between the number 137 and the music, but I never did. Didn't think I would find anything, but I figured, if there is a song with nuggets like this on the album, it's probably this one. It's awesome that there actually seems to be something! Love the theory, rab!!

[Chino]

Least favorite song on the album by far. I've been skipping it.

[nobloodyname]

Loved this tune from the first moment I heard it. It has a rather unique feel and it's quite different to most of DT's output. Brilliant.

[erwinrafael]

I love this song, too! Short, awesome, weird little tune with an unusual, bluesy turn during the guitar solo.

I was actually thinking about looking for connections between the number 137 and the music, but I never did. Didn't think I would find anything, but I figured, if there is a song with nuggets like this on the album, it's probably this one. It's awesome that there actually seems to be something! Love the theory, rab!!

According to the track-by-track video, the idea for the song actually started with Mangini noticing that they were playing at 137 bpm.

I find it amusing that the main riff is played with a 7/4 time signature  (7) swinging with a triple feel (3), with the china (?) cymbal hit at the quarter notes (1) of a 4/4 during the second half of the verse.

[1neeto]

First thing that came to my mind when that intro riff started was Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People. It's a fun song, but I can see why prog heads might dislike it.

[CirclesSquared]

My 4th most favorite song off the album.

I like this kind of heaviness from Petrucci, the The Lie/Mirror/ToT kind. The psychedelic bits really do it for me and I just LOVE that Beatles-esque chorus. That middle section is all sorts of good crazy as well. The lyrical subject matter is hitting all the right buttons with me.

Fierce and powerful without being overbearing. Feels pretty unique, too. A much more fitting song for a DT name than, say, Paralyzed which I find to be sort of too modern-y, mainstream-y.

[cramx3]

First thing that came to my mind when that intro riff started was Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People. It's a fun song, but I can see why prog heads might dislike it.

Yea, sounds very similar to that song which is very odd for DT, I think it becomes more of it's own song and not too much like it as it continues but that drum and riff are very similar.

[Dublagent66]

At first I thought it was referring to the room directly below 237 at the Overlook Hotel. 

[robwebster]

It's probably the song I'm most addicted to at the moment.

Like, I think At Wit's End and Barstool Warrior are better written, and S2N has more interesting stuff going on, but Viper King and Room 137 are the two I can't get out of my head and can't stop spinning.

It's very catchy, the riffs are great, and I love the lyrics now that I know what it's about. Absolutely killer track.

[bill1971]

It's not one my of my top favorites of the album but I LOVE it. More of a remark on the strength of the album than anything bad about the song. Love the way it's sung and love the lyrics. Some amazing riffing in that one too.

[PetFish]

First thing that came to my mind when that intro riff started was Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People. It's a fun song, but I can see why prog heads might dislike it.

I'm shocked more people aren't saying this, it's pretty much all I can hear, and not just the intro riff/drums, but also the lyric cadence.

Things like this make me wish they'd get an "outsider" to take a listen for similarities like this, either to their own work or someone else's, just like how Untethered Angel sounds so much like Outcry.

[cramx3]

First thing that came to my mind when that intro riff started was Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People. It's a fun song, but I can see why prog heads might dislike it.

I'm shocked more people aren't saying this, it's pretty much all I can hear, and not just the intro riff/drums, but also the lyric cadence.

Things like this make me wish they'd get an "outsider" to take a listen for similarities like this, either to their own work or someone else's, just like how Untethered Angel sounds so much like Outcry.

What makes me wonder about the similarity is there any intention?  As in, were DT in any way, inspired by Marilyn Manson or this song?  I don't recall ever hearing DT mention Manson and their music isn't very similar overall to have any real relation besides being in the metal genre.  It is a pretty obvious similarity.  My point is, did DT wear an influence on their sleeve as we've seen before or are DT just not aware of The Beautiful People?

[bosk1]

I just listened to the Manson song in question.  Two thoughts immediately leaped out at me:

1.  Other than the superficial similarity of being basically a swing beat with a heavy, staccato riff, they don't sound similar.

2.  I was reminded why I don't listen to Marilyn Manson.  I would love to have a refund on that 3:46 of my life.

[CirclesSquared]

The reason why more people aren't saying this is probably because they're saying it all over the place.

For the sake of it, I just went ahead and listened to Manson track (it took some will power, but I made it) and honestly? It's such a vague resemblance that I can't honestly believe people are making a big deal out of it.

Petrucci's riff is much fuller and rich in sound and the two don't even sound alike. Manson's simpler and very unremarkable, I have a feeling I've heard it million times before elsewhere.

2.  I was reminded why I don't listen to Marilyn Manson.  I would love to have a refund on that 3:46 of my life.

That too.

[porcacultor]

It's one of my favourite songs in the album. Reading all the reviews, it was definitely the one I was most hyped for, and it paid off.

But I didn't expect the Beatles section to touch me so much. It's just 3 repeated verses, but with the chord sequence and the way the vocals were treated, to me that part really conveyed the feeling of being that close to solving an unfathomable existential mystery. It's beautiful, really!

I just hope, if they do play it live, that they hook up LaBrie's vocals to a vocoder or have the synth-vox harmonies on a backing track or something. It'd be a top moment of the show and could win some people over that didn't dig the song as much in the album.

Also, the fun they have during the solos is transparent. One inch further with the "fun" and it could've detracted from the song, but they really made it work, to my ears at least.

Like someone else said in this thread, it's a song that's unafraid of the DT fandom. I love that!

One last thing: from what I had read, it seemed like MM sent the lyrics in a somewhat cruder form and that JP, JR and JL adjusted it somehow. In the track-by-track video though, JP makes a point that MM actually emphasized the syllables visually on the printed lyric sheet he handed them, so I guess what he wrote is pretty much what we hear in the final product. So cool! I hope there's more MM lyrics going forward.

[Progmetty]

Maybe the drumming, but it's not that similar and there recall years ago talking about other songs that sound like Beautiful People because of the drumming. I'll post when I think of one.
If there's one song that 137 instantly reminded me of; it's The Thing That Should Not Be. Not musically, but vibe-wise. There's genuine menacing atmosphere that's difficult to create without sounding cheesy. Like Thingy, 137 is very different than anything DT has ever done, up until Dream No More which I believe captured the same vibe.

[cramx3]

While the Manson and DT comparisons are only somewhat similar, if you had to listen to the song today you then it's safe to say you don't have that beat ingrained in your head.  My point being, if you already knew the Manson song well, the moment Room 137 kicks in you would immediately think about it as I and many others have commented (not just here, but on social media too I've seen it a lot). 

[erwinrafael]

But it's like saying that Manson has a monopoly on a swing beat in metal?