"A Rite of Passage" -- 11 years later

[LCArenas]

Those of you who aren't a fan, why is that?

I really can't pinpoint it to a single thing. DT has always been a band that, no matter what sound  they're aiming for, always sound enthusiastic and exciting. AROP was the first time I felt rhat a DT song sounded... Uninspired. I was hyped to hear it back then since I discovered DT when they had just released Systematic Chaos, and I really wanted to like it, but it just felt... Stale to me. It reminded me of Pull Me Under way too much but without the amazing vocal melodies. MP's backup vocals didn't do anything for me either, and though I liked the tradeoff solos the first time I heard them, I can't really remember anything about them right now except for the Bebot solo, which I didn't like at all. Save for the lyrics it sounded like Pull me Under on steroids for me.

It's one of my lesser favorite DT songs, to be honest. It's not a bad song at all, but compared to the rest of DT's songs, it goes in the back of the catalog for me.

[Wim Kruithof]

Scrolling back and forth I came to this topic. Althought a Rite of Passage is really beautiful, it is for sure not my favorite on this album. Black Clouds & Silver Linings is (next to Train of Thought) my favorite Dream Theater album. I'll spin it at least twice a month. A Nightmare is insane (especially on Luna Park) and both the Shattered Fortress and the Count of Tuscany will be in my top 10 forever. The Count of Tuscany might be - to me - the best song they've ever written. I can't recall one song were LaBrie's voice is more tence and beautiful then at the final of Tuscany.

Althought I'm hugely in minority here, this album is close to perfect.

[darkshade]

I like AROP. Not a big favorite, but one of the better 'singles'. The only problem I have with it is that the transition back to the final chorus is incredibly awkward.

[DreamerTV]

I actually got to see it twice live.
But yeah, it has always sounded dull to me as well - and oh boy the lyrics 

[gabeh1018]

I really dig JP's solo
Haven't been much of a fan of his lead tone since then...

[kirksnosehair]

I love Black Clouds and Silver Linings, but "A Rite of Passage" for me is easily the weakest track on that album.  Most of the time when I play BC&SL I skip past it.  And that hasn't changed 11 years later.  I remember being worried that I was going to hate the album because of how I felt about this song, but it's still an upper tier DT album for me. 

[geeeemo]

I dig this song. Not a top 10 ( of which there are probably 20 songs  ).  But I always enjoy it, and that middle part, I head bang every time! 

[Ben_Jamin]

Ahh....Their Illuminati song.

I would enjoy it way more if it had a better way to go into the last chorus. And if the structure didn't follow the same as Constant Motion, even the solo rather than guitar its a keyboard note bomb dive.

This is where I noticed, Dream Theater is seeing more spotlight than before by being on the Roadrunner label.

[pg1067]

A Nightmare is insane (especially on Luna Park)

Eh?  A Nightmare to Remember isn't on Live at Luna Park.  In fact, nothing from BC&SL is on LALP.

As for AROP, I expressed my opinion a year ago on the prior page of this thread, and that opinion hasn't gotten better, but trying to rhyme "ideas" with "fears" is 

[bosk1]

Rhyme pays, fool!

[Wim Kruithof]

Eh?  A Nightmare to Remember isn't on Live at Luna Park.  In fact, nothing from BC&SL is on LALP.

You're right, sorry. Distant Memories of course. I've been 'Luna Parked' since the special edition with book came in, so beautiful.

[hefdaddy42]

Black Clouds & Silver Linings is (next to Train of Thought) my favorite Dream Theater album.

I'm glad you like it.  For me, it is near the bottom of the list.

[Nel_Annette]

Didn't we keep saying it sounded like a reprise of another song of theirs when it came out? Like "In the Name of God" or something? I remember a bunch of people saying the way the verses flowed sounded a lot like another DT song.

[RAIN]

Song is great, but as I've written before, the "sound" of the song doesn't match the rest of the album.  It's as if it was a demo version they just put on the album.  The production of this song seems to be lacking compared to the rest of the album, which is stellar.

[Architeuthis]

Black Clouds & Silver Linings is (next to Train of Thought) my favorite Dream Theater album.

I'm glad you like it.  For me, it is near the bottom of the list.

Same here.  Even though I like the album, it just has a darker strange kind of vibe.  The album before that. Systematic Chaos is dark but in a fun way.   

[gzarruk]

Didn't we keep saying it sounded like a reprise of another song of theirs when it came out? Like "In the Name of God" or something? I remember a bunch of people saying the way the verses flowed sounded a lot like another DT song.

I read somewhere here in DTF years ago that the main riff for AROP is basically the same riff in Misunderstood (4:07)

[deggs37]

Song is great, but as I've written before, the "sound" of the song doesn't match the rest of the album.  It's as if it was a demo version they just put on the album.  The production of this song seems to be lacking compared to the rest of the album, which is stellar.

I've noticed that as well. Seems slightly out of place because of that. Like a demo production as you said.

I actually like the song and enjoyed it when it came out. It's just about 3 minutes too long and I find myself reaching for the skip button.

Seemed like back in the 00's there was this huge problem in metal where everyone thought longer songs = better. And now we have all these bloated songs that could have been so much better without the fat. Just my opinion.

[Zook]

This thread inspired me to try my hand at editing the song down again. I kept all the solos, just cut some instrumental stanzas at the intro and between verses. Makes it more streamlined, and thus getting through the song quicker. I guess the song in general has aged well. Still kind of a slog, and not something I'll put in rotation (my phone will liking keep playing it every time I put it on shuffle causing me to just delete it), but it's not as bad as I remember. It was never really bad per se, just kinda boring. Still almost 8 minutes after the edit.

[Ben_Jamin]

It's not a bad song. It's just that it comes from the time where Dream Theater was starting to get in the rut of making songs long, for the sake of being long and including what is termed the "wank" instrumental sections, usually consisting of trade-off solos between JP and JR, with JR using his famous lead sound patches and tones.

This is also when Jordan Rudess, started utilizing more technology into his sound catalog, and I think MP just had to include the brand new be-bot toy app in a song. It was funny watching this song live for the first time when JR first started using an Ipad on stage. Me and My Friends thought he was gonna use his Iphone on stage.

[DTiwbwMP]

Love the song......Love the album

[ReaPsTA]

It's not a bad song. It's just that it comes from the time where Dream Theater was starting to get in the rut of making songs long, for the sake of being long and including what is termed the "wank" instrumental sections, usually consisting of trade-off solos between JP and JR, with JR using his famous lead sound patches and tones.

This is also when Jordan Rudess, started utilizing more technology into his sound catalog, and I think MP just had to include the brand new be-bot toy app in a song. It was funny watching this song live for the first time when JR first started using an Ipad on stage. Me and My Friends thought he was gonna use his Iphone on stage.

Agreed. The video edit has flaws, but everything has more a sense of urgency to it doesn't milk every little moment for every drop of what it's worth.

[Dedalus]

When I listened to AROP I wasn't so surprised, after all the band had already provided unbelievable gems before, like Forsaken and TDEN.

But it's absolutely horrible.   

[SeRoX]

Was bad, still bad.

[Kram]

Maybe my least favorite song in all of their discography.  Instant skip whenever I hear it.

[CodyWanKenobi]

It's definitely my least favorite on BC&SL. Also, that one keyboard solo thing is just kind of stupid imo. You know the one I'm talking about.

[TM172003]

It's definitely my least favorite on BC&SL. Also, that one keyboard solo thing is just kind of stupid imo. You know the one I'm talking about.

I like the song, but I hate that bit. I really don't get it.

[Ben_Jamin]

 

It's definitely my least favorite on BC&SL. Also, that one keyboard solo thing is just kind of stupid imo. You know the one I'm talking about.

I like the song, but I hate that bit. I really don't get it.

This was when Rudess began diving into the new technological music revolution. I find that part a bit, gimmicky, and just JR wanting to showcase the brand new technology he helped make. I actually do not mind the cool intro to that part. When he played this live, it did not sound as great as the album version.

[darkshade]

On paper, I should be tired of As I Am and AROP should be getting better with age, instead, I never tire of hearing AIM when I listen to Train of Thought, however, AROP is merely tolerable for me if I listen to the entirety of BC&SL, and sometimes I'll skip it. As I Am is just the better hit single from Dream Theater.

[brents319]

I have always loved this song.  The bridge/chorus seems really long to me but, apparently that doesn't bother me too much.  I don't have a problem with the full album version and a small problem with the edited single/video version (it seems choppy at some of the edit points).  Hilariously, my profile icon is the cover of.....well, you probably figured it out.

[Mr.Mister]

Not among my favorite DT songs and one I don't listen often. I do like the riff in the first chorus, and the instrumental is fun (JP monster solo is top notch). I actually don't mind the iPhone solo - keeps things refreshing though IMO it doesn't sound good live at all .

What I don't like about this song is that it feels very formulaic - had it finished at the instrumentals I think I'd listen to it more often but by the time they come back to the chorus one last time at the end I'm already bored of it.

[hefdaddy42]

Not much to like here for me.  I don't remember the last time I listened to this song.

Well, it was the last time I listened to BC&SL.  But that's my least favorite DT album, so I don't remember when that was.

[XJDenton]

The fact I had to bring the song up in Spotify to remind myself of how it went says a lot about how I feel about it - which is not much apparently.

[jayvee3]

Generally fairly skippable for me, but has a nice enough chorus, and is overall pretty inoffensive. I actually prefer the video edited version, and like others have mentioned, seemed to be at a time where there was extra song length for the sake of it which actually kind of detracts from the song. The odd iPhone solo thing just doesn't fit at all and seems very clunky... A good example of one song where it should have been a 5 minute-r.

Oddly, still one of the better tracks on Black Clouds for me (bar the Count), which overall I find pretty "meh"...

[darkshade]

I don't dislike the song, it's not a bad song. I like BC&SL on the whole, despite its flaws.

[Dublagent66]

The fact I had to bring the song up in Spotify to remind myself of how it went says a lot about how I feel about it - which is not much apparently.

Why did you have to bring it up on Spotify?  You don't have the album?