Parasomnia Timeline Thread

[crystalstars17]

–If it 'had' to be a concept album, I'd much prefer a story in the vein of SFAM as opposed to the dystopian 2112-retread that was TA.

But but... TA *was* M3, lol!    Wasn't that all but confirmed in the interview last week?   

And that was seriously my last laugh for the M3-proponents, as I know how they LOVVVVE TA so very much!!!   
 

All joking(? ) aside, I agree with every single word of TheBarstoolWarrior's post above.

Every. Word.

[Max Kuehnau]

Nothing in the last 25 years indicated that there could have been more, so them coming up with "Metropolis part 3" would feel absolutely gratuitous and an attempt to ride on nostalgia.

I absolutely agree, but keep in mind that they are capitalising on nostalgia anyway, or at least that has always been my impression (for no reason that makes sense to me to me mind you), simply because MP is back in the band. If that doesn't scream nostalgia, I wouldn't know what else would. (and that's irrespective of what DT16 has turned out to be, not a slight on anyone in DT here, as ever, but you might get the idea)

[crystalstars17]

If that doesn't scream nostalgia, I wouldn't know what else would.

They don't need it! 😔

[hefdaddy42]

Making DT16 Metropolis Pt. 3 is the worst possible thing.

[Max Kuehnau]

They don't need it! 😔

Yeah, of course not. They don't need to make Met3 (nor would I want them to btw). I just think having MP back in the band is due to nostalgia in some ways (or it might not be, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was an aspect that influenced the decision of him being back)

[Max Kuehnau]

Making DT16 Metropolis Pt. 3 is the worst possible thing.

yeah, most of us here think so

[Zydar]

Making DT16 Metropolis Pt. 3 is the worst possible thing.

That would be "The Astonishing 2: Electric Boogaloo". 

[hefdaddy42]

That would be "The Astonishing 2: Electric Boogaloo".

That would be better than Metropolis Pt. 3

[CraftyCaleb2483]

That would be "The Astonishing 2: Electric Boogaloo".

[obro]

MP is no stranger to revisiting material from the past, is there anything else besides testimony 2?

[CraftyCaleb2483]

MP is no stranger to revisiting material from the past, is there anything else besides testimony 2?

Testimony 2 is Neal Morse's album, so I don't think that counts

[Stadler]

Testimony 2 is Neal Morse's album, so I don't think that counts

AND it's a sort of special album in the sense that it's a continuing narrative of HIS spiritual journey, something he feels obligated to do for his faith (a "testimony" which is a thing in his faith; google it), not some arbitrary continuation of a fabricated fiction...

[HOF]

Metropolis pt. 3 would feel like fan service that fans by and large are not asking for. Mostly it makes me think of how unnecessary the Operation: Mindcrime 2 thing was by Queensryche. There's nowhere to go there but down, so why even try?

[CraftyCaleb2483]

AND it's a sort of special album in the sense that it's a continuing narrative of HIS spiritual journey, something he feels obligated to do for his faith (a "testimony" which is a thing in his faith; google it), not some arbitrary continuation of a fabricated fiction...

Exactly, though I don't think obligated is quite the right word, more like he wants to express how much Jesus has done for him through song writing, to share his faith with others, and various circumstances such as the story of his daughter, that needed a whole new album so that they could be expressed as well 

[HOF]

Testimony 2 wasn't a revisiting of a concept album, it was just more of Neal's life story that he wanted to tell. It wasn't like he had to find a way to make reopen the story and make a satisfying sequel. It was just writing more songs about his life.

[DT05]

Well, there's only so much more you can do with a third iteration of a theme, I reckon that since MT Part 2 was so successful, we'll be left feeling disappointed if MT Part 3 comes out and it's not as good, because that's probably what's going to happen

I can think of a few exciting approaches to a Metropolis, pt. 3 storyline:
a. follow the therapist character immediately after he kills Nick
b. elaborate more to the details of Victoria's life since we know so little about her other than how she died
c. follow an entirely new cast of individuals while leaning on the reincarnation theme
d. completely bypass Scenes From a Memory and craft M3 based on themes not touched from Metropolis, pt. 1
e. finally reveal that the original lyric is "Death was the First Dancing Turtle"

Making DT16 Metropolis Pt. 3 is the worst possible thing.

I really wonder what the discourse would be on this board if it gets revealed. Are you prepared to retcon this if such a reveal occurs?

[CraftyCaleb2483]

I can think of a few exciting approaches to a Metropolis, pt. 3 storyline:
a. follow the therapist character immediately after he kills Nick
b. elaborate more to the details of Victoria's life since we know so little about her other than how she died
c. follow an entirely new cast of individuals while leaning on the reincarnation theme
d. completely bypass Scenes From a Memory and craft M3 based on themes not touched from Metropolis, pt. 1

I was thinking musically rather than storyline

e. finally reveal that the original lyric is "Death was the First Dancing Turtle"

[CraftyCaleb2483]

Testimony 2 wasn't a revisiting of a concept album, it was just more of Neal's life story that he wanted to tell. It wasn't like he had to find a way to make reopen the story and make a satisfying sequel. It was just writing more songs about his life.

At some point Bosk1 is going to pop in and say, 'take this to the P/R thread, ahem, I mean the Neal Morse thread!'

[emtee]

Only thing that matters to me is the music and production quality.

Story, album title, Met 3...none of it matters to me.

[hefdaddy42]

I really wonder what the discourse would be on this board if it gets revealed. Are you prepared to retcon this if such a reveal occurs?

Why would I retcon it?

[The Letter M]

*Obviously* DT16 will be a sequel to Octavarium, since 16 is just 8 x 2. It'll be the next octave up.

-Marc.

[HOF]

They're gonna have to speed it up like the chipmunks to get all the way up to that second octave.

[brakkum]

I just did that for The Root of All Evil out of curiosity. I don't think they'll be able to play that live 

[MoraWintersoul]

- The story in part 2 being self contained, with everyone dying in two timelines except for the villain. leaving aside the general theme of reincarnation which is basically an excuse to "reboot" the story any time, there's nothing left to know in the story, there's no need to know more

Reincarnation basically is an open door to rebooting the story any time since the story itself is about reincarnation The reason why I would reboot it is because it ends on a down note, and it would be poetic justice to have an iteration of the story where the cycle of violence and murder is broken. Also because the story in both parts, the first "part" being more of a joke part but still, contains three "dances", but we only have Metropolis pt.1 and 2. While they did go through all three dances in both parts, you could always have a third part for that prog symmetry and sense of completion.

I don't know, I don't think this is the next album but I think it's going to happen within the next couple of albums. SFAM is their legacy, one of their most respected and loved albums and their addition to the progressive concept album canon, it may be too tempting to try and add to it if they get a great idea.

[WilliamMunny]

Reincarnation basically is an open door to rebooting the story any time since the story itself is about reincarnation The reason why I would reboot it is because it ends on a down note, and it would be poetic justice to have an iteration of the story where the cycle of violence and murder is broken. Also because the story in both parts, the first "part" being more of a joke part but still, contains three "dances", but we only have Metropolis pt.1 and 2. While they did go through all three dances in both parts, you could always have a third part for that prog symmetry and sense of completion.

I don't know, I don't think this is the next album but I think it's going to happen within the next couple of albums. SFAM is their legacy, one of their most respected and loved albums and their addition to the progressive concept album canon, it may be too tempting to try and add to it if they get a great idea.

All the more reason to leave it be.

[Stadler]

Yeah, but look at Queensryche. They did such a good job going back to the "Operation Mindcrime" well. 

[WilliamMunny]

Yeah, but look at Queensryche. They did such a good job going back to the "Operation Mindcrime" well. 

That would be Exhibit A in my case

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I can think of a few exciting approaches to a Metropolis, pt. 3 storyline:
a. follow the therapist character immediately after he kills Nick
b. elaborate more to the details of Victoria's life since we know so little about her other than how she died
c. follow an entirely new cast of individuals while leaning on the reincarnation theme
d. completely bypass Scenes From a Memory and craft M3 based on themes not touched from Metropolis, pt. 1
e. finally reveal that the original lyric is "Death was the First Dancing Turtle"

I really wonder what the discourse would be on this board if it gets revealed. Are you prepared to retcon this if such a reveal occurs?

Why not just make a different album instead of going through all these contortions you list that try to somehow revive a finished story?

[CraftyCaleb2483]

Yeah, but look at Queensryche. They did such a good job going back to the "Operation Mindcrime" well. 

Sorry for the stupid question but what does the green font mean in forum context?

[Schurftkut]

sarcasm

[CraftyCaleb2483]

sarcasm

I see, thanks!

[gzarruk]

To staple M3 to Mike Portnoy's return would seem to even further double down on nostalgia. I think the band still has a lot of creativity left in the tank and has no reason to resuscitate a story that they properly closed out.

This sums it up perfectly.

[Stadler]

I see, thanks!

Don't listen to Shurftkut, he's being sarcastic.

I kid, he's correct; I meant that statement to be 100% sarcasm; I think Operation Mindcrime II blows.

[Max Kuehnau]

Yeah I mean, anytime I want to listen to Q-Ryche, OM2 is rarely ever one I go back to (although I listened to Mindcrime At The Moore where they play both of them in succession), I much prefer The Warning up until Empire (and possibly Promised Land as well)

[SeRoX]

What if... the band responds to the fans by doing one conceptional song named Metropolis-3 to end the story. (if there is an end though in that story.)

I don't see it happening though.