DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY

[brakkum]

When Systematic Chaos was released I thought it was a total turd. It's wild how expectations and first impressions can sometimes flush an album for good or so I thought. I recently revisited it and realized how brilliant it truly is, and by the way, this is now one of my favorite vocal performances by James. While the music is dark and sometimes meandering I have fully connected with it. A DT fan since day one and I'm still discovering beauty in older albums I never thought I would which gives me an even bigger appreciation for them than I already had.

That's funny, this album had the opposite long term journey for me. It was the first DT album I was a fan for at release, and loved it when it came out. But listening now I can appreciate parts of it, but some of it feels like a miss. Plus the production doesn't do it for me. 

[TAC]

When Systematic Chaos was released I thought it was a total turd. It's wild how expectations and first impressions can sometimes flush an album for good or so I thought. I recently revisited it and realized how brilliant it truly is, and by the way, this is now one of my favorite vocal performances by James. While the music is dark and sometimes meandering I have fully connected with it. A DT fan since day one and I'm still discovering beauty in older albums I never thought I would which gives me an even bigger appreciation for them than I already had.

I actually love Systematic Chaos and there's a bunch of more highly thought of albums that I take it over.
To me, it was a giant exhale album kind of thing. After reaching a sort of zenith with Score, it was hard to come back with something to match it, and yes, I know it feels like it didn't seem like they tried, but that's the beauty of SC. They went in and weren't beholden to anything. It leads to it sounding...fun.
Kind of like saying DT could whip out an album with their eyes closed kind of thing. That's this album.

And while I don't think they ever take full advantage of what James can do, what he's asked to do here, he is immaculate.

[Mosh]

It definitely feels like the band just having fun on a few songs, but two really slow meandering epics (Ministry and Repentance) just kill it. ITPOE Part 2 has grown on me quite a bit over the years though which helps my impression of the album quite a bit.

[Jamesman42]

SC was a huge let down when it came out. There is a lot of good but maybe an equal amount of bad.

TMOLS is one of their worst songs they've ever made.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

SC was a huge let down when it came out. There is a lot of good but maybe an equal amount of bad.

TMOLS is one of their worst songs they've ever made.

Yes indeed it is down there. More broadly, that album was a really lackluster point in the band's history. ITPOE is fantastic but everything else is either OK or not good.

[Jamesman42]

I love CM and TDEN, Repentance is just fine (and by far the worst of the AA suite). ITPOE is great and has grown on me since it came out. The rest is just not good.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I love CM and TDEN, Repentance is just fine (and by far the worst of the AA suite). ITPOE is great and has grown on me since it came out. The rest is just not good.

Do you find yourself listening to Repentance though?

I always thought of it as a listen once or twice but never found a reason or need to spin it again. It's very long for what it is.

[Jamesman42]

I haven't given the album a listen in many years (I think), but my gut tells me that I would get bored of Repentance about halfway through.

[TAC]

So Repentance is skippable 19 out of 20 listens, but every now and then, I do listen, and I really respect the direction they took with it. Even though I don't personally love it, I also think it's kind of an amazing track in its own right.

[gborland]

Wow. TMOLS and ITPOE2 are the only songs I can listen to on that album. TMOLS in particular is a guilty pleasure of mine.

[Ben_Jamin]

Repentance is a song I don't listen to often, but when it does come up on shuffle or when I'm listening to the album in full, I enjoy the atmosphere and how it has this mellow, calm, melancholy vibe.

In regards to it's placement within the AA Suite, It's placed at a great spot. The mood of the music reflects the steps. The steps about self-reflection, asking for forgiveness of these realizations to people you've wronged, are represented in the emotion that JLB delivers with the lyrics. I like JLBs warmer tone in the softer, calmer songs. I think it was a great idea to get other people to admit some personal wrongdoings and ask for that forgiveness from those that they harmed. The reason I consider that a great idea is that's how an AA meeting is. You have not only yourself, but the other people admitting their faults and wrongdoings, which is how I see the sampled musicians as being the others attending speaking up.

[Mladen]

Regarding Repentance, Mike posted the isolated speeches from the middle of the song on Facebook last week. I commented how I haven't been able to distinguish which voice Jon Anderson is, meaning I have no idea which of the words are his. Mike Portnoy actually answered that Jon didn't provide any spoken word, but that he's actually singing throughout the section.

I don't know what's more awesome. The fact that I had an interraction with Mike Portnoy, or that I finally have an answer to something I've been wondering for fifteen years. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Regarding Repentance, Mike posted the isolated speeches from the middle of the song on Facebook last week. I commented how I haven't been able to distinguish which voice Jon Anderson is, meaning I have no idea which of the words are his. Mike Portnoy actually answered that Jon didn't provide any spoken word, but that he's actually singing throughout the section.

I don't know what's more awesome. The fact that I had an interraction with Mike Portnoy, or that I finally have an answer to something I've been wondering for fifteen years. 

I wonder if those are Jon Anderson's "Ahhs" I hear at certain spots in that section?

[Mladen]

They absolutely are. The moment I relistened to that section after reading Mike's comment I realized what he was talking about.

[Ben_Jamin]

They absolutely are. The moment I relistened to that section after reading Mike's comment I realized what he was talking about.

Yup, and I love that section. I also enjoy the amazing JM bass  after.

[gzarruk]

I don't know what's more awesome. The fact that I had an interraction with Mike Portnoy, or that I finally have an answer to something I've been wondering for fifteen years. 

I know what you mean! I remember back in the day when MP would do Twitter Q&As and I got a couple replies from him through the years. This one was really cool:

[Jamesman42]

I think for me, Repentance is a good idea in theory but the execution doesn't do it for me, as much as I remember. I should relisten because maybe it's better than I remember.

Edit: Just relistened, it is better than I remember but the spoken word stuff doesn't do it for me. I know it means a lot to MP. The music is great, though.

[Dream Team]

Music is outstanding for sure, 2nd half should have been edited.

[ytserush]

When Systematic Chaos was released I thought it was a total turd. It's wild how expectations and first impressions can sometimes flush an album for good or so I thought. I recently revisited it and realized how brilliant it truly is, and by the way, this is now one of my favorite vocal performances by James. While the music is dark and sometimes meandering I have fully connected with it. A DT fan since day one and I'm still discovering beauty in older albums I never thought I would which gives me an even bigger appreciation for them than I already had.

It's a little better for me now than it was then. It's still my least favorite by quite a bit. But I've always liked Constant Motion, Repentance and Prophets Of War. Most of it is way to cartoony for me.

[ytserush]

That's funny, this album had the opposite long term journey for me. It was the first DT album I was a fan for at release, and loved it when it came out. But listening now I can appreciate parts of it, but some of it feels like a miss. Plus the production doesn't do it for me. 

It's really the only Dream Theater album that's a slog to get through. Very sonically fatiguing for me.

[CodyWanKenobi]

SC was a huge let down when it came out. There is a lot of good but maybe an equal amount of bad.

TMOLS is one of their worst songs they've ever made.

I hated TMOLS immediately when I first heard it, but somehow seeing it performed live changed my opinion on it and I don't hate it anymore. Albeit, I don't love it. But I can appreciate it at least.

[Polarbear]

I hated TMOLS immediately when I first heard it, but somehow seeing it performed live changed my opinion on it and I don't hate it anymore. Albeit, I don't love it. But I can appreciate it at least.

TMOLS is too long and spins it's wheels a lot, but it's far from being their worst song IMO.

My opinion on SC has remained consistent throughout the years. It's a middle of the pack DT album for me. It holds a bit of special nostalgia for me, as it was their newest album when I discovered them back in 2007.

[crystalstars17]

My opinion on SC has remained consistent throughout the years. It's a middle of the pack DT album for me.

Same, but I don't even give it a middling rank. It's an album of extreme high points (Forsaken, notably, is the bright star here and one of my top 10 favorite songs), a few listenable middle rank songs (ITPOE part 1, Dark Eternal Night, Ministry) and yet also contains their most annoying song ever (Constant Motion, I'm looking at you -  only Viper King is worse). The rest is like slogging through an abyss.

Among its redeeming qualities is a commendable performance by James, but as an album it's just too all over the place. And aside from the handful of aforementioned good songs, the vibe is just depressing and dark, and not in a good way.

I really hope this direction is not where they're headed with the new album. But take my opinion with a huge grain of salt, because it's the opinion of someone who ranks View and TA in the "masterpiece" echelon.

[nobloodyname]

Opinions, opinions, as ever! Forsaken is a bottom 10 song for me; it's horribly clichéd. Constant Motion would be in my top 40, largely because of the inspired jam section.

[ReaperKK]

SC is one of DT's best albums IMO.

[hunnus2000]

I like SC and I even like Forsaken but I have question, is the idea of the album more of a comic book fantasy? ITPoE and Forsaken remind me of that.

[Max Kuehnau]

Both of them were yes.

[Jamesman42]

I hated TMOLS immediately when I first heard it, but somehow seeing it performed live changed my opinion on it and I don't hate it anymore. Albeit, I don't love it. But I can appreciate it at least.

I saw it live on that tour and I didn't get the same change of opinion, unfortunately.

[Setlist Scotty]

I like SC and I even like Forsaken but I have question, is the idea of the album more of a comic book fantasy? ITPoE and Forsaken remind me of that.

All of JP's lyrics were more or less comic book fantasy or at least pure fiction, so that includes TDEN and TMoLS.

[crystalstars17]

Forsaken is a bottom 10 song for me; it's horribly clichéd.

I'm just curious, what about it makes you say that? If it's the lyrics, I can somewhat agree, but my high regard for the song is based mostly on the music. It has a lot of energy, is upbeat despite being in a minor key (a combination that I appreciate), and is just a good "hit" type of song (as in, it's not a 20-minute epic). I think it shows they can do it all. But as you say, "opinions"! 😁

[brakkum]

I'm just curious, what about it makes you say that? If it's the lyrics, I can somewhat agree, but my high regard for the song is based mostly on the music. It has a lot of energy, is upbeat despite being in a minor key (a combination that I appreciate), and is just a good "hit" type of song (as in, it's not a 20-minute epic). I think it shows they can do it all. But as you say, "opinions"! 😁

I find the lyrics cringy, and also find it musically pretty meh, not the worst but not anything memorable

[Progmaniac1988]

Same, but I don't even give it a middling rank. It's an album of extreme high points (Forsaken, notably, is the bright star here and one of my top 10 favorite songs), a few listenable middle rank songs (ITPOE part 1, Dark Eternal Night, Ministry) and yet also contains their most annoying song ever (Constant Motion, I'm looking at you -  only Viper King is worse). The rest is like slogging through an abyss.

Among its redeeming qualities is a commendable performance by James, but as an album it's just too all over the place. And aside from the handful of aforementioned good songs, the vibe is just depressing and dark, and not in a good way.


I really hope this direction is not where they're headed with the new album. But take my opinion with a huge grain of salt, because it's the opinion of someone who ranks View and TA in the "masterpiece" echelon.

Gotta agree, never understood the hate on forsaken. Super catchy. Great chorus. Overall great performance by James too. TMOLS is also fantastic imo. Great performance again by James, and I love the guitar outro. ITPOE pts 1 and 2 work best back to back too imo. Really great stuff on the album.

[Adami]

I really don't like Forsaken.

I dig the piano on a lot of it. Some of the music is good in general, but the vocals (not just the performance, but the writing) and most of the structure/style just do nothing for me. It felt like they listened to Evanescence and tried to do that but came up way short.

[MirrorMask]

Best song on Systematic Chaos, give me melodic DT and James' soaring vocals any time of the day 

[Dream Team]

I really don't like Forsaken.

I dig the piano on a lot of it. Some of the music is good in general, but the vocals (not just the performance, but the writing) and most of the structure/style just do nothing for me. It felt like they listened to Evanescence and tried to do that but came up way short.

Yes, more of the "let's sound like other bands" era of DT. Worst era by far.