Dream Theater announces 16th Studio Album - Parasomnia

[The Letter M]

Thanks for the heads up on Laser CD having their orders up, just ordered the box set! A bit cheaper than I thought it'd go for, too!

-Marc.

[Another_Won]

Just preordered the 2cd/BR + Artbook bundle on LaserCD.  You have to search specifically for 'Parasomnia' to get it to appear in the Dream Theater results.  Order completed, though

Same here.  Now the long wait for Feb 7th

[Kocak]

None of the other bands who have a deal with Inside Out specify that it is a Sony Music subsidiary. I have always found it interesting that DT does. Arguably, they are the biggest band on the roster, but I think it just looks a bit odd.

[Max Kuehnau]

might have something to do with DT having been the first band signed to them after they were acquired by Sony. Or it might not.

[hefdaddy42]

CONFIRMED: Parasomnia doubles as the soundtrack to season 2 of The Sandman, coming soon on Netflix^TM

[wolven74]

Any ideas when the album will be available for pre-order on iTunes?

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I was looking for the US pre order and couldn't find anything.

[Shadowmangini]

It almost feels like we're getting Wait for Sleep, pt. 2: Parasomnia with this. I'm very into the roots of the theme.
VERY glad that they used AI for that cover as well. It looks terrific.

[MinistroRaven]

I was looking for the US pre order and couldn't find anything.

https://www.lasercd.com/search_results?fulltext=parasomnia
https://dream-theater.lnk.to/ParasomniaAlbum

[cramx3]

Oh. That's not very clever. I hadn't noticed.

That's my issue right now, I didn't spot that immediately, but now that I see the door knob, I can't stop looking at it.

VERY glad that they used AI for that cover as well. It looks terrific.

I'm glad someone likes it.  I actually like the concept of these arts.  It's the execution.  I guess no one looked closely? Maybe it's just not important.  It really is all about the music at the end of the day.

[Jamesman42]

The only DT album art I can say that I like is Octavarium. The rest of their arts are irrelevant for me. Train of Thought and SDOIT are decent enough.

[ZirconBlue]

The InsideOut store says the box set is already sold out.  I was able to order through LaserCD, though.

[XJDenton]

The only DT album art I can say that I like is Octavarium.

My inner physicist forbids me from liking it.

[Progmaniac1988]

https://www.lasercd.com/search_results?fulltext=parasomnia
https://dream-theater.lnk.to/ParasomniaAlbum

Thanks for sharing this! Prices were much lower than century media, and priority shipping only $9!


I preordered the cd/bluray artbook and the deep blue vinyl. I forgot abt lasercd! I also used them for my VFTTOTW preorder. Arrived pretty quickly if I remember correctly.

[Jamesman42]

My inner physicist forbids me from liking it.

The physics defying is one of the things that makes me like it. It cannot exist, but it evokes something in me to think how it could.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

https://www.lasercd.com/search_results?fulltext=parasomnia
https://dream-theater.lnk.to/ParasomniaAlbum

Love you!

[Uncle Rico]

I pretty much have zero hopes or expectations for this album. More on that later. As for the single, it's exactly what I assumed it would be — more of the same. I've never been a fan of what I would call their dark "gothic" sound (A Nightmare to Remember, Invisible Monster, etc), and prefer their more natural, organic and melancholic dark sound, like Awake. This just feels really forced and put on, like they're trying to be something they're not. Like they're trying to appeal to teenagers that shop at Hot Topic. It feels like a leftover track from the Black Clouds sessions, and maybe a little bit of Systematic Chaos.

This band stopped being a true "progressive" band somewhere after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Train of Thought, or if we're being generous, Octavarium. If you listen to everything from WDADU through SDOIT; each album is drastically different from the previous, and the next. Stylistically, creatively, compositionally; however you want to phrase it. To the point where it's hard to believe it's even the same band. This would also occur song to song, on the same album. Going from a song like Pull Me Under to Another Day — to me, that's the true essence of what it means to be progressive. Stylistically and structurally, Train of Thought was really just a whole album extension of The Glass Prison; Octavarium recycled a lot of the same song writing structures and formulas that were established on earlier albums, and it's pretty much been the same ever since. Literally the only album I can think of that broke the mold a tiny bit was The Astonishing, which is great, if you like Disney soundtracks with some overdriven guitar here and there.

They're not so much a band anymore; more like a "brand". Every album is the same old rehashed, recycled ideas. Same old bag of tricks. Same old "been there, done that". It would've been nice to hear them finally try something new, and explore new ground, but after so many "by the numbers" albums, I don't expect them to ever change, or get back to being truly progressive at this point. It's disappointing that with Portnoy back, rather than trying something new, they literally just picked up where they left off with Black Clouds.

The odd time signatures, the virtuoso instrumental sections, the trading solos and obligatory unison — this doesn't make you prog. Progressing from album to album, trying new things, mixing genres — this makes you prog. It's sad to see all the younger, newer bands that have come out, inspired by Dream Theater, to be more progressive and inventive than the very band that inspired them in the first place. I honestly feel like DT have watered down their legacy at this point. And, it has nothing to do with who's behind the drum-kit. I would chalk the problem up more to Petrucci and Rudess.

DT's catalog has kinda gone the way of the MCU (or pick whichever film franchise you can think of that started off great, but then just got worse and worse), where it's about quantity over quality. I mean, surely they've put all their kids through college by now, right? They reaaallly need a break from the constant cycle of write, record, tour, write, record, tour. It feels like an assembly line at this point. Like they're just churning out as much as they can. The only way I see them returning to being a truly "progressive", creative and inventive band, is if they take a serious chunk of time off, and then come back with a clean slate. However, with Portnoy rejoining the band, I just don't see that happening.

I was one of the few fans who really couldn't have cared less about Portnoy coming back, because I knew regardless of who was on drums, their writing would continue to be generic, stale, formulaic, etc. Plus, despite only liking the first album with Mangini, I really didn't like their treatment of him, and the manner in which they fired him, after 13 years of hard work and dedication. So, Petrucci and Rudess are suddenly on good terms with Portnoy again, and they did LTE 3, and Petrucci had Portnoy play on his second solo album...okay? So what? Why does that mean he all of a sudden gets to rejoin the band? It's like your wife leaves you, for another younger, more popular guy (we all know the band he left them for, and then got told no), and then you re-marry, and then 13 years later your ex comes back around, and suddenly you just kick your wife to the curb — after 13 years of bonding and shared life experiences. It was just not right, and just on principle, I was not okay with Portnoy coming back. I felt this way, despite not caring for most of what they put out with Mangini, because I knew the albums being "DT by numbers" had nothing to do with him. In addition, to this day, I feel they never really utilized Mangini to his full potential, and it seemed a waste to kick him out, for an objectively more limited and less skilled drummer (and it's not just about chops; Mangini is far more diverse and well-rounded, stylistically). Notice I didn't say an inferior drummer — I get music is art and art is subjective. But, a more limited and less skilled drummer, to be sure. Mangini doesn't just recycle the same old basic rudimentary fills, over and over. With Portnoy, despite loving his groove, style and creativity...it's like the guy got to a certain level of proficiency, and said "Okay, I'm good, I'm done. I don't need to expand my playing or keep up with practice anymore." None of the other guys are like that, so in that sense, I feel Mangini was a better fit.

Another issue that just baffles me at this point, which absolutely needs to be addressed, is LaBrie and the band's insistence that he can still hit those high notes live. He can't. I've seen DT 42 times live (mostly in the 90's and early 2000's), and literally the last 10 times, LaBrie was so off it was cringeworthy, face palm worthy, downright embarrassing — however you want to phrase it. It's time for LaBrie to accept his current vocal range and limitations, and age gracefully. It's honestly crazy to me. I feel like Will Ferrell's character in Zoolander. Can Petrucci and Rudess and the others honestly not notice how horribly off pitch (flat) he is live? Seriously? How bad his enunciation has become? Musicians of this caliber don't notice this basic stuff? Really?! I was honestly baffled Portnoy would even consider rejoining the group, just out of embarrassment by association. I've never been one to think the solution is to fire LaBrie — when he's on, I love the sound of his voice. It wouldn't be fair to fire him over natural aging of vocal cords, which isn't his fault. Replacing him with a younger more capable singer would also be a dick move. They need to stop writing vocal melodies he can't reproduce live, and stick to his current range. They also need to go back through the catalog, and re-work all the hardest/highest vocal melodies, to fit his current range. This is the elephant in the room that has been ignored for far, far too many years now. I'm pretty sure most fans would rather hear a re-worked melody that's in tune, than hear the original screeched like a dying cat.

As far as the live tour, assuming they play anything at all from the Mangini era....there's absolutely no way in hell Portnoy will do anywhere near as good a job of playing Mangini's parts, as Mangini did playing Portnoy's. He will have to dumb them down quite a bit, as I really don't see him being willing to put in all that time and effort (the way Mangini did) to learn them. Petrucci already confirmed there's no way in hell they're ditching The Alien, thanks to the Grammy, so it'll be hysterical watching Portnoy try that one.

Just like the last 4 albums, I won't be buying or paying full price for this one, but will happily stream it for what amounts to not even a few cents, only to go "yep, just how I knew it would go." I have zero interest or intention of seeing them live ever again, and will not be spending money on a ticket or merchandise, supporting a band that doesn't value loyalty and hard work, evidenced by their treatment of Mangini.

Dream Theater are not a progressive band, anymore. They are a "recycling" band. Contrast that to Vai and Di Meola, who take plenty of time between albums, who do evolve over time, who do try new styles and song structures, who do still re-invent themselves, all these years later. Sure, you can still hear their signature phrasing, but they still sound different, album to album. They're still progressive because they're literally progressing. With DT, it's almost like the natural characteristics and by-products of their chemistry and writing, that they got known for early on, slowly over time started to dictate the writing process of the next album. It's like they go down a checklist of what the fans want or expect: odd time signatures. Check. Long overblown instrumental sections that overstay their welcome. Check. Trading solos. Check. Unisons. Check. Obligatory epic, to the point where there's so many now, a long epic is no longer special. Check. Impossibly high vocal melodies that LaBrie won't be able to hit live. Check. This 40th anniversary tour should honestly be their farewell tour. They've been scraping the bottom of the creativity barrel for well over a decade now.

Just my 2 cents, however I know I'm not alone on many of these viewpoints, as I've seen them expressed all over YouTube and elsewhere (not to mention all my music buddies that feel mostly the same way). Oh well. DT will forever be a nostalgia band at this point. It was fun while it lasted. They gave us 6...maybe 7 or 8 truly magnificent albums. Glad I can still go back and listen to those anytime I want.

[cramx3]

The only DT album art I can say that I like is Octavarium. The rest of their arts are irrelevant for me. Train of Thought and SDOIT are decent enough.

Yeah, honestly, I think DT's art has never been "good" but the older you go, the better it was, I think.  Even with some of the clip art, it wasn't bad album covers.  I just don't understand the perceived laziness that has taken over their art work.  The music is all the matters, I understand, but DT are an "artsy" band and it feels to me like that's something they can easily do better.  I won't hammer on this anymore, at least until the next single's art work comes out. 

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I pretty much have zero hopes or expectations for this album. More on that later. As for the single, it's exactly what I assumed it would be — more of the same. I've never been a fan of what I would call their dark "gothic" sound (A Nightmare to Remember, Invisible Monster, etc), and prefer their more natural, organic and melancholic dark sound, like Awake. This just feels really forced and put on, like they're trying to be something they're not. Like they're trying to appeal to teenagers that shop at Hot Topic. It feels like a leftover track from the Black Clouds sessions, and maybe a little bit of Systematic Chaos.

This band stopped being a true "progressive" band somewhere after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Train of Thought, or if we're being generous, Octavarium. If you listen to everything from WDADU through SDOIT; each album is drastically different from the previous, and the next. Stylistically, creatively, compositionally; however you want to phrase it. To the point where it's hard to believe it's even the same band. This would also occur song to song, on the same album. Going from a song like Pull Me Under to Another Day — to me, that's the true essence of what it means to be progressive. Stylistically and structurally, Train of Thought was really just a whole album extension of The Glass Prison; Octavarium recycled a lot of the same song writing structures and formulas that were established on earlier albums, and it's pretty much been the same ever since. Literally the only album I can think of that broke the mold a tiny bit was The Astonishing, which is great, if you like Disney soundtracks with some overdriven guitar here and there.

They're not so much a band anymore; more like a "brand". Every album is the same old rehashed, recycled ideas. Same old bag of tricks. Same old "been there, done that". It would've been nice to hear them finally try something new, and explore new ground, but after so many "by the numbers" albums, I don't expect them to ever change, or get back to being truly progressive at this point. It's disappointing that with Portnoy back, rather than trying something new, they literally just picked up where they left off with Black Clouds.

The odd time signatures, the virtuoso instrumental sections, the trading solos and obligatory unison — this doesn't make you prog. Progressing from album to album, trying new things, mixing genres — this makes you prog. It's sad to see all the younger, newer bands that have come out, inspired by Dream Theater, to be more progressive and inventive than the very band that inspired them in the first place. I honestly feel like DT have watered down their legacy at this point. And, it has nothing to do with who's behind the drum-kit. I would chalk the problem up more to Petrucci and Rudess.

DT's catalog has kinda gone the way of the MCU (or pick whichever film franchise you can think of that started off great, but then just got worse and worse), where it's about quantity over quality. I mean, surely they've put all their kids through college by now, right? They reaaallly need a break from the constant cycle of write, record, tour, write, record, tour. It feels like an assembly line at this point. Like they're just churning out as much as they can. The only way I see them returning to being a truly "progressive", creative and inventive band, is if they take a serious chunk of time off, and then come back with a clean slate. However, with Portnoy rejoining the band, I just don't see that happening.

I was one of the few fans who really couldn't have cared less about Portnoy coming back, because I knew regardless of who was on drums, their writing would continue to be generic, stale, formulaic, etc. Plus, despite only liking the first album with Mangini, I really didn't like their treatment of him, and the manner in which they fired him, after 13 years of hard work and dedication. So, Petrucci and Rudess are suddenly on good terms with Portnoy again, and they did LTE 3, and Petrucci had Portnoy play on his second solo album...okay? So what? Why does that mean he all of a sudden gets to rejoin the band? It's like your wife leaves you, for another younger, more popular guy (we all know the band he left them for, and then got told no), and then you re-marry, and then 13 years later your ex comes back around, and suddenly you just kick your wife to the curb — after 13 years of bonding and shared life experiences. It was just not right, and just on principle, I was not okay with Portnoy coming back. I felt this way, despite not caring for most of what they put out with Mangini, because I knew the albums being "DT by numbers" had nothing to do with him. In addition, to this day, I feel they never really utilized Mangini to his full potential, and it seemed a waste to kick him out, for an objectively more limited and less skilled drummer (and it's not just about chops; Mangini is far more diverse and well-rounded, stylistically). Notice I didn't say an inferior drummer — I get music is art and art is subjective. But, a more limited and less skilled drummer, to be sure. Mangini doesn't just recycle the same old basic rudimentary fills, over and over. With Portnoy, despite loving his groove, style and creativity...it's like the guy got to a certain level of proficiency, and said "Okay, I'm good, I'm done. I don't need to expand my playing or keep up with practice anymore." None of the other guys are like that, so in that sense, I feel Mangini was a better fit.

Another issue that just baffles me at this point, which absolutely needs to be addressed, is LaBrie and the band's insistence that he can still hit those high notes live. He can't. I've seen DT 42 times live (mostly in the 90's and early 2000's), and literally the last 10 times, LaBrie was so off it was cringeworthy, face palm worthy, downright embarrassing — however you want to phrase it. It's time for LaBrie to accept his current vocal range and limitations, and age gracefully. It's honestly crazy to me. I feel like Will Ferrell's character in Zoolander. Can Petrucci and Rudess and the others honestly not notice how horribly off pitch (flat) he is live? Seriously? How bad his enunciation has become? Musicians of this caliber don't notice this basic stuff? Really?! I was honestly baffled Portnoy would even consider rejoining the group, just out of embarrassment by association. I've never been one to think the solution is to fire LaBrie — when he's on, I love the sound of his voice. It wouldn't be fair to fire him over natural aging of vocal cords, which isn't his fault. Replacing him with a younger more capable singer would also be a dick move. They need to stop writing vocal melodies he can't reproduce live, and stick to his current range. They also need to go back through the catalog, and re-work all the hardest/highest vocal melodies, to fit his current range. This is the elephant in the room that has been ignored for far, far too many years now. I'm pretty sure most fans would rather hear a re-worked melody that's in tune, than hear the original screeched like a dying cat.

As far as the live tour, assuming they play anything at all from the Mangini era....there's absolutely no way in hell Portnoy will do anywhere near as good a job of playing Mangini's parts, as Mangini did playing Portnoy's. He will have to dumb them down quite a bit, as I really don't see him being willing to put in all that time and effort (the way Mangini did) to learn them. Petrucci already confirmed there's no way in hell they're ditching The Alien, thanks to the Grammy, so it'll be hysterical watching Portnoy try that one.

Just like the last 4 albums, I won't be buying or paying full price for this one, but will happily stream it for what amounts to not even a few cents, only to go "yep, just how I knew it would go." I have zero interest or intention of seeing them live ever again, and will not be spending money on a ticket or merchandise, supporting a band that doesn't value loyalty and hard work, evidenced by their treatment of Mangini.

Dream Theater are not a progressive band, anymore. They are a "recycling" band. Contrast that to Vai and Di Meola, who take plenty of time between albums, who do evolve over time, who do try new styles and song structures, who do still re-invent themselves, all these years later. Sure, you can still hear their signature phrasing, but they still sound different, album to album. They're still progressive because they're literally progressing. With DT, it's almost like the natural characteristics and by-products of their chemistry and writing, that they got known for early on, slowly over time started to dictate the writing process of the next album. It's like they go down a checklist of what the fans want or expect: odd time signatures. Check. Long overblown instrumental sections that overstay their welcome. Check. Trading solos. Check. Unisons. Check. Obligatory epic, to the point where there's so many now, a long epic is no longer special. Check. Impossibly high vocal melodies that LaBrie won't be able to hit live. Check. This 40th anniversary tour should honestly be their farewell tour. They've been scraping the bottom of the creativity barrel for well over a decade now.

Just my 2 cents, however I know I'm not alone on many of these viewpoints, as I've seen them expressed all over YouTube and elsewhere (not to mention all my music buddies that feel mostly the same way). Oh well. DT will forever be a nostalgia band at this point. It was fun while it lasted. They gave us 6...maybe 7 or 8 truly magnificent albums. Glad I can still go back and listen to those anytime I want.

I enjoyed this beast of a post and think you made some valid points.

What I would say is that as someone who agrees with the like-a-brand analysis at this stage of their careers....i have come to realize that it was actually Mangini who made it less by the books over the few years.

[Max Kuehnau]

I actually like all his artwork I know (not just those for DT), with the one for Grace Under Pressure being a particular favourite of mine.

[Max Kuehnau]

I pretty much have zero hopes or expectations for this album. More on that later. As for the single, it's exactly what I assumed it would be — more of the same. I've never been a fan of what I would call their dark "gothic" sound (A Nightmare to Remember, Invisible Monster, etc), and prefer their more natural, organic and melancholic dark sound, like Awake. This just feels really forced and put on, like they're trying to be something they're not. Like they're trying to appeal to teenagers that shop at Hot Topic. It feels like a leftover track from the Black Clouds sessions, and maybe a little bit of Systematic Chaos.

This band stopped being a true "progressive" band somewhere after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Train of Thought, or if we're being generous, Octavarium. If you listen to everything from WDADU through SDOIT; each album is drastically different from the previous, and the next. Stylistically, creatively, compositionally; however you want to phrase it. To the point where it's hard to believe it's even the same band. This would also occur song to song, on the same album. Going from a song like Pull Me Under to Another Day — to me, that's the true essence of what it means to be progressive. Stylistically and structurally, Train of Thought was really just a whole album extension of The Glass Prison; Octavarium recycled a lot of the same song writing structures and formulas that were established on earlier albums, and it's pretty much been the same ever since. Literally the only album I can think of that broke the mold a tiny bit was The Astonishing, which is great, if you like Disney soundtracks with some overdriven guitar here and there.

They're not so much a band anymore; more like a "brand". Every album is the same old rehashed, recycled ideas. Same old bag of tricks. Same old "been there, done that". It would've been nice to hear them finally try something new, and explore new ground, but after so many "by the numbers" albums, I don't expect them to ever change, or get back to being truly progressive at this point. It's disappointing that with Portnoy back, rather than trying something new, they literally just picked up where they left off with Black Clouds.

The odd time signatures, the virtuoso instrumental sections, the trading solos and obligatory unison — this doesn't make you prog. Progressing from album to album, trying new things, mixing genres — this makes you prog. It's sad to see all the younger, newer bands that have come out, inspired by Dream Theater, to be more progressive and inventive than the very band that inspired them in the first place. I honestly feel like DT have watered down their legacy at this point. And, it has nothing to do with who's behind the drum-kit. I would chalk the problem up more to Petrucci and Rudess.

DT's catalog has kinda gone the way of the MCU (or pick whichever film franchise you can think of that started off great, but then just got worse and worse), where it's about quantity over quality. I mean, surely they've put all their kids through college by now, right? They reaaallly need a break from the constant cycle of write, record, tour, write, record, tour. It feels like an assembly line at this point. Like they're just churning out as much as they can. The only way I see them returning to being a truly "progressive", creative and inventive band, is if they take a serious chunk of time off, and then come back with a clean slate. However, with Portnoy rejoining the band, I just don't see that happening.

I was one of the few fans who really couldn't have cared less about Portnoy coming back, because I knew regardless of who was on drums, their writing would continue to be generic, stale, formulaic, etc. Plus, despite only liking the first album with Mangini, I really didn't like their treatment of him, and the manner in which they fired him, after 13 years of hard work and dedication. So, Petrucci and Rudess are suddenly on good terms with Portnoy again, and they did LTE 3, and Petrucci had Portnoy play on his second solo album...okay? So what? Why does that mean he all of a sudden gets to rejoin the band? It's like your wife leaves you, for another younger, more popular guy (we all know the band he left them for, and then got told no), and then you re-marry, and then 13 years later your ex comes back around, and suddenly you just kick your wife to the curb — after 13 years of bonding and shared life experiences. It was just not right, and just on principle, I was not okay with Portnoy coming back. I felt this way, despite not caring for most of what they put out with Mangini, because I knew the albums being "DT by numbers" had nothing to do with him. In addition, to this day, I feel they never really utilized Mangini to his full potential, and it seemed a waste to kick him out, for an objectively more limited and less skilled drummer (and it's not just about chops; Mangini is far more diverse and well-rounded, stylistically). Notice I didn't say an inferior drummer — I get music is art and art is subjective. But, a more limited and less skilled drummer, to be sure. Mangini doesn't just recycle the same old basic rudimentary fills, over and over. With Portnoy, despite loving his groove, style and creativity...it's like the guy got to a certain level of proficiency, and said "Okay, I'm good, I'm done. I don't need to expand my playing or keep up with practice anymore." None of the other guys are like that, so in that sense, I feel Mangini was a better fit.

Another issue that just baffles me at this point, which absolutely needs to be addressed, is LaBrie and the band's insistence that he can still hit those high notes live. He can't. I've seen DT 42 times live (mostly in the 90's and early 2000's), and literally the last 10 times, LaBrie was so off it was cringeworthy, face palm worthy, downright embarrassing — however you want to phrase it. It's time for LaBrie to accept his current vocal range and limitations, and age gracefully. It's honestly crazy to me. I feel like Will Ferrell's character in Zoolander. Can Petrucci and Rudess and the others honestly not notice how horribly off pitch (flat) he is live? Seriously? How bad his enunciation has become? Musicians of this caliber don't notice this basic stuff? Really?! I was honestly baffled Portnoy would even consider rejoining the group, just out of embarrassment by association. I've never been one to think the solution is to fire LaBrie — when he's on, I love the sound of his voice. It wouldn't be fair to fire him over natural aging of vocal cords, which isn't his fault. Replacing him with a younger more capable singer would also be a dick move. They need to stop writing vocal melodies he can't reproduce live, and stick to his current range. They also need to go back through the catalog, and re-work all the hardest/highest vocal melodies, to fit his current range. This is the elephant in the room that has been ignored for far, far too many years now. I'm pretty sure most fans would rather hear a re-worked melody that's in tune, than hear the original screeched like a dying cat.

As far as the live tour, assuming they play anything at all from the Mangini era....there's absolutely no way in hell Portnoy will do anywhere near as good a job of playing Mangini's parts, as Mangini did playing Portnoy's. He will have to dumb them down quite a bit, as I really don't see him being willing to put in all that time and effort (the way Mangini did) to learn them. Petrucci already confirmed there's no way in hell they're ditching The Alien, thanks to the Grammy, so it'll be hysterical watching Portnoy try that one.

Just like the last 4 albums, I won't be buying or paying full price for this one, but will happily stream it for what amounts to not even a few cents, only to go "yep, just how I knew it would go." I have zero interest or intention of seeing them live ever again, and will not be spending money on a ticket or merchandise, supporting a band that doesn't value loyalty and hard work, evidenced by their treatment of Mangini.

Dream Theater are not a progressive band, anymore. They are a "recycling" band. Contrast that to Vai and Di Meola, who take plenty of time between albums, who do evolve over time, who do try new styles and song structures, who do still re-invent themselves, all these years later. Sure, you can still hear their signature phrasing, but they still sound different, album to album. They're still progressive because they're literally progressing. With DT, it's almost like the natural characteristics and by-products of their chemistry and writing, that they got known for early on, slowly over time started to dictate the writing process of the next album. It's like they go down a checklist of what the fans want or expect: odd time signatures. Check. Long overblown instrumental sections that overstay their welcome. Check. Trading solos. Check. Unisons. Check. Obligatory epic, to the point where there's so many now, a long epic is no longer special. Check. Impossibly high vocal melodies that LaBrie won't be able to hit live. Check. This 40th anniversary tour should honestly be their farewell tour. They've been scraping the bottom of the creativity barrel for well over a decade now.

Just my 2 cents, however I know I'm not alone on many of these viewpoints, as I've seen them expressed all over YouTube and elsewhere (not to mention all my music buddies that feel mostly the same way). Oh well. DT will forever be a nostalgia band at this point. It was fun while it lasted. They gave us 6...maybe 7 or 8 truly magnificent albums. Glad I can still go back and listen to those anytime I want.

4 for me (Dramatic Turn, DT12, The Astonishing and View) and I agree (largely).

[The Letter M]

The InsideOut store says the box set is already sold out.  I was able to order through LaserCD, though.

Hopefully Laser CD has an allotment that they have ordered and won't cancel any of their orders because I, too, ordered the box set from them.

-Marc.

[Pebsie]

From HMV. Artwork on the center of the vinyl is really cool and creepy. Looks like they're going full send with the gothic vibe!! 

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere - sorry if it has - but I find it interesting that they're releasing the instrumentals on a 2 CD edition. I felt quite strongly like the vocals on Night Terror floated on top of the instrumentation and that it'd work without them as much as it does with them, and I guess they agree? I tend to find it dissapointing when vocals aren't considered a core part of the track, but at the same time completely appreciate there's an audience that doesn't care about vocals. I don't remember DT doing this before, however.

From CrashRecords, here's a preview of the full boxset (haven't seen this posted yet)

[Kyo]

The instrumental versions are just a typical Inside Out move that enables them to offer the fans something extra as a special edition without needing any more creative work from the band. They've done it with Haken's albums as well, for example.

[Max Kuehnau]

and also including all the previous DT albums on the label

[Stadler]

I don't know if this has been posted elsewhere - sorry if it has - but I find it interesting that they're releasing the instrumentals on a 2 CD edition. I felt quite strongly like the vocals on Night Terror floated on top of the instrumentation and that it'd work without them as much as it does with them, and I guess they agree? I tend to find it dissapointing when vocals aren't considered a core part of the track, but at the same time completely appreciate there's an audience that doesn't care about vocals. I don't remember DT doing this before, however.

Someone else can tell you the exact albums, but this is not the first time DT has offered instrumental takes of their songs on release. I know they did it with BC&SL, and I think they did it with ADTOE.

[Max Kuehnau]

Someone else can tell you the exact albums, but this is not the first time DT has offered instrumental takes of their songs on release. I know they did it with BC&SL, and I think they did it with ADTOE.

yeah, BC/SL up until today (barring The Astonishing) all had the stems for one select piece (not sure if these also had instrumental versions, but they might have) and then all the InsideOut albums (ever since Distance Over Time) all have the instrumental versions as part of their respective artbook versions. Scotty may gladly correct me if I'm wrong of course.

[DT89]

I know it's very niche, but if they're not offering stems like BC&SL (or the Jammit stems for earlier albums), the instrumental and surround mixes are very helpful for me as a transcriber.

[Max Kuehnau]

yeah of course

[jammindude]

I also ordered through LaserCD. Hope I wasn't too late.

[The Letter M]

As far as box set trinkets go, that little Majesty Dream Catcher keychain is pretty neat!

-Marc.

[Progmaniac1988]

I'm pretty surprised there's no documentary on that Blu-ray, was there any mention of one that I missed?

[Max Kuehnau]

I don't remember one ever being mentioned. There was one for View though (on its Bluray in its artbook and box set versions)

[Progmaniac1988]

Yeah that's the version of View I got (I think it's a beautiful set btw) got the same this time so hopefully a documentary is on there too

[Max Kuehnau]

it is beautiful, but according to the promo sheet above, no, there won't be a documentary. If there were one, it would be indicated, I'm sure.