Dream Theater announces 16th Studio Album - Parasomnia

[hefdaddy42]

I don't think so.

The album?  No.

The tour?  Maybe.  Those shows were incredible.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

The album?  No.

The tour?  Maybe.  Those shows were incredible.

The Budokhan DVD is one of the greatest concert videos I've ever seen (next to SCORE, Stop Making Sense, and Secret World Live)

[cramx3]

The Budokhan DVD is one of the greatest concert videos I've ever seen (next to SCORE, Stop Making Sense, and Secret World Live)

Budokan is my favorite of the DT live albums.  Best set list, and best video and audio quality.

[Progmaniac1988]

I saw them that tour, was blown away with how tight they were.  Although Radio city 2005 I'd say was the best show I've ever seen of them. They were so tight. That night was magical. I'd say octavarium was the prime of their tours. Just my opinion of course

[Trav]

Yeah, 2004 was peak live DT.

[TAC]

Yeah, 2004 was peak live DT.

I agree. That tour was amazing, and the shows were Zeppelin-esque.

Unfortunately, I missed that tour.

[XJDenton]

when's the new theme for the forums ready?

Release day. I mean it will probably be done at least 47 minutes before that, but that's when it will go live.

[Progmaniac1988]

Got my boxset preordered with Amazon, but I'm a bit nervous because it's sold out everywhere and seemingly available on Amazon still. I hope their stock is accurate. So I also preordered the separate vinyl and art book edition on Amazon as a back up just in case I get a email saying the boxset is not available I'll have backups lol. I'll cancel a couple days before release if all looks well with the box set.

Anyone ever have past experience preordering box sets with Amazon? Got your order?

[Ben_Jamin]

Based on the titles and what we know of the theme of the album, I think I will enjoy Dead Asleep and Bend The Clock.

I decided to look up and read up more about Parasomnia. Dead Asleep sounds as if it is based on sleepwalking, one description stated that while sleepwalking you may perform complex activities such as driving or playing a musical instrument, the latter caught my interest. Could also be about Nightmare Disorder such as vivid dreams, and even sleep paralysis.

As someone that has experienced some of these Parasomnia's such as nightmarish vivid dreams. This theme has me very intrigued to the style that the other songs will have.

Even though the single is dark, which does fit the subject matter and topic itself, I feel we will definitely see some light hearted, uplifting in tone, moments in some of these songs. I would love it if Dead Asleep includes some of these moments, even The Shadow Man Incident. As some moments in these dreams or instances may start out as light hearted, innocent like moments that suddenly become dark.

Overall, I am very excited for this album based on the theme itself. I am vastly fascinated with dreams and these parasomnias that people experience during sleep.

[Ben_Jamin]

Anyone else think "Are We Dreaming?" is a bridging track or segue between the two songs around it? It would make for a solid suite of songs in Side 3 of the vinyl.

-Marc.

That would be awesome.

[Schurftkut]

Bend the clock is the instrumental, calling it now

[illusionist]

The only instrumental will be the short piece

[DoctorAction]

Bend the clock is the instrumental, calling it now

And if they called back to TDOE with time changes all over the place that would be ace.

[Whitefish]

Yeah, 2004 was peak live DT.

I was lucky to see them on both the ToT and the 8V tours. Both times were in England, so very early on in the touring cycle, but the gigs were utterly amazing in both cases. I feel very fortunate to have seen them live at that time.

I am incredibly excited about Sunday at the O2. I don't really know what to expect from them in terms of performance standard, but I think emotion and nostalgia will make it a very special night even if the band is not yet firing on all cylinders.

[gborland]

The only instrumental will be the short piece

Yeah, a bridging track like Waiting for 22. I think it will very much have the same vibe, a sweet little guitar melody for a minute before launching into the next lump of metal.

[WilliamMunny]

Yeah, 2004 was peak live DT.

Couldn't agree more.

Saw them a few nights before the Score show and it is probably the best show I've ever seen, period.

[Chino]

Yeah, 2004 was peak live DT.

The Train of Thought tour show in CT was the first concert I had ever been to, period. I had only heard of DT for the first time a few hours before. I had never really heard anything that wasn't on the radio before that show.   

I nearly shat myself. 3 hours of pure, something, that I never experienced before. LAB is still the best live album DT's done, IMO. SCORE is phenomenal, too, but it lacks the crispness that LAB has. The Octavarium Tour was pretty close to peak, though.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

Not gonna lie, everytime I see the tracklisting, I read it as "Bend the Cock"   

[hefdaddy42]

Not gonna lie, everytime I see the tracklisting, I read it as "Bend the Cock"   

You need some help

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

You need some help

I am in therapy, daddy

[hefdaddy42]

I am in therapy, daddy

Good to know

[Max Kuehnau]

You need some help

I unintentionally misread it to mean Beat The Clock, if that calms you. You're right though, that's a weird one 

[nikatapi]

I tried creating my own AI-generated artwork for the album, since i didn't really like the album cover (even though i liked the one from the single)

[XJDenton]

Release day. I mean it will probably be done at least 47 minutes before that, but that's when it will go live.

MFW I realise I'll need to make a new album based theme AND an aprils fools theme within a month of each other.

[Schurftkut]

that AI art is scarily close to the real thing

[Drinktheater]

The Album cover is like Images and Words' evil twin.

[Max Kuehnau]

yeah I mean, I definitely was thinking about the I/W cover art here and there (the girl having grown up, the bed and all that)

[ReaperKK]

The Train of Thought tour show in CT was the first concert I had ever been to, period. I had only heard of DT for the first time a few hours before. I had never really heard anything that wasn't on the radio before that show. 

I nearly shat myself. 3 hours of pure, something, that I never experienced before. LAB is still the best live album DT's done, IMO. SCORE is phenomenal, too, but it lacks the crispness that LAB has. The Octavarium Tour was pretty close to peak, though.

I agree on the LAB, I was at Score and I still prefer LAB

Not gonna lie, everytime I see the tracklisting, I read it as "Bend the Cock"   

This might help...

[ReaperKK]

The Album cover is like Images and Words' evil twin.

Hugh's AI prompt: "Give me the Images And Words cover going through a gothic phase"

[Deadeye21]

yeah I mean, I definitely was thinking about the I/W cover art here and there (the girl having grown up, the bed and all that)

It's straight up her getting tortured!

[hefdaddy42]

Hugh's AI prompt: "Give me the Images And Words cover going through a gothic phase"

[emtee]

...but the doorknobs.

[cramx3]

...but the doorknobs.

Another reason why these are remarkably similar 

[jayvee3]

So, aside from the cover art being absolutely horrendous (not just 'bad', but legitimately ridiculously terrible - how the hell did this pass the checkpoints?), I'm relunctantly slightly excited to hear the rest, though I probably won't be buying the physical record. Here's a summary of my thoughts, having listened to the song twice;

- the second verse is sick
- lol all those Portnoy fills
- sounds a lot like Dream Theater...
- ... adding absolutely nothing new to the table
- chorus in multiple keys, that's nice
- LaBrie adds nothing, it's baffling how his vocal lines have been mostly uninteresting for the last 15 years
- holy shit, that solo section wtf
- quite nice altogether!

The album cover is fine, and things are nowhere near as grim as you make out.

You know what it looks like? A Dream Theater cover. Who would have thought? They have had so many of these collage-photoshop-py looking covers since Images and Words - it always seemed pretty intentional to me and a bit of a signature thing by now for them. It's like their covers have their own style that fits the band with some 80's/90's cheesiness and charm.

[Max Kuehnau]

yeah I like all their album art (possibly barring the one for 6D, never knew what it was supposed to mean in reference to the album, but that might just be me being overly stupid. Still, I don't think it's bad)