The "The Shadow Man Incident" Thread

[hefdaddy42]

https://youtu.be/MTxwXfhxcE0?si=0OoLyWIEXXWJH71I

Daily Doug's reaction to the song, if anyone is interested.

[TAC]

Definitely not. I saw the thumbnail yesterday. What a fucking leech.

[MirrorMask]

CTHULHU METAL, let's fucking go! 

Well, if the great old ones built stuff with non-eucledian geometry, it's only fitting that the music should not follow conventional time signatures!

[KevShmev]

I really like the chorus ("Night, it will be forever changed"), too bad it only occurs twice in a 19 minute song.

I could not agree more.

I made the comment in the main album thread that that chorus reminds me of the score in Mr. Mom, but it is still a fantastic chorus.  And that is the maddening thing about Dream Theater in general sometimes.  They hit upon something great like that and totally underuse it.  Not saying it should have been used over and over and over, but not bringing it back at some point later in the song feels like a missed opportunity. 

That said, I still like the song (how much, only time will tell).

[BlackInk]

When I first listened through the album, this song didn't really do all that much for me. I pretty much felt the same as bosk, where there were a lot of separate parts I appreciated, but it didn't really sink in as a whole. A few more listens in and fortunately it clicked for me. I really enjoy the energy of this song.

The chorus immediately reminded me of "Meet The Past" by ACT (verse):

Dude, that's it! I knew the TSMI chorus reminded me of something but couldn't remember what 

[hefdaddy42]

Definitely not. I saw the thumbnail yesterday. What a fucking leech.

I suffered through it so you don't have to lol 

[svisser]

Honestly, it is probably my least favourite of the epics, just over Illumination Theory. The only reason it is not at the bottom is James's screams after the bass and drum part in IT. But that might change. It took me years to appreciate TA. I never honestly thought that would happen. lol.

However, the overall structure of IT is better as well. The solo sections stand out as the best part.

[faizoff]

I really like the chorus ("Night, it will be forever changed"), too bad it only occurs twice in a 19 minute song.

Yes! I love that part so much. This song really has now so many parts that are stuck in my head. The epic is growing more and more and probably becoming my favorite song of the album. Time will tell.

[adastra]

Why so many intro riffs?was the first because that it wouldnt start like AVFTTOTW?

[lightbug]

I've listened to this song a few more times and I think it's beginning to click, and it's starting to sound less disjointed to me.

And I'm beginning to appreciate certain parts more.

That's a good and bad thing because no matter how wrong/unpleasant a song/section is, your brain will try to fool you eventually until that part becomes too familiar, especially with complex prog stuff. At first you will feel like "Wow! WTF is this?" but after a few listens you'll feel like "Yeah, now it's beginning to click with me".

Personally, I like being lost at first while at the same time being guided throughout the song without getting too much weird "in your face" stuff (this is why transitions are important). If you as the composer throw the right amount of weird/smart stuff at me, that will make the whole thing a lot more enjoyable. As a result, i will be returning to the piece over and over again until eventually it will become familiar but in a "good" way (not because my brain is trying so hard to make sense of that weird tempo change, key change, drum fill, etc.)

[ytserush]

Not doing much for me but it's way early. I've LOVE to know where Petrucci got the inspiration for the lyrics. Least favorite on a pretty solid album so far.

[Northern Lion]

Not doing much for me but it's way early. I've LOVE to know where Petrucci got the inspiration for the lyrics. Least favorite on a pretty solid album so far.

Seeing Shadow people is a commonly discussed topic among paranormal enthusiasts, so I think that's where he got it from.

I'm very familiar with it because of my personal experiences.

[TAC]

Not doing much for me but it's way early. I've LOVE to know where Petrucci got the inspiration for the lyrics. Least favorite on a pretty solid album so far.

They could've just named the album Six Degrees Of Sleep Turbulence.

[Northern Lion]

Why so many intro riffs?was the first because that it wouldnt start like AVFTTOTW?

Yeah, that's got me hung up with the song.

The first riff though...

The thing is, there isn't a single part of the song I don't like. But all the intro riffs really throws me.

[Northern Lion]

This is the first time I have had a difficult time making sense of the arrangement of a DT epic. I'm not entirely sure why this time.

But I go through the song and keep saying "Ooh I like that and that and that" over and over. I think this song just broke my brain I guess.

[TAC]

I don't know. It has a really easy to follow flow.

[MetropolisWatches]

Any theories regarding the alarm/"wake up" moment that occurs @ 19:28?

This, along with the Metropolis/Overture 1928 homage starting around 01:56 -- is there a chance they are hinting at a Metropolis Pt. 3 as the next album?

[Trav]

Any theories regarding the alarm/"wake up" moment that occurs @ 19:28?

This, along with the Metropolis/Overture 1928 homage starting around 01:56 -- is there a chance they are hinting at a Metropolis Pt. 3 as the next album?

No, they're just having fun with little nuggets.

I think it was the Metal Injection interview where they mention they originally did the Metropolis march rhythm like one time in the beginning of Shadow Man. Just for some nostalgia. But they decided to take it out because they knew people would be saying it was connected to Metropolis or Scenes, so they took it out. I guess you proved their point. 

[genome]

Listened to it this afternoon and it fully clicked with me. It really is a fantastic epic - I enjoy every moment of it. That hasn't been the case since probably ITPOE

[MinistroRaven]

Just realized that the "Wake up" voice and the alarm clock ringing, sounded exactly at minute 19:28 https://imgur.com/a/Ak2s93H

[mrpmrpmrpmrp]

Just realized that the "Wake up" voice and the alarm clock ringing, sounded exactly at minute 19:28 https://imgur.com/a/Ak2s93H

The wake up voice is so creepy. It really sounds like the guy at the beginning of Midnight Messiah.

Is this like a shadow man found his way into the real world and is waking you up and then everything goes dead silent?

My other favorite part of this ending is that the album is extremely intense and after everything goes silent, you're just suddenly in your own reality. It really is very cool.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

No, they're just having fun with little nuggets.

I think it was the Metal Injection interview where they mention they originally did the Metropolis march rhythm like one time in the beginning of Shadow Man. Just for some nostalgia. But they decided to take it out because they knew people would be saying it was connected to Metropolis or Scenes, so they took it out. I guess you proved their point.

This. It's just nuggety.

[Polarbear]

I'm personally liking this more than either of the MM- era epics.

Nowhere near ACOS or 8VM though. Id place it on par with ITPOE as of now.

[Pettor]

I absolutely love this one. I can't wait to hear it when I have time in my daily life. Honestly, I haven't felt this way about a song since TCOT. It perfectly captures what I want from Dream Theater.

Is it better than 8V? No — but it's going to be an absolute blast live. The song is packed with brilliant creative moments and progressions, and the chorus is one of their best in an epic track. As for the instrumental section? It's the most enjoyable I've heard in... well, I can't even remember the last time I loved one this much. The piano section and the way they got there is a blast.

Time will tell how it holds up, but for now, this is exactly my cup of tea from start to finish.

Even the lyrics and HP Lovecraft connections are enjoyable!

[JRuless]

Just realized that the "Wake up" voice and the alarm clock ringing, sounded exactly at minute 19:28 https://imgur.com/a/Ak2s93H

Also HP Lovecrafts 'Call of Ktulu' was released in 1928

[MirrorMask]

Also Victoria Page was murdered in 1928

[Zydar]

Adam West (original Batman) was born in 1928. He lurks in the shadows of Gotham...







Yes I'm reaching a bit here. I haven't had my coffee yet.

[PixelDream]

I absolutely love this one. I can't wait to hear it when I have time in my daily life. Honestly, I haven't felt this way about a song since TCOT. It perfectly captures what I want from Dream Theater.

Is it better than 8V? No — but it's going to be an absolute blast live. The song is packed with brilliant creative moments and progressions, and the chorus is one of their best in an epic track. As for the instrumental section? It's the most enjoyable I've heard in... well, I can't even remember the last time I loved one this much. The piano section and the way they got there is a blast.

Time will tell how it holds up, but for now, this is exactly my cup of tea from start to finish.

Even the lyrics and HP Lovecraft connections are enjoyable!

I agree! The instrumental section makes me feel like when I was 15 and heard the instrumental sections of SFAM for the first time. It's criminal how hard it goes.

[Northern Lion]

After watching Doug's reaction video to this song, I now know why I have struggled a bit.  I'm not going to quote him here because it would take too long, but in essence he refers to it as a roller coaster without lights on and chaotic.  He loved and embraced the surprising nature nature of the song, whereas I struggled with it, particularly the intro up until the vocals start.

After listening to this song about a dozen times or so since release day, I have discovered that the main issue I have is with the intro.  All the riffs, and how different each is, sounds haphazard and clunky to me.  It just doesn't have the flow that many of their other epics do. But, I'm starting to realize that is by design, especially after watching Doug's reaction.

The thing is, once I'm past that initial section, and where the vocals begin, I thoroughly enjoy the rest of the song and really love how it ends.  I think I just get hung up at the beginning, and that has thrown me off initially and has made it hard for me to appreciate the rest of the song.

Doug's comments have given me new perspective and I think that will help me to enjoy the song more from here on out.

And I'm sorry I keep bringing this up, I can get rather obsessive about things sometimes and this song has just become one of them.  I probably wouldn't care as much except that the lyrics really hit home because of my childhood.  Anyway, thanks for enduring my rants 

[Mladen]

I really like the chorus ("Night, it will be forever changed"), too bad it only occurs twice in a 19 minute song.

This is my favorite piece of music on the album at the moment. The theme does come up in Morpheus, though, so I'm not too underwhelmed that it only appears twice in the song itself.

[Xaves]

Very rocking tune

At the end after the song is over and it transition to the lore, the strings in the background kind of sound like the gloom theme from The Legend Of Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom. Could just be my nerd video game music brain making a connection, but alas.

[TAC]

I really like the chorus ("Night, it will be forever changed"), too bad it only occurs twice in a 19 minute song.

I thought this as well at first. I thought it would've been climatic had they reused it at the end, but after a few listens, I am now completely sold on the "..and maybe leave a light on tonight" part.

[rab7]

I suffered through it so you don't have to lol

Honestly I liked it a lot. I've been listening to the song several times a day, and it brought me immense joy to see how he reacted to it. I also thought it was funny when he'd be trying to predict the chord progressions, and then get completely lost.


That said, I do wish he would do some more deep analysis rather than on-the-fly reactions. I know that DT is doing a lot of stuff that goes over my head, but he'd be the perfect person to identify what's going on and break it down

[TAC]

That said, I do wish he would do some more deep analysis rather than on-the-fly reactions. I know that DT is doing a lot of stuff that goes over my head, but he'd be the perfect person to identify what's going on and break it down

Maybe it's going over his head too...

[Metro]

It's a bit all over the place, but has some cool moments. Such as THAT chorus. The ending doesn't do much for me.