I AM excited for this, perhaps more than any of the post-Portnoy albums, but the things that excite others do nothing for me. I couldn't give a rat's ass about song lengths - I can name AMAZING 2:00 songs and songs that are 20:00 of absolute dirt - and I don't listen to djent, so why would I want John to play that way?
I just want something inspired, something that makes me thing "wow, that's why I like Dream Theater" (which means, great melodies, singable/hummable vocal lines, intricate ensemble parts, some example of technique that elevates the song as opposed to screaming "I'm going for a world record here!"). I think given the LTE and the solo album, there's a reasonable shot that this might be a refresh for John, and that is really what I'm hoping for.