On repeated listens,this is becoming better than i initially thought.But still.Songs sound a bit more 'poppy' than what DT has us used to.And i sometimes get the impression of a whole bunch of -nice- ideas get thrown randomly together.Rudess is a fantastic player,but i find his improvisations on youtube to be far more interesting than his recent work with the band.He's become a little stale and, sadly,repeats himself. Labrie sounds refreshed,but his voice is sometimes hard to be heard,because of all the vocal effects they're using.There are a lot of beautiful choruses on the album nonetheless.JM can be heard clearly and is more prominent on this,but i would like him contributing more in writing and pushing the band to unexplored soundscapes.MM is a very technical and capable drummer.It's just that he doesn't try something different,maybe the others didn't let him be as creative as he could authentically be.And JP.He is responsible for many many tears shed from my eyes.His emotion,his guitar playing feeling is one that i am really connected to.He is -by far- my favorite guitarist and musician.With that being said,i expect him to be as innovative and creative and melodic as i know he can be.In this album he isn't that impressive.I didn't hear anything mindblowing,like Blind Faith riffs and solos,like BAI in its entirety,like TBOT solo,like HTF riffs,like ...I found many interesting ideas that weren't fully or best developed.I think they needed more time to breathe.And maybe JP,being a songwriter,a lyricist,a producer,a player has too many responsibilities upon him.If they hired a producer,it might have been better for him to focus on the material itself.Maybe he is a bit distracted.But then again,he knows better.
Anyways,i am not judging DT.I am just saying my opinion.And expect from my beloved band to deliver each and every time.But as fans,we are more prone to dissapointment than any random listener.And you know what?It's not our fault.They just raised the bar too high.I hope they will become again what they used to be.Our Theater of Dreams.
My favorite song as of now,must be TBP.Followed by TLG and BTV.Could they stand side by side live with the band's classics?Time will tell.