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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: Ħ on August 05, 2013, 02:22:54 PM
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The two singles from the "new" DT. Very similar in song presentation, structure, and overall sound. Both put forward as album teasers. Which is the best them?
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Both great tracks. Slight edge to OtBoA, but TEI was enough to get me interested for the rest of the album for sure.
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I don't think that they are very similar in sound, personally. OTBOA is pretty restrained, while TEI is more balls-to-the-wall. Both are good.
I have no idea yet which one I prefer.
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I've only listened to TEI once so far, but it's still miles better than OTBOA. I never really thought the latter was anything special.
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I have no idea yet which one I prefer.
This is where I'm at too. I'm leaning towards OTBOA though.
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RIGHT NOW, I'd say the Enemy Inside. But I might be forgetting how much I really liked OTBOA when it came out. For comparison, I listened to OTBOA like a dozen times the first day it came out. I've only listened to The Enemy Inside twice, and while I really like it, I'm not going back over and over again like I did with OTBOA. So who knows. Time will tell, I guess.
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I don't see many similarities in the two. OTBoA is much better to my ears.
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On the Backs of Angels wins this one. It was such a refreshing song to hear when it came.
The Enemy Inside has a really nice chorus, but not much else.
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I like both, but they're totally different to each other.
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Hard to tell...I had the same reaction when first heard OTBOA: loved it! So I just can't choose.
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OTBOA feels more solid for me.
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Only heard TEI once, so it's too soon to tell.
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I've only listened to TEI once so far, but it's still miles better than OTBOA. I never really thought the latter was anything special.
I'm too
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The Enemy Inside. And I've only listened to it once.
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I love both, but OTBOA is a bit more "special" to me. And I don't think they sound similar at all.
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Not exactly sure how they're alike in any way other than "first single off a Dream Theater album." :lol
OTBOA is a longer, more sprawling number, mid tempo, with relatively straight forward instrumental sections. TEI is uptempo, more straight up metal, with far more complex instrumental breaks and more aggression. Completely different animals. Both songs are great, but I like The Enemy Inside more.
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I don't get how this is similar in structure to OtBoA...
This song has such a more in your face sound, and is a much faster song..
Now I love OtBoA, but The Enemy Inside is so fantastic, I just had to choose it!
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Wow this is much more of an even split than what i was expecting. I really enjoy TEI, but OTBOA blew me away from first listen and has still held up to this day, whereas I can see myself tiring of TEI quite easily.
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The thing i disliked most in the song was the vocal melodies, the rest i can live with it (the intro is very good though)
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The thing i disliked most in the song was the vocal melodies, the rest i can live with it (the intro is very good though)
OTBOA or TEI? Which one are you referring to?
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JESUS
I clicked OTBOA and meant TEI. OTBOA was thick with "we need to prove something". TEI feels like "fuck yeah, DT". I don't know which I prefer as a song, but as they feel on day 1, TEI is much more fun to listen to.
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OTBOA was thick with "we need to prove something". TEI feels like "fuck yeah, DT". I don't know which I prefer as a song, but as they feel on day 1, TEI is much more fun to listen to.
Basically how I felt. It's impossible to know at this point which one is better, but I will say I had a lot more fun listening to TEI than I did listening to OTBOA on day one.
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TEI is fresh, and I voted for it....
That might be the reason why, just because its fresh, but I'm not sure, its a killer tune. I really like it a lot, and I feel like it will hold up well over time for me. OTBoA was not as immediate for me, but I grew to like it a lot!!
TEI was immediate, I dug the energy and feel of the song right away. Are there things about it I don't care for and could nit-pick about? Sure there are, but overall its pretty great!! :tup
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Voted for OTBOA. It's a close call and both have aspects that I like and don't like. TEI is a bit too heavy and loud for my taste and therefore a bit exhausting to listen to. However it does have better vocal melodies, a better chorus and better sounding drums. OTBOA on the other hand has the better intro, solo section and outro than TEI. So, the overall winner for me is OTBOA, but not by much.
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It's a tough choice at the moment, but I'm going to go for On the Backs of Angels for now. It's possible that over time TEI will surpass it, but I love me some OtBoA. It's damn close though. :metal
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I LOVE the intro to OTBOA, but after that it gets rather bland, imo. So I voted for TEI- it's good the whole way through
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I don't think that they are very similar in sound, personally. OTBOA is pretty restrained, while TEI is more balls-to-the-wall. Both are good.
I have no idea yet which one I prefer.
This, though I know I prefer TEI already. :metal
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OTBOA has so much going for it, the change in dynamics, Jordan's piano solo...on the other hand, TEI is face melting, so I'll need some more time to decide, but definitely leaning towards the former.
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Going with Angels easily. Although, Enemy is not bad.
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Went with The Enemy Inside, and I only heard it (and only will hear it until Sept. 24th) twice.
I really liked (and still do) OtBoA, but I fell The Enemy Inside flows better. While OtBoA has different sections in one song (the intro, the Rudess keyboard section, verses and choruses, Rudess piano solo, Petrucci solo and so on) and The Enemy Inside does as well, I feel the enemy inside blends each part much better than OtBoA does.
Also, Mangini is better on The Enemy Inside and it is heavier and faster, which in this case suits me better.
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Going with Angels easily. Although, Enemy is not bad.
This. I think some people are getting too caught up in the moment. OtBoA is REALLY good.
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The Enemy Inside is really REALLY good ;D
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I still need to listen to TEI more to decide how I feel about it in the long run. But I voted for it, because I definitely like the production better. The guitar is more crisp and the drums are deeeeelicious.
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My personal preference is for the new one but that's because I like the high energy stuff with a lot of craziness in it. That being said, they are both excellent IMO. It can be hard to compare because they are so different. OTBOE has a lot of great stuff going for it as well.
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I like both, but I don't want to listen to TEI any more until the album drops because I burned out on OTBOA before ADTOE came out. So I guess I don't know which one I prefer.
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Probably too early to tell for me, I've only listened to TEI twice so far and I normally need quite a few listens before I really get a good feel for most songs. I did like it right away though - which often isn't the case with songs I end up really liking, so I guess that's a good sign.
I love OtBoA though - I listened to it dozens of times before ADToE was released and never got bored of it - still haven't. So TEI will have to go some way to better it.
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OTBOA for me. TEI is ok, but not striking any particular chords within me (pun intended). As I remember, OTBOA didn't resonate with me that greatly either, until the actual album was released. Then, within its rightful context, I had a :lightbulb: moment, most definitely. So it's a bit unfair for me to judge, I guess. But I do feel in general like OTBOA showcased DT's more melodic and creative side, which is beginning to be my preference, as of late. It just didn't feel as cut and dry form and structure-wise as TEI. Still love the heavy stuff that I loved before, but new heavy stuff is gonna take a while to grow on me, most likely.
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I think On The Backs Of Angels is way, way better.
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They sound nothing alike to me, but I voted for The Enemy Inside easily.
I never much liked OTBOA, it sounds a bit stale and lethargic to me. The Enemy Inside is a great shorter structure metal song with a lot of energy, and is a good sign for DT12.
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I think that The Enemy inside was pretty catchy! I don't normally like this heavy songs from DT but I liked this one.
OTBOA on the other hand has been boring from the first day I heard it.
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I think On The Backs Of Angels is way, way better.
As I recall, people weren't all that impressed with OTBOA at first either. And then they started flooding in, saying, "My God, this song grew on me so much!"
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OTBOA has so much going for it, the change in dynamics, Jordan's piano solo
I have to agree here. I think this is the only thing that TEI is missing. It's a ball crushing, face melting battering ram of energy and powah, but it lacks a certain subtlety that I enjoyed with OTBOA. I will say this: on first listen, I'd go with TEI, but we'll see if it has any stamina when compared with the rest of the album.
Too early to call.
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I think On The Backs Of Angels is way, way better.
As I recall, people weren't all that impressed with OTBOA at first either. And then they started flooding in, saying, "My God, this song grew on me so much!"
I was one of them. However, I wasn't nearly as disappointed with OTBOA at first as I am with TEI. I still liked OTBOA despite some slight disappointment. Right now, I don't like TEI at all.
There is still a possibility it will grow on me, yes. But it's starting from a lot further back than OTBOA initially did. Chances are slimmer.
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After like 10 times and more of TEI listenings, I have to say OTBOA wins this one.
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After some listens to TEI I have to say OTBOA... With TEI I have the feeling DT took riffs from different songs, transposed and changed them up a little bit und used it again which gives it its typical DT feel and made me think "Hey, I know that one". The rest of the song sounded pretty generic. Maybe it will grow on me when listening to the full album.
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OTBOA has so much going for it, the change in dynamics, Jordan's piano solo
I have to agree here. I think this is the only thing that TEI is missing. It's a ball crushing, face melting battering ram of energy and powah, but it lacks a certain subtlety that I enjoyed with OTBOA. I will say this: on first listen, I'd go with TEI, but we'll see if it has any stamina when compared with the rest of the album.
Agreed 100%
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Easily OTBOA, better dynamics and better melodies overall.
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TEI.
I wasn't that enamoured with OTBOA after the initial "it's new DT" phase. Worst song on ADTOE but still decent enough.
TEI sounds lively and I'm liking what I hear so far.
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Only listened to The Enemy Inside twice, so I can't say for sure, but right now, I'm leaning towards OTBOA. When I first heard OTBOA, it not only reassured that DT would be fine without Portnoy, I felt that they were headed in a musical direction that would be more appealing to me.
I like TEI, and don't mind the heaviness, but would be a little disappointed if most of the album is that heavy.
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OTBOA feels more solid for me.
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Didn't like TEI and I don't think I'm gonna love it, iıt just doesn't feel right to me. I don't like OTBOA so much either but it's slightly better than TEI.
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I need to listen to a new piece of DT music for an extended period of time before I can properly judge it so I won't be answering the poll at the moment.
Anyhow, what I can say is that I'll probably end up feeling that On The Backs Of Angels is a better song but that this is still "DT (the album) 1 - 0 ADTOE". Why? Simply because I'd like to think that this time around it was the BMU,BMD of the album that was chosen to represent the album as a single. Compared to BMU,BMD this is a huge improvement in my opinion.
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On The Backs Of Angels was a grower for me whilst The Enemy Inside shook me by the throat from the first note.
I like both but as of right now I love The Enemy Inside.
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Going with The Enemy Inside. The verses kind of plod in OTBOA, as much as I like the song. The Enemy Inside seems like one idea - a really cohesive song.
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The Enemy Inside, easily.
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On The Backs Of Angels was a grower for me whilst The Enemy Inside shook me by the throat from the first note.
I like both but as of right now I love The Enemy Inside.
Totally this! ^ :metal
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Just thought of the perfect way to describe how I feel:
The Enemy Inside grabbed my attention much more immediately than On The Backs of Angels; OTBOA held my attention much longer than TEI did.
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Just thought of the perfect way to describe how I feel:
The Enemy Inside grabbed my attention much more immediately than On The Backs of Angels; OTBOA held my attention much longer than TEI did.
TEI has only been out for one day and you already grew tired of it?
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Just thought of the perfect way to describe how I feel:
The Enemy Inside grabbed my attention much more immediately than On The Backs of Angels; OTBOA held my attention much longer than TEI did.
TEI has only been out for one day and you already grew tired of it?
I wouldn't say tired, necessarily. But as a general impression after 10 or so listens, I feel like there's not much nuance within it to keep me interested and dissecting it on the same level that there was and I did with OTBOA
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JESUS
I clicked OTBOA and meant TEI. OTBOA was thick with "we need to prove something". TEI feels like "fuck yeah, DT". I don't know which I prefer as a song, but as they feel on day 1, TEI is much more fun to listen to.
This!!! (Yep I also accidentally voted OTBOA instead of TEI)
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Just my opinion, here. Obviously a song could have none of these "positives" and still be the best song, or it could tick off all the marks and be a steaming pile. Just thought I'd list some attributes.
OTBOA positives:
more audible bass
bass "solo"
better riffs
vocal harmonies
killer outro
song dynamics
piano
more interesting chorus melody
TEI positives:
more adventurous drumming
higher drum mix
cool intro, just kickin from the start
aggressive JLB vox
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Your positives are purely subjective for the most part, although I guess you never asserted them as facts.
I just find The Enemy Inside overall better.
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Just my opinion, here. Obviously a song could have none of these "positives" and still be the best song, or it could tick off all the marks and be a steaming pile. Just thought I'd list some attributes.
OTBOA positives:
more audible bass
bass "solo"
better riffs
vocal harmonies
killer outro
song dynamics
piano
more interesting chorus melody
TEI positives:
more adventurous drumming
higher drum mix
cool intro, just kickin from the start
aggressive JLB vox
I know you put solo in quotations, but I'd say it's a bit of a stretch to call that a "solo". It's like 3 seconds long.
Besides that, I pretty much agree. Though I'd add that the instrumental section and the keyboard solo in TEI are pretty sweet.
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On The Backs Of Angels was a grower for me whilst The Enemy Inside shook me by the throat from the first note.
I like both but as of right now I love The Enemy Inside.
Same here
The riffs are just crushing!
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Both good tracks, I'd say On The Backs is a bit better for me. Although I feel that a better comparison would be The Enemy Inside vs Build Me Up, Break Me Down. That was the more "cutting-edge" metal-ish sounding piece of the record that was probably written to reach out to new fans among fanbases of younger bands, and this track seems to be meant to do the same (not that's it's a bad idea per se). The band said multiple times that On The Backs of Angels was released to "tell" the fans something along the lines of "listen, we're Dream Theater and we're giving you a track that sounds like us and it's long and cool to show that this is us and we're in good shape" but it didn't sound too much like something thought to "get" new fans, and this is the purpose that Build Me Up and this new track seem to be serving, even though they still sound like Dream Theater tracks. I don't know if I can get my point across. Anyway, if I had to compare it with Build Me Up, The Enemy Inside would definitely win hands down.
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I know you put solo in quotations, but I'd say it's a bit of a stretch to call that a "solo". It's like 3 seconds long.
So, did you get the point of the quotes or not? ;) Maybe it should more accurately be called soloed bass...
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surprised by the results.. I think OTBAO is 100x better than Enemy Inside
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Voted for OTBOA, as I'm not as big a fan of straightforward "metal" DT.
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Voted for OTBOA, as I'm not as big a fan of straightforward "metal" DT.
Why is metal in quotes? It's metal.
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The Enemy Inside by a mile. It hit me in the gut and hasn't let go since. OTBOA just wasn't near as powerful a single imo.
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"The enemy inside" is my favorite, by far. :metal
So much better and "fresh" than "OTBOA", which sounds just like another "Pull me under" to me.
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The Enemy Inside by a mile. It hit me in the gut and hasn't let go since. OTBOA just wasn't near as powerful a single imo.
powerful =/= good IMO.
Doesn't mean I don't love TEI. I do.
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Never liked OTBOA that much, while TEI is definitely my kind of single. What incredible display of power and skill!
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My opinion is subject to change without a doubt, but I'm going to go with OtBoA.
I just feel like OtBoA has a lot more....meat to it, for lack of a better term.
When that main guitar riff comes in on OtBoA for the first time.....WOOOOOOOO that thing is on fire!
Not to mention the harmonized duet buildup bridge part before each chorus section.
That said, I still love TEI. I like it even more than ever as of right now. I just listened to it 2 times on my headphones and I was thinking to myself, "damn, this is an awesome song....how do they continue to put out amazing music?"
So, OtBoA > TEI, but with no disrespect to TEI.
Is it the 24th yet?
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I just love the 2nd verse in TEI! The song overall punched me more the first time than OtBoA so I think TEI wins this one other than that both are pretty solid songs.
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Otboa had me immediately. On the other hand, I suspect tei will be my least favorite track from DT12. At least, I hope it is.
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Otboa had me immediately. On the other hand, I suspect tei will be my least favorite track from DT12. At least, I hope it is.
I'm hoping the same thing. :(
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OTBOA. My favourite DT single since, ehrrm... Pull Me Under!
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OTBOA easily
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I've always been a fan of the more "Epic"/"Atmospheric" DT songs, so I'll have to go with OTBOA. That being said, I love TEI, it's so heavy and in your face! Nice for a change.
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Impossible for me to choose between the two right now. I never burned out on OTBOA, and the TEI ass kicking I've been taking several times a day, isn't going to get old any time soon. Both showcase different elements of DT and are the best back to back debut singles they have put out to date IMO.
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OTBOA easily
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I have to go with on the Backs of Angels
That song hit me hard back in July of 2011 and I found myself listening to over and over
I've always embraced DT's shorter,to the point songs but I've found myself with no desire to listen to the Eneemy Inside
it seems kind of dry and uninspired
One song is never indicative of an entire DT album, so I am still excited and looking forward to hearing the finished product
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Voted for OTBOA, as I'm not as big a fan of straightforward "metal" DT.
Why is metal in quotes? It's metal.
Because even their metal is proggy. Jordan's spaceship sounds wouldn't fit in, say, Testament or Anthrax.
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I love them both. They're both fresh starts for DT. OTBOA was a fresh start with the song writing being opened up and losing the "RAAAAWR" influence of MP, with a great introduction to how MM would play with DT. And TEI is a fresh new beginning with MM as a writing partner.
TEI gave me that instagrin :caffeine: sorta excitement on first listen. OTBOA was great when I first heard it, but I was a little disappointed that the replacement instrument was so quiet. I had to hear the song quite a few times before I could really appreciate it, and hear the genius of MM. It didn't get me any more excited for ADTOE, the way TEI does for DT12.
Here's how I rate them....
OTBOA: :metal
TEI: :bnb:
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Because even their metal is proggy. Jordan's spaceship sounds wouldn't fit in, say, Testament or Anthrax.
Yeah, but Ronnie James Dio's vocals wouldn't fit in with Anthrax either, but Heaven and Hell is still Metal.
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Really surprised by the poll results, have to say. To me OTBOA is in a completely different (better) league. If you voted for TEI just go listen to On the Backs of Angels right now and then decide. Just listen to the intro and what you thought when you first heard that, and then the crappy first impression you get from TEI due to the mix and generic riff.
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:tdwn for that last sentence..
"generic riff" :facepalm:
It's okay if you don't like it, but saying TEI is crappy or generic is just wrong. And against the rules as well afaik.
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:tdwn for that last sentence..
"generic riff" :facepalm:
It's okay if you don't like it, but saying TEI is crappy or generic is just wrong. And against the rules as well afaik.
This,
and I'll have you know that I've listened to OtBoA so many times and loved it, but I really loved The Enemy Inside. Don't have to be so rude man, my opinion's different from yours, and stop spouting yours off as if it's fact :L
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Well, considering TEI has a lead in the poll over OTBOA, and OTBOA was Grammy nominated, then I guess that means this is a fantastic song :metal
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Really surprised by the poll results, have to say. To me OTBOA is in a completely different (better) league.
It's a different kind of song.
If you voted for TEI just go listen to On the Backs of Angels right now and then decide. Just listen to the intro and what you thought when you first heard that, and then the crappy first impression you get from TEI due to the mix and generic riff.
Bold= really, dude?
italics=It's cool that you have an opinion, and I know not everyone is going to love the song. However, those are your opinions
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Really surprised by the poll results, have to say. To me OTBOA is in a completely different (better) league.
It's a different kind of song.
Then why even have a poll comparing it? I think I'm allowed to have an opinion about a song even if it's negative, isn't that why we have discussions like this? Maybe I phrased that wrong and it come off as imposing my opinion as fact, sorry for that. :S I guess it's just my feeling from what I've heard from my friends who got together to listen to that song when it came out and it was an overall bad first impression compared to OtBoA.
Anyway, it's not a terrible song, just don't see what it can possibly be compared with the other song, it's not even the same style of song, however to me it feels like a step backwards even from the most commercial stuff on ADTOE.
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They're being compared because they're the singles from their respective albums :mehlin
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Really surprised by the poll results, have to say. To me OTBOA is in a completely different (better) league.
It's a different kind of song.
Then why even have a poll comparing it? I think I'm allowed to have an opinion about a song even if it's negative, isn't that why we have discussions like this? Maybe I phrased that wrong and it come off as imposing my opinion as fact, sorry for that. :S I guess it's just my feeling from what I've heard from my friends who got together to listen to that song when it came out and it was an overall bad first impression compared to OtBoA.
Anyway, it's not a terrible song, just don't see what it can possibly be compared with the other song, it's not even the same style of song, however to me it feels like a step backwards even from the most commercial stuff on ADTOE.
The first time I heard it, I heard a stream at the peak time it was being released. It sounded like shit plain and simple. The iTunes and MP3 are vastly superior and good enough for portable equipment IMO.
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"This poll... is tight like a witch's cleft" - Steven Wilson.
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I really like OTBOA. TEI had moments where I was saying 'what the hell was that?!' - just wanking for sake of wanking where it didn't even fit the song. Scares me a bit, because the last 4 albums before ADTOE had tons of that I'm hoping this isn't something they're going back to. ADTOE was a nice break.
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I voted for Pull Me Under ;D
I kid. OTBOA is a bit more Dream Theatery for me. Has that rock/metal edge but sounds anthemic.I like TEI but on personal level, it's not my kinda DT. I much prefer the bigger sounding compositions. I feel OTBOA is just a much more complete cohesive song. I like TEI though.
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I voted for Pull Me Under ;D
I kid. OTBOA is a bit more Dream Theatery for me. Has that rock/metal edge but sounds anthemic.I like TEI but on personal level, it's not my kinda DT. I much prefer the bigger sounding compositions. I feel OTBOA is just a much more complete cohesive song. I like TEI though.
This.
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Definitely OTBOA. Tei sounds way more "ballsy" than I prefer.
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OTBOA definitely made a better job at making me excited for the release, but TEI is a strong track and even if it might be one of the weakest songs on the album, that's pretty promising for the rest of it. Also, TEI fits better as a "single" in the traditional sense.