Eleven Minutes To Midnight1. The Last Dawn Of Man (11:00) - Lyrics by Petrucci
2. Morning Of The Dead (2:19) - Lyrics by Petrucci
3. Rise Of The Dead (9:28) - Lyrics by Myung
4. A Problem (8:37) - Lyrics by Portnoy
5. Daywalkers (5:46) - Instrumental
6. Final Sunset (4:55) - Lyrics by LaBrie
7. Four Riders (10:44) - Lyrics by Petrucci
8. A Solution? (7:33) - Lyrics by Portnoy
9. Too Little Too Late (6:22) - Lyrics by Portnoy
10. One Minute To Midnight (1:00) - Instrumental
11. The Bell Tolls (11:00) - Lyrics by Petrucci
(Hidden Track)
12. Midnight (0:11)
(Total Length - 78:55)
It would be a concept album about the end of days.
"The Last Dawn Of Man" would begin with nature sounds (gasp TCOT connection!) and begin with a symphonic-like build, like SDOIT Overture, but darker. Think SDOIT meets ANTR. Then through the 11 minutes, you'd hear some of the themes throughout the album, but it would stand very well on it's own, especially being the first song on the album. Lyrically, it's about man's last day on earth, and how all we've done on this planet has come to this, our own imminent destruction.
After that, the short "Morning Of The Dead" would describe how the undead have come into being. It's a soft piano interlude in the vein of "Through My Words", but with a bit more substance. This would flow right into "Rise Of The Dead" with, yes, lyrics by Myung, who's writing style might fit a song that would be disjointed in it's verses and unexpected chorus changes. It would feature Myung on a bass solo in the instrumental bit in the middle, and a bass-grove riding out through the end.
"A Problem" would feature lyrics by Portnoy and reveal how the world is falling apart, not by the zombies that are attacking, but by the rest of humanity, who are fearing the coming end and taking drastic measures to solve their "problems".
"Daywalkers" would be the insane instrumental, it would be battle-sounding and involve a lot of syncopation and time/tempo changes.
LaBrie's contribution would be "Final Sunset", and be the token ballad on the album, and would be a needed calm-down after the previous instrumental. It foreshadows the coming night and is a closer to the first half of the album.
"Four Riders" is a song about the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but not literally in the Biblical sense, but more along the lines of what the Horsemen do to men, but it's man that's done it to themselves - disease, war, famine and death due to the irradiated zombies and shortages in supplies worldwide. This is a heavy, in-your-face, balls-to-the-wall prog metal...with some ROROROROR thrown in for
The Portnoy-penned "A Solution?" shows mankind seeking out solutions to the prior "Problem". It's a more upbeat, hopeful sounding song.
That song then segues into "Too Little Too Late", which starts with dark, heavy instrumental as mankind has realized that their time is almost up and there isn't much they can do.
"One Minute To Midnight" is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, and this short piano-interlude instrumental is a sort of the "calm before the storm".
"The Bell Tolls" is when the clock strikes Midnight, and it's the end for mankind. There are some returning themes from the album as the song wraps up in a dark way, somewhere as a cross between ITPOE and "Finally Free". The last bit of the song has a bell tolling twelve times, and at the twelfth toll, the song ends...
"Midnight" is a short hidden track after the last toll rings in "The Bell Tolls", which reveals that mankind may have hope after all...
-Marc.
Topic: Dream Theater's Untitled 11th Album: Make a fake tracklist / title (Read 86081 times)