Will the new album be their best in years?

[Tick]

What say you? My gut says this is going to be a great album. When people are inspired they usually do inspiring things. I think the guys are driven for something special. That's what I think anyhow.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't know.  I thought that BC&SL was their best in some time.  If the next one is better than that, I will be happy.

[EasterDavy]

I have very high hopes for this album.  I don't recall the exact quote but I remember JP saying something like they have a very definitive idea of what they want the next album to be.  That quote alone has me thinking this is going to be a very focused effort rather than the random collections of songs we've gotten on the past couple releases.  

[Tick]

I don't know.  I thought that BC&SL was their best in some time.  If the next one is better than that, I will be happy.

For the record, I love all there albums. I'm just thinking this one is going to be even a step beyond. I may be a dreamer, but I think its gonna rock!

[RuRoRul]

I'm not sure. I thought Black Clouds and Silver Linings was a great album, maybe even their 3rd or 4th best, so it'd have to be pretty good to beat that.

I'm hopeful though. I too was interested in that quote about them having a definitive idea of what they wanted to make. Not that that means anything about the quality though - after all, albums with no concept like Train Of Thought or Images and Words have been better than albums with a concept or idea like SFAM or Octavarium, in my opinion. But it's interesting.

Also important to remember the music might suffer due to Mike Portnoy not being with them. I know most people here have dismissed him contributing anything of quality to the music by now, and I'm not saying they can't make good music without him, but until we hear the new album it remains to be seen how much he really added.

[rumborak]

Have to be honest, my problem is that I've been "on my way out" of DT for the last years really. BCSL was a good album, but it didn't really manage to rekindle the love for DT I used to have. Maybe, if DT really produces something extraordinary with DT11 they might be able to do it.

rumborak

[Tick]

Have to be honest, my problem is that I've been "on my way out" of DT for the last years really. BCSL was a good album, but it didn't really manage to rekindle the love for DT I used to have. Maybe, if DT really produces something extraordinary with DT11 they might be able to do it.

rumborak

They can do it! A new fresh approach is going to bring fresh results!
 

[rumborak]

Also important to remember the music might suffer due to Mike Portnoy not being with them. I know most people here have dismissed him contributing anything of quality to the music by now

Nah, that's not what most people are saying. People are saying that yes, he *did* contribute to DT's songwriting quite significantly, but it was more in the realm of arrangement, and that is more of a craft and thus can be picked up by somebody else. That's why we all say that JP leaving would be the sure death of the band. Whereas MP leaving was, let's face it, essentially met with a shrug by DT, and I think this thought that the arrangement part can be picked up e.g. by JR caused that shrug and not the flailing arms that MP I think had hoped for as a reaction. The band essentially tallied up: "Can we find somebody who can play this stuff? Certainly. Can we find somebody who can arrange songs? JR can do that. PR? Management and us will pick that up."

rumborak

[Groundhog]

I don't know. While I'm not that enthusiastic about SC and BC&SL in comparison to the older material, the latter was a step in the right direction. Musically I except it to be at least good. Hopefully even great now that they have something to prove. However the biggest turnoff in SC and BC&SL for me is the sonic aspect and I don't really expect that to change. That's what I'm more worried about.

[skydivingninja]

loltheirtherethey're

Actually on topic: I certainly hope so.  They know this is their most important album for Scenes, and it will make or break them, kind of like how Ratatouille was supposed to be Pixar's proof that they could do it without Disney.  Unlike Pixar though, DT's already said "no" to their Disney coming back.  I don't really know where I'm going with this, but the comparison jumped into my head.  Anyways, I sure hope it comes close to Scenes or 6DoiT in quality.  Or at least match BC&SL.

[Icebear]

I think there are too many uncertainties at this point, it's impossible to predict the quality of DT11.
It'd be easier if we knew

- who the new guy is
- JM's level of involvement
- JP's general preference as sole producer, as far as the general direction of the sound of the album goes.

and so on...

[RuRoRul]

That's why we all say that JP leaving would be the sure death of the band.

I definitely agree. And I agree with the rest of your post. I just think that since everyone's taken that on board and knows it's not the end of DT or anything, most people have also dismissed the notion that his leaving will lead to any drop in quality. I'm hopeful that it won't, but I'm still trying to remain realistic and entertain the notion that, even though it definitely won't be the end of the band, Portnoy not being there might make it worse. For example his role in arrangement - will we see even more frequent and longer instrumental sections in the middle of songs now that, for example, JR will be taking that role?

[Global Laziness]

I don't know.  I thought that BC&SL was their best in some time.  If the next one is better than that, I will be happy.

This, 100%.

[manticore999]

I said yes.  I was so disappointed with their last album that I felt they had really hit the bottom.  I think adversity can often breed inspiration. I'm hoping for something mind-blowing! 

[YtseJamittaja]

I hope so

[Chino]

I said yes.  I was so disappointed with their last album that I felt they had really hit the bottom.  I think adversity can often breed inspiration. I'm hoping for something mind-blowing! 

You though SCSL was worse than SC?

[manticore999]

I said yes.  I was so disappointed with their last album that I felt they had really hit the bottom.  I think adversity can often breed inspiration. I'm hoping for something mind-blowing! 

You though SCSL was worse than SC?

Absolutely.  At least SC had ITPOE1.  I can't say I 'love' that song, but it's ok and I listen to it once in a while.  There's not one song on BCSL that I can listen to without getting bored, and don't get me started on the lyrics.

[Infinite Cactus]

I don't know.  I thought that BC&SL was their best in some time.  If the next one is better than that, I will be happy.

I checked strongly agree on this one.

[BanksD]

I hope it's at least as good as 8vm or BC&SL, and for the record I love those albums, so if it's as good as those I'll be happy.

[fadetoblackdude7]

I say yes. When BC&SL came out I remember telling people it was their best since SFAM. Right now, I half-agree with what I said before. But DT said their goal is to make the best record they can possibly make. I am for it!

[Tick]

I said yes.  I was so disappointed with their last album that I felt they had really hit the bottom.  I think adversity can often breed inspiration. I'm hoping for something mind-blowing! 

You though SCSL was worse than SC?

Absolutely.  At least SC had ITPOE1.  I can't say I 'love' that song, but it's ok and I listen to it once in a while.  There's not one song on BCSL that I can listen to without getting bored, and don't get me started on the lyrics.

I liked SC more then BCSL. I love the two epics on Clouds, but the others are just not up to SC as a whole.

[atmyne]

For me, BC&SL wasn't that much better than Systematic chaos. Not that i could imagine it any other way, but i feel having 6 tracks is what kills it. Once you're over one of the tracks on the album, that's 1/6th of the album you have lost interest in (not exactly due to varying track lengths but you get the idea). Systematic chaos had the edge over BC&SL because having more tracks enables more musical diversity. So for this reason, while i did enjoy BC&SL more than SC, SC had more replay value and depth.
Now, assuming the new album will be of equivalent production and musical quality as BC&SL, and that it will have more than 6 tracks on it, right here it is already very likely that it will be better than BC&SL.

[hefdaddy42]

It only had 2 more tracks (or only 1 more, if you count ITPOE as one song).  That's not much difference.

[Tunnel Vision]

When both SC and BCSL first came out I thought they were awesome. I probably listened to them too much and quickly got bored. Since then, I haven't really listened to either album. It seems like yesterday that both albums were released (I can still remember what time of day I first listened to both records), but I just don't feel emotionally "into" those two albums. Every few months I will listen to SC or BCSL and really feel into the music and start to understand it, but soon I'll become uninterested. I think that both records are good, but I can't see myself listening to either of them on a regular basis. They seem like records that I'll listen to every once in a while if I want a heavy, metal, rockin' record.

When I think of DT, I don't immediately think of BCSL or SC. I think it is because those two records aren't very memorable. Both of them have AMAZING sections (ITPOE Pt. 1, "Hopelessly drifting section", various solos and vocal sections, and some goosebump inducing moments) but I don't enjoy either album as a whole. Both have great parts but both also have some "meh" parts. I also think it is because both albums are pretty predictable. The first time I listened to them, both records kept me very interested and wanting to know what is coming up next. Since then, I haven't really been that interested in the music just because I know where it's going. I can't remember the last time I've spun the last two records and discovered some hidden piece of music. "What you hear is what you get" I think is a good way to put it.

[LCArenas]

Well, it can be their best in years or their worst in years. I think they know they have a big weight over their shoulders, I think they know their fans expect something of quality, something... Different to what they have been doing since SC. BC&SL was a step in the right direction, and now they know they have a little bit more of creative freedom in what they will make. I don't know if it will be their best in years, but I'm anxiously expecting what will come out of this.

[atmyne]

^ a good point

It only had 2 more tracks (or only 1 more, if you count ITPOE as one song).  That's not much difference.

It isn't much difference at all, but each song takes up a larger proportion of the album. It's also a subjective thing I guess. I mean, for instance, when I will listen to BC&SL, i will skip through nearly all of it besides TCOT, so I am only left with 19 min of material to listen to (and maybe wither will get a play). With SC, I will listen to nearly all the way through, and even if i do skip constant motion, repentance and maybe tDEN, there's still a heap of enjoyable material to listen too. I'm not gonna go into this too far because there is a thread for it. I've predicted that the next album will have less epics, meaning more tracks and therefore more character and replay value.

[Mladen]

I don't think so. The last two albums were really good, especially Systematic chaos. I doubt the new album will top Systematic chaos, but we'll see. Hopefully they'll prove me wrong. 

[Voyage 34]

I can't vote. Of course I want this album to be their best since Octavarium, which I count to be their last really good album, but I can't say that I think it will or will not. With out knowing who the new guy is, and with out having heard them play with him (or her, I suppose), it's too hard to say. Basically I think it could go either way, which is why I am really looking forward to the new album. 

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

I can't vote. Of course I want this album to be their best since Octavarium, which I count to be their last really good album, but I can't say that I think it will or will not. With out knowing who the new guy is, and with out having heard them play with him (or her, I suppose), it's too hard to say. Basically I think it could go either way, which is why I am really looking forward to the new album. 

lol 111111st post on the DT board.

Anyways, there's no way to tell till its out, really. I have high hopes, though.

[inoku]

Could be. IMHO When DT is having some sort of problems or pressure, they usually came out with a bang.

It's like when they released SFAM. SFAM was a do or die album, and they gave it all and it became one of the highest rated album. It's also similar to IAW.

This time their problems isn't a career ending one. But I think they will try hard to prove that they will do great without Mike.

[wolfking]

Really, none of us have any clue on what the quality of the album will be.

[ariich]

I don't know.  I thought that BC&SL was their best in some time.  If the next one is better than that, I will be happy.

This.

But really, anything could happen. So I went with "You have some spinach between your teeth".

[AwakeFromOctavarium]

Really, none of us have any clue on what the quality of the album will be.

This exactly. I think this is way too early to speculate when there's not a single leak from the album, or the announcement of the new drummer.

[Stoneyman]

I am hopeful that the new stuff will be awesome.  I dont think DT is capable of putting out a bad cd, and I cant really classify anything they have done as step backward.  The last 2 cd's have had a vibe of sameness IMO. 
I think if DT changes things up a bit it will be all good.  Any band with JP & JR cant write sucky stuff no matter what.  I would love to hear more of a ITPOE Part 1 mixed with SDOIT served hot and fresh.

[Hal Incandenza]

Could go either way.

I tend to think the albums since Train of Thought have mostly been mediocre by Dream Theater standards.  They're not bad by any means, and I have enjoyed getting a new album every two years like clockwork, but nothing has come close to the standards of Images and Words, Awake or Scenes from a Memory, and it seems to me like they've been stuck in a bit of a rut.

A shakeup in membership could bring a burst of creativity, as it did when Rudess joined, or it could produce a seriously disappointing album if the creative alchemy doesn't work as well with the new guy.  Portnoy was a huge part of DT's production and writing, so there's clearly going to be change.  My hope is that the quality of the new material will be at least as good, and the sound and approach will change substantively enough that we get to hear a new album that doesn't sound too much like the last four.  I'm not worried that the sound will totally change; the other members of the band are way too important for that to happen.