It's been out for over a month...

[Zook]

I've only listened to it once, and haven't since.
It's not that the songs are bad, it's just none were really that good in my opinion.
I've also been leaning away from prog over the past few months so that may be a factor.

You're posting on a Dream Theater message board but only listened to the new album once?

He's not the only one, trust me.

[pmahoney1337]

How's ADTOE sitting for you guys?

I have no desire to give it a spin ever again.

The last time I listened to it was maybe 2 weeks [ago] and I don't see myself listening to it ever again.

This.

Sheesh... How can you dislike this album that much. What else can you ask of them?

[Nel_Annette]

I stopped for about two weeks after it came out but now I've been revisiting most of the tracks daily recently. I haven't gone back to Lost Not Forgotten, Outcry, or Beneath The Surface at all, though. At the end of the day, they just don't click to me. Beneath The Surface is alright depending on my mood, I guess.

I still listen to On The Backs Of Angels, but not as much. I think I wore it down too much before the actual album came out.

The rest are fantastic and I've been cycling through them everyday. Ever since one of you made that "sun" line connection between Bridges In the Sky and Breaking All Illusions, I always listen to them together along with Far From Heaven. Those three tracks sound like they're all parts of one whole song to me, honestly.

Far From Heaven has gotten more beautiful as time has gone on. Might be one of my favorite Dream Theater sad/soft/ballad songs.

A Dramatic Turn Of Events has become on of my top three Dream Theater albums. It really is just that great, barring three songs.

[namgalsipsclar]

OTBAO- Grew on me a lot, its a great song
BMU,BMD - Thought it was lame at first, it has risen to 'decent'
LNF- Love this song, especially the intro. It was the first bit I really enjoyed on my first listen
TITL- Again, love this one, like all the ballads it's brilliantly sung
BITS- Didn't like the metal sound at first, but it has a great chorus and instrumental
Outcry- Didn't hit me originally, has grown on me though
FFH- This is amazing, one of DTs best ballads
BAI- Great song, took a while to fully appreciate it though
BTS- Really nice song, not very DT like but that doesn't matter

[wolfking]

Very ordinary album.

[Evo]

What happened here? The album got so much praise when it was released, now based on this thread it seems like there are almost as many nay sayers as people loving it...
Anyway, I still think it's a fantastic album, exactly what they needed at this point, and definitely their best since Six Degrees.
There's nothing I dislike on it, but I'm not into BMUBMD, This is the Life, Outcry and Far From Heaven all that much. The rest on the other hand...BAI is easily top 5, BITS top 10, etc.

[Woodworker1]

The album is in the top three for me.  I listen to Dream Theater mostly because I love their instrumental sections, and ADTOE has awesome extended instrumental sections.  The album did take repeated listens for me to appreciate it though. 

BMUBMD would be a great song for radio play.

Mangini's drumming on Outcry has really grown on me.  I hear more aspects of his drumming each time I listen to it.  It has stood up well to the test of time.

Breaking All Illusions is one of the songs that I liked immediately, and unlike most songs that grab me the first listen, my appreciation for it has not dimished with time.

[petrucci07]

I really don't like it, and I didn't when it was released.
OtBoA - Classic DT, pretty good.
BMU, BMD - Shit. Easily the worst DT song, I can't stand it. Completely derivative.
Lost Not Forgotten - Bad Symphony X imitation, over long, and that ridiculous "tickle section" is just fucking stupid.
This Is the Life - Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.
Bridges In the Sky - Stupid, cluttered, busy intro, boring riffs. First verse is cool, the "bridges in the sky" section is fucking awesome, the "creepy" chord progression is pretty cool, if a bit predictable.
Outcry - Boring and cheesy as fuck. That intro is almost unlistenable for me. And DAMN do those electronic drums sound cheap, and they're badly mixed (too loud and too harsh) too.
Far From Heaven - Boring, over long, terrible lyrics. The part that's reprised in BAI is quite nice though.
Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit. Second verse onwards is pretty boring, the guitar solo is almost lifted from LITS, but the last 30 seconds or so are pretty good.
Beneath the Surface - Cheesy, boring, bad vocals. Don't get the hype.

All in my opinion of course, I don't intend to state as fact

[Silent Man]

What happened here? The album got so much praise when it was released, now based on this thread it seems like there are almost as many nay sayers as people loving it...
Anyway, I still think it's a fantastic album, exactly what they needed at this point, and definitely their best since Six Degrees.
There's nothing I dislike on it, but I'm not into BMUBMD, This is the Life, Outcry and Far From Heaven all that much. The rest on the other hand...BAI is easily top 5, BITS top 10, etc.

I'm mystified as well. This is a fantastic album, one of their best. It's FAR better than the two last efforts - IMO of course. It might even be better than 8VM, which was very, very good.

It took a little time to get used to MM's drumming (I've listened to it about 100 times now) - but his style is slowly creeping in. To listen to a new drummer is a mental thing, it takes time...I don't think he's superior to MP (well maybe on a few points), he's just DIFFERENT. It's how well he fits in that is the key point. And I slowly discover what a good choice the band made. His drumming on LNF f.ex. is simply spectacular.

Some times I think that I heard all good music and the possibility that a new album I can enjoy endlessly will never come again - I think back to The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, A Trick Of The Tail /Genesis and many DT albums...well this new one is one of those. To my great pleasure, it's still growing on me (didn't happen with the last two either) and when it's not spinning on the CD player, it's spinning in my head. It took about 20 listenings before it really grew though - and I'll never understand the ppl who give up after one listen or so. It's PROG for Christs sake - it's NOT supposed to be good before you have listened a long time! 

Well I guess you can dump it, call it 'ordinary' or whatever....but then I wonder how you got to be a DT lover (which I guess you are if you signed up here)...

Poul

[snapple]

What happened here? The album got so much praise when it was released, now based on this thread it seems like there are almost as many nay sayers as people loving it...
Anyway, I still think it's a fantastic album, exactly what they needed at this point, and definitely their best since Six Degrees.
There's nothing I dislike on it, but I'm not into BMUBMD, This is the Life, Outcry and Far From Heaven all that much. The rest on the other hand...BAI is easily top 5, BITS top 10, etc.

Because people have played it to death. It's exactly why I made the thread. I noticed the lack of ADTOE threads being created/on the first page. So I said "maybe the new toy has been played with too much?"


I'm digging the responses. My completely unprofessional guess is that this album is going to be mid-high-tier for most DT fans. It leaves me hoping the next release is going to be completely awesome because they know the dynamic they have and they'll probably feel a lot better about it.

[emindead]

How's ADTOE sitting for you guys?

I have no desire to give it a spin ever again.

The last time I listened to it was maybe 2 weeks [ago] and I don't see myself listening to it ever again.

This.

Sheesh... How can you dislike this album that much. What else can you ask of them?

A producer.

[Bertielee]

How's ADTOE sitting for you guys?

I have no desire to give it a spin ever again.

The last time I listened to it was maybe 2 weeks [ago] and I don't see myself listening to it ever again.

This.

Sheesh... How can you dislike this album that much. What else can you ask of them?

A producer.

He didn't say "WHO else", he said "WHAT" else?

B.Lee

[bosk1]

Shit.

ridiculous

just fucking stupid

Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.

Stupid, cluttered, ... boring

Boring and cheesy as fuck.

Boring, over long, terrible lyrics.

etc....  (tired of quoting)

The problem with a lot of this post is it does not even remotely approach "constructive criticism" and is not the least bit tactful.  I quote the forum rule on the subject:

12. Insults or senseless bashing of the current or former band members of Dream Theater and/or their music will not be tolerated.  Honest, open critique is always allowed, provided it does not cross the line and become bashing, belittling, etc.

Several other posters in this thread have illustrated how to say they don't like something in a way that is constructive.  Your post does not.  Please familiarize yourself with the rules before posting anything similar.

[JPX]

This album feel kinda like Train of Thought for me:

- I've heard the single too much so I always skip it (As I Am/OtBoA)
- I always skip the slow ones (Vacant/Beneath the Surface/Far From Heaven)
- Roatate the remaining five songs. (I'm excluding BMUBMD cause I don't enjoy it.)

There's some wondefful moments on there which will never get old for me but there's some unforgettable stuff too.
Six Degrees will always be way ahead of everything else for me. Hopefully DT12 is mindblowing and Mangini manages to catch my interest with his playing.

[Mebert78]

It hasn't left my car's CD player since I received it in the mail.  And that's saying a lot because we've gotten new discs by Arch/Matheos, Opeth, Steven Wilson, Pain of Salvation and Redemption.  But all I listen to is the new DT.  I can't get enough of it.  It's the kind of disc I've wanted them to release for a long time now.  Still hard to rank it.  It's definitely behind I&W and Awake.  Not sure if it's ahead of SFAM, which is my #3.

[vulcandj]

I'll listen to the other half when I don't have anything better to do.

Wow. That's a little harsh.

With every listen, it's just keeps getting better for me. After 1 week, I had it in my top 5 of DT creations, and it is still there. 

[Man-Genie]

FWIW, I love this album. I think it's their best since SDOIT and some days I think it may even be better. Either way, it's a great record and a really welcome one after the last couple. *This* is the DT I know & love!

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I really don't like it, and I didn't when it was released.
OtBoA - Classic DT, pretty good.
BMU, BMD - Shit. Easily the worst DT song, I can't stand it. Completely derivative.
Lost Not Forgotten - Bad Symphony X imitation, over long, and that ridiculous "tickle section" is just fucking stupid.
This Is the Life - Completely forgettable. Cheesy as fuck.
Bridges In the Sky - Stupid, cluttered, busy intro, boring riffs. First verse is cool, the "bridges in the sky" section is fucking awesome, the "creepy" chord progression is pretty cool, if a bit predictable.
Outcry - Boring and cheesy as fuck. That intro is almost unlistenable for me. And DAMN do those electronic drums sound cheap, and they're badly mixed (too loud and too harsh) too.
Far From Heaven - Boring, over long, terrible lyrics. The part that's reprised in BAI is quite nice though.
Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit. Second verse onwards is pretty boring, the guitar solo is almost lifted from LITS, but the last 30 seconds or so are pretty good.
Beneath the Surface - Cheesy, boring, bad vocals. Don't get the hype.

All in my opinion of course, I don't intend to state as fact

I find it very hard to believe that anyone who likes Dream Theater could honestly think A Dramatic Turn of Events is this bad. I guess my question is: Do you dislike ADTOE because you don't like DT much, or do you dislike ADTOE because it's just way worse than their other stuff?

[Perpetual Change]

Still love it, and it would probably be dominating 90% of my music listening time for months (like a DT release used to back in the 90s) if there weren't so many other great new releases as well.

This, minus the 90s part.

[deadtotheworld]

I didnt like this album for quite a lot of listens then I was warming to it and found tiny pieces I liked. No I just cant stand it. I find it very boring and average by DTs standards.
Years ago i had a korg guitar multi effects which i would play a riff then cycle to the next patch to try out all the pre programmed effects... Play a riff, change patch, play riff, change patch.... This is what Jordans parts on this album remind me of. He uses way too many patches of horrible sounding effects. That moog solo sound is awful, its like a Sega Genesis/Megadrive sounding solo drowning out some rich sounding cellos. I have to strongly disagree with people saying that Jordans playing is tasteful on this album. To me it sounds like lately Jordan is taking over and is allowed to do whatever he wants, this includes the last few albums and also live... More and more of his gear is creeping on stage, with ipods and ipads and wanting more limelight with that keyboard guitar thing just makes me bork.
JP is my idol and hero, but this album for me is his weakest. Nothing is memorable. Drums dont dazzle me either.... Even my missus who is not a big DT fan asked me 'who is this?' and when i said DT she said they sound weaker and 'not right'.
I dont even like JLB on this album. Too many parts sound too breath-y like he is singing under a massive sigh of an exhale!
Im so pleased that people love this album, but its been refreshing to read that i am not the only one that thinks its a bit crap. Sometimes its not that easy to be constructive, sometimes you just feel strongly about something that you have to just say 'its shit' or 'its rediculous' it has exactly the same depth as saying 'its brilliant' or 'i love it' but obviously on the other end of the scale!
DT are my favourite band and i love all the albums except the new one.... ADTOE is definately my least favourite DT album. The best thing about listening to ADTOE is that when i go back to the other albums, they sound even better!

[bosk1]

'its shit' or 'its rediculous' it has exactly the same depth as saying 'its brilliant' or 'i love it'

Where or not that statement is true, it misses the point.  The point is that the former is disprespectful, while the latter is not.  And given that I am running a fan forum, respectful/tactful criticism is fine, but disrespectful criticism is not.

[Samsara]

'its shit' or 'its rediculous' it has exactly the same depth as saying 'its brilliant' or 'i love it'

Where or not that statement is true, it misses the point.  The point is that the former is disprespectful, while the latter is not.  And given that I am running a fan forum, respectful/tactful criticism is fine, but disrespectful criticism is not.

I do agree that "it's shit" is disrespectful.

But, then do people a favor, bosk1, and give examples of what would be appropriate, respectful criticism of something of DT.

This way folks know exactly what kinds of talk is permissible, instead of having to guess what side of the bed you rolled off of every morning.

[coffees for closers]

It is in 4th right now, and don't see it ever going higher then that.

[iamtheeviltwin]

What happened here? The album got so much praise when it was released, now based on this thread it seems like there are almost as many nay sayers as people loving it...
Anyway, I still think it's a fantastic album, exactly what they needed at this point, and definitely their best since Six Degrees.
There's nothing I dislike on it, but I'm not into BMUBMD, This is the Life, Outcry and Far From Heaven all that much. The rest on the other hand...BAI is easily top 5, BITS top 10, etc.

Because people have played it to death. It's exactly why I made the thread. I noticed the lack of ADTOE threads being created/on the first page. So I said "maybe the new toy has been played with too much?"


I'm digging the responses. My completely unprofessional guess is that this album is going to be mid-high-tier for most DT fans. It leaves me hoping the next release is going to be completely awesome because they know the dynamic they have and they'll probably feel a lot better about it.

Also, most (note: not all) of the people who are responding negatively didn't really have much praise for the album from the start.

As for me.  I am still finding myself desiring to listen to the album almost daily (even if I don't get a chance to).  In my overall rankings, it's really in my top 3 behind 6DOIT and 8VM.

[bosk1]

But, then do people a favor, bosk1, and give examples of what would be appropriate, respectful criticism of something of DT.

Fair enough.  For example:

I think it has some solid songs, but it doesn't keep me coming back for more listens. I think it is good, but I don't see why everyone is so "THIS IS THE GREATEST ALBUM EVER!"

Pretty much, anything along the lines of, "I don't like __ because _____" is generally okay (as long as the "because _____" is a constructive thought and isn't just "because it sucks LOL" or something equally not-well-thought out).  Or another way to look at it might be, if any of the members of DT invited you into their house and you were sitting on their couch talking about the new album, would they be insulted by what you are saying, or would they be able to say, "yeah, I see where you are coming from, but I don't agree"?  If the former, it is probably out of bounds here.  But as you know, this isn't an exact science, which is one of the reasons we generally give people a few warnings and try to get people on the right track rather than just outright banning people the first time they cross the line.  And people who make an honest effort to stay on the right side of the rules (the VAST majority of people here) get a lot more leeway and second chances and don't get banned.

[TL]

I still absolutely love this album, and constantly feel compelled to go listen to this track of that track (which has happened with every song on the album with pretty good regularity).
I genuinely can't understand how anyone who likes DT could find fault with this album.

[BlobVanDam]

I genuinely can't understand how anyone who likes DT could find fault with this album.

Even though I really like ADTOE, the reason I don't rank it higher isn't to do with what is there, it's to do with what isn't there. I can't really fault anything on the album, and what makes ADTOE great is that it is consistent, but what holds it back for me is that it doesn't reach the same peaks of my other favourite DT songs.
I can't speak for anyone else, but that's all I can "fault" with the album.

[Implode]

But, then do people a favor, bosk1, and give examples of what would be appropriate, respectful criticism of something of DT.

Pretty much, anything along the lines of, "I don't like __ because _____" is generally okay

Like: I don't really enjoy Lost Not Forgotten as much as everyone seems to. The opening is absolutely amazing, but then as soon we get to the verses and choruses I lose interest. That's where the thick chords go away, and in come the weaker power chords. I generally can't get into the weaker harmonic progressions that they use in this song. The guitar riff in the verses is similar in tone to A Rite of Passage, and the chorus just hits me as not having harmonically dynamic power unlike other tracks on the album such as Outcry and Bridges in the Sky which have some of the best choruses they've written in my opinion.

It's over a month since the album has been out, and I still can't go a day without listening to at least a couple tracks. It's truly the best work they've out in almost a decade, and I still can't get enough.

[kirksnosehair]

Top 3 DT album behind SFAM and I&W, and I am confident it will remain there.

This album, for me, completely and utterly destroys everything Dream Theater has released since Train of Thought (the last album Dream Theater released that I liked) and I currently rank it #3 overall in the catalog.

[missedthepoint]

It took me a few listens to get into it and it has it's highs and lows. LNF and TITL solo sections for the former, electronic drums in BMU and outcry, and the whole Outcry intro for the latter.
Iwas really enjoying listening to the whole thing but then suddenly stopped.
I'm sure i'll pick it back up sometime in the future but for now Visions by Haken is commanding all my attention.

[Bone_Daddy]

How's ADTOE sitting for you guys?

I have no desire to give it a spin ever again.

The last time I listened to it was maybe 2 weeks [ago] and I don't see myself listening to it ever again.

This.

Sheesh... How can you dislike this album that much. What else can you ask of them?

A producer.

^This.
They need a producer. There are some good moments on the album but far from great. The album lacks direction of any kind. It plays on past strengths of DT, which may be a good thing initially, but doesn't really leave anything substantially for the listener.

A great album has to be memorable. And this album is lacking just that. If anything, it has two good hooks: one in Build Me Up Break Me Down and one in Lost Not Forgotten. After that, the only thing going for it is Beneath the Surface which has solid range both musically and lyrically.

I had very little expectations with this album with the exception that MP wouldn't have anything to do with it. So there was very little anticipation on my end. Now that I have listened to it for over a month, I'm pretty meh about it and have found other music released this year which has captivated my ears. And I'm thankful for that because if I had put all my hope into this album, I would have nowhere to go to listen to new music and have to fall back on my catalog of music. Sad to say, I enjoyed the DT drummer audition video more than this album. I can only hope for a better DT album the next time around.

All that said, I'm happy for the band and really glad they brought on MM. I look forward to what he brings to the mix next time around. As for ranking, this album is at the bottom of the list with Octavarium and WDaDU.

[Bongasti]

Hmm... I don't listen to it that often anymore, but when I do, I always realize that it's pretty great.

That sounds really weird.

[Zook]

I can't wait for the "It's been out for over a year" thread.

The album is still awesome, but I've also been listening to other albums as well, so it's in rotation.

[Unimatrix]

Breaking All Illusions - Awesome intro, poor verse, TERRIBLE chorus. That chorus is almost too cheesy, I don't know how they've gone from writing choruses like "beautiful agony" to this deririvative shit.

The bolded part is funny! I actually agree with you that it's derivative... but what makes it funny is that - to my ears - it's actually derived from the "beautiful agony" section, which you seem to like  . To me, "beautiful agony" and the BAI chorus are the highlights of their albums. They share the same chord progression and - to my ears - sound very similar. Because of that I didn't think it was possible to like "beautiful agony" but dislike the BAI chorus. You just proved me wrong. 

Back to the topic: The last time I listened to ADTOE was a few weeks ago. I agree with those that say that it's a very consistent album (consistently good), but it lacks the really high peaks that make me love it and feel the need to give it another spin.

[livehard]

I think it's their best album to come out since Octavarium, but Octavarium is better. It also sounds better. And it has the song Octavarium. And the song Sacrificed Sons, which is IMO a very, very strong track. In fact, that was the first older DT song I spinned after delving into ADTOE, and I was blown the crap away.

Not only do I agree with all of this, but I had the same occurance with Sacraficed Sons.  This post is exactly what happened to me.