Author Topic: The Arena Thread: Molecular Inheritance (Read 8398 times)

Dr. DTVT · « **on:** October 21, 2011, 08:04:40 PM »

I know there's only about three other Arena fans here at DTF, but after an over five year wait we're getting a new album!

They are also touring Europe in November. You lucky bastards.

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2011, 08:11:06 PM »

I don't believe I've ever said, but I like Arena. Can't wait for this!

jingle.boy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:29:51 AM »

I've got Contagion and The Visitor, but haven't gone any deeper in their discography. I like them well enough, but haven't really had the burning desire to really KNOW them and their music.

T-ski · « **Reply #3 on:** October 22, 2011, 11:42:59 AM »

Arena is fantastic. John Mitchell is one of the best guitarist in the genre. Can't wait for this.

Nekov · « **Reply #4 on:** October 22, 2011, 12:00:15 PM »

Yes!!!

This band is great. It deserves a lot more love than it gets in this forum. Great to see Clive Nolan has been working a lot lately. If this album is as good as Passion then we are in for a great treat.

Do you know the exact date?

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #5 on:** October 22, 2011, 04:03:46 PM »

Quote from: Nekov on October 22, 2011, 12:00:15 PM

Do you know the exact date?

So much so I put it in the thread title

Kosmo · « **Reply #6 on:** October 22, 2011, 04:37:06 PM »

I haven't heard of these guys..

Link me the absolute best song from Arena.

T-ski · « **Reply #7 on:** October 22, 2011, 05:25:34 PM »

everybody has their own favorites, and here is mine. This is off their last album "Peppers Ghost." The new album will have a different singer on it though.

"Opera Fanatica" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRExWry4dp8

Nekov · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2011, 05:27:56 PM »

Quote from: DTVT on October 22, 2011, 04:03:46 PM

Quote from: Nekov on October 22, 2011, 12:00:15 PM
Do you know the exact date?

So much so I put it in the thread title

for me. I totally missed that.

Quote from: Kosmo on October 22, 2011, 04:37:06 PM

I haven't heard of these guys..

Link me the absolute best song from Arena.

Don't know if the best but my favorite.

https://grooveshark.com/s/Purgatory+Road/2yfncN?src=5

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2011, 07:22:25 PM »

I'm on my phone so I can't dig up songs, but The Visitor and Contagion are my favorite albums, and are concept albums on par with any concept album you can come up with. Arena is my favorite neo-program band.

Jaq · « **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2011, 10:24:32 PM »

Wow, has it really been six years since Pepper's Ghost came out? I played the HELL out of that when it dropped, like every day for two months. 2011 has been AMAZING for me for music.

Nekov · « **Reply #11 on:** November 26, 2011, 04:23:31 AM »

Only two more days!!!!!

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #12 on:** November 26, 2011, 09:15:07 AM »

I pre-ordered it, but it will probably take a while to make it to the States.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #13 on:** November 26, 2011, 09:24:22 AM »

Mason. I only have Pepper's Ghost. What others should I try?

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #14 on:** November 26, 2011, 07:32:03 PM »

The Visitor and Contagion are my two favorites. Start there.

King Postwhore · « **Reply #15 on:** November 26, 2011, 10:37:18 PM »

Quote from: DTVT on November 26, 2011, 07:32:03 PM

The Visitor and Contagion are my two favorites. Start there.

Will do. Thanks!

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #16 on:** November 26, 2011, 10:38:56 PM »

Lemme know when you do.

YtseBitsySpider · « **Reply #17 on:** November 28, 2011, 07:08:38 AM »

Their keyboardist is and has always been "revolutionary" - and cutting edge.

Riding the Tide is my fav by them...it's incredible.

The ablum title sounds like some kind melange of Dream Theater album/song titles.

like the Sixth Degree of Inner Clouds and Metropolises.

Nekov · « **Reply #18 on:** December 02, 2011, 09:26:57 AM »

Has anyone gotten to listen to the album yet?

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #19 on:** December 02, 2011, 09:56:12 AM »

Still waiting, but it takes a while to get across the ocean it seems. The only other thing I ordered from the UK took almost 2 weeks.

Lowdz · « **Reply #20 on:** December 02, 2011, 03:35:08 PM »

Youtube'd Pepper's ghost tracks and was blown away. Had to order it. Great album.

Nekov · « **Reply #21 on:** December 03, 2011, 08:13:28 AM »

Quote from: Lowdz on December 02, 2011, 03:35:08 PM

Youtube'd Pepper's ghost tracks and was blown away. Had to order it. Great album.

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #22 on:** December 06, 2011, 12:27:18 PM »

The album got to my house yesterday - an excellent birthday gift I must say.

I got two listens in, and my initial impressions are good. The album seems backloaded as the three tracks at the end really caught my attention, which means a month from now I'll probably be loving the early tracks.

It definately sounds like Arena, even if they are on their fourth different singer on their seventh albums. The new guy does well, although I don't think he has the slightly aggressive streak Snowden summoned at times on Contagion.

I don't want to rank the album so soon after I got it, but if you like their previous work, then I think you'll like this album as well.

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #23 on:** December 13, 2011, 01:53:49 PM »

It's been a week and this album has dominated my listening. I really like this album a lot. I don't know if my interpretation of the record is what was intended. They said the album is about the last hour of life and the first hour of death, which I definately see, but the story arc of the main character isn't what I expected from that description, which was a nice twist on the story.

Nekov · « **Reply #24 on:** December 13, 2011, 02:49:17 PM »

I gave it a couple of listens. I do not like the singer, his voice is kinda harsh for this kind of music. The rest I feel is exactly what should have followe Pepper's Ghost. The are some ups and downs all along and overall I enjoy it. I need to give it some more spins so that it settles with me.

Nekov · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2015, 07:01:21 AM »

So, Arena just released a new album. Listening to it right now in Spotify

jingle.boy · « **Reply #26 on:** July 29, 2015, 07:04:24 AM »

I tried over and over to get into these guys. Never could. $:-\$

Nekov · « **Reply #27 on:** July 29, 2015, 07:18:42 AM »

Well, it's not easy. I think they have some really good albums and then they have others that are completely forgettable.

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #28 on:** July 29, 2015, 04:00:43 PM »

It was released a few months ago. Their concept albums are much stronger than the ones that are just songs (First two and Immortal?). The Visitor and Contagion are God-tier albums.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #29 on:** July 29, 2015, 07:54:24 PM »

Quote from: Dr. DTVT on July 29, 2015, 04:00:43 PM

It was released a few months ago. Their concept albums are much stronger than the ones that are just songs (First two and Immortal?). The Visitor and Contagion are God-tier albums.

And those were the two I tried on numerous occasions. I just couldn't get them to click. Ended up deleting them outright from my library.

Dr. DTVT · « **Reply #30 on:** July 29, 2015, 10:25:56 PM »

It wouldn't be the first time you exhibited your Canadian Loon genes.

Nekov · « **Reply #31 on:** July 30, 2015, 03:38:12 AM »

The Letter M · « **Reply #32 on:** November 11, 2015, 07:00:34 PM »

Just started getting into these guys. They were always on my radar but I never got around to listening to them. After Marillion and IQ, I never really got into the Neo-Prog scene of the 80's and 90's (outside of bands like Spock's Beard, but they were less like them and more American for obvious reasons). After having been a fan of Frost* and Kino, I knew about John Mitchell but never bothered to check out any of his other bands and projects.

Lately, in anticipation of the new Frost* album coming out next year, I decided to finally get around to that, and Arena came up first. I've started listening to their earlier albums, but knowing that they've got 8 is a bit of a daunting task to catch up to. I've read good things about Contagion (especially the full "Max" version) as well as The Visitor, so I'm excited to get to those two albums.

Having listened to the first two in a casual manner, I can say that these guys are more like IQ in that there's a certain Gabriel-Era Genesis feel to the sound of those early albums, and I'm OK with that. I like that about IQ and the early Marillion albums, though the latter sounds awfully dated at this point. With IQ, and now Arena, that Genesis sound comes off as more polished with better production and keyboard/synth sound choices.

The first two albums are pretty good, with some great variety in them. Listening to them now, I wonder why it took me almost a decade to getting around to these guys after my initial discovery of a larger prog rock world.

-Marc.

wolfking · « **Reply #33 on:** November 12, 2015, 06:36:49 PM »

The only Arena I have is Immortal, and I remember it not doing much for me to be honest.

jingle.boy · « **Reply #34 on:** November 12, 2015, 07:31:06 PM »

Quote from: wolfking on November 12, 2015, 06:36:49 PM

The only Arena I have is Immortal, and I remember it not doing much for me to be honest.

Ditto... except it was Contagion. Tried multiple times, but they just never clicked.

News: Fall Into the Light, official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFxH4kky6z4

Author Topic: The Arena Thread: Molecular Inheritance (Read 8398 times)

Kosmo