A Dramatic Turn Of Events - One Year On

[adastra]

I love it! It's fresh, interesting, exciting, intense, adventurous, varied, polished, a different experience with each listening. Just the way progressive music should be. Easily the best since SDOIT and I don't even think that's up for debate if we go by the popular vote.

I couldn't disagree more    IMO if it would have been Frest, interesting, exciting, intense, etc.   It would have been completely different album. haha

[Sycsa]

I love it! It's fresh, interesting, exciting, intense, adventurous, varied, polished, a different experience with each listening. Just the way progressive music should be. Easily the best since SDOIT and I don't even think that's up for debate if we go by the popular vote. 

It's always up for debate, and I'd definitely disagree with it.
I'd easily rank ToT and Octavarium above it, both having songs that leave anything on ADTOE for dead imo. And at worst I'd rank SC and BCASL just behind ADTOE (with all three albums right at the bottom of my rankings regardless).
ADTOE may be a slight improvement over BCASL, but it's still only middle of the pack for post-SDOIT albums imo.

I meant that the general consensus here seemed to be that ADTOE is better than anything since SDOIT. I happen to agree. I like every single DT album, but ToT is a bit one dimensional, Octavarium is all over the place, SC and BCSL have too much of the "Portnoy effect".

By counting the songs that I really like:
ToT - Endless Sacrifice, As I Am
Octavarium - The Root of All Evil, These Walls, Panic Attack, Octavarium (yeah, maybe this one has a chance to best ADTOE)
SC - ITPOE1&2, TDEN
BCSL - ANTR, The Shattered Fortress
ADTOE - OTBOA, LNF, Outcry, Bridges in the Sky, Breaking All Illusions (I like them almost equally, if I had to pick a favorite, they would be pretty much interchangeable)

[BlobVanDam]

How about we don't compare Portnoy to the mass death of hundreds of millions of people. 
I'm sure the forum rules imply that somewhere, even if not spelled out.

[Sycsa]

Gee wizz, it's an expression, like saying ADTOE is plagued by bad mix or ToT by compressed sound. Many of my problems with those albums can apparently be linked to Mike's musical direction and taste. Still love his playing, sound and even him as a person. 

[BlobVanDam]

Uh, the noun plague has very different connotations to the verb plague though. I'd stick to the verb, ok?

[Sycsa]

I can see why, it's just the way ended up phrasing it for the sake of simplicity. Anyway, I made it more PC. Still not as bad as criticizing the "Best of Times" lyrics though.

[ariich]

Since Sycsa edited his post, it looks like Blob is massively overreacting to a perfectly innocent post.

[BlobVanDam]

Since Sycsa edited his post, it looks like Blob is massively overreacting to a perfectly innocent post.

Oh no, now everyone's going to think BlobVanDam overreacts to things in DT side!

It originally said "Portnoy plague", but "Portnoy effect" I'm perfectly fine with. Now you may resume your regular scheduled programming.

[King Postwhore]

Have Fosters will ya!

I really like ADTOE.  Top 4 for me.

1. SDOIT
2. I&W
3. SFAM
4. ADTOE

[GasparXR]

A Dramatic Turn of Ferrets?

[King Postwhore]

A Dramatic Turn of Ferrets?

Fixed!

[DebraKadabra]

What I'm trying to say is that while the album is one of their best overall there are no song on it that I think is so overwhelmingly beautifully written that it brings tears to my eyes each time I sit down to actively listen to it.

I respect this, but I have to disagree - Far From Heaven and Breaking All Illusions are that powerful IMO and they bring me to tears on a regular basis.  YMMV, as always.

[Kotowboy]

Unlike Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds & Silver Linings - A Dramatic Turn Of Events doesn't have one song that - two years on - I skip every

time.

[The Stray Seed]

My opinion hasn't changed: the album is quite good, with one peak of absolute awesomeness, which is Breaking All Illusions. I'll be extremely happy if next album sounds like that.

[Kotowboy]

Two years on - I still don't get the fuss with Breaking All Illusions. It's good but it's not even my favourite song on the album.

[Cyclopssss]

I could do with some new shit now.

[PixelDream]

I think DT can do better with their next album. I wasn't feeling the renewed band so much with ADTOE, which probably has so much to do with their situation at the time and MM not writing his own parts.

ADTOE is for me really an album with a few really awesome parts, sandwiched between so many unnecessary musical statements. With the instrumental section of Outcry as the worst offender; there is already one in Metropolis pt. 1 and you can't make one just like it, and be better. That said, there's a little section there where everybody's playing laidback, with JP playing a really nice, slow lead. That's where I'm hoping DT is headed. I'm sure they can come up with great music, while cutting back a little bit on the virtuosic, busy instrumentals. They already did it with 8VM and it worked: The instrumental section in the title track made so much more impact.

[Sycsa]

I know that Outcry is an offender for many, but the solo section is among my absolute favorite parts of the album and Jordan's piano run peaking at 6:31 is one of the most satisfying DT moments ever. Also, I don't really see the Metropolis connection, it sounds a bit forced.