Helloooo children...
I'm anxious about the new album, but in a negative way. I think that sets me aside from the majority. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to the album, I want it to be their best, but the feeling it won't meet my expectations is getting bigger as the release date aproaches.
Why do I feel that? First, as appears to be commom sense, self titled albums are big "it's what/who we are" statements. It makes even more sense being the first album "fully loaded" with Mangini, besides having so many self-referent titles about dreams and... theaters. That said, one should expect (at least I do) such an album to crank it up the "top 3 albums" of a large number of fans, as well as having 1 - 2 songs in the top 10 list. But for me, the line is drawn on the real possibility of that happening.
DT is well known for making different sounding albums and bringing new things with each new work. But it looks like that cicle ended briefly with Clouds and Chaos, and I might add ADTOE, despite being miles better then both before, It's still far away from common top-tiers like Words, Scenes or 6 degrees. I really enjoyed ADTOE and it met my expectations AT THE TIME, but I just don't listen to it anymore than other low tier albums. I just find myself listening to 10 year + songs from their catalog, with one or other exceptions...
I might also add that a 4 album "stagnation" would mean, at least for me, a huge disappointment and a shift in the way I relate to the band's music and new releases, as it holds a special place for broadening my musical spectrum, introducing me to prog, making me search new bands and styles and helping me be a better musician. But today, other bands - some in the same style - get much more attention and time from me.
After 2005, they seem a bit lost, maybe not "lost", but too much conservative, "playing safe". I would even say "stale", with all consequences and memories implied by using that word in "THE" DT forum. To wrap it up, I just really hope what they set in 2011 is a real change in direction, I just had this feeling maybe ADTOE = WDADU, implying a new beggining and XII=IAW, a new level of Prog Awesomeness... But the more I think about it, the more It seems that's not gonna happen.
Peace and Prog
LW