The Enemy Inside poll

[The Clairvoyant]

A really great and cool songs, Mangini sounds great and he is phenomenal in this song and Petrucci too.

[Onno]

Still not listening.

The Force is strong with this one.

[SethPC]

I went with Average, mostly based off the quality of the stream. But even if I find the full-quality cut of the song to be and average DT song, an average DT song is still pretty good IMO.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Still not listening.

The Force is strong with this one.

[Dream Team]

Haven't listened yet, but based on opinions in this thread I am worried that JM will be buried in the mix again. Not getting a positive vibe on the drum sound either.

[Perpetual Change]

On first listen, I'd say the song is very good. Strong melodies, strong instrumental section, better mixing than what we're used to now. It pretty much checks off all the boxes. It almost feels power-y, which I'm fine with. I can take that stuff in limited doses. Very fun song overall. Definitely better than the what DT have been releasing as "singles" since they started doing that again.

[Madman Shepherd]

My first thought:

Mangini, settle the fuck down!

Second thought:

Mangini, thank you for not settling down.


Yeah the vocals are a bit low and the bass seemed more prominent at the beginning of the song but then got sort of drowned.


It is way too early to get my full opinion.  I need to listen to it in the car in order to really dive into it.

In the meantime, I went with "Great" but could easily move up to "Masterpiece" after I digest it a little more. 

[eviljust]

Went with Average, but a Great wannabe. Like it more than the past 3 singles.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Well, there's at least one other person who's not listening to it. Show yourself.

[SuperTaco]

I voted Great. If JLB/JM were just a tad louder in the mix, I might have voted Masterpiece. I'm thinking that the actual album will sound a bit better than this online stream, so it may still reach the top.

[Super Dude]

I would select "Pretty Good" if that was an option, but I went with great.

[changing_seasons]

Well, there's at least one other person who's not listening to it. Show yourself.

That was me, although I caved and listened to it just now. I rate it below average. I hate how they've become so heavy these past 5-6 years. Just look at the waveform; it's a wall of sound with hardly any dynamic variation at all. I guess that's why they are called a progressive metal band these days. 

Thank god for Transatlantic/Neal Morse.

[Shadow Ninja 2.0]

Hmm. I'm still holding out. Though, DT being heavy sounds good to me. I am a happy fish now.

[mikeyd23]

I voted great.  I think its a rocking tune, the guitars sound great to me, MM sounds fantastic! Great to hear the drums up in the mix a little more!!

JLB could have been a little louder I think, especially in the verses, and the same goes for JM, but I'm trying to reserve most of that judgment till I have the actual album, sonic qualities are hard to judge from a stream.

I think the choruses are strong, the bridge and instrumental section were awesome, they managed to pack a lot of cool stuff into a "shorter" song structure. 

Overall, great! I like it more than CM and ARoP for sure, I think I like it more than OTBoA as well. So weighing it against other DT singles from recent releases, its very strong.

[FracturedMirror]

My thoughts from the other thread - Quick first impressions:

Lyrically the theme seems very similar to Panic Attack.  Anxiety/panic attacks as the topic of the song.

Vocals sound very Megadethy at the start to me, like a Cryptic Writings era Mustaine.

Guitar and keyboard bit around the 5:00 mark doesn't fit well, in my opinion.

Decent enough song, but it leaves me somewhat underwhelmed initially.

[adastra]

I'd have to say AVERAGE  . 
I like the song , but on DT scale it's only Average.  Nice single song!

[wasteland]

On the first listen I thought it was plain forgettable, without a catchy melody or definite structure.

Two hours and 5 listenings after, I vote great with all my might 

[Setebos]

Voted average. It's a decent song and I don't get the impulse to skip it or anything, but for me it's just a little too generic and does not feel very exciting (which is no suprise for a single). It's better than most of DT's singles from the past few albums though, with the exception of OTBOA.

[userx]

Well, there's at least one other person who's not listening to it. Show yourself.

That was me, although I caved and listened to it just now. I rate it below average. I hate how they've become so heavy these past 5-6 years. Just look at the waveform; it's a wall of sound with hardly any dynamic variation at all. I guess that's why they are called a progressive metal band these days. 

Thank god for Transatlantic/Neal Morse.

basicly this, although I also find Transatl a bit boringish. this might be the least original DT song and it sound a lot like other progMETAL bands for which there is a reason I don't listen to. Had this been the first DT song i had heard, they'd probably just pass below my radar unnoticed

[Ruba]

After one listen average. Miles behind OTBOA (I was blown away by it), but not bad.

[wolven74]

The only way this could be a masterpiece is by comparing it to the rest of the album, which can't be done yet. So, I went with great. It's definitely top 3 as far as their singles go though.

[kirksnosehair]

I won't listen to it before the album is released. 

[mrjazzguitar]

Definitely average. I can't believe the lack of new ideas on the band's part. Absolutely nothing new. Also very weak melodically. I understand that it's probably the "shortish, easy to take in, single-worthy" song from the album, and the really good stuff will be in the "epic" songs, but come on, this song is just pure recycling. On the Backs of Angels wasn't exactly the most innovative song, but still had some creative new vibes and super strong melodies

Then there's the recording... really don't like how the drums are mixed or the tone of the snare drum. Super cluttered - not much clarity.. none of that "pop" (listen to Blind Faith for pretty much the best drum mixing DT has done -- incredibly crisp and clear and the balance in the mix is beautiful). Also, the vocals are way too low in the mix, which is especially bad with such weak melodic material.

[Dark Castle]

I said I wouldn't, but I've listened to it twice so far.
EDIT: I love it, definitely amped up my excitement for the album.

[sueño]

I think it's great.  I don't have much to compare it to -- but I tend to listen to music one song at a time rather than as a group for comparison's sake, so...I mean, as of yet, I still don't own one DT album. 

Good song, though! 

[Laich21DT]

I voted great, but had there been an option between average and great, I would have chosen that.

[nobloodyname]

I'm another one not listening to the track before the album is available. My girlfriend did, however, describe it to me as "DT by numbers".

[hefdaddy42]

I guess that's why they are called a progressive metal band these days. 

What do you mean "these days"?  They've always been called a progressive metal band.   

[atmyne]

Still not listening.

I will say that I listened to it about 3 times, the last time about 2+ hours ago, and most of it has just left my memory. Additionally, now that my curiosity has been clenched, I find it's going to be easy to hold off on more listens up until the release. So in short, maybe it wouldn't hurt you to check it out! (IF it's killing you, like an enemy on the inside ). Otherwise keep it up you will certainly reap the benefits on release 

I gave this track an average, but for what it is I was completely caught off guard. There's nothing new on the table here, but it doesn't sound contrived or uninspired. My favorite DT single in a LONG time.

[Joshin U]

I gave this track an average, but for what it is I was completely caught off guard. There's nothing new on the table here, but it doesn't sound contrived or uninspired. My favorite DT single in a LONG time.

That's a pretty fair assessment.

[shredding]

It's great  Like what JR said on the interviews : Mangini Unleashed 
The only thing that i don't really like from this single is the drum sound *again*, not because of the mix, particularly the snare drum sound, ADTOE drum sound is much better in terms of  drum sound itself.
Just my 2 cents 

I actually agree with you on the snare sound

[gabeh1018]

I like it
nothing new or groundbreaking, typical dream theater
it's safe
The vocals are a bit low in the verses

and does anyone else think the guitar solo starts off with the same vibe/phrasing as On the Backs of Angels??

[ariich]

It's certainly no masterpiece, but I voted for great, because for what it is (a relatively straightforward rocker released as a single) it really is very good. It does rock, it has a catchy chorus, and it has enough madness in places to make it thoroughly enjoyable.

[manticore999]

Average, at best.  Around 4:30 until about 4:43 it just sounds like noise (again around 4:48 - 5:11) I kept waiting for these sections to sound like 'something' but wow - tons of notes that just seem to go nowhere.  I know that's something they do a lot of, but I guess I was hoping for something a little different. I don't hate it - I just hope the rest of the album is more to my liking.

[wasteland]

Well, there's at least one other person who's not listening to it. Show yourself.

That was me, although I caved and listened to it just now. I rate it below average. I hate how they've become so heavy these past 5-6 years. Just look at the waveform; it's a wall of sound with hardly any dynamic variation at all. I guess that's why they are called a progressive metal band these days. 

Well, what did you expect? Seasons change, and so can they. And so can the definition of prog metal.

And besides, it's already quite established that the song has been overly compressed for this streaming event, or at least that's what noxon said using the promotional copy of the album he received for reference.