Along for the Ride Discussion Thread

[Lolzeez]

I prefer this over BTS.

[ToT-147]

Not a bad little song, I like it, and I immediately like it more than The Enemy Within.

Yeah, it's better than that Rush song.. But I prefer The Enemy Inside more than AFTR...

[aurorablind]

I love the song. Different - in a good way!
Don´t like the drum sound though (the snare is worst).. Doesen´t fit the track..

[JoeG]

Beautiful stuff. Sounds like it could have easily been an I&W ballad. Not quite seeing the BTS parallels, it's a much more upbeat piece. If anything, it feels closer to This is The Life.

[Petruccinator12]

Phew.........a bit disappointed. Sounds kinda "boring" and to radio-friendly.. :/ Did I miss the Petrucci Solo or is there none?

[lonestar]

Goddam beautiful song...

[IdoSC]

Post first-listen immediate thoughts:
Band is great, LaBrie disappointed me like all hell.

It sounds incredibly well (judging by first listen) for a power ballad as far as instrumentals go, but I can't stress enough how effortless James sounds in this song, especially after his incredible performance on This is the Life (and ADTOE in general).

I also hated how the one interesting, dynamic vocal part was shoved way back into the background. In a manner where I need to make an effort trying to hear it. Much like every song in Falling into Infinity.

Second listen is a-gogo!

[Ad134]

Phew.........a bit disappointed. Sounds kinda "boring" and to radio-friendly.. :/ Did I miss the Petrucci Solo or is there none?

I think this is the latest in a very short line of DT songs without a Petrucci solo!

[Lolzeez]

lolwut

[wasteland]

I can say I like this song quite a lot. Especially the intra-solos verse and the whoa-great keyboard solo with JM shining underneath. It's just beautiful Dream Theater.

As for the rest, this is a short song that served from the beginning as the moment of calm and breathing before the huge leap that Illumition Theory is supposed to be. So let's not project our hopes for complexity or fulfillment on this track. It's a pre-epic song. And a damn nice one, even though I feel one more vese before the first chorus would have served. Not much, just an additional 20 seconds.

And also, from my experience this is one of those DT songs that grow exponentially with listenings and in-album experience. 

[TL]

First impression; I like it.

My only real critique is using basically the same keyboard sound as Beneath the Surface for the solo. That one part sounded a bit too similar. Other than that though, good stuff.

[aprilethereal]

Not sure what to think. The BTS-ish solo is pretty nice, although I prefer the one in BTS, the chorus is a bit underwhelming.

[Bolsters]

The distorted guitar when it comes in detracts though IMO, it's too upfront and aggressive for this kind of song. I think the parts without that are much stronger.

Yes, I'm quoting myself.

After the second listen, I think it's more how busy/riffy the distorted guitar is that detracts, more than the sound. It works better in the chorus though still a tad loud. Seems like we're getting earfuls of guitar on everything in this album.

The intro really strongly reminds me of something, the sound, but I can't figure it out. Anyone else being reminded of something by it?

That last chorus with the backing vocal soloing in the right channel!

Yeah, that's awesome too.

[snapple]

First impression; I like it.

My only real critique is using basically the same keyboard sound as Beneath the Surface for the solo. That one part sounded a bit too similar. Other than that though, good stuff.

that's a moog bro

[wolven74]

YES! I love this!   Dat bass under the keyboard solo....

[Bolsters]

Not a bad little song, I like it, and I immediately like it more than The Enemy Within.

Yeah, it's better than that Rush song.. But I prefer The Enemy Inside more than AFTR...

I do that all the time. Usually I ninja-edit it out but I didn't notice it this time.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

The mix doesn't help this song, at all. The guitars come in way too loud, as well as the drums (of which the snare I'm not a fan of), but hey it seems they were aiming to achieve this type of sound. I think the chorus is really powerful and the song is super concise, something I missed off Dream Theater in their pre-ADTOE releases.

[KevShmev]

Really good tune!

This song really sounds nothing like Beneath the Surface.  Just because Rudess used the mood again doesn't mean the solos sound the same; they don't.

[cyberdrummer]

The intro reminds me a bit of the intro in The Killing Hand.

[T-ski]

the drums sound worse with each additional listen. 

[wasteland]

The intro reminds me a bit of the intro in The Killing Hand.

But that was a very foreboding arpeggio, this sounds rather uplifting!

[Blazinarps]

https://www.grammy.com/news/grammycom-exclusive-first-listen-dream-theater

[DT_Aus]

The intro really strongly reminds me of something, the sound, but I can't figure it out. Anyone else being reminded of something by it?

Shadows Fall - Prelude To Disaster

[aprilethereal]

The intro reminds me a bit of the intro in The Killing Hand.

It reminds me of the BTS intro honestly (just the sounds before JP comes in, not the actual playing).

the drums sound worse with each additional listen. 

Agreed. Didn't mind them in TEI, but they don't fit AFTR at all.

[Meatrose]

I love that it's a GRAMMY.com exclusive. Let's hope for another nomination this year.

[cyberdrummer]

The intro reminds me a bit of the intro in The Killing Hand.

But that was a very foreboding arpeggio, this sounds rather uplifting!

Oh yeah, I'm not saying it's that similar, just a bit of a vibe I get.

[N4Player]

Several listens and although the intro is nice, the song feels lacking and never really reaches any peak. From a power ballad perspective "Wither" and TITL are miles better IMO.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I still wonder what the hell they did with the drums this time around. The drum sound in ADTOE was just fine, it just needed to be more upfront in the mix.

[TL]

First impression; I like it.

My only real critique is using basically the same keyboard sound as Beneath the Surface for the solo. That one part sounded a bit too similar. Other than that though, good stuff.

that's a moog bro

Okay, then my critique would be that both Moog(TM) solos sound a bit similar, bro.

I like each solo on their own though, and other than that, the songs are pretty different.

[eviljust]

The intro reminds me a bit of the intro in The Killing Hand.

It reminds me of the BTS intro honestly (just the sounds before JP comes in, not the actual playing).

the drums sound worse with each additional listen. 

Agreed. Didn't mind them in TEI, but they don't fit AFTR at all.

I add, some parts are way too aggressive for this kind of song. I'm referring basically to the end of the song.

[matte.braso]

love the bass so prominent during JR solo...the riff in the verse after the guitar break reminds me to Fatal Tragedy ('As the night went on, I started to find my way....')

[mikeyd23]

the drums sound worse with each additional listen.

I didnt mind the snare sound on TEI, but I was hoping they would go after getting a different sound for tunes that are more chill like this one, after 2 listens, it sounds like pretty much the same or similar snare sound. 

I agree, it doesn't sound great on this track, but I'm trying to keep in mind its a Soundcloud stream, I feel like the snare sound and drum sound on the final album won't sound bad enough to actually hinder my ability to enjoy the tune.  Are they the best sounding drums for this style track? Probably not, but they arent that bad either, IMO.

[The Stray Seed]

Very interesting song!!! There's a lot going on and it really feels heartwarming! Some parts (especially the clean guitar sound/dynamics) remind me a lot of Hotel California.

[Octawakeimages]

Loving this song! 

[lonestar]

"....and 645 guest are reading this topic"



Damn.....




Happy fucking birthday to me, thanks DT!!!!