Self Titled Album Discussion thread [Expect Spoilers]

[cosmicwxdude]

Sorry to hear that...buh bye!

The Enigma Machine sounds like a more boring version of the instrumental sections of The Shattered Fortress.

Super dissappointed with it.

Mangini was the wrong choice people, could be a drum machine for all I know.

ITT JPX demonstrates a staggering lack of drumming comprehension.

Because, yo, some of the shit he's doing in there is just fucking inhuman and memorable all at the same time. Genie - 1, my brain - 0.

I know exactly what I'm listening to. TEM is flat and the drumming shows me nothing.

This album could be the end of my wonderful relationship with DT. I was expecting it to a degree but it is being realized.

[eviljust]

I'm so relieved that people seem to really dig this. I was worried that maybe I just had brainwashed myself into liking this album, considering how my first reaction was. There was literally a point after the first listen I said "worst DT album ever".

This is light years better than Systematic Chaos !

It's about on par for me, I may even rank SC slightly higher. An underrated album.

Oh...I thought you were a cool kid. Damn I hate to be wrong. 







 

[Kotowboy]

Forget Mangini - this album is Dream Theater unleashed. 

[Zook]

There's nothing cringeworthy like Prophets of War on this album. Instant winner!

[jayvee3]

I hate when musicians say "this is our best work to date" when what they mean is "here is something safe and familiar, please still listen to us".

Because that would be just ideal to say when promoting a new album.. 

Yes but like...where's the honesty?
 

That may very well be the bands honest opinion..

[Nefarius]

First listen reactions:
After being pretty underwhelmed by TEI and AFTR I was prepared for quite some disappointment, sadly it wasn't enough. I thought at first AFTR didn't have any really great melodies and instrumental embellishments, now I know they're pretty much the best ones on the entire album.

It didn't actually feel anything like listening to an album. More like a random copy and paste collection of various interludes and breaks that weren't strong enough for previous albums. I absolutely don't see more focus on individual songs. Yes, they're shorter and more repetitive but they feel way more frankensteined than ever before. I also don't see more focus on melodies, not in the vocals, not in the riffs, not in the solo lines, they're like thin lines in the sand (no, don't) washed away by the next wave leaving nothing behind, mostly bland filler, always waiting for something that will never come.

There are a few silent breaks that shine through a stormfront of loudness. Listening to this in better quality and more often will obviously make some of it a little better. But if you played me any ten minute section (except maybe the part in IT after the strings) and I didn't know this was one of my favorite bands I'd probably stopped listening after that, if not earlier.

These are my song by song notes from the first listen:
FAS: a little War Inside My Head vibe, mostly filler [1/5]
TEI: still not a track I dig but nice verse melody [3/5]
TLG: radio interview said something about a riff, no riff, nice solo, filler melodies [2/5]
EM: Inspector Gadget goes Erotomania riff, good old Rudess Scenes patch, Nightmare To Remember halftime feel, boring [2/5]
TBP: nice vocal entry, bland melodies, "water's edge" lyrics, shifted accents ruin chorus, nice solo and bridge, 8VM "someone Like him" nod, sudden break, U2 moment, filler [2/5]
BTV: great intro, nice guitar tone, Metallica moments, Beyond This Life style vocals, useless chorus, rinse and repeat, filler [2/5]
STR: generic intro, useless break, next melody with rhythmic chugga as usual, useless chorus, slightly twelve step suite riff before noisy crap solo [2/5]
AFTR: compared to the rest this is suddenly a very nice song [4/5]
IT: first third did nothing, noise section useless, orchestra sounds nice but sooo neeedy overdose of old Hollywood schmaltz for the sake of schmaltz, second half has nice sections [2/5]

Several of the [2/5] are borderline [1/5] but I didn't want to be cruel to one of my favorite bands.
I almost regret preordering, can this be cancelled?



Greetings...
Nef

[BlobVanDam]

I'm so relieved that people seem to really dig this. I was worried that maybe I just had brainwashed myself into liking this album, considering how my first reaction was. There was literally a point after the first listen I said "worst DT album ever".

This is light years better than Systematic Chaos !

It's about on par for me, I may even rank SC slightly higher. An underrated album.

Am I to infer that you rate DT 12 quite low - or quite high ?

Lower half of their discography, but that doesn't mean I think it's bad.
SC, BCASL, ADTOE and DT12 are all ranked very closely to me, with SC probably being my favourite of the bunch.

[Art]

I am absolutely happy with the album. Really great stuff in it. i like it way better than ADTOE already.

I am gonna go with the cliché and say it´s their best since SDOIT.

I am so glad that the bass is fully audible on the whole record again

And, it´s just me or The Looking Glass could´ve come straight from a lost FII recording session?  I just love the riff on this songs, kind of reminds me of Raising The Knife. Amazing song.

Amazing record, the guys did it again.

[MetalJens]

Illumination Theory barely makes sense as a full 20 minute song.

I sort of agree with this, as it felt more like a compilation of different songs than a full epic song such as Octavarium. However, I still thought IT had several absolutely amazing parts in it. And I'm pretty sure I'll dig it even more after several listens

[Marion Crane]

I would have replaced the jungle noises in IT with the easter egg

[lateralus88]

I hate when musicians say "this is our best work to date" when what they mean is "here is something safe and familiar, please still listen to us".


Illumination Theory barely makes sense as a full 20 minute song.

Right? I thought it was over twice when there was just a long silence with nothing, nooothing in between! And that final piano thing didn't "felt" like it should be there.

The ambient/orchestral bit that lasts almost 4 minutes was just so...lazy. Normally I defend DT's longer songs, because they flow or have substance but this was just so..."hey I've got a guitar and 20 minutes of musical ideas so...what the fuck".

[Kotowboy]

I hear Images, Awake, Scenes and Octavarium in this album.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's their best Roadrunner album for my money.

At the very least - it's the most fun i've had listening to a new Dream Theater album in a LONG time.

[TL]

The intro and outro of Surrender To Reason really reminds me of mid/late 80s era Rush.

[Mebert78]

I gotta say, DT's sounds and lyrics feel consistently more "mature," for lack of a better word.  It's hard to describe.  They were mature in the past albums, but there was always a song like "The Glass Prison" or "Honor Thy Father" that were just heavy for heavy's sake and the lyrics were like someone venting.  And in more recent albums there "The Dark Eternal Night" and "The Count of Tuscany," which had oddball lyrics.  This album feels different.  It's a grown-up DT all the way through, in my opinion.   

[jsem]

After first listen: This album didn't do much for me. Don't like the production that much either, I feel like there's been a significant shift in DT production. There's nothing here that right off the bat would even crack my DT top 40. This isn't like the DT I love, but whatever.

[JPX]

First listen reactions:
After being pretty underwhelmed by TEI and AFTR I was prepared for quite some disappointment, sadly it wasn't enough. I thought at first AFTR didn't have any really great melodies and instrumental embellishments, now I know they're pretty much the best ones on the entire album.

It didn't actually feel anything like listening to an album. More like a random copy and paste collection of various interludes and breaks that weren't strong enough for previous albums. I absolutely don't see more focus on individual songs. Yes, they're shorter and more repetitive but they feel way more frankensteined than ever before. I also don't see more focus on melodies, not in the vocals, not in the riffs, not in the solo lines, they're like thin lines in the sand (no, don't) washed away by the next wave leaving nothing behind, mostly bland filler, always waiting for something that will never come.

There are a few silent breaks that shine through a stormfront of loudness. Listening to this in better quality and more often will obviously make some of it a little better. But if you played me any ten minute section (except maybe the part in IT after the strings) and I didn't know this was one of my favorite bands I'd probably stopped listening after that, if not earlier.

These are my song by song notes from the first listen:
FAS: a little War Inside My Head vibe, mostly filler [1/5]
TEI: still not a track I dig but nice verse melody [3/5]
TLG: radio interview said something about a riff, no riff, nice solo, filler melodies [2/5]
EM: Inspector Gadget goes Erotomania riff, good old Rudess Scenes patch, Nightmare To Remember halftime feel, boring [2/5]
TBP: nice vocal entry, bland melodies, "water's edge" lyrics, shifted accents ruin chorus, nice solo and bridge, 8VM "someone Like him" nod, sudden break, U2 moment, filler [2/5]
BTV: great intro, nice guitar tone, Metallica moments, Beyond This Life style vocals, useless chorus, rinse and repeat, filler [2/5]
STR: generic intro, useless break, next melody with rhythmic chugga as usual, useless chorus, slightly twelve step suite riff before noisy crap solo [2/5]
AFTR: compared to the rest this is suddenly a very nice song [4/5]
IT: first third did nothing, noise section useless, orchestra sounds nice but sooo neeedy overdose of old Hollywood schmaltz for the sake of schmaltz, second half has nice sections [2/5]

Several of the [2/5] are borderline [1/5] but I didn't want to be cruel to one of my favorite bands.
I almost regret preordering, can this be cancelled?



Greetings...
Nef

Nice to know that I'm not alone. Luckily I didn't pre-order 

[cosmicwxdude]

First reaction to the album: Worst DT record.

GO AWAY!

[Dimitrius]

I hate when musicians say "this is our best work to date" when what they mean is "here is something safe and familiar, please still listen to us".


Illumination Theory barely makes sense as a full 20 minute song.

Right? I thought it was over twice when there was just a long silence with nothing, nooothing in between! And that final piano thing didn't "felt" like it should be there.

The ambient/orchestral bit that lasts almost 4 minutes was just so...lazy. Normally I defend DT's longer songs, because they flow or have substance but this was just so..."hey I've got a guitar and 20 minutes of musical ideas so...what the fuck".

Agreed, it feels very disjointed!

[mrjazzguitar]

There's nothing cringeworthy like Prophets of War on this album. Instant winner!

did you listen to the first tracK?

[Kotowboy]

There's nothing cringeworthy like Prophets of War on this album. Instant winner!

did you listen to the first tracK?

Yes and it was amazing. 

[BlobVanDam]

I don't think FAS should have been a suite (it feels like a solid song to me), but I think Illumination Theory could have worked better as a suite, with such clear divides in sections.

[Marion Crane]

After my first listen...I really enjoyed it for the most part.  The religious overtones were a bit much for me though.  The end of Illumination Theory sounded like James LaBrie had a Mormon church flyer in his hand, singing to me as I'm walking to my car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. 

[Kotowboy]

Just finished and I loved the hell out of it.

[lyfeternl]

Just finished and I loved the hell out of it.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who can't find fault with the album.

To those who find D12 to be horrible: I'm glad I'm not you

[novenpeter]

Used to have high hope on DT12, but now it is gone.

After several listen to full album, i can say i don't like the album very much. Lots of random riff/section in one song. No hook in a song or just a few that can let me remember the song.

And yeah, i like SC more than DT12. (At least at this moment)

[lateralus88]

Just finished and I loved the hell out of it.

To those who find D12 to be horrible: I'm glad I'm not you

Wanna fuck?

[adamack]

I LOVE THIS ALBUM!

Let me admit, after hearing "The Looking Glass" earlier this morning, I was extremely disappointed and almost went back to sleep. I respect the songwriting, but I've personally never been able to get into the Rush sound. Just kinda too happy for me or something. So glad that turned out to be the only thoroughly-Rush inspired song on this album.

Then I listened to FAS, and it was pretty cool, but I think I had higher expectations of it. I guess Overture: 1928 just raised the bar so high for these kinds of intro type songs.

So, pretty disappointed at that point, I very fearfully put on Enigma Machine. Again, my expectations were set pretty high for this as well, and I was once again pretty let down. It's not bad, but not something I feel like I'll want to revisit very much.

SO. At this point, I lay tired in my bed, knowing that the 4 songs I hadn't yet heard had better be utterly incredible. I think if Illumination Theory wasn't a 20 minute epic, I would have felt totally uninspired at this point. But I knew that there was enough juice in this album to still win me over. Call it a glimmer of hope.

The Bigger Picture, Behind The Veil, Surrender To Reason, and Illumination Theory ended up being my 4 favorite songs on the album, and in a big way.

At that point of little hope, the album did in fact redeem itself, and when the smoke clears, I can see it working its way into my top 4 DT albums. Who knows, maybe even higher.

The best part is, as soon as I heard the latter half of the album, I had this feeling that I would start to like AFTR, EM, and FAS more.

Unfortunately for The Looking Glass, I don't know if I'll ever have the capacity to enjoy it. That's absolutely fine though.

I may be the only one here, but Behind The Veil is probably my current favorite. Not only because I love the harder stuff, but also because the lyrics are especially interesting to me. I followed the Ariel Castro kidnapping case, so some of the lyrics really impacted me.

Currently listening to "The Bigger Picture"  again

[faizoff]

First listen reactions: More like a random copy and paste collection of various interludes.
Nef

This can be a copy paste comment for every single DT album review since the first one. I always laugh because when every new DT album gets released, there will always be a faction that says this exact same thing on every single album release. Ever since Ive been reading reviews of DT on the internet around SDOIT this is one of the most commonly said comment about each and every single DT release. Some enjoy it some dont. I've been there at times where I dont enjoy it but rest assured its the same feeling.

[Kotowboy]

Just finished and I loved the hell out of it.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who can't find fault with the album.

To those who find D12 to be horrible: I'm glad I'm not you

[chrisbDTM]

i was just listening to the odyssey by symphony x before the stream, very hard to take FAS seriously after that. child's play compared.

 TLG is fun. about to start enigma 

[nikatapi]

The little easter egg at the end of Illumination Theory is incredible.

[BelichickFan]

The so called Ambient section of IT makes me think they were listening to Tales From Topographic Oceans - nothing wrong with that.

[sueño]

Just finished and I loved the hell out of it.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who can't find fault with the album.

To those who find D12 to be horrible: I'm glad I'm not you

loved it!  IT -- the string section!      great way to start my work day!

[theseoafs]

Let me admit, after hearing "The Looking Glass" earlier this morning, I was extremely disappointed and almost went back to sleep. I respect the songwriting, but I've personally never been able to get into the Rush sound. Just kinda too happy for me or something. So glad that turned out to be the only thoroughly-Rush inspired song on this album.

Nah, a few of the tracks seem to be channeling Rush.  A lot of Surrender to Reason does (particularly the introduction, first verse, and instrumental section), and a bit of Along for the Ride too.

[alexofsweden]

After the first listen my reaction was: meh
After the second listen my reaction was: fuck yes!!!

This album really needs to grow!!