What are your thoughts on DT12?

[TheGreatPretender]

As far as first impressions go, I'd say this album is perfect. When I say perfect, I mean it's everything I was hoping it would be. Frankly, it's everything I was hoping ADTOE would have been. So it's definitely extremely satisfying and makes me feel more excited about DT's future than I have been in a long time.

[The Curious Orange]

First Impressions –

It’s heavy. In a harsh, brutal kind of way, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In places it gets quite dark and gothic, and the album feels like a follow-on from BC&SL and it’s almost as if ADTOE never happened. Even the more melodic songs are in a full-band, quite heavy arrangement.

The songs (with the exception of Illumination Theory) are relatively conventional, with all of the usual DT trademarks (manic instrumentals, crazy time signature changes) in short supply. Frankly, this could be any other melodic metal band. Most of the instrumentalism is confined to the instrumental Enigma Machine, which occupies the same sort of ground as Stream of Consciousness (and sounds like the theme to 80’s kids cartoon Inspector Gadget – or is that just me?). 

It does what a DT album should – it confounds expectations. There’s some brilliant tracks on here, The Bigger Picture stands out as an early favourite, as do The Enemy Inside and Along for the Ride. Other tracks haven’t clicked yet, but its early days. It’s just that on first listen there’s nothing here to really get excited about.

And then…

Illumination Theory. Possibly the most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top thing this most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top of bands have ever done. Everything is here, and the kitchen sink as well. And just when you think it couldn’t get any sillier, in comes the orchestra. This is either the sound of a band losing it, or of a band transcending themselves and reaching a higher level of musical genius. Either way, this is glorious.

Once the album finishes, and you go away with that theme still stuck in you head, do you realise. In order for Illumination Theory to work, they’ve had to restrain themselves on the other tracks. The reason why they don’t let rip earlier is so that it really hits home when they do. It’s the album’s biggest strength, but also it’s biggest weakness.

[The Stray Seed]

As far as first impressions go, I'd say this album is perfect. When I say perfect, I mean it's everything I was hoping it would be. Frankly, it's everything I was hoping ADTOE would have been. So it's definitely extremely satisfying and makes me feel more excited about DT's future than I have been in a long time.

This!! 

[hefdaddy42]

I think it is, at the very least, their strongest album since SDOIT.

I dsagree.

OK.

[efx]

I haven't been this enamoured with a new DT album from beginning to end since FII. I'd hate to talk about crowning achivements as I hope they play for another million years but for me, setting aside that some of their music has been a part of my life for 23 years now so nostalgia will obviously be a factor the music is as good as anything they've put out.

[wolfking]

I haven't been this enamoured with a new DT album from beginning to end since FII. I'd hate to talk about crowning achivements as I hope they play for another million years but for me, setting aside that some of their music has been a part of my life for 23 years now so nostalgia will obviously be a factor the music is as good as anything they've put out.

This is impossible.

[Zorander]

I haven't been this enamoured with a new DT album from beginning to end since FII. I'd hate to talk about crowning achivements as I hope they play for another million years but for me, setting aside that some of their music has been a part of my life for 23 years now so nostalgia will obviously be a factor the music is as good as anything they've put out.

This is impossible.

Not if they play live enough times to stay inside JP's time warp.. besides, JMX does not age (or so the legend says), so he will carry on regardless.

[dongringo]

As far as first impressions go, I'd say this album is perfect. When I say perfect, I mean it's everything I was hoping it would be. Frankly, it's everything I was hoping ADTOE would have been. So it's definitely extremely satisfying and makes me feel more excited about DT's future than I have been in a long time.

This!! 

This some more! 

[BlobVanDam]

I haven't been this enamoured with a new DT album from beginning to end since FII. I'd hate to talk about crowning achivements as I hope they play for another million years but for me, setting aside that some of their music has been a part of my life for 23 years now so nostalgia will obviously be a factor the music is as good as anything they've put out.

This is impossible.

Not if they play live enough times to stay inside JP's time warp.. besides, JMX does not age (or so the legend says), so he will carry on regardless.

And Jordan's a wizard (or so the legend says), so he should live forever, and definitely possess some kind of magic to keep the rest of the band going forever.

[olddtfan51@gmail.com]

I have played this album enough to say that like all DT albums it will get better as time goes on. Its not a masterpiece but very close. Having said that it is another great chapter in the DT saga. I can't wait to see them live. 

[Chino]

I am loving the shit out of this album.

Through the Glass, in my opinion, has one the best intros DT has ever written.

Enigma Machine melts my face. From now on, when I describe what's going on in my head when I'm stoned thinking about the universe, I'm going to just say it's like Enigma Machine.

Illumination Theory is just flat out amazing. The strings on that song are off the charts awesome.

False Awakening is insane and deserves to be in a climatic battle movie sequence or something.

[The Stray Seed]

When will we have the first chart positionings?

[?]

When will we have the first chart positionings?

Probably at least a week after the album has been released, depending on the country. The Finnish charts will be updated on Sunday and I'll let you know what DT's position is on that day Wait a minute... Someone could make a "DT12 chart positions/sales" thread!

[The Stray Seed]

When will we have the first chart positionings?

Probably at least a week after the album has been released, depending on the country. The Finnish charts will be updated on Sunday and I'll let you know what DT's position is on that day Wait a minute... Someone could make a "DT12 chart positions/sales" thread!

Here you go!

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=39191.0

[CrimsonSunrise]

I think my "Official" review/opinion, needs about a month to develop.  For now, let me preface with the fact that I have always been a very positive DT reviewer over the years.  That being said, so far this album is really not grabbing hold of me.  After only about 6 full listens (4 from the stream) I can honestly say I haven't gotten excited for one single complete song.  Now, I get the fact that sometimes in the prog world, it may take some time to digest an album because of the complexity.  I really hope that's the case here, and a month from now I'll be raving about it.

On every single DT album release since I started listening to them in '95, I have always grasped onto at LEAST a handful of songs after the first listen and been moved by them.  Not so with this album.  For example, the Epic.  It just seems so disjointed to me, the sum of the parts just aren't adding up to the whole and I'm left kinda scratching my head in bewilderment.  The first time I heard ACOS, 6doit and 8v I was just floored.  Here I'm not getting it.  Now, there are some great riffs and sections of songs, but like I mentioned, not 1 COMPLETE song that really excites me yet.

Oh well...just my $.02  I REALLY hope this album will grow on me....

[Onno]

^pretty much that.

[Tick]

Has Mike Portnoy told us which album they remade this time yet?

[Perpetual Change]

Has Mike Portnoy told us which album they remade this time yet?

No, but Thiago Campus is back to the split-screen covers!

[Delirious Nomad]

While listening to TBP I was slowly starting to grasp what a terrific job MM did.
His style, compared to MP, is less spectacular and flashy, but more classy and for the sake of the songs.

[kirksnosehair]

So, anyway, now that I've heard the album about 10 or 12 times, here are my thoughts on each track:


01. False Awakening Suite - I like that they opened the album with a track like this. It's hard-hitting, in your face, and as the title suggests, it really is a "False Awakening" because based on this opening, you'd never expect some of the softer, more beautiful parts of the album that come later on.


02. The Enemy Inside - I did not listen to this track when they released it as a single because I wanted to hear it for the first time in the context of the entire album. Excellent song. One of the best on the album and this might be my favorite Roadrunner-era single.


03. The Looking Glass - Dream Theater channels Moving Pictures-era Rush. Great song, great vibe. Loved the melodies in this one.


04. Enigma Machine - I wasn't sure about this track at first. The more I listen to it, though, the more I appreciate its subtle complexity. The main riff actually makes me chuckle with appreciation.


05. The Bigger Picture - Definitely has the DT vibe and is overall a good track. The chorus is pretty memorable (albeit it has terrible lyrics). This is definitely one of the top 3 on the record.


06. Behind the Veil - I'm not crazy about the intro, but this is a solid track. Verses have a bit of an Awake-era DT vibe to them which is cool. Good song overall.


07. Surrender to Reason - This probably could have been released as another single. In fact, I think I like this one more than The Enemy Inside as a single. The different bass guitar mix really stands out on this track. Best Petrucci melody in a long time.


08. Along for the Ride - I'm a sucker for a ballad. 'nuff said.


09. Illumination Theory - I absolutely LOVE 90% of this one. The biggest issue I have with it is the rather long classical music section. I'm just left kinda scratching my head. What is the point? It's a beautiful melody, but it just feels like it came completely out of left field and then it kind of drags on a lot longer than I expected or really wanted. I respect the artist's right to articulate their vision the way they want to, so I guess I won't go as far as editing that section out, but I can certainly understand why some people would want to remove it. It's actually similar to the extra long intro to the title track on Octavarium, which I also dislike. I'll probably mostly FF>> through it when I listen to the album.


Overall, this album is a MASSIVE improvement over ADTOE in the area of production values. I'm not crazy about the loudness of it, but it's not offensively loud and I don't hear any excessive clipping. I am absolutely overjoyed at being able to actually hear Myung's bass guitar in this mix, something I don't ever recall hearing so clearly on any previous albums. LaBrie mostly plays it kind of safe, and I can't say I blame him, especially where they're going to be doing a ton of live dates in the "An Evening With Dream Theater" format. With that said, he does push the envelope in a few places and given the fact that he's my age (50-ish) that's pretty impressive. Rudess showed some restraint, got away from that silly rag-time thing he's been tossing in to every album since, like, forever, and chose some nice patches in a few places that we haven't heard from him before, at least not as prominently. Petrucci's mastery of the guitar cannot be questioned. A true virtuoso player in every sense of the word. The jury is still out on Petrucci the producer, though. And obviously, a band that has self-produced for this amount of time, with the amount of success they've had doing things this way, I don't think they'll change that - or the woodshed writing style they have employed since SFAM (a technique I hate, btw).....


In any case, on a 1 to 10 scale I'd give this album a solid 8.5 - better than ADTOE, BC&SL, 8VM, SC, FII,

[Nearmyth]

I feel like this album lacks the nice "fleshing out" of previous DT releases. The compact and concise songs are nice, and they're good as they are, but Surrender To Reason and Behind The Veil both feel like they should be a few minutes longer. This is purely my opinion and thoughts, I like DT for their 10+ minute songs. This is the only DT album besides WDADU to not have a 10-19 minute song.

Illumination Theory...

Illumination Theory is 22 minutes. I said 10-19. There's a difference between the feel of songs like 8VM, ACOS, and IT, and the feel of songs like Scarred, LTL, BTL, etc.

[jammindude]

I feel like this album lacks the nice "fleshing out" of previous DT releases. The compact and concise songs are nice, and they're good as they are, but Surrender To Reason and Behind The Veil both feel like they should be a few minutes longer. This is purely my opinion and thoughts, I like DT for their 10+ minute songs. This is the only DT album besides WDADU to not have a 10-19 minute song.

Illumination Theory...

Illumination Theory is 22 minutes. I said 10-19.

Well....that's kindof cheating because it's 22 WITH the easter egg.   The actual song is 19 something.

[Outcrier]

"Very Strong" if compared to DT latest releases.
"Meh" if compared to other albums released this year (any genre).

[cool34231a]

Listened to the 5.1 version from beginning to end. It was like meh... little boring, but it may grow on me after like 100 more plays.

[Dublagent66]

I've only heard it once.  Not even close to knowing what I like or dislike overall.  Some things jumped out at me and sounded cool, but were very short lived.  I've got a lot of homework to do.

[tapsmiled]

As some others have written, the songs are great, but I think that they are lacking musical hooks, especially in regards to Petrucci.  I don't find myself really humming any of the music, which for me is very unusual. None of the riffs really stand out for me.  That being said, I think that there are some moments of sheer brilliance.  Looking Glass is, by a country mile, my favorite track on the disc as it harkens back to Vital Signs and other songs from Moving Pictures.

I definitely love hearing Myung and I think Mangini is unreal.

[LBC.]

I can`t wait for DT`s 30th Anniversary in 2.015.

I WANT A TRIPLE ALBUM.

[7StringedBeast]

I love this album.  I think it is their strongest album since 8V by a million miles.  No cheesy weird lyrics, great riffs, great melodies, and great grooves.  It doesn't sound like DT trying to do Metal. It sound like Metal fitting into DT once again.  They aren't writing heavy to just be heavy and they aren't afraid to throw more of their rock influences in.

They also did a good job of doing some things they have not done in a while.  Like a rock song in a major key for one.  And then the ending of IT is totally different for them and it was a homerun.

[Kotowboy]

Does anyone remember way back when - someone just threw out that a certain time in Enigma Machine would be the best moment on the album - before we'd heard a note of anything ?

I thought i'd saved it for future reference as a joke but can't find it now.

[LCArenas]

I absolutely LOVE The Looking Glass and the Bigger Picture, probably among the best songs they've done in the last 10 years. So far my favorite ones from the album. Along for the Ride and False Awakening/The Enemy Inside are great songs as well. Illumination Theory is pretty amazing but I have two problems with it: the first one is the Tchaikovsky thing, and the other one is when the moody part begins. I'd rather have it at the end of the song right before the epilogue than to be calm and then start again with the heavy parts; other than that it's pretty much perfect, and the Orchestral part of the song is without a doubt one of the most sublime moments they've made in their career. Surrender to Reason's chorus is pretty great but I still can't get my head around all the song. Behind the Veil isn't bad but it ranks among the least favorite songs so far, along with Enigma Machine.

It's a strong album but I feel I had a better first impression with ADToE. Let's see if it grows on me.

[manticore999]

I've only listened twice, but overall I like it.  I don't  LOVE it, but I do like it.  Illumination Theory, to me, is pretty weak, as it just sounds like a bunch of disjointed stuff thrown together as a song.  I know, I know, that's what they do, but this song really sounds that way.  The rest is pretty good.  I think I'm losing my taste for James' voice, though.  I find myself liking the music more than the singing.  That's always been the case for me, but for some reason it's worse on this album.  Love False Awakening Suite - It sounds like Symphony X used to sound, which is awesome!
 

[Zubb999]

Surrender to Me is my favorite track at the moment simply because of Petrucci's little melody/solo he does. You know it, the really catchy one. I live for those simple solos.

At first listen, I kinda had the album playing in the background while I did some work.  I never zoned out while listening to it, so I was all there with it for the whole ride.  Enigma Machine caught me by surprise in all honesty.  As usual, jammed out to Enemy Inside and on Illumination Theory when the string part came before the bass and drum part, I literally dropped all I was doing and just stared at my speakers.

[LCArenas]

Surrender to Me is my favorite track at the moment

But Forsaken was in Systematic Chaos

[groovieknave]

I agree with this... However, I not only dislike this album, I can't even stand to listen to the songs! Really weird for me, I loved (and I mean nonstop love too) everything up to Systematic Chaos. Could barely listen to BCSL, ADToE, and now this. I find this recent album dry, boring, uneventful, and lacks any DT that I loved in previous albums. It doesn't have that adventurous, or emotional journeys that previous albums have taken me on. It really sounds like just any other prog band out there, and I'm really upset to say that. This album is really weak.

But Illumination Theory is the only exception... That is the only song on the album that I can tolerate. I loved Octivarium, so amazing and epic, and this reminds me of it. Not quite as good, but at least there is one song. :/

I was really looking forward to this after being annoyed with ADToE which I forgot after the first listen. Hasn't even come out of the CD case since then, and now they've really lost me. But at least I have the previous works. I am sure this one will go back in the case and be forgotten with BCSL too. I want to cry and explode!

First Impressions –

It’s heavy. In a harsh, brutal kind of way, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In places it gets quite dark and gothic, and the album feels like a follow-on from BC&SL and it’s almost as if ADTOE never happened. Even the more melodic songs are in a full-band, quite heavy arrangement.

The songs (with the exception of Illumination Theory) are relatively conventional, with all of the usual DT trademarks (manic instrumentals, crazy time signature changes) in short supply. Frankly, this could be any other melodic metal band. Most of the instrumentalism is confined to the instrumental Enigma Machine, which occupies the same sort of ground as Stream of Consciousness (and sounds like the theme to 80’s kids cartoon Inspector Gadget – or is that just me?). 

It does what a DT album should – it confounds expectations. There’s some brilliant tracks on here, The Bigger Picture stands out as an early favourite, as do The Enemy Inside and Along for the Ride. Other tracks haven’t clicked yet, but its early days. It’s just that on first listen there’s nothing here to really get excited about.

And then…

Illumination Theory. Possibly the most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top thing this most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top of bands have ever done. Everything is here, and the kitchen sink as well. And just when you think it couldn’t get any sillier, in comes the orchestra. This is either the sound of a band losing it, or of a band transcending themselves and reaching a higher level of musical genius. Either way, this is glorious.

Once the album finishes, and you go away with that theme still stuck in you head, do you realise. In order for Illumination Theory to work, they’ve had to restrain themselves on the other tracks. The reason why they don’t let rip earlier is so that it really hits home when they do. It’s the album’s biggest strength, but also it’s biggest weakness.

[dongringo]

I agree with this... However, I not only dislike this album, I can't even stand to listen to the songs! Really weird for me, I loved (and I mean nonstop love too) everything up to Systematic Chaos. Could barely listen to BCSL, ADToE, and now this. I find this recent album dry, boring, uneventful, and lacks any DT that I loved in previous albums. It doesn't have that adventurous, or emotional journeys that previous albums have taken me on. It really sounds like just any other prog band out there, and I'm really upset to say that. This album is really weak.

But Illumination Theory is the only exception... That is the only song on the album that I can tolerate. I loved Octivarium, so amazing and epic, and this reminds me of it. Not quite as good, but at least there is one song. :/

I was really looking forward to this after being annoyed with ADToE which I forgot after the first listen. Hasn't even come out of the CD case since then, and now they've really lost me. But at least I have the previous works. I am sure this one will go back in the case and be forgotten with BCSL too. I want to cry and explode!

First Impressions –

It’s heavy. In a harsh, brutal kind of way, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In places it gets quite dark and gothic, and the album feels like a follow-on from BC&SL and it’s almost as if ADTOE never happened. Even the more melodic songs are in a full-band, quite heavy arrangement.

The songs (with the exception of Illumination Theory) are relatively conventional, with all of the usual DT trademarks (manic instrumentals, crazy time signature changes) in short supply. Frankly, this could be any other melodic metal band. Most of the instrumentalism is confined to the instrumental Enigma Machine, which occupies the same sort of ground as Stream of Consciousness (and sounds like the theme to 80’s kids cartoon Inspector Gadget – or is that just me?). 

It does what a DT album should – it confounds expectations. There’s some brilliant tracks on here, The Bigger Picture stands out as an early favourite, as do The Enemy Inside and Along for the Ride. Other tracks haven’t clicked yet, but its early days. It’s just that on first listen there’s nothing here to really get excited about.

And then…

Illumination Theory. Possibly the most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top thing this most insane, ridiculous, preposterous, bombastic and over-the-top of bands have ever done. Everything is here, and the kitchen sink as well. And just when you think it couldn’t get any sillier, in comes the orchestra. This is either the sound of a band losing it, or of a band transcending themselves and reaching a higher level of musical genius. Either way, this is glorious.

Once the album finishes, and you go away with that theme still stuck in you head, do you realise. In order for Illumination Theory to work, they’ve had to restrain themselves on the other tracks. The reason why they don’t let rip earlier is so that it really hits home when they do. It’s the album’s biggest strength, but also it’s biggest weakness.

I have to wonder if your musical tastes have changed so much through the years that DT just isn't your thing anymore. It's ok if that's the case. It happens.