Enigma Machine

[Bolsters]

My reaction is the same as to the song: meh.

Same here. If nothing else I have to give them credit for capturing the essence of the song in the video clip.

I realise that most parts of the song would be difficult to sync the girls up with, but other parts would be pretty easy. I think it's a missed opportunty. They could have had the dancers dance in sync with the easy parts and had the weird sci-fi lab stuff when that wasn't going to work. Also the editing is strange, it could have synced up at times aswell (probably would have helped since it's an instrumental too), and it doesn't match the pace of the song at all. What's with all the slow pans and slow fading between scenes in a video clip for such a fast-paced song? It just seems so contradictory.

[hefdaddy42]

It would be pretty ridiculous to try to have ballet in crazy time signatures.

That should have been the first sign.

WTF that's the weirdest DT-related thing I've ever seen.

[robwebster]

It would be pretty ridiculous to try to have ballet in crazy time signatures.

That should have been the first sign.

People would have said the same thing about rock and roll, fifty years ago.

[jakepriest]

That was just terrible and cringe-worthy in my opinion. The way the dance didn't sync up with the music made it even worse.

[Shadow2222]

Huh, I thought it synced up fine for the style of dance (it didn't seem just like random motions). Ballet sometimes is a little "looser" in terms of sync even with regular songs, as they flow from movement to movement rather than quickly shift (like a hip hop locking routine).

That said, I thought the video was only okay, but I do applaud them for trying something different. Also, I think this is the first time a DT album has had three music videos since I&W!

[chrisbDTM]

cringe city

[BlobVanDam]

I wasn't even going to bother watching this until just reading that it was an actual music video, and not just a dance group doing a performance to the song.

And um uhhhhhhh ok. What. Was. That.

At no point did I get the impression the dancing was related to the music, and then they have this random guy supposed to be "sciency" because he's poking a screwdriver into a typewriter with a bunch of tubes attached, oh and a microscope, because those always look like science.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder, then they turn the ballerinas into minority report precogs bathing in milk, and they're clearly in pain at seeing a future vision of the finished music video. And then the random plot twist at the end.
I don't know what to make of that. A music video for an instrumental track, with ballerinas, and a vaguely science themed setting.

They could have saved themselves some time and money, and just used Mika Tyyska's DT vs DT video instead.

[GentlemanofDread]

I'm quite upset they didn't use Mika's DT vs DT animation. It helps make the song that I love so much better..

[YtseJamittaja]

I'm quite upset they didn't use Mika's DT vs DT animation. It helps make the song that I love so much better..

[rumborak]

While I agree that there's not necessarily a need for beat synch-up in modern dance, I think at least following the tune in its intensity would have been good. I too got the "dance recital" vibe from it. 

[Sacul]

Worst. Video. Ever. I prefer the PMU video.

[Onno]

I'm quite upset they didn't use Mika's DT vs DT animation. It helps make the song that I love so much better..

This. I just watched the new video for the first time, and I don't like it at all. It just doesn't make sense at all!

[robwebster]

I'm quite upset they didn't use Mika's DT vs DT animation. It helps make the song that I love so much better..

That would be good. I think they should use that when they do the festivals, actually - it allows Dream Theater to really let rip, but in a way that's still entertaining even if you're not too struck on the idea of a six minute instrumental. Gives the crowd something to hang it on, turns a hard sell into a story. "Oh, yeah, there was this one crazy band..."

[rumborak]

Wow, the YouTube comments are pretty bad.

[gentaishinigami]

Man, that wasn't a great video    I hate to say that, but it really just didn't fit too well.  Then again, I'm not sure why in the world they'd give Enigma Machine a video.  Behind The Veil is much more deserving in concept (EM doesn't even really have one... such an odd choice) and the song is much better, but DT seem to be pretending it doesn't exist lately. 

EM still ranking as my least favorite track on the album.  It just feels "narrow" for a lack of a better descriptor.  Reminds me of Raw Dog a lot actually.

[puppyonacid]

My girlf does ballet. I'd like to ask her opinion on this. But I'm not going to. I don't want to put her off DT and frankly this vid is pretty embarrassing.

I don't know about other folk here, but I am getting a bit fed up of DT missing these marketing tricks. I'd rather they just stopped trying to market because it seems that when they do, they are very wide of very obvious marks. It seems that whoever is behind this stuff has the seed of a good idea, but then goes with the first thing that's thrown out instead of working to refine the output in to something credible.

[hefdaddy42]

It would be pretty ridiculous to try to have ballet in crazy time signatures.

That should have been the first sign.

People would have said the same thing about rock and roll, fifty years ago.

If they would have said it about  trying to have ballet set to rock and roll in crazy time signatures, they would have been right.

[Dublagent66]

My reaction is the same as to the song: meh.

Yeah, pretty much this.

[Theme Dreater]

Hmm.

I hate to say it but that video was too progressive for me.

[YtseJamittaja]

My girlf does ballet.

Girl or milf?

[red barchetta]

I kind of try to respect any form of art but that ballet act and the song don't match.  I have tried to feel something special about it but it never happened.

[KevShmev]

Such a fun song.  Totally rocking and just a thrill to listen to.

[erwinrafael]

It took me some time to figure out what Mangini was trying to do with his drum solo fill. When I finally got it, I found myself laughing everytime I hear it. LOL

[goo-goo]

It took me some time to figure out what Mangini was trying to do with his drum solo fill. When I finally got it, I found myself laughing everytime I hear it. LOL

Can you elaborate this please?

[erwinrafael]

It took me some time to figure out what Mangini was trying to do with his drum solo fill. When I finally got it, I found myself laughing everytime I hear it. LOL

Can you elaborate this please?

The theme of Enigma Machine is goofy retro spy TV series. It reflects in the main melody, the riffs, JM's solos, and the funny part where JR, JP and JM echoed the same goofy melody.

So what MM did is a fill that sounds like a goofy retro slapstick gag in a Looney Tunes cartoon, where somebody is slowly winding up a metal strip or a contraption, then it accidentally violently unwinds and catapults away something. Maybe Wile E. Coyote.

[BlobVanDam]

Oh, I thought this was going to be an actual thing, and not just another fan theory interpretation.

[erwinrafael]

I'm really tired of your condescencion. What, if it's a song you like like Octavarium fans coukd interpret sll they want but when it's a song you don't like, you always chime in for a putdown? Every time I see a response from you in a thread I am posting in, I almost always brace myself for another bullshit condescending post that makes me want to quit this forum.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm really tired of your condescencion. What, if it's a song you like like Octavarium fans coukd interpret sll they want but when it's a song you don't like, you always chime in for a putdown? Every time I see a response from you in a thread I am posting in, I almost always brace myself for another bullshit condescending post that makes me want to quit this forum.

If that's going to be your attitude whenever someone doesn't agree with your opinions being presented as facts, then quite frankly, I'm all for it. Read my post, and read your post, and consider which one would really make someone want to leave the forum.

Had you simply presented your interpretation straight up for what it was, instead of building it up as a new piece of information, you would not have gotten that kind of response.

[KevShmev]

 

I don't see how erwinrafael's post was presented as a fact; it was a cool "here's a fun interpretation of the song" post, I thought.  And saying you'd be all for him leaving?  That was more than rude.

erwinrafael, fear not. Some of us really got a kick out of your interpretation.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I don't see how erwinrafael's post was presented as a fact

[BlobVanDam]

I don't see how erwinrafael's post was presented as a fact; it was a cool "here's a fun interpretation of the song" post, I thought.  And saying you'd be all for him leaving?  That was more than rude.

erwinrafael, fear not. Some of us really got a kick out of your interpretation.

He didn't present it like "here's a cool interpretation", he said "I finally got it.... here's what he did", which states it as if it is it's absolute and intentional. In no way was his response to my post warranted or justified in either case. You think what I said was rude? Skipped over his reply did we? Of course you did.

But of course you're impartial here.

[KevShmev]

I'm not going to derail this thread any further with any silly arguing with you, but I will say that it should be more than obvious that people are posting their opinions here in general, not facts. And to the best of my knowledge, erwinrafael is not someone who comes off as a know-it-all who thinks his opinions ARE facts, so he should get the "his posts are his opinions" benefit of the doubt that almost everyone here gets.  I mean, do we really need to start putting disclaimers that say, "Any time I say anything, it is my OPINION." 

Anyhoooo, Wil E. Coyote and Enigma Machine...love that interpretation, erwinrafael.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm not going to derail this thread any further with any silly arguing with you, but I will say that it should be more than obvious that people are posting their opinions here in general, not facts. And to the best of my knowledge, erwinrafael is not someone who comes off as a know-it-all who thinks his opinions ARE facts, so he should get the "his posts are his opinions" benefit of the doubt that almost everyone here gets.  I mean, do we really need to start putting disclaimers that say, "Any time I say anything, it is my OPINION." 

Anyhoooo, Wil E. Coyote and Enigma Machine...love that interpretation, erwinrafael.

In general it is obvious that it's just opinion, except.......

It took me some time to figure out what Mangini was trying to do with his drum solo fill. When I finally got it, I found myself laughing everytime I hear it. LOL

......this is how he presented it. That's not posted as if it's "obviously" an opinion, it was posted as if it was definite and intentional what MM had done, something to "figure out". In the context of that, my response was absolutely fine, and I was simply pointing out that I was expecting a factual analysis that the rhythm or melody matched something, and not just an opinion of it sounding cartoony. Mountain out of a molehill by erwinrafael's competely overblown response.

And let's not even get into the IT thing.

Anywhoooooo, I'm not going to derail this thread any further with any silly arguing with you (especially as it was actually none of your business). Fun interpretation, but as I said, just call it what it is next time.

[XJDenton]

......this is how he presented it. That's not posted as if it's "obviously" an opinion, it was posted as if it was definite and intentional what MM had done, something to "figure out". In the context of that, my response was absolutely fine, and I was simply pointing out that I was expecting a factual analysis that the rhythm or melody matched something, and not just an opinion of it sounding cartoony. Mountain out of a molehill by erwinrafael's competely overblown response.

Can't say I agree here. I saw nothing that would imply what he was stating was absolute fact.

As for the insults, both of you are guilty of escalating here, so consider this a friendly reminder to the both of you to keep things civil in future. If you have a problem with a post, just report and do not respond. That's what the mod team is for.

[rumborak]

My theory about the EM drum solo is that during writing, they left a fixed set of bars for MM to do a drum solo. MM probably wanted to showcase a bit, so he kinda crammed all that stuff into those few bars. Wouldn't be surprised if the spot was specifically written to be the "live drum solo" spot.