Dream Theater: The Astonishing (now with moment of betrayal!)

[The Paddies]

I'm wondering how much of a collaboration this whole concept thing is. I hope LaBrie and Myung will bring some lyrics and songwriting to the table and that this is an effort of the whole band instead of it being taken care of by one or two members (Petrucci and Rudess most likely).

[CoT67]

Down the castle stair
He disappears
He's the empire's heir
Nafaryus' here

This makes me think...

TRAPPED INSIDE!HE'S!LORDNA!FA!RY!US!
TRAPPED INSIDE!HE'S!LORDNA!FA!RY!US!

[bosk1]

The scary thing is, the Metropolis joke makes much more sense.

I really hope it's not the atonal/chromatic reverby synth fill.

Doo-doo-doo-deet  Doo-dunh-dunh-dunh. 

It took me a sec to figure out what bit you meant, but well done.

Same here.  Took me a sec, but not long.  Funny how that works REALLY well for a few riffs here and there.  Kinda like "Dugga-dugga-dun, da-dun-da-dun!  Dugga-dugga-dun, da-dun-da-dun--WEEEEE!"

[Kotowboy]

I don't know which riff it is 

[Train of Naught]

BitS and TROAE I believe, second one is pretty obvious .

[Kotowboy]

BitS and TROAE I believe, second one is pretty obvious .

Yeah I meant the Metropolis riff . Second one is 12Step Suite riff

[pdurbin22]

Forgive me if this was already discussed, but on the latest official Tracklisting there are NOMAC icons next to the first and and last track listed. Any clue as to what that signifies?

[BlobVanDam]

Forgive me if this was already discussed, but on the latest official Tracklisting there are NOMAC icons next to the first and and last track listed. Any clue as to what that signifies?

I assumed it was simply marking the first and last track, indicating there were no more to reveal in Act I. That's just a guess though.

[RMGadelha]

Forgive me if this was already discussed, but on the latest official Tracklisting there are NOMAC icons next to the first and and last track listed. Any clue as to what that signifies?

I'm gonna guess they are instrumentals because the NOMACs are trying to Hypnotize people with their "music"?

Maybe it signifies the beginning and the end of the Empire side of the story and Act II is focused on Ravenskill?

[BlobVanDam]

I'm gonna guess they are instrumentals because the NOMACs are trying to Hypnotize people with their "music"?

I think it's safe to say the Dystopian Overture is instrumental, which would go against that.

[Kotowboy]

PLOT TWIST

ACT I IS ENTIRELY INSTRUMENTAL AND ACT II IS ENTIRELY ACAPELLA AND YOU HAVE TO PLAY THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME

[The Stray Seed]

Pure genius.

[Voices]

My guess is that 'ACT I' has 3 instrumental tracks: Dystopian Overture, Lord Nafaryus and Three Days. 

[MirrorMask]

I'm wondering how much of a collaboration this whole concept thing is. I hope LaBrie and Myung will bring some lyrics and songwriting to the table and that this is an effort of the whole band instead of it being taken care of by one or two members (Petrucci and Rudess most likely).

I certainly hope so! I wouldn't mind to have a couple of lyrics from James and one from Myung, after all SFAM was a collective effort lyric wise, I hope it won't be just JP's brainchild.

My guess is that 'ACT I' has 3 instrumental tracks: Dystopian Overture, Lord Nafaryus and Three Days. 

I think the instrumentals are Descent of the Nomacs and Dystopian Overture, and maybe The Hovering Sojourn. All the other titles look a bit too descriptive to be instrumental ones... It's easy to say it knowing it, but "The Dance of Eternity" is a fitting title for an instrumental, unlike for example Home (how do you describe a Home with music?) or One Last Time (one last time of what, if there are no lyrics to talk about it?)... maybe The Spirit Carries On could have been an evocative title for an instrumental, a moody melanchonic yet uplifting piece, but I can't imagine any other title on SFAM being fitting to an instrumental. Same for the other titles of Act I but of course how can we possibly know now.

[jdprsaga]

Forgive me if this was already discussed, but on the latest official Tracklisting there are NOMAC icons next to the first and and last track listed. Any clue as to what that signifies?

I was thinking of that too a couple day's ago, i posted maybe The Hovering Sojourn could be like a next generation Nomac designed to suppress  the new rebel millitia in ravenskin and kill the chosen one... Introducing this new "character" it is a nice way to end Act 1

[MirrorMask]

A few weeks ago, I read some interview (can't remember the specifics) about someone in DT listening to a Van Halen album that ended with a short melody/jam, and that they had really liked it, and hoped they would start the next album with that jam, but that it never happened.

That was Mike Portnoy (of course, who else comes up with all these ideas?), it's what gave the inspiration to continue the albums one into the other from SFAM > Octavarium.

[jdprsaga]

Forgive me if this was already discussed, but on the latest official Tracklisting there are NOMAC icons next to the first and and last track listed. Any clue as to what that signifies?

I'm gonna guess they are instrumentals because the NOMACs are trying to Hypnotize people with their "music"?

Nice theory about trying to "mind control" people with music.... It would be really cool as a concept (not that i want DT to play it) if they throw some electronic/trance/dance music on it.

[Train of Naught]

Hell yea I'll see Myung banging dat head to the trance beat on stage. 

[BlackInk]

I've always had the feeling that the nomacs are something seperate. Like the empire thinks they are in control of them, but in the end, the rebels and the empire will have to join forces to fight the nomacs. Purely speculation though, I'm not even putting it forward as an actual theory of mine, it's just a feeling I've had for a while.

[Progmetty]

The deal with the NOMACs is a good excuse for Rudess to experience with some robotic dubsteish Bebot style noises, that could be fun if done right.

[RMGadelha]

All that I keep thinking is that I want an easter-egg with someone impersonating a Star Wars imperial officer saying: "BOW DOWN TO LORD NAFARYUS YOU REBEL SCUM!" 

[rumborak]

Nah, I want my Nafaryus/Aqarius thing go into this: https://youtu.be/06X5HYynP5E?t=45

[King Postwhore]

Nah, I want my Nafaryus/Aqarius thing go into this: https://youtu.be/06X5HYynP5E?t=45

I'm having flashbacks listening to that.

[Another_Won]

Nah, I want my Nafaryus/Aqarius thing go into this: https://youtu.be/06X5HYynP5E?t=45

I'm having flashbacks listening to that.

Ha ha, yea that's awesome.  My only exposure to them was an 8-track tape of Up Up and Away I found as a kid.  I thought it was great back in the 70's.  Obviously, I had no idea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akEgsZSfhg

[Enigmachine]

Holy crap. More Act One tracks! 

1. Descent of the NOMACS
2. Dystopian Overture
3. The Gift of Music
4. The Answer
5. A Better Life
6. Lord Nafaryus
7. A Savior in the Square
8. When Your Time Has Come
9. Act of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord

There's definitely going to be a few interludes there. I'm beginning to doubt the possibility of an epic and we also may not even have a track more than 10 mins. If this bodes well for the overall focus and coherency of the album, bring it on! 

[Kotowboy]

WHAAAAAAAT

[metropofreak]

Holy crap. More Act One tracks! 

1. Descent of the NOMACS
2. Dystopian Overture
3. The Gift of Music
4. The Answer
5. A Better Life
6. Lord Nafaryus
7. A Savior in the Square
8. When Your Time Has Come
9. Act of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord

There's definitely going to be a few interludes there.

Sweet lord, I was not prepared for that

[Kotowboy]

Could there possibly be 20 songs per disc ?! 


Holy Crap.

[Kotowboy]

Now there's THREE




DAFUQ DT DAFUQ

[MirrorMask]

Mind blown.

Either a lot of interludes like Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, or we really do get a double album of 140 minutes.

Now imagine the tracklist for ACT II:

18. THE ASTONISHING

And that would be it. People would go freaking nuts 

[Pax]

I thought you could be wrong when you said that the act I has 11 songs...
Damn, this looks like even less chance for +10 min songs... Let's hope for the act II

[Vandalism]

Holy crap. More Act One tracks! 

1. Descent of the NOMACS
2. Dystopian Overture
3. The Gift of Music
4. The Answer
5. A Better Life
6. Lord Nafaryus
7. A Savior in the Square
8. When Your Time Has Come
9. Act of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord

There's definitely going to be a few interludes there. I'm beginning to doubt the possibility of an epic and we also may not even have a track more than 10 mins. If this bodes well for the overall focus and coherency of the album, bring it on! 

Good God what are they upto??

But More songs........More DT! Fine by me! 

I guess the European shows will all be this album almost certainly!

[Enigmachine]

Mind blown.

Either a lot of interludes like Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, or we really do get a double album of 140 minutes.

Probably both. I had expectations of a double album, but I think this will be an abolute colossus in terms of length. It would be very interesting to see DT release TWO albums at once that are ten minutes longer than DT12. I think many of the tracks will have a seamless flow reminiscent of Regression-O1928-SDV-TMW-FT except with small interludes making up track progressions that take the place of epics.

[liran95]

Holy crap. More Act One tracks! 

1. Descent of the NOMACS
2. Dystopian Overture
3. The Gift of Music
4. The Answer
5. A Better Life
6. Lord Nafaryus
7. A Savior in the Square
8. When Your Time Has Come
9. Act of Faythe
10. Three Days
11. The Hovering Sojourn
12. Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13. A Life Left Behind
14. Ravenskill
15. Chosen
16. A Tempting Offer
17. Digital Discord

There's definitely going to be a few interludes there. I'm beginning to doubt the possibility of an epic and we also may not even have a track more than 10 mins. If this bodes well for the overall focus and coherency of the album, bring it on! 

Must say I was NOT prepared for this one!

Think of it guys,
Let's say the average song length in this act is about 3+- min.
17 tracks means at least 51 minutes.
Now let's be realistic for a moment - there WILL be tracks longer than 3 minutes.
I'd say the most logical possibility is something like 60 minutes (at least) of music per disc.
That means (by my own logic of course) that we're bound to get at least 120 minutes of new DT material (assuming, of course, that both discs are equal in their lengths).

OMG.

[sdfdsv]

There's always the possibility of having a silly number of tracks, like The Theory of Everything