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

[Pebsie]

SEVENTEEN
E
V
E
N
T
E
E
N

WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE

[Kotowboy]

17
7




That's what. 🤓

[ToT-147]

So 11 tracks in the first Act? Anyone else think a couple of those might be short transitional songs (like Through My Words) or speaking tracks (like Regression)...? Even so, I feel like there's going to be a lot to digest when this album drops 

That made think of this: is confirmed that it will be a double album? Or there's the probability of two albums as some has speculated?..

I'll take 22 tracks over 6.

I'll take quality over quantity..

And Black Clouds was 6 tracks of absolute A-grade quality

You couldn't have said it better... Oh, wait.. Yes, you could: without the sarcasm.. Because besides ToT, BC&SL is the best thing they have done.. But anyway, let's go back to the topic and leave personal opinions for another thread..

Now those 22 could be in a single album!!..

17 tracks?!... Or even more shocking: at least 17 tracks!? This new has horrified me.. In a good way..

[Kotowboy]

What if there were no physial CD's and it's a digital only release...

I'd hate that immensely.

As would I. It's begging for a deluxe gatefold cd package with DVD.


Digital only ?  Meh I'll stream it.

[Pebsie]

What if there were no physial CD's and it's a digital only release...

I'd hate that immensely.

As would I. It's begging for a deluxe gatefold cd package with DVD.


Digital only ?  Meh I'll stream it.

I really really hope they release it on vinyl, if only for the collectible value. If each disk is an hour long, however, I doubt that they will. 

[wideworldofmike]

They started mixing on October 13. That was pretty much a month ago.


It looks like a long record but i'd imagine they're done mixing it and possibly mastering too.

I was at the John Petrucci Clinic at Sam Ash in NYC not too long ago, he made one comment about the record, that they were in the mixing stages and that it was "going"... w/ sort of like an inflection that they had a long road ahead of them.

[RMGadelha]

Have we passed the stage of not knowing if the album is gonna be released before the tour starts in February or are we still not sure?

[jdprsaga]

They started mixing on October 13. That was pretty much a month ago.


It looks like a long record but i'd imagine they're done mixing it and possibly mastering too.

I was at the John Petrucci Clinic at Sam Ash in NYC not too long ago, he made one comment about the record, that they were in the mixing stages and that it was "going"... w/ sort of like an inflection that they had a long road ahead of them.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean the mix and master for the first single couldn't be done already.. maybe it was the first song they work in the mixing process

[hadi-persian]

Act 2: the astonishing(making of the album) this is my idea!

[Kotowboy]

The astonishing was YOUR idea?


Oh it's you mr clock man.





I think the clock is to tell us something !!!



Yes. Yes it is …




THE TIME

[wideworldofmike]

They started mixing on October 13. That was pretty much a month ago.


It looks like a long record but i'd imagine they're done mixing it and possibly mastering too.

I was at the John Petrucci Clinic at Sam Ash in NYC not too long ago, he made one comment about the record, that they were in the mixing stages and that it was "going"... w/ sort of like an inflection that they had a long road ahead of them.

Yeah, but that doesn't mean the mix and master for the first single couldn't be done already.. maybe it was the first song they work in the mixing process

Very true. The whole project sounds like it would take 2 months to mix, at least IMO.

Have we passed the stage of not knowing if the album is gonna be released before the tour starts in February or are we still not sure?

From the advertising I think that they are implying that they are debuting the full album Live in London. Wish I could be there!

[ToT-147]

Overture 1928
Overture
Dystopian Overture

The Answer Lies Within
The Answer

Afterlife
Beyond this Life
This is the Life
A Better Life
A Life Left Behind

Take the Time
One Last Time
Losing Time
The Best of Times
When Your Time Has Come

So except for these, we have a lot of new DT words in titles.. I feel already refreshed with all this, even before listen to any music (which is still the most important thing btw).. Looking forward to Act II's tracklist and lengths!.. 

Have we passed the stage of not knowing if the album is gonna be released before the tour starts in February or are we still not sure?

We're still not sure.. I think...

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

Anyone else wonder why there are little NOMACS next to some of the tracks? Maybe instrumentals?

[BlobVanDam]

Anyone else wonder why there are little NOMACS next to some of the tracks? Maybe instrumentals?

Maybe it indicates spoken word sections, or maybe they'll become links to listen to some samples? No idea now.

With this many tracks, I think we'll get several either spoken word parts for the story, or maybe they've just split it into much smaller components, like the sections of their usual epics.

[ToT-147]

After this:

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.

I kind of doubt of your assumptions, .. But seriously, please don't be spoken word sections.. I want music!..

[Jinx]

Is it just me or is the silhouette of the person in front of the clock more transparent than the others? You can see through it to the background whereas the others are solid black. Maybe we are close to his/her unveiling!

[RaiseTheKnife]

shit ton of spoken word over keyboard atmospheric music, are what at least half these tracks are IMHO.

Exactly!  Ever listen to Surfin' MOD?  15 tracks of acting scenes and 5 songs.

But still, if it helps DT complete the full story of the rock opera, that's fine with me.

[dparrott]

Wikipedia lists artwork done by Ma Jie.  Have they finally broken away from Hugh???

It also lists Chycki mastering, so prepared for another brickwalled CD.     

[LCArenas]

ACT ONE HAS SEVENTEEN FUCKING TRACKS

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SOME QUADRUPLE ALBUM OR SOME SHIT THESE PEOPLE ARE INSANE AND I'M HYPED AS SHIT

[The Letter M]

Well folks, it looks like Dream Theater have gone FULL AYREON on us. I expect Act 2/Disc 2 to have at least a dozen tracks, maybe 13 in total, so the whole album will be a total of 30 tracks, ya know, for the band's 30th anniversary? Maybe? Also, Act 2 would have 13 tracks...

-Marc.

[Nothingface]

ACT ONE HAS SEVENTEEN FUCKING TRACKS

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SOME QUADRUPLE ALBUM OR SOME SHIT THESE PEOPLE ARE INSANE AND I'M HYPED AS SHIT

Whoa there, try not to make a mess.

[Ben_Jamin]

The NOMAC symbols likely are parts where they come into the story...The entire album sounds more of a narrative than SFAM, an actual Rock Opera in the vein of Ayreon, much like The Theory of Everything, which I enjoyed immensely.


It starts off with the NOMACS which will have a theme of their own, basically their songs.

Then, The Entire empire is introduced. I see an opening scene where they show a sky view of the city full of life. Everyone's doing things, a futuristic kind of Metropolis.

The gift of music. could be where the story really begins to form. As it plays for the citizens, one realizes its potential, beauty and power. He then figures out that the NOMACS which have songs to seduce people in a trance like state to conform. Thus finding out their is a better life than that of the Empire, 

At this moment we are introduced to the ruler the one lord Nefaryus, which could be a nice heavy song.

The rest is just too much for me to type up on my phone. but damn, This is gonna be one awesome album.

I feel it's gonna have a nice flow with a lot of transitions, which are broken by the NOMACS and their songs.

[Aythesryche]

Two discs for each act with 10 songs per disc. 4 discs in total. 

[ResultsMayVary]

When I think of spoken word or atmospheric sections, I think of Autumn and Parallax from Between The Buried and Me's "The Parallax II: Future Sequence" as a way to continue the story and keep the flow going.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

As I see it, there are three possibilities: 1) it's more than two discs (didn't JP or JR say "we've done a double album before" several months ago when someone asked? Though this wouldn't make sense with the live show...); 2) there are several interlude tracks, so it really isn't 17 (though that's very unlike DT), or 3) it's like that Beyond Twilight album where there were a few dozen tracks but it was all one continuous piece.

[ToT-147]

or 3) it's like that Beyond Twilight album where there were a few dozen tracks but it was all one continuous piece.

Yeah, that was the first album that came to my mind when I saw the 17 tracks.. The album (called "For the Love of Art and the Making") has 43 tracks between 0:09 and 3:01, with a total of 37:52..

TA will obviously have much more length than that, and there will be probably 10+ minute songs (I hope so), and even a 20 minute song (very unlikely, I know), but yes, probably there will be also a good bunch of pretty short ones (thus uncommon type of songs for DT).. I'm not implying the album would have ten second songs, but something like TMW, Regression, WFS or Vacant..

Most likely in this album we'll have the shortest song done by the band.. That, if I'm not mistaken, so far is Through My Words (in fact so short is that many do not consider it a song, but only part of a suite with FT; but I do )..

[gilpdawg]

Isn't it possible that "act 1" actually covers more than one disc worth of music? Like, act 1 is 85 minutes or something and then act 2 is the rest of the second disc?

It's not like they've said that Act 1=Disc 1 and Act 2=Disc 2.

I don't think that's right, but everything here is speculation so whatevs.

[ariich]

What if there were no physial CD's and it's a digital only release...

I'd hate that immensely.

As would I. It's begging for a deluxe gatefold cd package with DVD.


Digital only ?  Meh I'll stream it.

Highly unlikely, I think DT are too big for that. It tends to be the more tier 2 (in terms of fame) bands like Haken and The Dear Hunter who get convinced by their label to release something digital only, and then end up releasing it physically later on anyway.

[V_R11]

I'm a little late to the party but HOLY CRAP 17!!!!

I was fine with 11 new DT tracks but now it seems like we'll get 30-ish

Fantastic,DT. Absolutely fantastic 

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Isn't it possible that "act 1" actually covers more than one disc worth of music? Like, act 1 is 85 minutes or something and then act 2 is the rest of the second disc?

It's not like they've said that Act 1=Disc 1 and Act 2=Disc 2.

I don't think that's right, but everything here is speculation so whatevs.

Sure, but I doubt it'll be so unbalanced as to render the 17-song act less unusual for them.

[Train of Naught]

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out Brother from TCOT will make a return on this album.

[Vandalism]

So The Astonishing refers to the moment when ..........




















we get to know that Act I alone has 17 tracks! 

[liran95]

I'm surprised that no one has pointed out Brother from TCOT will make a return on this album.

The count of Ravenskill!

[ErHaO]

I agree that having many seperately named tracks do not mean a longer album necessarily. For all we know some might be short interludes to tell the story. Think Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle Earth, which is basically a fairly normal 11-track album additionally featuring 10 tracks less than a minute long, with either spoken parts of some atmospheric sounds to conceive the story, and an intro of less than two minutes. Thus, that album has 22 individually listed and named tracks while it isn't a very long album.

What if there were no physial CD's and it's a digital only release...

I'd hate that immensely.

As would I. It's begging for a deluxe gatefold cd package with DVD.


Digital only ?  Meh I'll stream it.

I really really hope they release it on vinyl, if only for the collectible value. If each disk is an hour long, however, I doubt that they will. 

Offcourse they will release it on vinyl. The lengthy Score and Budokan recently also got vinyl releases, I can't see a main new studio album not getting one because it's lenght is longer than usual. The price of those live releases isn't even that much higher over here either.

[Mike PornToy]

opening The astonishing :

*snip*



Fake or not ?