*Official* The Astonishing discussion thread

[BlobVanDam]

Cram takes a no hitter in a 0-0 game into the bottom of the 9th, and gives up a walk off home run.

Translation for those of us who don't speak Murican sportball? I didn't understand a single word of that, except for "cram".

I like Chosen, but imo it's no comparison to Act of Faythe.

[TAC]

  Murican sportball?

Chosen is a track that I usually skip. I just don't think it goes anywhere.

Fave ballad. Well, they're all ballads aren't they?

I think My Last Farewell is quite powerful. Losing Faythe is also pretty cool. The "Gabriel my son" part is awesome.

[mikeyd23]

Ah, I'm with Cram on this one... Chosen is my favorite ballad on the album easily.

[cramx3]

  Murican sportball?

Chosen is a track that I usually skip. I just don't think it goes anywhere.

Fave ballad. Well, they're all ballads aren't they?

I think My Last Farewell is quite powerful. Losing Faythe is also pretty cool. The "Gabriel my son" part is awesome.

  at the pic, but I dont believe My Last Farewell is a balled, but I also really like Losing Faythe at that part you mention.

[bosk1]

Ah, I'm with Cram on this one... Chosen is my favorite ballad on the album easily.

Same here.  I'm not generally a DT ballad guy.  But they have written some fantastic ones in the Mangini era, and Chosen is right up there with the best of them.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, Chosen is fantastic.

[mikeyd23]

Same here.  I'm not generally a DT ballad guy.  But they have written some fantastic ones in the Mangini era, and Chosen is right up there with the best of them.

That's true, This Is the Life, Beneath the Surface, The Bigger Picture, plus some good ballads on TA... That's a really good grouping of ballads.

[Logain Ablar]

Agreed about Chosen. Also, it's one of their more accessible songs that could be used to point a potential new fan to.

[cramx3]

Agreed about Chosen. Also, it's one of their more accessible songs that could be used to point a potential new fan to.

I always thought this too.  If you took out the last verse the lyrics are also pretty general that could be applied to other things not TA story related so it almost works lyrically as well on its own.

[mikeyd23]

Yeah Chosen is general and accessible enough, I see it becoming a live staple moving forward. Good song, short time taken up in the set.

[fischermasamune]

I think the best ballad is The X Aspect. One of the most touching lyrically.

[TAC]

I think the best ballad is The X Aspect. One of the most touching lyrically.

Fantastic track. Top 5 on TA for me.

[Logain Ablar]

The X Aspect is another cracker. The section that starts:

Should I turn my back on him?
Abandon all our plans for revolution?
Will hope and freedom die by morning light?

is one of my top 3 moments of the whole album. 

[cramx3]

Yup, definitely another good ballad.  Can't go wrong with the ballads on this album IMO.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Chosen is great, I also really like Begin Again a lot.

[oh8wrx]

Listening to the album (again, for like the hundredth time), especially love "When your time has come", "A life left behind" (gives me chills), "Losing Faythe", "Chosen", and "Our new world".

Honestly, seeing them play the album really made me appreciate it so much more because of the visuals and intricacy of it all.

[cramx3]

I really think after many many listens and seeing the show twice that Whispers in the Wind is the only song I really am not a big fan of.  There were a few other tracks that I didn't really enjoy initially, but over time I've come to enjoy them except this one.

[Siddhartha]

My favorite part of the album is the guitar solo followed by "This very moment was always meant to be..."  in When your time has come.

That gets me everytime

[Ben_Jamin]

My favorite part of the album is the guitar solo followed by "This very moment was always meant to be..."  in When your time has come.

That gets me everytime

Mine too, it's one of my favorite moments.

Begin Again instrumental ending, which is in the Entr'acte as well. That theme makes me feel I don't know, euphoric and content.

[KevShmev]

   I am truly obsessed with Chosen.  I actually think it's my favorite song on the whole album.  That guitar solo was one of those moments when you just close your eyes while "seeing" it live and soak it in.

I think I did the same thing!

It really is hard to narrow it down to just a few favorites, but Chosen is up there; it's just a melodic gem.

  Losing Faythe is also pretty cool. The "Gabriel my son" part is awesome.

Losing Faythe is one of my least favorites from the whole album, but that "Gabriel, my son" part at the end is pretty amazing. 

I think the best ballad is The X Aspect. One of the most touching lyrically.

Not to mention one of JR's best piano solo sections ever (the beginning).  Just glorious.

[TAC]

Yes, so glorious.

[red barchetta]

Read on FB, DT are adding song from the past. They will play oldies plus the astonishing for the balance of the second leg of their North American tour.

[RoeDent]

It's refreshing for a change to see a lot of love for the ballads, and for The Astonishing in general, in recent posts.

That's true, This Is the Life, Beneath the Surface, The Bigger Picture, plus some good ballads on TA... That's a really good grouping of ballads.

Chosen is great, I also really like Begin Again a lot.

All of the above. Especially nice to see some love for Begin Again, a vastly underrated song that never fails to bring the goosebumps, like a lot of moments on this incredible album.

It really is hard to narrow it down to just a few favorites, but Chosen is up there; it's just a melodic gem.

...

Losing Faythe is one of my least favorites from the whole album, but that "Gabriel, my son" part at the end is pretty amazing. 

Considering that the first significant part of Losing Faythe is a direct reprise of Chosen, these statements are somewhat contradictory, with all due respect. And if the "Gabriel, my son" part is amazing, that just leaves Arabelle's part in the middle to make it your least favourite?

[TheOutlawXanadu]

What's your favorite ballad then?  I am truly obsessed with Chosen.  I actually think it's my favorite song on the whole album.  That guitar solo was one of those moments when you just close your eyes while "seeing" it live and soak it in.   

+1

Chosen is a gem. I'll probably lead a petition from here on our for them to play it on every tour. It absolutely slayed live.

[RoeDent]

The echoey effects for the first section of Ravenskill put the picture in my mind that it's a misty morning, and despite the lyric "Through crowded streets...", I imagine the town square to be not that crowded at all, maybe around 7-8am. A few people here and there, perhaps going to get Ravenskill's equivalent of the morning paper, and it's one of these that Faythe speaks to.

[cramx3]

The echoey effects for the first section of Ravenskill put the picture in my mind that it's a misty morning, and despite the lyric "Through crowded streets...", I imagine the town square to be not that crowded at all, maybe around 7-8am. A few people here and there, perhaps going to get Ravenskill's equivalent of the morning paper, and it's one of these that Faythe speaks to.

The video part for this certainly didn't convey a crowded street, but something more like what you described

[Logain Ablar]

I really think after many many listens and seeing the show twice that Whispers in the Wind is the only song I really am not a big fan of.  There were a few other tracks that I didn't really enjoy initially, but over time I've come to enjoy them except this one.

I'm with you on Whispers. It's pretty short, but I feel it kinda takes away some of the momentum that was built up towards the end of Losing Faythe.

[cramx3]

I really think after many many listens and seeing the show twice that Whispers in the Wind is the only song I really am not a big fan of.  There were a few other tracks that I didn't really enjoy initially, but over time I've come to enjoy them except this one.

I'm with you on Whispers. It's pretty short, but I feel it kinda takes away some of the momentum that was built up towards the end of Losing Faythe.

Yea, I feel it kind of kills act 2.  Luckily for you and I, it is a short track.

[SystematicThought]

When I listen to the album, one of the songs that sticks out to me is Ravenskill. I feel like that track embodies the theatrical nature they were going for, especially the part after "Take my hand, we haven't time to spare" That riff with the keyboard sounds awesome and then after "Will be revealed, when she sheds her disguise" that choir patch that JR uses. It just has so many epic moments and feels theatrical--like I can picture it happening onstage during a play. The emotion that JLB puts into Faythe's part "There's a chance we can still end this game"

I just really like that song

[bosk1]

Agreed.  At one point, I asked JP about that riff and how I couldn't stand that he had composed one of the tastiest riffs in DT history, only to give us 22 seconds of it, and have it never be heard from again.  His response was basically, [paraphrase] "welp, guess that means I better get busy on The Astonishing II." 

[Ravenfoul]

Does ANYONE besides me like Whispers on the Wind? I know for a lot of you it kills the mood or something, maybe I'm just weird, but I really liked it. I felt like it could have been something really great if they fleshed it out more and spent more time on it, though. I thought it was more poignant than Far From Heaven from ADOTE for example.

[KevShmev]

The echoey effects for the first section of Ravenskill put the picture in my mind that it's a misty morning, and despite the lyric "Through crowded streets...", I imagine the town square to be not that crowded at all, maybe around 7-8am. A few people here and there, perhaps going to get Ravenskill's equivalent of the morning paper, and it's one of these that Faythe speaks to.

Those echo effects on JLB's vocals at the beginning of Ravenskill make that part much better than had he just sang it naked.  I was glad that he used those effects live, too.

It really is hard to narrow it down to just a few favorites, but Chosen is up there; it's just a melodic gem.

...

Losing Faythe is one of my least favorites from the whole album, but that "Gabriel, my son" part at the end is pretty amazing. 

Considering that the first significant part of Losing Faythe is a direct reprise of Chosen, these statements are somewhat contradictory, with all due respect. 

I disagree.  The melody just comes off as much better in Chosen, where it's soaring, as opposed to Losing Faythe, where it's more laid back and kind of crawling along.

When I listen to the album, one of the songs that sticks out to me is Ravenskill. I feel like that track embodies the theatrical nature they were going for, especially the part after "Take my hand, we haven't time to spare" That riff with the keyboard sounds awesome and then after "Will be revealed, when she sheds her disguise" that choir patch that JR uses. It just has so many epic moments and feels theatrical--like I can picture it happening onstage during a play. The emotion that JLB puts into Faythe's part "There's a chance we can still end this game"

I just really like that song

Ravenskill is still a top 3 song for me on this record.  Like I've said, it is very difficult to narrow it down to just three, but if asked, that is probably the first one I would mention.

[SystematicThought]

Does it place anywhere in your Top 20 DT songs?

[KevShmev]

No. My DT top 20 is pretty tough to crack.  As much as I love TA, I doubt I'd put anything from in my top 20, but I suspect a lot of songs from it would be in the 21-70 range.

[bosk1]

Probably about the same for me.