I think my Dream Theater days are over. I didn't care about the last two albums, but this one takes the cake. Although the album clearly shows that they tried to do something else (kudos to that, even if it's nothing "progressive", it's just the musical formula applied to generic Dream Theater), it is simply not for me. The cheesiness, the amount of Disney-sounding songs and parts, the blandness of the melodic material which sound half the time like late 90's radio rock and the other half like a sanitized version of some old DT material, are overwhelming.
But what strikes me the most is the overall absence of anything harsh, dissonant or intense. I was expecting at least some remains of metal/rock intensity, not radio-friendly material or musical-like intensity (let's not forget that musicals are mostly made for general public, and are full of easy melodies and sentimentality). They are pretty much nowhere to be find. The few metal parts are laughable. Do they actually know what is metal or prog rock these days ? Steven Wilson most gentle songs sound hardcore compared to this album. Not that I expect DT to write extreme metal, but I would like them to sound at least like modern rock. Late Portnoy's albums were cheesy and over-the-top but FUN. This is cheesy and pompous rock for women in their 50's or kids. The album sounds so outdaded, pretty, childish in its aspirations and audience-friendly, the work of a band ready for their reconversion as a Broadway act or a backing band for some near-retirement pop singer. If I want to listen to a musical, I would listen to one, especially that there are quite a lot of musical that are not only better but grittier than that. The album sounds like it was written by 15 years old.
I could go on the technical aspect of it (which is fine, except the terrible orchestral writing and MM drumming, but let's not tackle this subject).
Well, I'm now ready to accept that the band that wrote the dance of eternity is dead and buried...
PS : I tried again writing this. I think I find the whole thing embarassing. Like A new beginning... Until the instrumental bridge, it sounds like the Disney channel music my nephews listen to (especially at 3:29, probably one of the most embarassing moment in DT history, on par with the organ at the beginning of a life left behind, that destroys one of the few cool guitar riffs on the album).