Wow, so much to read in this thread. I hope my own opinion isn't too late or repetitive.
You didn't like the way
I put the knife in wrong
You didn't like the way
My blood spilled on your brand new floorWhole lotta this in this thread.
But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when this fandom is one of the most ravenous, demanding and pretentious ones around (and I say that with a finger pointing at myself as well
)
This is the 12th studio album this band has released since I became a fan, and with the exception of SFAM, each one has always taken a few days of listening to sink in and grow into the mnemonic milepost of life that each one is for me. And that's what has kept me a fan through 20 some odd years.
That being said, I recognize this effort for what it is. Their attempt at doing something between an audible movie and a soundtrack. I didn't go into this expecting another Scenes or Six Degrees type album, and I suspect some of those that are the most angry or dislike it probably did just that to varying degrees.
We as a fandom have cried for something epic and different from them over the last few releases. Everyone mostly agrees that they'd gotten into a rut of sorts, still releasing great material, but lacking the different flavors and directions we'd come to love from 8V and before.
The refrains went something like this:
"Man, this is a alright album, but it's no SFAM, SDoIT or 8v... wish they would do something epic like that again.. come on, they're DREEEEAAAMM THEATER!" So here we are. They just gave us a 2:30-ish long album filled with so many new flavors and directions that at times it's like you're listening to a OST. Something they've never done before and few bands could even conceptualize.
Thanks, guys. Really. Thanks for this. You had the guts to do a complete 90 degree turn and reach for something incredible.
Sure, they could have used some help in the lyrics department (but that's always been an enduring trait of this band for me) and probably could have found a slightly less cliche story and characters. But I'm not entirely sure the story and characters weren't
supposed to be cheesy and cliche. I could totally see JP having a laugh going "Heh... Faythe, Nefaryus... People are gonna freakin laugh their butts off when they read this. It'll be fun!"
Or maybe not *shrugs* Who knows. But I seriously doubt all parties involved in the creation of this honestly thought the characters and story were so unique and ground breaking that it should be taken seriously.
I think we're the only ones projecting that.
Point is... I don't really care much. This band did what I've always loved them for, and that's take me on a musical adventure somewhere with melodies and harmonies that are completely new that I find myself humming randomly out of the blue. To compare this to anything else they've done and then point to it's flaws is pretty closed minded, if you ask me. We
wanted them to do something different, and they did. It's like eating salad everyday, complaining about it, then complaining the soup you got doesn't taste like a salad.
And to those that complain there isn't
ONE track on here that's amazing all the way through, I think the whole album is intended to be "watched" like you do a movie, from start to finish, without trying to take scenes by themselves and then lament when they don't stand on their own.
Even the scene at the end of Aliens where Ripley appears in the loader to challenge the queen xenomorph and protect Newt doesn't hold much power without watching the struggle that's taken place up to that moment.
It's going to get the customary 20 more listen throughs (on top of the 10 or so it's already had) and then go in my library, to be pulled out for specific occasions that fit it. My next road trip, for example. This is a perfect road trip album.
And I don't regret spending the money on it one bit. Or buying the ticket for the live show coming in a couple of months.
Topic: *Official* The Astonishing discussion thread (Read 519466 times)
