Official Distance Over Time discussion thread

[evilasiojr]

Is this the link?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/thiago-campos/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-images-words-revisited-spoiler/10150771825130184/

That's how I found out about the similarities. And Thiago himself says that he doesn't see the references as something bad.

[MoraWintersoul]

The band never confirmed any of that.

[pg1067]

The band never confirmed any of that.

The comparisons are pretty obvious (at least with OTBOA and BAI; I've never really looked at the others) -- so much so that there's no way any reasonable person could believe it was anything but intentional, so confirmation isn't needed.

Is this the link?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/thiago-campos/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-images-words-revisited-spoiler/10150771825130184/

Same content as the link I shared.  Formatted differently for whatever reason.

[gzarruk]

The band never confirmed any of that.

The comparisons are pretty obvious (at least with OTBOA and BAI; I've never really looked at the others) -- so much so that there's no way any reasonable person could believe it was anything but intentional, so confirmation isn't needed.

Well, JP denied that... he could be lying (who knows?), but the band (JP) did make a statement about this.

[Lupton]

I don't know. Didn't John Petrucci recently say in an interview something to the effect of spending a lot of time working on a song only to find that it's the same as a song that he had already done? Basically stating that all that time was wasted. I believe this may have been in regards to his new solo release.

I know this anecdote has nothing to do with ADTOE, but I'm using it to illustrate the point that sometimes artists like JP repeat themselves without realizing it. The structural similarity between all those tunes on I&W and ADTOE could be a very similar situation from a creative standpoint. Sounds reasonable enough to me 

[IDontNotDoThings]

Distance Over Time is a good album innit

[Orbert]

The first time I heard On the Backs of Angels I thought it built up in a similar way to Pull Me Under.  It "felt" the same somehow.  But that was neither good nor bad; it's just something I noticed, and I'm sure others would, too.  This was before any of the so-called controversy.  The next thing I heard was that the entire album was basically structured the same and Images and Words, and I thought that that was dumb.

But if one looks hard enough, and if one is specifically looking for similarities, they can be found.  Or at least things that have some similar elements.  That's all it is.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Is this the link?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/thiago-campos/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-images-words-revisited-spoiler/10150771825130184/

That's how I found out about the similarities. And Thiago himself says that he doesn't see the references as something bad.

Right, but back then he really worded his opinions (in forum posts and such) in a way that felt more in a "DT basically did I&W all over again and that's because their spiritual leader left" way if I recall correctly. Nothing against Thiago whose comparisons are in places really spot on, but it's not so much the things you say but the way you say them.

[evilasiojr]

Is this the link?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/thiago-campos/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-images-words-revisited-spoiler/10150771825130184/

That's how I found out about the similarities. And Thiago himself says that he doesn't see the references as something bad.

Right, but back then he really worded his opinions (in forum posts and such) in a way that felt more in a "DT basically did I&W all over again and that's because their spiritual leader left" way if I recall correctly. Nothing against Thiago whose comparisons are in places really spot on, but it's not so much the things you say but the way you say them.

Hmmmm that's a good point!! And you're totally right, the way you say things change it all.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Is this the link?

https://www.facebook.com/notes/thiago-campos/a-dramatic-turn-of-events-images-words-revisited-spoiler/10150771825130184/

That's how I found out about the similarities. And Thiago himself says that he doesn't see the references as something bad.

Right, but back then he really worded his opinions (in forum posts and such) in a way that felt more in a "DT basically did I&W all over again and that's because their spiritual leader left" way if I recall correctly. Nothing against Thiago whose comparisons are in places really spot on, but it's not so much the things you say but the way you say them.

Hmmmm that's a good point!! And you're totally right, the way you say things change it all.

Yeah, I remember being really impressed with Thiago's comparison but he kinda took it too far mostly because the Portnoy thing was still too fresh, and some people were still kinda very sensitive about those matters (still are? lol). He drew way too much attention to himself and his own progressive metal outlet out of the controversy sparked by his post (cannot blame him for that though, any chance of success you just seize it).

[Herrick]

I joined this forum a few days before A Dramatic Turn of Events came out. I remember people talking about the similarities between that album & Images and Words. I never caught on to those similarities even after all this time. I'm not saying they do not exist...just that I don't care *shrug*

Distance Over Time is a good album innit

Indeed, mang  I just wish there was a leetle more Rudenessness. The keyboards are very understated in most of the songs. 

[kirksnosehair]

gave this a spin today and found that it's actually aging pretty well.  In fact I think I appreciate it a little more now than I did when it was first released.  I still think Petrucci held back all of his best riffs for the first 4 songs on his solo album.

[Mr.Mister]

Bump!

I've been digging DoT lately in preparation for AVFTTOTW. I can see why Barstool Warrior gets a lot of love but to me At Wit's End is the main event of this record. It's the only song from this album I wouldn't mind if they play in the next tour.

[CirclesSquared]

Bump!

I've been digging DoT lately in preparation for AVFTTOTW. I can see why Barstool Warrior gets a lot of love but to me At Wit's End is the main event of this record. It's the only song from this album I wouldn't mind if they play in the next tour.

At Wit's End is easily in my all-time top 10 DT songs.

[Mr.Mister]

Bump!

I've been digging DoT lately in preparation for AVFTTOTW. I can see why Barstool Warrior gets a lot of love but to me At Wit's End is the main event of this record. It's the only song from this album I wouldn't mind if they play in the next tour.

At Wit's End is easily in my all-time top 10 DT songs.

I haven't done a formal ranking in ages but I think it'd be in mine too. It's heavy, it's melodic, it transitions well from section to section, James takes it to another level at the end repeating "don't leave me now" over and over while JP pulls one of the most soothing solos since Goodnight Kiss. 

Excellent excellent stuff.

[lovethedrake]

AWE is the best DT song since SDOIT IMO.   Love it.   Absolutely awesome. 

Would love to see it live, they didn't play it when I saw their DOT show.

[geeeemo]

AWE is the best DT song since SDOIT IMO.   Love it.   Absolutely awesome. 

Would love to see it live, they didn't play it when I saw their DOT show.

It's on the Live in London. Not quite the same as being there, but the video and audio and James all are fantastic.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

AWE really is a beast of a song. The only thing that keeps it from being a favorite of mine (in the same way that PDT is for example) is the 'Dont leave me now' chorus and ending. It just repeats too many times and is a little cheesy. The repetitions draw your attention to that. Other than that it is flawless to my ears.

[darkshade]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

[Lax]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

I listened to BSW and AWE in the car, what a great songwriting, what a guitar tone...It was delicious
And AWE just rips hearts out of the ribcage of emotion.

Viper king is great too

[jayvee3]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

While those two are indeed phenomenal tracks, sone others are also excellent and far better than “stock DT tunes”. S2N is a ripping song - I love the drum work, the experimentation and sense of fun in that tune. I think Out of Reach is one of the best ballads they have ever done, Pale Blue Dot rocks and Fall into the Light is a terrific track with heaviness, melody and emotion. I actually really enjoy Paralyzed too. It’s a simple metal song executed well. Really solid album and still gets regular play from me…

[YngVai]

This album and album rollout really went a long way towards reinvigorating my interest in DT. I'd fallen off a bit after the disappointment that I thought Black Clouds was, as well as Portnoy leaving. The lead up to the self-titled caught my eye again, and while I enjoyed the album, it didn't really save them for me enough to follow the release of the Astonishing.

It's still the only DT album that I've never been able to make it through, and they seemed so all-in on this project that I was really turned off by for what feels like the better part of 5 years.

DoT did really feel like their saving grace, though, and put one of my favorite bands back on my radar after almost a decade of feeling lukewarm about them, and for that I'm super appreciative of the album.

[darkshade]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

I listened to BSW and AWE in the car, what a great songwriting, what a guitar tone...It was delicious
And AWE just rips hearts out of the ribcage of emotion.

Viper king is great too

Viper King is my favorite tune on DoT actually, but it's relegated to "bonus track" so I was only talking about the main album. It has a fun energy that is lacking in Mangini-era DT. I do however, find the transitions from the verses to the chorus to be a little jarring, with the double time tempo seemingly coming out of nowhere.

[darkshade]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

While those two are indeed phenomenal tracks, sone others are also excellent and far better than “stock DT tunes”. S2N is a ripping song - I love the drum work, the experimentation and sense of fun in that tune. I think Out of Reach is one of the best ballads they have ever done, Pale Blue Dot rocks and Fall into the Light is a terrific track with heaviness, melody and emotion. I actually really enjoy Paralyzed too. It’s a simple metal song executed well. Really solid album and still gets regular play from me…

S2N is a promising track, but I find the chorus is really stock, typical-sounding Mangini-era chorus, and imo doesn't fit the feel of the rest of the song (and the song has a completely unnecessary outro that is all too similar to The Dark Eternal Night's outro (which DID fit the song)

[Architeuthis]

S2N is a top tier Dream Theater song with the Wow factor!

[cramx3]

S2N is a top tier Dream Theater song with the Wow factor!

Yup 

[goo-goo]

S2N is a top tier Dream Theater song with the Wow factor!

Yes. S2N sounds very refreshing while still maintaining that DT signature sound. Absolutely love it!

[lucasembarbosa]

Listened to some of these songs yesterday after quite a while, and I didn't remember how loud the room mic is.... Lots of ambiance there. I remember JP talking about how they loved the acoustics of the barnyard used in the recordings, and now it clicked to me.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

what do you mean by 'stock' exactly?

[Mr.Mister]

S2N is a top tier Dream Theater song with the Wow factor!

Yes. S2N sounds very refreshing while still maintaining that DT signature sound. Absolutely love it!

I agree. I love how it feels at times like a structured jam. To me this is the "let's have fun" song they wrote on the album (Viper King aside)

[darkshade]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

what do you mean by 'stock' exactly?

Sounds derivative of other things DT has recorded in the past.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

what do you mean by 'stock' exactly?

Sounds derivative of other things DT has recorded in the past.

Pale Blue Dot sounds like a stock tune but Wits End doesn't? What is so fresh about Wit's End that the other songs on the record don't exhibit?

[darkshade]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

what do you mean by 'stock' exactly?

Sounds derivative of other things DT has recorded in the past.

Pale Blue Dot sounds like a stock tune but Wits End doesn't? What is so fresh about Wit's End that the other songs on the record don't exhibit?

AWE and BSW are the two songs where everything comes together and sounds like DT, and don't sound like role player songs (songs that have to be a certain way eg. "this is the poppy single, this is the ode to Metallica, this is the semi-epic closer with chugga chugga riffs and "dark" sounding chords we've done a million times over the previous 3 albums")

Sorry, but I find Pale Blue Dot has weak sounding drums (could be the mix) when they enter before the guitars it sounds thin, and then the guitars come in and overpower everything else. I also find it could have been fleshed out some more, maybe their 'rule' for that album to make things more concise didn't work as well with PBD.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

BSW and AWE are the only two classic DT songs on DoT.
The rest are pretty stock DT tunes.

what do you mean by 'stock' exactly?

Sounds derivative of other things DT has recorded in the past.

Pale Blue Dot sounds like a stock tune but Wits End doesn't? What is so fresh about Wit's End that the other songs on the record don't exhibit?

AWE and BSW are the two songs where everything comes together and sounds like DT, and don't sound like role player songs (songs that have to be a certain way eg. "this is the poppy single, this is the ode to Metallica, this is the semi-epic closer with chugga chugga riffs and "dark" chords we've done a million times")

But AWE has some of its own chugga riffs too, no? Under the "you feel I'm asking too much of you" and under JRs solo come to mind. PBD doesn't remind me of any other band's song and the main chugga riff is presented in an interesting way in a time signature (19/16) that I dont think the band has riffed in before (someone can correct me if I am wrong here about the time sig being new for the band). Also, how do you square your 'role player' critique of most of DoT with your fondness for the Octavarium album which has more blatantly obvious role player songs than any other DT album?

[darkshade]

What can I say? It doesn't sound derivative on AWE. MAYBE a tiny bit of ITPOE in the beginning.. but I find it all works.

The difference with Octavarium is they still hadn't entered the current phase they're in, of "guys, we have to keep reminding everyone we're a metal band" on nearly every song, which began on Systematic Chaos. 8vm's greatness is also attributed to the meta-album concept, the 5/8 concept, and the title track is the band's greatest musical achievement.

Not sure how Octavarium's songs are role players, other than the title track at the end. TROAE works well as an opener, with its build-up intro and all. The other songs follow the concept of changing keys each song.