Official Distance Over Time discussion thread

[mikeyd23]

Been trying to post for hours!

Listened to the record several times today, really, really good DT record. This might end up being my favorite of the MM era.

[cramx3]

Yea, there's a lot to like about this album, from the production to the heaviness to the DT doing what DT does best.  At Wits End really has got me right now, definitely song of the year so far for me.  S2N is fabulous too.  I also really enjoy Viper King, that's fun as fuck.

[Skeever]

I must say I agree with some of the sentiment I've read on Pale Blue Dot. While the song starts strong, I found it too short, and while the instrumental section is pretty cool, the way that the song resolves back to the "God Creators, Dream Destroyers" section (chorus?) in the finale just strikes as a really premature close to something that could have really gone somewhere special.

I wanted more from the song, mostly due to its inspiring source material. The lyrics paraphrase one of the central questions of Sagan's talk. But not only does the song fail to capture the meaning of the full talk, it moreover fails to add any perspective of its own. Instead, it just kind of skims the surface, "how fragile and transient this all is". To have that be the grand conclusion of the song just strikes me as cheap at its best, nihilistic and unintelligent at its worst.

DT have never had a problem treating far more mundane lyric topics with grandiose, epic conclusions - see Octavarium and The Count of Tuscany. Even Barstool Warrior provides its protagonist with an epiphany that isn't fully deserved. That's why it's all the more baffling to me that they came up so short here.

[RoeDent]

Hi. I think we're back after that site crash.

I'm currently listening to the album.

Untethered Angel - Really good song, but most of them will probably go above it in the end.
Paralyzed - Particularly appreciating the middle section now I own the album.
Fall Into the Light - Again, appreciation has grown further as I'm listening now.
Barstool Warrior - Oh this hits all the right spots. Wonderful chorus and the piano in the middle section...wow. Also the ending sort-of brought to mind The Bigger Picture.
Room 137 - OOF! This hits you hard right from the off with some heavy riffage!
S2N - One of those soaring DT choruses that sounds like it will be a classic.
At Wit's End - I must admit, this hasn't grabbed me as instantly as I thought it would judging by posts I read prior to hearing it. It's still a very good song, but it's no BAI. It's also kinda spoilt a little bit by what happens in the last minute, imo. I have questions about it.
Out of Reach - DT ballad. Nice enough.
Pale Blue Dot - Oh yes! Here we go! I'm glad they've allowed themselves one proggy freakout on this album, even within its overall feel of trimming the fat.
Viper King - This is fun! Totally get the Deep Purple vibes.

[flintdragon]

This album already has a spot higher than ADToE, DT and TA in my list of albums I prefer, not that I dislike those... it's just, you know...

DoT feels organic, creative and more collaborative than the last 3 releases. Even the tracks that didn't initially grab me on this first listen still felt different than what I've listened to over the last few years, like this really IS a new Dream Theater album rather than variations of the same progressions, formula and structure which has been my only way to describe the way the last few albums have made me feel.

I agree with your initial reactions for the most part.  Bolded words are how I felt about the first 2 post-MP albums.  Some gems here and there in ADTOE/DT12 but I'm old school and I want to listen to albums from start to finish, not popcorn style through their catalog.  This new album is starting off just like the days of old where I know I like what I hear but it will take time to digest.

My only gripe (though is being heralded as a plus these days... short attention spans?) is the lack of a long masterpiece.  I get that it is refreshing to have concise songs that still hit all the elements that make a DT song a DT song but this album is SHORT.  They had room to put a 15+ minute epic...

I'm also saddened that so many disliked TA. It's one of my absolutely favorites because it hits all the marks for me personally when taken as an album.  Not that I've read every post but I've yet to read one good thing said about TA since the release of D/T.

[Progmetty]

Here my thoughts so far:

- This album is a 10/10.
- A second choice for the album name would have been "Quality Over Quantity"! Seriously though, despite of the shorter duration, this album is packed full of goodness. It's very balanced, doesn't leave me wanting more but makes me start it over.
- This album is nothing like the self titled, it's the antithesis of the self titled. In everything, from musical direction all the way to lyrical themes. It was a very misleading comparison that people were making before it came out.
- The chocolate cake is delicious here, it was present but tasteless on the self titled IMO. The guitar sound is stellar and I dare say exceptional, clean and distorted.
- The mellow section that starts at 3:19 of Fall Into The Light got me a little choked up, I think it's kinda wasted on this song because the track is average up until the point it kicks in. A factor could be that I don't like the Hetfield riffing when someone else does it so that turned me off from the start of the song but I think it will grow on me.
- I love Pale Blue Dot. The other day someone on the other thread said that it sounds like an unfinished epic, I completely disagree, it sounds very well rounded, the ending may seem abrupt at first but on subsequent listens I thought it worked perfect.

Least Favorite track: Out of Reach, haven't clicked yet.
Favorite Track: Currently a tie between all the other tracks, this album is awesome.

[KevShmev]

I'm also saddened that so many disliked TA. It's one of my absolutely favorites because it hits all the marks for me personally when taken as an album.  Not that I've read every post but I've yet to read one good thing said about TA since the release of D/T.

I am a big fan of The Astonishing, as are many others here.  I think it is their best album of the last 17 years (since 6DOIT basically).

[gmillerdrake]

I'm also saddened that so many disliked TA. It's one of my absolutely favorites because it hits all the marks for me personally when taken as an album.  Not that I've read every post but I've yet to read one good thing said about TA since the release of D/T.

I am a big fan of The Astonishing, as are many others here.  I think it is their best album of the last 17 years (since 6DOIT basically).

My largest 'gripe' with TA is that I feel like I can't just listen to a song from it. It's all or nothing for me. But, when I do get the chance to listen to it....it's such a great album choc full of insane music moments.....and MM outright and utterly KILLS it on that album.

[MirrorMask]

Continuing the first experience, more first hand impressions:

Barstool Warrior - WOW!!! THAT INTRO!!! Amazing, proggy, intense, melodic, Images-and-Wordesque... the first 90 seconds are pure bliss!!! but again, where are the memorable choruses? anyway, another great section with the "promises made, crying in vain" part.

Room 137 - Beautiful People from Marilyn Manson? haha! quite groovy, but once again, where is a proper chorus?

S2N - Yay, bass intro! Awake-sque chorus, this one is quite groovy and heavy! Petrucci really shreds on the solo and the bass is prominent, but it's not gratuitous wanking, it fits the song. They really managed this time around to incorporate all the "showing off" into the proper form of a song rather than being all over the place with it.

[Zydar]

That outro solo/melody in At Wit's End is the highlight of the album for me (before the reprise comes in). Very closely followed by the mellow section in Fall Into The Light.

[mikeyd23]

A couple more detailed thoughts -

Excluding the singles, that I've posted about before:

Barstool Warrior - instant favorite, love the old school prog vibes here. The first time the chorus hits makes me smile. Some amazing melodic guitar work in this one.
Room 137 - a little different for DT, I like it, the vocal effects take a little getting used to, killer drumming.
S2N - love this song, the bass groove starting out, the playing throughout, and the heavy breakdown riff at the end. Awesome.
At Wit's End - modern classic DT, emotional, and gripping. James' vocals are stellar on this one, and again really good melodic guitar work. Cool idea for the ending too.
Out of Reach - pretty straight forward but a welcome breather.
Pale Blue Dot - I need more listens, there are parts I like but the whole thing hasn't come into focus yet, I think it needs more time.
Viper King - Awesome JR organ work, great vibe. I wish the vocals were sung in a lower register, James sounds a little strained, but fun tune.

I think they nailed the vibe of collaboration that they kept talking about throughout this process, that comes through in the music.  Impressive performances from all the guys, considering how deep they are in their career's to come out with a record this strong is pretty impressive.

[Progmetty]

Yeah, here I thought they tossed A New Beginning-style bucket of ice over my musical boner, only for the song to come back just give me a happy ending

[gmillerdrake]

I think they nailed the vibe of collaboration that they kept talking about throughout this process, that comes through in the music.  Impressive performances from all the guys, considering how deep they are in their career's to come out with a record this strong is pretty impressive.

[mikeyd23]

Yeah, here I thought they tossed A New Beginning-style bucket of ice over my musical boner, only for the song to come back just give me a happy ending

  Yeah it was an interesting idea for sure. Hopefully they play that song live and let JP keep building the solo at the end longer, similar to when they played ANB live.

[genome]

Did the album break the forum?

[Pound4aBrown]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

[rab7]

Continuing the first experience, more first hand impressions:

Barstool Warrior - where are the memorable choruses?

In my opinion, the BW chorus is the best on the album. I particularly like how the drums make it sound different the second time around

[gmillerdrake]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

I agree...I'm not saying I didn't like what he's doing on the album. I think it's perfect. It's very measured. In fact, they all seem very measured and intentional in their playing. No real 'wasted' time or over playing. Just concise and well thought out.

[genome]

Barstool Warrior - WOW!!! THAT INTRO!!! Amazing, proggy, intense, melodic, Images-and-Wordesque... the first 90 seconds are pure bliss!!! but again, where are the memorable choruses?

Blimey! I think it has an amazing chorus, one of the strongest they've done in quite a few years.

[Gromit1710]

My only gripe (though is being heralded as a plus these days... short attention spans?) is the lack of a long masterpiece.  I get that it is refreshing to have concise songs that still hit all the elements that make a DT song a DT song but this album is SHORT.  They had room to put a 15+ minute epic...

I'm also saddened that so many disliked TA. It's one of my absolutely favorites because it hits all the marks for me personally when taken as an album.  Not that I've read every post but I've yet to read one good thing said about TA since the release of D/T.

I'm fine with there not being a 15 min long epic, honestly. We just had an entire album that was a 2 hour long epic   

It's great to just hear some jams again. Like you said, this popcorn "one or two songs from albums" that it's been hasn't been my preferred way to listen either. I didn't DISLIKE TA... it just doesn't rank very high on my list of go to DT albums.

[emtee]

I'll get into a meaty in-depth post when I'm on my laptop.
The short version is; I'm totally floored by how good this album is.
The combo of JM and MM locked in together, coupled with the sound
of their instruments is mind blowing. Add in JP's tone and a stellar
overall production, along with insanely great compositions and
what you get is magnificent ear candy. I never thought I'd feel this
way again about a DT album. There were several occasions when the
hair was standing up on the back of my neck. Goosebumps man.
Kudos to DT.

[drod1985]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

Agree 100%. And it's not just his notes, it's the sounds too. Jordan's at his best when he's not trying to sound like a guitar.

[Gromit1710]

Barstool Warrior - WOW!!! THAT INTRO!!! Amazing, proggy, intense, melodic, Images-and-Wordesque... the first 90 seconds are pure bliss!!! but again, where are the memorable choruses? anyway, another great section with the "promises made, crying in vain" part.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ5jsCcFW5o&feature=youtu.be

[cramx3]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

Agree 100%. And it's not just his notes, it's the sounds too. Jordan's at his best when he's not trying to sound like a guitar.

The organ tone he uses on a bunch of songs is fantastic IMO, it sounds soooo good with that heavy guitar.  JR is like the unsung hero here, he's not as in your phone but his presence isn't unheard.  He's in your face when he needs to be but is mostly just elevating the music all around without being the centerpiece.

[MirrorMask]

Barstool Warrior - WOW!!! THAT INTRO!!! Amazing, proggy, intense, melodic, Images-and-Wordesque... the first 90 seconds are pure bliss!!! but again, where are the memorable choruses? anyway, another great section with the "promises made, crying in vain" part.

/quote]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ5jsCcFW5o&feature=youtu.be

Yeah, kinda like that 

Finishing now my first listening, last batch of songs:

At Wit's End - Didn't expect that heavy and fast intro! then the piano beneath creates a bit of contrast... then the verses start to become more melodic and that chorus is bombastic and haunting! It feels that so much has already happened when we're only 1/3 into the song. And the piano section that leads into the heartfelt outro... nice stuff. Oh, here it comes, the infamous fake ending : D quite weird to have it but hey, at least it's something new.

Out of Reach - Nice ballad! very delicate and sweet, I like the way it gradually builds up, the second bridge is awesome! it's so good it almost outshines the chorus!

Pale Blue Dot - Heavy and menacing, sounds epic and bombastic! Not the mood I was expecting honestly... the chorus is big enough to work as "album closer climax", especially with the solo coming out of it, but I guess this is one of the songs that will require a lot more of listenings!

And Viper King is fun and silly and catchy, the perfect bonus track I guess 

[genome]

One thing I noticed, all of the guitar solos on the album have no rhythm guitar underneath, interesting production choice which I think works really nicely.

[Pound4aBrown]

My initial rating was

S2N
At Wit's End
Pale Blue Dot
Fall Into The Light
Barstool Warrior
Room 137
Untethered Angel
Paralyzed
Out Of Reach

That was after like 4 spins. I am now closer to 20 and I think it is more like

S2N
At Wit's End
Fall Into The Light
Pale Blue Dot
Room 137
Barstool Warrior
Untethered Angel
Paralyzed
Out Of Reach

Not much of a change really, and I don't know that S2N is ever not going to be my favorite song from DOT.
My gripes, if I had to find any are with the fade out of AWE, it isn't the fade out that bothers me. Sure the solo could have gone on a bit longer in the fade. But the 10 seconds of silence before the reprise comes back in, kills the flow of the album for me. I also really like the reprise from the writing session, I like the rawness of it, but come on, 10 seconds of silence, that is a lot of nothing.
And I do, if I am being honest, miss the grandeur of a 12-15min song. I get that perhaps it didn't fit in with the theme of writing more concise songs, but I think PBD could have easily been longer.

Oh and it is surprising to see the love for Viper King. I kinda hope they pull it out live.

[senecadawg2]

I know it's been said many times already, but I'm so fantastically, pleasantly surprised by this album. I didn't think DT had this kind of release I them, after so many years. Easily some of the strongest tracks of the MM era, and beyond.

The singles didn't do it justice, through I'm starting to enjoy them more in the context of the full album.

[Pound4aBrown]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

I agree...I'm not saying I didn't like what he's doing on the album. I think it's perfect. It's very measured. In fact, they all seem very measured and intentional in their playing. No real 'wasted' time or over playing. Just concise and well thought out.

Agree with all of that 

[adamack]

One interesting thought I just had. I feel like on TA, the stars were James and Jordan. Jordan had his prints all over TA with that upright piano, especially during the softer songs. And love TA or hate it, James sounded phenomenal. His voice sounded beautiful on the ballads, and he had some awesome character voices.

On DoT, I feel like it's the exact inverse. MM, JP, and JM sound absolutely phenomenal. MM is the star, and I feel like he has fully arrived on this album. His kit is mixed so well. JP's tone has never been better, and JM's is highlighted in many parts. His bass sounds great- nice bottom end and awesome tone.

But I've heard much better from James (no hate as he still sounds good for his age), and Jordan is kind of in the background in this album. Neither are bad of course, I just wouldn't consider either to be highlights of the album as they were on TA.

[Pound4aBrown]

JR feels a bit more subdued than previous albums although I don't mind it...and that's not to say that he doesn't have some cool parts. Just feels like he worked on 'atmosphere control' of the songs which worked out great.

I think that JR's pieces on DOT are just more tasteful and instead of hitting a million notes, he is hitting the notes that he needs to hit.
While a bit under the radar, his parts are still pretty damn good.

Agree 100%. And it's not just his notes, it's the sounds too. Jordan's at his best when he's not trying to sound like a guitar.

Touche

[KevShmev]

My largest 'gripe' with TA is that I feel like I can't just listen to a song from it. It's all or nothing for me. But, when I do get the chance to listen to it....it's such a great album choc full of insane music moments.....and MM outright and utterly KILLS it on that album.

I get this, but I can usually listen to chunks of the album and be good with it.  Because who has time to listen to an album that long on a regular basis?

[cramx3]

One interesting thought I just had. I feel like on TA, the stars were James and Jordan. Jordan had his prints all over TA with that upright piano, especially during the softer songs. And love TA or hate it, James sounded phenomenal. His voice sounded beautiful on the ballads, and he had some awesome character voices.

On DoT, I feel like it's the exact inverse. MM, JP, and JM sound absolutely phenomenal. MM is the star, and I feel like he has fully arrived on this album. His kit is mixed so well. JP's tone has never been better, and JM's is highlighted in many parts. His bass sounds great- nice bottom end and awesome tone.

But I've heard much better from James (no hate as he still sounds good for his age), and Jordan is kind of in the background in this album. Neither are bad of course, I just wouldn't consider either to be highlights of the album as they were on TA.

Totally agree on the role reversals here, JP and MM are the starts of the album.  The heavy sick riffs and MM amazing drums just shine all over the album where as JLB doesn't sound bad, but he sounds like he's playing it safe here so he can perform it well live.  I have no issues with that, but it does come off as JLB not being the star of the album like I thought he was on TA. 

[goo-goo]

I'll get into a meaty in-depth post when I'm on my laptop.
The short version is; I'm totally floored by how good this album is.
The combo of JM and MM locked in together, coupled with the sound
of their instruments is mind blowing. Add in JP's tone and a stellar
overall production, along with insanely great compositions and
what you get is magnificent ear candy. I never thought I'd feel this
way again about a DT album. There were several occasions when the
hair was standing up on the back of my neck. Goosebumps man.
Kudos to DT.

Glad you are back emtee with DT. 

[flintdragon]

I'm also saddened that so many disliked TA. It's one of my absolutely favorites because it hits all the marks for me personally when taken as an album.  Not that I've read every post but I've yet to read one good thing said about TA since the release of D/T.

I am a big fan of The Astonishing, as are many others here.  I think it is their best album of the last 17 years (since 6DOIT basically).

My largest 'gripe' with TA is that I feel like I can't just listen to a song from it. It's all or nothing for me. But, when I do get the chance to listen to it....it's such a great album choc full of insane music moments.....and MM outright and utterly KILLS it on that album.

I've never ranked the albums (I probably should) but is definite top 5 for me album-wise.  And yes, I mostly listen to albums start to finish so I don't have that problem.    I literally have every DT album in chronological order in my playlist and I hit play and that's it.  I'll hit up some singles sometimes like the more epic songs and some personal faves. 

Just finished my 3rd listen of D/T ... it's gets better and better....