Really nice to see how many people are loving the album.
For my own part, I'm enjoying it hugely but perhaps not as excited as others. I don't see DT as being "back" because I never thought they went away. DT12 and TA were a slightly step down but still really solid. On balance I do think it's better than those two but not as fantastic as ADTOE, which is in my top 3 DT albums. The thing I do particularly like about it is that there's a sense of fun and energy which gives it a nice vibe, and is possibly helping people really connect with it.
Thoughts on each song below. Too early to try ranking or rating them in any meaningful way.
Untethered Angel: Surprisingly this is one of my favourites. Stylistically it's pretty standard DT fare, but it's just really well done and very catchy. Really dig the main riff and the chorus.
Paralyzed: Eh, this is fine but just kind of there. Nothing very memorable or interesting for me.
Fall Into the Light: Solid track overall, but I absolutely adore the instrumental bridge section. Seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the song, but in and of itself it's one of my favourite parts of the album.
Barstool Warrior: Another solid track and another strong chorus. I don't always love DT's obviously-Rush-inspired songs but this is one of the better ones, and the guitar solo is absolutely wonderful. The end of the solo in particular is another of my favourite moments.
Room 137: Another song that's fine but I don't love. It's a bit different for them (especially the Beatles-esque vocals in a heavy track which gives it an oddly grungy feel), which is cool, but I don't find the song very interesting.
S2N: Solid track again and would probably have been a favourite if it had a more interesting chorus. But chorus aside, this has a fantastic groove and lots of brilliant stuff. Chorus might grow on me so it could still end up being among my favourites on the album.
At Wit's End: Really nice song and one of my favourites. I can see the comparisons to The Bigger Picture but I don't think it's a better version or anything. I think TBP is warmer and the melodies more engaging, but AWE has the benefit of feeling more complete - it always bugged me that TBP seemed to fizzle out just as it was introducing a great new theme. So roughly on a far overall I think.
Out of Reach: A very nice ballad, particularly in the power-ballad final chorus, but I've never been a fan of JLB's really breathy ballad vocals and I do find them a bit much in a couple of earlier moments here.
Pale Blue Dot: Considering this is the end of the album-proper, I find it somewhat anticlimactic, even though it's heavy. The music's cool but it doesn't have much of a hook. It's grown on me from my first listens, but I don't see this becoming a favourite.
Viper King: I know this is a fun bonus track but it's one of my favourites. Fantastic groove and energy, just really really enjoyable.
Topic: Official Distance Over Time discussion thread (Read 189512 times)
