Official Distance Over Time discussion thread

[erciccio]

This is nerdy (from Mangini?)
In the instrumental section of PBD, there is a section in 5/4 player in triplets followed by a section in 3/4 played in quintuplets.
A sort of "reverse metrics" on a very strange timing.

The intro riff should be in 19/16, have to check if they used this metric before* (surely not for such a "relevant" riff..)

* Yes, there a couple of bars in the final instrumental section of Home

[kaos2900]

I have had time to get several listens in and so far I'm not able to decide what I think. Ultimately I have yet to form an emotional connection to album. It's a fun and energetic album to listen too but nothing is sticking with me. I love it when I'm listening to it and then it finishes and I find it forgettable. Now I wouldn't be surprised that one day the album just clicks with me but it hasn't happened yet.

Pros
- Best production and drum sound since Mangini joined. If ADTOE of DT had this drum sound those albums would 100x better.
- Riffs- Man JP and JM have some nasty riffs on this albums


Cons
- JR definitely took a back seat on this album. Unlike their ToT which I think is comparable he slayed on that album. Outside of Viper King, I can't think of one really cool JR spot on the album
- As good as the drums sound, some of the songs could have had a better vocal mix
- Room 137- This song does nothing for me.

[Dream Team]

One thing I think that is preventing me from enjoying this album as much as I want to is the wall of sound. I miss the analog recording of the 1970s so much, I so wish DT could have recorded on that equipment, it would have sounded amazing. Some of my favorite-sounding records ever were recorded back then. That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

After listening several times, ironically I now appreciate the opening 3 tracks more than I did when they were released as singles. Funny. Pale Blue Dot: even though they've kinda jumped the shark on epics, I totally could see this song stetched out to a great 15-20 minute journey. MORE VERSES for sure would have been welcome for such an epic topic.

[KevShmev]

One thing I think that is preventing me from enjoying this album as much as I want to is the wall of sound. I miss the analog recording of the 1970s so much, I so wish DT could have recorded on that equipment, it would have sounded amazing. Some of my favorite-sounding records ever were recorded back then. That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

After listening several times, ironically I now appreciate the opening 3 tracks more than I did when they were released as singles. Funny. Pale Blue Dot: even though they've kinda jumped the shark on epics, I totally could see this song stetched out to a great 15-20 minute journey. MORE VERSES for sure would have been welcome for such an epic topic.

I agree with both points.

This album with analog recording and/or a warmer mix would have sounded so amazing. 

I have come around to liking Pale Blue Dot, but it's funny, because as many songs as the band have done where it is often said, "it is too long," that is one that is too short.  It's like the song finally gets going and then it's over.  It could have been an 11-12 minute gem rather than the good 8 minute song that it is, IMO.

[mikeyd23]

I kinda get what people are saying about JR taking a back seat on this record. It's a heavier record, especially after something like TA, his parts are definitely working to complement the guitar, bass, and drums most of the time on D/T. But, he is doing a lot of subtle things, and doing them very well. I appreciate the fact that JR has the security in himself and his playing that he is comfortable taking a backseat at times. There are a lot of moments on this record where a casual listener might not even notice JR is playing during a section, but he's tucked in the mix adding texture or doubling up on a riff to fill out more frequency space.

[cramx3]

That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

I must say I haven't totally loved the mix like most, its not bad but it's not their best IMO however when I finally put this on in my car I feel like it worked so well that I see what others are saying now. 

[RandalGraves]

That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

I must say I haven't totally loved the mix like most, its not bad but it's not their best IMO however when I finally put this on in my car I feel like it worked so well that I see what others are saying now.

It's a very guitar/drums heavy mix. While I don't think it's one of their better mixes, it works for the album.

[lovethedrake]

I don’t have a problem with JR’s playing on the album... I just think his solos are totally just wanking and uninteresting outside of the organ solos and the UA section.

[Chino]

I've listened to this album a good 15 times now.

Bar Stool Warrior is still my favorite track.

Viper King has grown a lot on me.

I'm still not understanding the love for Pale Blue Dot. It's a decent song, but I'm not hearing the 'masterpiece' that many are claiming it to be.

I find myself skipping Room 137 every time. That song does absolutely nothing for me.

I still somehow haven't noticed Owen's "Wow"

Prediction: Paralyzed will be the upcoming tour's opener.

I like this album a lot

[Zydar]

Agreed on PBD and Room 137.

[mikeyd23]

I still somehow haven't noticed Owen's "Wow"

Listen on headphones.

S2N - 4:01 into the song. The last pause they take right before the chorus comes back in. In the middle of the pause there is a faint "wow".

[fibreoptix]

Got about 10 listens under my belt this week and I think I'm starting to discover where this album sits for me in the grand scheme.

Songs are largely well written, the mix whilst one of the better modern era mixes, is still very tiring and the loudness rarely ever lets up. One thing I am happy about is that it's massively more memorable than DT12 and particularly TA. Probably my second favourite Mangini era album after ADTOE.

If I had to rank them I'd probably go with this:

At Wits End: I agree that this should have been the last track, choosing on that live fade in would have been such an interesting and memorable way to end the album. I love JRs organ work on this especially, adds a great sense of melody to the heavy verses. Solos in the middle have that TOT vibe which I also love.


Room 137: Good God I love me some of those riffs! And the solo from Petrucci is incredibly fun. Vocoder vocals are something a bit different for DT and for me, it works. Lyrics do nothing for me, unfortunately.

Barstool Warrior: Not really sure I'm on board with the "this could be from Images" opinions, but it sure is lovely. Some beautiful chord choices and again, JR adds some true magic to proceedings. That Six Degrees sounding piano break... Wow. Whoever said this reminded them of Fish era Marillion were spot on. Pure comfort food DT.

Paralyzed: Hello solo JLB! This is probably the best "single" DT have released in a very, very long time. Catchy, groovy and memorable and a great solo from JP.

Pale Blue Dot: Could have been so much more. The individual parts are great and the instrumental section is off the chart, but as a closer, nothing really made that much of a statement, probably due to the whole thing moving from part to part so quickly. Could have done with a nice slow section and maybe a Count of Tuscany style finale, but hey, what you gonna do?

S2N: Eh it was ok. Actually, some of it was great but the verses didn't really do anything for me. The bass riff didn't really seem all that, but the chorus was kinda cool and the instrumental sections were huge!

Out of Reach: Didn't really like the breathy singing on the first verse and the middle section left something to be desired. I usually like their ballads and to be fair, the verse melody was pretty good but I dunno... Felt just a short walk from being something really good.

Untethered Angel: It was ok. Felt like a "modern DT's greatest hits" without really doing much what beyond that. The effects on James' voice didn't do anything to help, for me at least.

Fall Into the Light: Instrumental section was incredible, one of their best, but nothing else really drew me in. I hate to say it but James' vocals kinda put me right off this one. Can't really explain why, just found them to be slightly unpleasant. I really wish I could put it any clearer than that but I can't.

Viper King: Lots of fun at first (sounded like it would be more or less at home on FII with some production tweaks) but replay value dropped right off. Again, vocals did absolutely nothing to help.

All in all I definitely enjoy this album. There's more to enjoy than there is to detract. One unfortunate thing I've had to come to terms with this time around is that I haven't really enjoyed JLB's studio vocals since ADTOE. Personal taste I guess but he sounds different somehow these days and I just don't enjoy his delivery anymore.

That said, he is now their best lyricist and I'd be super into a DT album with just James lyrics.

[Mark Levinson Jr.]

I kinda get what people are saying about JR taking a back seat on this record. It's a heavier record, especially after something like TA, his parts are definitely working to complement the guitar, bass, and drums most of the time on D/T. But, he is doing a lot of subtle things, and doing them very well. I appreciate the fact that JR has the security in himself and his playing that he is comfortable taking a backseat at times. There are a lot of moments on this record where a casual listener might not even notice JR is playing during a section, but he's tucked in the mix adding texture or doubling up on a riff to fill out more frequency space.

He had such a different role on The Astonishing. TA and D/T are like two sides of the same coin, for me. If you want lots of James and Jordan... TA. If you want lots of Mike and JP... D/T.

[erwinrafael]

D/T has lots of good piano work. The piano breaks in AWE and BW were spot on in the emotion conveyed and JR contributed to the grandeur of the AWE outro.

Many have been calling for more JR mood work, and that is basically what he brought to this album.

[Chino]

I still somehow haven't noticed Owen's "Wow"

Listen on headphones.

S2N - 4:01 into the song. The last pause they take right before the chorus comes back in. In the middle of the pause there is a faint "wow".

  Just heard it. I'm surprised I never heard that when listening through my home system, car, or Bose Mini Soundlink, yet it somehow stands out on my shitty $14 Bluetooth desk earbuds.

[rab7]

D/T has lots of good piano work. The piano breaks in AWE and BW were spot on in the emotion conveyed and JR contributed to the grandeur of the AWE outro.

Many have been calling for more JR mood work, and that is basically what he brought to this album.

The background supporting parts are also amazing. The piano in Paralyzed and the background organ all over Viper King are also highlights

[mikeyd23]

D/T has lots of good piano work. The piano breaks in AWE and BW were spot on in the emotion conveyed and JR contributed to the grandeur of the AWE outro.

Many have been calling for more JR mood work, and that is basically what he brought to this album.

I agree, he is definitely playing a different role here in comparison to the last record, but he shows a lot of tact with this record.

Just heard it. I'm surprised I never heard that when listening through my home system, car, or Bose Mini Soundlink, yet it somehow stands out on my shitty $14 Bluetooth desk earbuds.

I can never hear it in my car, I think the background noise of the road just covers it up, but I can totally hear it on my crappy Apple earbuds! 

[erwinrafael]

Not to mention that JR is basically the "music" of PBD, as JP / JR / MM was playing locktight as a rhythm section.

[gmillerdrake]

D/T has lots of good piano work. The piano breaks in AWE and BW were spot on in the emotion conveyed and JR contributed to the grandeur of the AWE outro.

Many have been calling for more JR mood work, and that is basically what he brought to this album.

The background supporting parts are also amazing. The piano in Paralyzed and the background organ all over Viper King are also highlights

I've dug the albums when JR was front and center and his sound was very pronounced, he's truly great at what he does. This album is just another feather in his cap because it seems to be that his initial priority was to create an atmosphere for JP and JMX to thrive in.....then compliment them. Yes, he has some solo spots but even those moments are far more controlled than in the past.

I really like his approach here.....like JP seems to have done......it's just a refined effort that showcases their understanding of music. 

[rab7]

I've dug the albums when JR was front and center and his sound was very pronounced, he's truly great at what he does. This album is just another feather in his cap because it seems to be that his initial priority was to create an atmosphere for JP and JMX to thrive in.....then compliment them. Yes, he has some solo spots but even those moments are far more controlled than in the past.

I really like his approach here.....like JP seems to have done......it's just a refined effort that showcases their understanding of music.

I can imagine in the studio and during live performances: "ooooh John, what a nice solo"

[Shooters1221]

One thing I think that is preventing me from enjoying this album as much as I want to is the wall of sound. I miss the analog recording of the 1970s so much, I so wish DT could have recorded on that equipment, it would have sounded amazing. Some of my favorite-sounding records ever were recorded back then. That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

After listening several times, ironically I now appreciate the opening 3 tracks more than I did when they were released as singles. Funny. Pale Blue Dot: even though they've kinda jumped the shark on epics, I totally could see this song stetched out to a great 15-20 minute journey. MORE VERSES for sure would have been welcome for such an epic topic.

I agree with both points.

This album with analog recording and/or a warmer mix would have sounded so amazing. 

I have come around to liking Pale Blue Dot, but it's funny, because as many songs as the band have done where it is often said, "it is too long," that is one that is too short.  It's like the song finally gets going and then it's over.  It could have been an 11-12 minute gem rather than the good 8 minute song that it is, IMO.

I have thought this about PBD since the first listen and still now. It just almost NEEDS to be longer.

[Lonk]

I'm still not understanding the love for Pale Blue Dot. It's a decent song, but I'm not hearing the 'masterpiece' that many are claiming it to be.

Funny because that's how I feel about BW. The song has grown on me a little more, but it's still rank last from the album for me.

[The Letter M]

This is nerdy (from Mangini?)
In the instrumental section of PBD, there is a section in 5/4 player in triplets followed by a section in 3/4 played in quintuplets.
A sort of "reverse metrics" on a very strange timing.

The intro riff should be in 19/16, have to check if they used this metric before* (surely not for such a "relevant" riff..)

* Yes, there a couple of bars in the final instrumental section of Home

I brought this up on the previous page, how they used quintuplets in 3 and switched to triplets in 5, and was something they've used before in "In The Name Of God" but with different phrasing.

-Marc.

[gmillerdrake]

I've dug the albums when JR was front and center and his sound was very pronounced, he's truly great at what he does. This album is just another feather in his cap because it seems to be that his initial priority was to create an atmosphere for JP and JMX to thrive in.....then compliment them. Yes, he has some solo spots but even those moments are far more controlled than in the past.

I really like his approach here.....like JP seems to have done......it's just a refined effort that showcases their understanding of music.

I can imagine in the studio and during live performances: "ooooh John, what a nice solo"

 

[erwinrafael]

One thing I think that is preventing me from enjoying this album as much as I want to is the wall of sound. I miss the analog recording of the 1970s so much, I so wish DT could have recorded on that equipment, it would have sounded amazing. Some of my favorite-sounding records ever were recorded back then. That said, the drums and bass sound big and powerful on my car stereo.

After listening several times, ironically I now appreciate the opening 3 tracks more than I did when they were released as singles. Funny. Pale Blue Dot: even though they've kinda jumped the shark on epics, I totally could see this song stetched out to a great 15-20 minute journey. MORE VERSES for sure would have been welcome for such an epic topic.

I agree with both points.

This album with analog recording and/or a warmer mix would have sounded so amazing. 

I have come around to liking Pale Blue Dot, but it's funny, because as many songs as the band have done where it is often said, "it is too long," that is one that is too short.  It's like the song finally gets going and then it's over.  It could have been an 11-12 minute gem rather than the good 8 minute song that it is, IMO.

I have thought this about PBD since the first listen and still now. It just almost NEEDS to be longer.

Methinks it is in the danger of becoming really wanky if it's longer. as it is really focused a lot on technicality than a narrative.

[mikeyd23]

I appreciate the band taking this more "concise" approach, I feel like no songs on the record overstay their welcome. Could AWE or PBD be longer? Sure. But I'm good with them as is.

[bosk1]

I appreciate the band taking this more "concise" approach, I feel like no songs on the record overstay their welcome. Could AWE or PBD be longer? Sure. But I'm good with them as is.

Same. I generally love the mega-epics.  And while they certainly could have made some of the songs longer--PBD probalby stands out most in this regard--they certainly did not have to.

And here's the thing with the way they write:  They write a complete song instrumentally first, and then once it is "done," they write a vocal melody, and then lyrics.  With PBD, for example, they wrote the entire instrumental part of the song, felt it was done, and then wrote the vocal melody and lyrics.  Instrumentally, they felt that the song did what it needed to do and said what it needed to say.  Arguably, maybe that one was a case where, after they got deep into the lyrics, they could have gone back and said, "You know, with this subject matter, there is more we can do here.  Why don't we add a few more minutes and a few more sections to accommodate it."  But it is what it is.  That's the way they write.  And, to me, even though in retrospect I see what they could have done to make it longer, the song doesn't sound incomplete at all, so I'm happy with what we got.

[cramx3]

PBD is the only track that feels like it could have been longer IMO, the rest all feel just right. 

[bill1971]

I appreciate the band taking this more "concise" approach, I feel like no songs on the record overstay their welcome. Could AWE or PBD be longer? Sure. But I'm good with them as is.

Same. I generally love the mega-epics.  And while they certainly could have made some of the songs longer--PBD probalby stands out most in this regard--they certainly did not have to.

And here's the thing with the way they write:  They write a complete song instrumentally first, and then once it is "done," they write a vocal melody, and then lyrics.  With PBD, for example, they wrote the entire instrumental part of the song, felt it was done, and then wrote the vocal melody and lyrics.  Instrumentally, they felt that the song did what it needed to do and said what it needed to say.  Arguably, maybe that one was a case where, after they got deep into the lyrics, they could have gone back and said, "You know, with this subject matter, there is more we can do here.  Why don't we add a few more minutes and a few more sections to accommodate it."  But it is what it is.  That's the way they write.  And, to me, even though in retrospect I see what they could have done to make it longer, the song doesn't sound incomplete at all, so I'm happy with what we got.

I agree, if they made it longer it may have fallen into the Misunderstood trap where it seems long for the sake of it, or Ministry of Lost Souls in my opinion. I like how PBD feels epic and tight at the same time.

[Dream Team]

I don’t have a problem with JR’s playing on the album... I just think his solos are totally just wanking and uninteresting outside of the organ solos and the UA section.

I wish he would retire that pitch wheel like Hammett should retire his wah pedal. Would love to hear Jordan when forced to make other note choices.

[gzarruk]

I wish he would retire that pitch wheel like Hammett should retire his wah pedal. Would love to hear Jordan when forced to make other note choices.

That's basically asking Kirk to retire from playing music (I think he should, though... and take Lars with him )

[gzarruk]

D/T track by track: Barstool Warrior with JP and JR (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LV08MGIQhI)

[Kyo]

I don’t have a problem with JR’s playing on the album... I just think his solos are totally just wanking and uninteresting outside of the organ solos and the UA section.

I wish he would retire that pitch wheel like Hammett should retire his wah pedal. Would love to hear Jordan when forced to make other note choices.

That's why I usually prefer his solos when he's playing piano and organ.

As for PBD, I think the reason why people are saying it should be longer is not because it's too short. It's because the ending falls flat, leaving people unsatisfied. A similarly short but more effective ending could've improved things without turning the piece into a bloated 15 minute epic.

[RoeDent]

Ummm.....hello? This is a thing.

[mikeyd23]

D/T track by track: Barstool Warrior with JP and JR (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LV08MGIQhI)

Cool video, thanks for posting!

Love what JP mentions here about his melodic lead lines in this song. I love his tasteful playing throughout this one.