"A Rite of Passage" -- 11 years later

[Samsara]

I remember when "A Rite of Passage" came out, the tune really didn't get the love from the majority of the DT fanbase. I remember really liking it. I saw the tour with Maiden, was happy they played it, and then that was it. I never really played it much again, because personally, I wasn't very fond of Black Clouds and Silver Linings as a record. And being an "album" guy, I just reached for other DT albums.

But I recently revisited BC&SL again, and while I remain firm on not really feeling it from the record, man did "A Rite of Passage" age extremely well for me. It's such a great balance of DT showing its progressive leanings, musical talent, and great sense of melody all wrapped up in a five-and-a-half minute tune.

Honestly, it has become one of my favorite songs in their catalog.

Those of you who aren't a fan, why is that? And for those who share my love for the song, what is it about it that you enjoy so much?

 

[TAC]

HI Sam!

I'll agree with you that the song has definitely aged really well. I didn't love it when it came out, but I definitely like it more. A truly middle of the road DT tune, but that's not a bad thing wither.

[Trav86]

I remember when "A Rite of Passage" came out, the tune really didn't get the love from the majority of the DT fanbase. I remember really liking it. I saw the tour with Maiden, was happy they played it, and then that was it. I never really played it much again, because personally, I wasn't very fond of Black Clouds and Silver Linings as a record. And being an "album" guy, I just reached for other DT albums.

But I recently revisited BC&SL again, and while I remain firm on not really feeling it from the record, man did "A Rite of Passage" age extremely well for me. It's such a great balance of DT showing its progressive leanings, musical talent, and great sense of melody all wrapped up in a five-and-a-half minute tune.

Honestly, it has become one of my favorite songs in their catalog.

Those of you who aren't a fan, why is that? And for those who share my love for the song, what is it about it that you enjoy so much?

 

I wish it were five and a half minutes. It’s eight and a half! The weird iPhone solo is awful. Thankfully Jordan’s app sounds got better. I believe that was the first. Other than that, I really like it!

[Mladen]

It is quite odd that this song fell through the cracks. It was the first single off of a really successful album, the band performed it at every show on that tour, and then it suddenly disappeared.

One of the reasons might be that, as the years went on, the remaining songs started getting more attention. The epics turned out to be modern era classics and most of them got performed by the band in the Mangini era. The other reason might be that, in hindsight, the song wasn't really that cutting-edge or fresh to begin with. It has a fairly predictable structure, melodies that do not stand out too much, and it is a bit slow and stretched out for a single. It's possible that the band is aware of this as well, given that they haven't returned to the tune in ten years.

[Revenge319]

It's a 9.75/10 and a Top 30 Dream Theater song for me. The only songs that are singles I like better from Dream Theater are The Enemy Inside and Fall Into The Light.

Honestly, I'd be here for way too long if I described what I love about this song, so I'll say just about everything about this song is great.

[DTA]

It's the middle section. 3 minutes of soloing over top alternating riffs is just SO boring to me. I can't imagine why it's so long for any other reason than to extend the song's length to make it look more "epic". The chorus melody is really strong so I'd cut the song down to 5ish minutes, rewrite the bridge to be something a lot shorter and effective, and wrap it up. It'd be a perfect prog-metal song instead of the bloated chore it currently is.

[geeeemo]

I love the middle section! You are just going along with a good DT song and boom! changing up and rocking it .  The end is a little samey - which DT doesn't do very often ( and one of the many reasons I don't get bored with them). But overall a 7.5 for me.

[bosk1]

I have always liked the song, but never loved it.  And, yes, the solo section is a bit long.  But it is not repetitive (other than the general tradeoff structure) at all.  And, setting aside the issue of whether or not one subjectively likes the lone bebot section, the solos are really GOOD.  It isn't deep or complex.  But not every song needs to be.

I have a vague recollection that I liked the single edit a bit more than the full version, but that isn't really a knock on it.

I wish I could have seen this song live.  I was not a Maiden fan at the time, so I did not want to spend the money to see them in a short opening slot.  And I had no interest in anyone else on the Prog Nation bill, so I did not go to that either.  I had assumed that they would do a proper U.S. headlining leg for BCSL, but then they didn't.  I have since regretted not seeing them on the Maiden tour.  Those were short sets, but pretty solid ones.  And the closest venue is a shed with really good seating, so it would have been a VERY rare opportunity to see Maiden up close without getting crushed, and touring for what has since become my favorite Maiden album.  If I had it to do over, in a perfect world, I would have seen the show with Maiden in Concord, CA, and then road-tripped up to Portland for one of the few DT headlining gigs they did.  Oh well.

[hefdaddy42]

I've always found this song to be extremely dull, other than JLB's delivery on the prechorus.

But I'm glad that all of you seem to like it.

[pg1067]

Those of you who aren't a fan, why is that? And for those who share my love for the song, what is it about it that you enjoy so much?

Two preliminary comments:  (1) it's been a while since I've listened to AROP; and (2) I'm in the middle of listening to all of DT's studio albums in chron order.  I'm currently half way through 8VM, so I'll hit AROP soon (assuming I survive SC).

With that said, I think I liked it ok back then.  It was the "hit single" from the album, and I thought the album as a whole was an improvement over SC.  However, I've never loved it.  It would probably rank somewhere in the bottom half of DT's catalog, but I don't have the dislike for it that a lot of folks here seem to have.  Pending listening to it again, I think the worst thing I can say about it now is that it just doesn't live up to the high standards of DT's best songs.

[Lonk]

...If I had it to do over, in a perfect world, I would have seen the show with Maiden...

This is me. I couldn't get tickets when they went on sale so I ended up paying $250 (if I remember correctly) for a resale ticket. However, A few weeks before the show I went on a trip and while away, I decided to extend my vacation and miss the show and I've regretted it the moment I saw the setlist they played.

Anyways in terms of the song, It has always been a top 15-20 for me. It's the only song from BC&SL that I constantly revisit. The pre chorus and chorus vocal melodies are amazing. the guitar work for most of the song is great and I at all don't think the solo section is too long. Might be an unpopular opinion but the solo section it's like what Endless Sacrifice wanted to be but failed.

[MirrorMask]

The song is quite alright, a catchy metal song with a nice chorus made rich by the layered vocals, but it gets dragged down by the copy and paste solo section where the song stops, makes room for 4 minutes to a LTE-style jam and then comes back into the song to finish it. I remember having made a brutal edit of the song and it was so easy to cut out the entirety of the solo, since it was slapped in in the first place.

[Setlist Scotty]

While the song has never been one of my favorites, I've always liked in general. However, the one thing that I've noticed over time that bugs me, besides the Bebot solo, is the transition from the instrumental section back in to the vocal section. To me it's a bit abrupt and doesn't flow well and it feels like the following vocal section just drags after that. Had they done something more to transition back to the vocal section so that it was smoother, I'd rate the song much higher than I do.

[Samsara]

I wish it were five and a half minutes. It’s eight and a half! The weird iPhone solo is awful. Thankfully Jordan’s app sounds got better. I believe that was the first. Other than that, I really like it!

You know what?! That's what I get for not listening to it on my iTunes platform, and instead being on YouTube. I love the EDITED VERSION. 

I am going to have to go back and listen again now. Ugh. 

EDIT - Okay, I just listened to the full version. The guitar solo is great. Jordan's solo didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I guess what I didn't like was how the solo just sort of stopped, and they went into the chorus. I really would have wanted a smoother transition. But I still dig the song. The main riff is cool, love the chorus, etc.

[Samsara]

If I had it to do over, in a perfect world, I would have seen the show with Maiden in Concord, CA, and then road-tripped up to Portland for one of the few DT headlining gigs they did.  Oh well.

You had an invite... lol

[bosk1]

If I had it to do over, in a perfect world, I would have seen the show with Maiden in Concord, CA, and then road-tripped up to Portland for one of the few DT headlining gigs they did.  Oh well.

You had an invite... lol

I don't recall that specifically, but I imagine my thought process was along the lines of, "Maiden?  Ugh, no.  And why on earth would I pay Maiden prices to see a short DT set?"  Silly me. 

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I really do enjoy the chorus quite a bit, and the main riff is good, but the song generally, like most of the songs off the album, meanders and gets drawn out a lot. The solo does nothing for me, and that Ruddess beep boop section is really ridiculous, it's almost comical.

[El Barto]

The chorus is what blows it for me. It strikes me as a little too sappy for the rest of the song. I really like the rest of it, though. The production is wonderful, with the samples and the distorted reverse reverb. Kind of has an old Queensrych thing going. I like the pre-chorus. I honestly thought the beebot thing worked better than Petrucci's solo; they fit the tone of the song better. Overall I think it's one of the better songs on the album, but it's falls short of being great, though a lot of the pieces are there for it.

I don't recall that specifically, but I imagine my thought process was along the lines of, "Maiden?  Ugh, no.  And why on earth would I pay Maiden prices to see a short DT set?"  Silly me. 

Facepalm indeed. considering Maiden's set. It had taken a big step back (two, actually) by the time it got to you guys, but it was still a very good setlist. Aside from Home, DT's didn't really do much for me.

[Ben_Jamin]

This was when DT was turning into Modern Sounding Dream Theater. After Constant Motion being my first fresh new DT single, and really, the album where they began releasing singles, thanks to RoadRunner really upping their promotion and marketing to the masses, hearing A Rite of Passage made me think, ok it's simple structure again, like Constant Motion, same arrangement. The Be-Bop solo was neat at first, then it became annoying.

It was neat to hear live, but what dragged it down was the Be-Bop solo that didn't translate live well at all.

I like the riff melody, and the effects as they fit the subject of the song well. Also, It made me aware that JP knows of The illuminati enough to want to write a song about it.

[Kyo]

While the song has never been one of my favorites, I've always liked in general. However, the one thing that I've noticed over time that bugs me, besides the Bebot solo, is the transition from the instrumental section back in to the vocal section. To me it's a bit abrupt and doesn't flow well and it feels like the following vocal section just drags after that.

Yeah, that part basically has an abrupt transition going into a transitional section that rather unconvincingly leads back to the chorus (which just isn't that great to start with). I never understood why they wrote it that way, it's really quite awkward. Breaking the flow like that just to go through yet another transition, I dunno...

[Madman Shepherd]

Easily the best song on BC&SL and exactly what I look for in a metal song. It had a very theatrical theme, the video went along with it well, had a great riff and melodies, and the only set of lyrics on the album which are actually good.

Jordan's solo was...ok. It's annoying how he just chooses whatever the latest technology is and runs with it for a cycle. Has he done anything with the continuum since 8V?

I can see why a lot of fans don't like it, typically the more proggy fans. I am more on the metal side so I think that sums up why I liked it so much.

[54_diplomats]

I used to like it when BC&SL was like the third DT album I listened to. Once I got into the rest of their discography I never really had the urge to listen to it again. It's just a rather dull song to the point where I want to described it as "tired"

[Cool Chris]

Not a good song at all. The chorus is pretty cool, but otherwise it has no redeeming qualities. Representative of what was wrong with DT at this point in their career.

[krands85]

I don't hate it, but I just never found it very interesting. I agree with others about the length too, it's far too long for what it is really - it feels like a 6 minute song that has been stretched out at least 2 minutes too much. I don't often say that sort of thing about DT songs, but I think that this album suffers from that a lot. Guess I need to check out the edited down version, though that will probably just end up feeling jarring as I'm so used to the album version 

[Mladen]

Jordan's solo was...ok. It's annoying how he just chooses whatever the latest technology is and runs with it for a cycle. Has he done anything with the continuum since 8V?

I think the last time he used it was on Bridges in the sky, but someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[Grappler]

I went on a major DT binge last year and listened to A Rite of Passage for the first time in forever....I had forgotten all about the big heavy and almost thrashy section and riff under the guitar solo.  That part of the song is awesome and  is city.

[wolfking]

HI Sam!

I'll agree with you that the song has definitely aged really well. I didn't love it when it came out, but I definitely like it more. A truly middle of the road DT tune, but that's not a bad thing wither.

I see what you did there.  Not sure why you did, but I see it.

[Northern Lion]

I love this song!  It has been one of my favorites since I first became a DT fan.  It is metal/prog awesomeness 

I love the chorus, I love the middle section, I love the riff, I love the intro.  It's just a really great song from start to finish.

[hunnus2000]

HI Sam!

I'll agree with you that the song has definitely aged really well. I didn't love it when it came out, but I definitely like it more. A truly middle of the road DT tune, but that's not a bad thing wither.

I see what you did there.  Not sure why you did, but I see it.

Well the "W" is indeed right next to the "E".

[ZirconBlue]

I love this song, solos included.  ARoP and Wither are the only songs on BC&SL that I regularly listen to, these days.

[cramx3]

I really enjoyed this song on release.  I remember a lot of DT fans weren't very big on it.  I hadn't listened to it in years but it came on my random shuffle the other day while driving home from work and was pretty excited to listen to it again... and it didn't live up to my expectations.  I found it quite dull which is odd because I didn''t feel that way initially even though lots of others did.  I guess for me, it didn't age well.  Not like I dislike it now or anything, I just didn't enjoy it the way I used to and was surprised by that.

[KevShmev]

I don't dislike A Rite of Passage so much that it bores me.  The main riff (which is basically a riff from Misunderstood slightly tweaked) is cool, and I like the vibe in the first verse, but by the time the first chorus kicks in, I am bored with it and ready for something else. 

[TheCountOfNYC]

A Rite of Passage used to be my least favorite Dream Theater song, but it has definitely grown on me over time. I really dig the solo section, although I’ve been a supporter of the controversial Bebot section since the beginning. Still don’t like the verses though.

[Dublagent66]

I have always liked the song, but never loved it.  And, yes, the solo section is a bit long.  But it is not repetitive (other than the general tradeoff structure) at all.  And, setting aside the issue of whether or not one subjectively likes the lone bebot section, the solos are really GOOD.  It isn't deep or complex.  But not every song needs to be.

That pretty much sums it up for me and I did see them on the Maiden tour but can't recall if they played it on that particular set.  With the set only being an hour, I'm sure the setlists varied from show to show.

[pg1067]

That pretty much sums it up for me and I did see them on the Maiden tour but can't recall if they played it on that particular set.  With the set only being an hour, I'm sure the setlists varied from show to show.

It's probably BECAUSE they were an opening act, but all of the shows where they opened for Maiden (with one exception) featured the identical set list (AIA, AROP, Home, CM, PA and PMU).  The one exception was 7/9/10 in Quebec City where the last song was PMU/Metropolis (as opposed to just PMU).