New LTE - LTE 3 2021!!

[The Letter M]

By the way, kudos to LaserCD who have always managed to get my pre-orders to me a day or two ahead of the official release date and LTE3 was no exception.  My box set came day before yesterday.

Gotta second this. My artbook arrived on Monday, four days early! They also delivered my Transatlantic TAU set early as well!

-Marc.

[NoseofNicko]

My artbook arrived yesterday even though I’m in Canada. I was surprised.

[hefdaddy42]

Got my artbook last night.  Absolutely gorgeous presentation.  Haven't had time to read or listen to everything yet, but I love what I've heard.

Liquid Evolution is very satisfying to me.

Did you read all the lyrics yet?

Btw, where's the best place to order the box set. Is Century Media dependable?

I used Century Media with no issues.  Got it a few days early.

[faizoff]

I used Century Media, they've been good. They did have the issue with the DT artbook for Distant Memories but I was in no rush.

My artbook is set to arrive Saturday though they shipped it a few days ago.

[Architeuthis]

Got my artbook last night.  Absolutely gorgeous presentation.  Haven't had time to read or listen to everything yet, but I love what I've heard.

Liquid Evolution is very satisfying to me.

Did you read all the lyrics yet?

Btw, where's the best place to order the box set. Is Century Media dependable?

I used Century Media with no issues.  Got it a few days early.

Thanks man! 

[devieira73]

The deluxe version is on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/6GDFV4kWsQDYuah6tSqmu2?si=1fah51jWTZWTvD-SOyJH7g
I’m loving the second CD! The jams really have great musical maturity, they seem almost like composed songs. 

[faizoff]

Century Media this time also provided download links for the deluxe edition and it looks like I might actually get my artbook today!

[faizoff]

Amazing album. Haven't lost a beat.

[devieira73]

Totally agree and to me BOTH CDs are amazing!

[the_silent_man]

Heard it once in full. Sounds great!
A lot to absorb but I think I'm going to love this after a few more spins.

Rhapsody is epic.

[TM172003]

It’s a great album. The new Chris and Kevin was a bit weird for the first minute or so but I loved the whole album.

[ReaperKK]

Just had my first listen and it's my favorite LTE album. I think it loses a little steam around Rhapsody in Blue but overall solid album.

[darkshade]

Just finished the main disc. Superb stuff, best Dream Theater related album since Octavarium. I thought this was pretty fire all the way through, with enough peaks and valleys to keep my interest up. This is the closest thing to a new, real DT album we're going to get. Can't help thinking throughout, "where has this band been???"

Album opens up intensely, and keeps it up for a while. RIB sounds fantastic, and that last tune on the main album was smoking. The calmer moments were nice as well, and much needed between all the other insanity. I will listen to the bonus disc later...

Definitely the heaviest LTE album yet. JP sounds great as usual, JR is all over this album, MP is MP but I feel like this album is an adrenaline shot to his style of playing, he hasn't sounded this good in a while (and I thought he sounded great on The Absolute Universe) Tony Levin sounds pretty good despite the guitars, keys and drums dominating the mix. He was never that loud in the mix on LTE1 or LTE2 either, though. The album also sounds a lot better than wherever I listened to the first single (on Spotify maybe?) Pretty good mix overall.

While I get the whole "it's like one day went by, not 20 years" when describing LTE3, let's be honest, some of the riffs on this album could only have been created post-Systematic Chaos.. but I will hand it to the band, they really do sound youthful and energetic on this release, and there's emotions and sounds I've not heard on a DT album since MP left the band.

[faizoff]

There are some real goosebumps moments in here. Liquid Evolution is so just so beautiful. Some of the solos remind me of old school DT. Some ACOS, These Walls and a little bit of Sacrificed sons vibes in there.

[darkshade]

This album contains the spirit of the music I felt dissipated over time in DT. There's a freshness to the music that seemed to not be there as much when DT signed over to Roadrunner. This album surely ranks up there with the first two LTE albums, but the energy of those two albums carried over to DT world and stayed there until Octavarium imo. After that album, while there have been great moments throughout, and I have a soft spot for BC&SL, to me, musically, the last 6 DT albums have either felt stale/uninspired, overly complex for the sake of it without regard to composition, contain more than one awkward transition in their songs, and/or sound like DT-by-numbers.

LTE3 is none of that. Throw in some JLB vocals on a few of the tunes somewhere, and this is what should have followed up Octavarium.

[Dublagent66]

Downloaded from iTunes. 

[DT89]

Here's my transcription of Rhapsody in Blue, stay tuned for Key to the Imagination tomorrow!

Liquid Tension Experiment | Rhapsody in Blue | Guitar Tab

[faizoff]

The artbook has fantastic notes on each track. Interesting to know that Liquid Evolution is an excerpt from Band Jam #4 (there 4 jam sessions each 1/2 hour) The rest appear to be compositions, with of course the Chris and Kevin continuing the MP and TL saga.

Will have to dive in the doc sometime today.

[hefdaddy42]

I absolutely love their studio recording of Rhapsody in Blue.  Just tremendous.

[me7]

The mix and master are very dynamic, this is easily the most pleasant sounding DT-related album since Six Degrees. Need more time to digest the music, but I hope the next DT release will sound similar.

[faizoff]

There's a video of the band jam to Ya Mon on the Blu-ray, so fun to watch them all play together! This is such a great put-together package.

[kirksnosehair]

Well now I know why Distance Over Time is underwhelming me.  Petrucci saved all his best riffs for this LTE album.   These songs are incredible.  Especially Hypersonic, Beating The Odds, The Passage of Time, Key to the Imagination. even the totally unexpected Gershwin cover, Rhapsody in Blue is fresh and interesting. 


I agree 100% with Darkshade, this should have been what Dream Theater was doing after Octavarium. 


My only critique is the bass (chapman stick) is too low in the mix sometimes.

[NoFred]

This is very good. Love the tone and overall sound.

[JPX]

This album contains the spirit of the music I felt dissipated over time in DT. There's a freshness to the music that seemed to not be there as much when DT signed over to Roadrunner. This album surely ranks up there with the first two LTE albums, but the energy of those two albums carried over to DT world and stayed there until Octavarium imo. After that album, while there have been great moments throughout, and I have a soft spot for BC&SL, to me, musically, the last 6 DT albums have either felt stale/uninspired, overly complex for the sake of it without regard to composition, contain more than one awkward transition in their songs, and/or sound like DT-by-numbers.

LTE3 is none of that. Throw in some JLB vocals on a few of the tunes somewhere, and this is what should have followed up Octavarium.

oh God, please no.

[darkshade]

2nd disc is nice, and makes me realize this is the 6th disc of original Liquid Tension music.

This album contains the spirit of the music I felt dissipated over time in DT. There's a freshness to the music that seemed to not be there as much when DT signed over to Roadrunner. This album surely ranks up there with the first two LTE albums, but the energy of those two albums carried over to DT world and stayed there until Octavarium imo. After that album, while there have been great moments throughout, and I have a soft spot for BC&SL, to me, musically, the last 6 DT albums have either felt stale/uninspired, overly complex for the sake of it without regard to composition, contain more than one awkward transition in their songs, and/or sound like DT-by-numbers.

LTE3 is none of that. Throw in some JLB vocals on a few of the tunes somewhere, and this is what should have followed up Octavarium.

oh God, please no.

I don't want vocals on this. I'm just saying hypothetically, if SC was more like this album instead of the more metal direction they took after 8vm.

[darkshade]

Rhapsody In Blue is a tremendous recording. It's cool to know the cool down section was taken from a live performance, something I'm not sure has been done on any previous LTE or DT album, and I think it works pretty well.

[KevShmev]

I am with most of you. This is great stuff.

While the similarities to DT are hard to avoid at times, it's still amazing to me how much more I enjoy Rudess' playing with LTE than I do in DT (and I usually his playing in DT a lot, some wanky solos and choice of sounds aside). 

Levin and Portnoy are killing it here as well, and once again Petrucci is just showing what a monster of a player he is (creatively, as I am not the type to usually gush over crazy technical playing). 

[darkshade]

In LTE, Rudess has more freedom. I think he used to have more freedom in DT when he first joined too, but both he and MP have stated "things are different in DT" in regards to LTE comparisons.

[Skeever]

The main album is great, but the bonus disc is also a nice surprised. Very cool to just hear these guys straight-up jamming.

[Peter Mc]

Still getting to grips with this.  Art book hasn’t arrived yet so am just listening on Apple Music.  It’s funny that someone mentioned the cool down section in Rhapsody In Blue is from a live performance as that’s exactly how it felt when I was listening to it, that I was listening to them live.  That being said, I’m going to be the killjoy who says that I wish RIB wasn’t on the album.  I don’t care for the piece of music anyway and didn’t care for the LTE version on the 2008 live albums so no surprise that I don’t care for it here either.  I can understand it at a live show as a fun showcase for them but I don’t need it on their new album.  I would prefer, if it was included at all, that it was maybe a bonus track on disc 2 rather than part of the main album.

It’s early days but not grabbing me as much as the first 2 albums yet.  It’s good but not hearing anything on the level of WTWB, Universal Mind, Acid Rain or Paradigm Shift, at least not yet.

[KevShmev]

In LTE, Rudess has more freedom. I think he used to have more freedom in DT when he first joined too, but both he and MP have stated "things are different in DT" in regards to LTE comparisons.

Yep, even though DT is know for their extended instrumental sections, with LTE, it feels like they are able to expand more and really get expansive with the structures. There is a loose feel that is certainly unique to LTE.  And with all due respect to John Myung, who is great, the awesomeness of Tony Levin certainly is an element that takes the project up an extra notch or two.

[KevShmev]

The main album is great, but the bonus disc is also a nice surprised. Very cool to just hear these guys straight-up jamming.

For sure.  Hard to lock down too many specific favorites yes, but Blink of an Eye is certainly one I find myself going back to a lot so far.

[KevShmev]

Still getting to grips with this.  Art book hasn’t arrived yet so am just listening on Apple Music.  It’s funny that someone mentioned the cool down section in Rhapsody In Blue is from a live performance as that’s exactly how it felt when I was listening to it, that I was listening to them live.  That being said, I’m going to be the killjoy who says that I wish RIB wasn’t on the album.  I don’t care for the piece of music anyway and didn’t care for the LTE version on the 2008 live albums so no surprise that I don’t care for it here either.  I can understand it at a live show as a fun showcase for them but I don’t need it on their new album.  I would prefer, if it was included at all, that it was maybe a bonus track on disc 2 rather than part of the main album.

It’s early days but not grabbing me as much as the first 2 albums yet.  It’s good but not hearing anything on the level of WTWB, Universal Mind, Acid Rain or Paradigm Shift, at least not yet.

Before I heard the album, I expressed the same sentiment about Rhapsody in Blue - why put a cover on the album and relegate other great new songs to the bonus disc? But, they did so a great job with RIB that I am good with it now.  The live version from '08, which I only listened to a few times, didn't really knock my socks off, but this new version is something else.

[darkshade]

Yea I thought RIB would be a low point, but it's well put together, and pretty heavy. I think the whole album flows very well actually. Every track is in the right place, the pacing is excellent.

[devieira73]

The main album is great, but the bonus disc is also a nice surprised. Very cool to just hear these guys straight-up jamming.

For sure.  Hard to lock down too many specific favorites yes, but Blink of an Eye is certainly one I find myself going back to a lot so far.

If Blink of an Eye had a proper intro, I would immediately believe that it was a composed song, not a jam. And its second half, with John/Jordan WOW