AVFTTOTW First Single - The Alien 👽- Friday the 13th! (Pre-Orders as well!)

[Ben_Jamin]

I hope the other songs are more explorative than The Alien, like including more sections and stuff like the outro and the section starting at 1:14 - 2:10.

[lovethedrake]

Just listened for the first time…. Similar reaction I had to when I first heard “this dying soul”… just wow there’s a lot going on!

Musically this felt super fresh to me and I’m excited to digest it all. 

Labrie either lost his voice or they smothered him in effects.   

Overall though despite some complaints Im excited with what I hear.

[lovethedrake]

Second listen…

Definitely feels like a pale blue dot sequel… the chorus especially reminds me of it.

Love the unison part and the outro.

Labrie came through better once I was ready for the melodies but still obviously not the James of old.  Hopefully they give him some areas to shine more.

Not to open a can of worms but this song made me miss portnoy… Mangini just does that roll fill and goes all out but then when he’s not going all out there’s rarely anything interesting going on.   

Overall it’s a fun song and I’m excited for the album!  Definitely doesn’t sound stale and I expect a solid DT release.

[jayvee3]

I hope the other songs are more explorative than The Alien, like including more sections and stuff like the outro and the section starting at 1:14 - 2:10.

I have no doubt there will be, particularly as there is a 20-minute epic on the album. But also nothing wrong with a track with the quality of The Alien also having some banging riffs and being a technical tour de force 

[jayvee3]

Second listen…

Definitely feels like a pale blue dot sequel… the chorus especially reminds me of it.

Love the unison part and the outro.

Labrie came through better once I was ready for the melodies but still obviously not the James of old.  Hopefully they give him some areas to shine more.

Not to open a can of worms but this song made me miss portnoy… Mangini just does that roll fill and goes all out but then when he’s not going all out there’s rarely anything interesting going on.   

Overall it’s a fun song and I’m excited for the album!  Definitely doesn’t sound stale and I expect a solid DT release.

Haha, I won't carry on about it, ill just say i respectfully disagree (YOU ARE SO WRONG) 

[lovethedrake]

4th listen… this is going to be a killer album.

[BeatriceNB]

Second listen…

Definitely feels like a pale blue dot sequel… the chorus especially reminds me of it.

Love the unison part and the outro.

Labrie came through better once I was ready for the melodies but still obviously not the James of old.  Hopefully they give him some areas to shine more.

Not to open a can of worms but this song made me miss portnoy… Mangini just does that roll fill and goes all out but then when he’s not going all out there’s rarely anything interesting going on.

Overall it’s a fun song and I’m excited for the album!  Definitely doesn’t sound stale and I expect a solid DT release.

Opposite for me. I can't focus on the other instruments because Mangini really takes the spotlight throughout all the song 
The ride work alone is god tier.

[erwinrafael]

Second listen…

Definitely feels like a pale blue dot sequel… the chorus especially reminds me of it.

Love the unison part and the outro.

Labrie came through better once I was ready for the melodies but still obviously not the James of old.  Hopefully they give him some areas to shine more.

Not to open a can of worms but this song made me miss portnoy… Mangini just does that roll fill and goes all out but then when he’s not going all out there’s rarely anything interesting going on.   

Overall it’s a fun song and I’m excited for the album!  Definitely doesn’t sound stale and I expect a solid DT release.

Haha, I won't carry on about it, ill just say i respectfully disagree (YOU ARE SO WRONG) 

Yeah. if you are drummer and you actually try to play this, you know that there is something interesting going on all over the song even those that sounded "simple." That actually is the difference between MP and MM. MP makes some parts sound more complicated than it is but when you play it, it's actually easy. With MM, you have some parts that sound basic and just supporting the other instruments but when you play it you can not wrap your head around where to place your hands and feet.

[lovethedrake]

Second listen…

Definitely feels like a pale blue dot sequel… the chorus especially reminds me of it.

Love the unison part and the outro.

Labrie came through better once I was ready for the melodies but still obviously not the James of old.  Hopefully they give him some areas to shine more.

Not to open a can of worms but this song made me miss portnoy… Mangini just does that roll fill and goes all out but then when he’s not going all out there’s rarely anything interesting going on.   

Overall it’s a fun song and I’m excited for the album!  Definitely doesn’t sound stale and I expect a solid DT release.

Haha, I won't carry on about it, ill just say i respectfully disagree (YOU ARE SO WRONG) 

Yeah. if you are drummer and you actually try to play this, you know that there is something interesting going on all over the song even those that sounded "simple." That actually is the difference between MP and MM. MP makes some parts sound more complicated than it is but when you play it, it's actually is easy. With MM, you have some parts that sound basic and just supporting the other instruments but when you play it you can not wrap your head around where to place your hands and feet.

I’m not a drummer and don’t care how hard it is to play.  I just want it to sound melodic and add something to the song.   With that said, the guy is a beast and I’m nitpicking.  Probably shouldn’t have even brought it up!   The drum performance on the song is certainly great.

[Chomesuque]

Untethered Angel > The Alien

It is of course a matter of taste, but I don't understand how someone could prefer 'Untethered Angel' to this. There's so much more going on in terms of melodies, interesting rhythms and riffs in 'The Alien', I already love it (but I might be SLIGHTLY biased since for me UA is by far one of the most predictable and bland songs DT has released in years. When I get back to DoT I always start with 'Fall Into the Light' ).

[Wim Kruithof]

I gave it a carefully listen, a first time. Blown away, I gave it a second, third, fourth and fifth listen in exact the same overwhelming experience. The Alien grabs me right in the very first moment and won't let me get a beathe until the nine minutes have past. Mangini is legend. I actually can't wait.

For the first time in a long while, I think this might interfere my top 3 (Black Clouds, Train of Thought & Dramatic Turn). So awesome.

[Lonk]

Video just premiered on DT's youtube page, the visualization adds to the music IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V462IsOV3js&ab_channel=DreamTheater

[MinistroRaven]

I gave it a carefully listen, a first time. Blown away, I gave it a second, third, fourth and fifth listen in exact the same overwhelming experience. The Alien grabs me right in the very first moment and won't let me get a beathe until the nine minutes have past. Mancini is legend. I actually can't wait.

For the first time in a long while, I think this might interfere my top 3 (Black Clouds, Train of Thought & Dramatic Turn). So awesome.

Yup, Mancini is a legend.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Mancini

[MinistroRaven]

BTW, do you guys have found info regarding the preorders?

It was supposed to be available today.

[faizoff]

DT account tweeted the link for pre-orders

https://dream-theater.lnk.to/AViewFromTheTopOfTheWorld

[Lonk]

BTW, do you guys have found info regarding the preorders?

It was supposed to be available today.

A few pages back people mentioned different sites that already had pre-orders available.

https://www.lasercd.com/cd/view-top-world-2cdblu-ray-artbook-preorder

https://www.emp-online.it/p/a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world/511341.html

[hefdaddy42]

My first impression is that it's the most bizarre DT single ever. Not only does it not sound nearly as accessible as any of their previous singles, I wouldn't have guessed it starts the album if I didn't know already.

I agree with this.

Only one listen so far, definitely need more.  Definitely not as accessible as most recent singles, particularly lead singles.

[Peter Mc]

Loving the single more and more, pre-ordered the artbook.  Not gone for the full super expensive version but I do like the artbooks and they’re not that expensive.  I’ll probably end up buying the standard cd as well.

[Joshgirouard]

IMHO they missed a golden opportunity to do a blue vinyl with green splotches . Would have looked like a globe and when you spin your record, you would stand over it and have “a view from the top of the world”.  anyways , I got the transparent green variant even though it was a bit more expensive . Can’t wait to hear the whole album 

[Trav86]

I’ve never preordered from Lasercd.com. Have you guys had good luck with them? I’m hoping they’re not a site that ends up sending it later after the release date.

[Architeuthis]

Video just premiered on DT's youtube page, the visualization adds to the music IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V462IsOV3js&ab_channel=DreamTheater

Wow, that is really well done!   

[sfam2112]

I’ve never preordered from Lasercd.com. Have you guys had good luck with them? I’m hoping they’re not a site that ends up sending it later after the release date.

I have. I pre-ordered the art book for LTE3 from them and received it a day or two before the release date. Also, pre-ordered the new DT from there.

[Anxiety35]

The Ailen is.........ok.

I've listened twice. It may take more listens to fully digest the song and like it more, as do many DT songs with me.

My initial takes.

Amazing instrumental execution.
Myung is more audible and I really like his bass tone.
Mangini - I can't figure out all he's doing (that's a good thing). His drums sound better and the cymbals are more out front.
JP & JR - wow.

Now for the negative...
I don't get the flow of the song. It seems like it's a bunch of disconnected pieces thrown together.
James LaBrie is the weakest link. Nothing about his vocals stand out. They've buried him with effects.

It's one song. I'll save judgment for when the entire album is released. I didn't care for Unteathered Angel but I really like the rest of DOT.

[Wim Kruithof]

Yup, Mancini is a legend.

Ai, touché.

[TheCountOfNYC]

Listened to it at midnight when it dropped and watched the video this morning. It kicks ass and the mix is phenomenal. With that said, I’m gonna try to limit how much I listen to it until the album comes out.

[Progmetty]

I came with intention to use the word "disjointed", but found many have beat me to the punch.

This is the most stitched-together song I've ever heard from DT, I realize all of their songs are produced that way, but this one is most blunt about it, for lack of a better term.
It's like a jigsaw puzzle that doesn't end up looking pretty. We know these are all separate parts that needed to come together to make a song, and it's totally viable that these indeed are the right parts to make this song, but it's the joining that is so clunky and there are gaps between the pieces, or something.

I didn't have a problem with JLB vocals, only the vocal melodies, nothing unique or memorable here. Which is the first "first single" that does that, usually the vocals melodies stand out for me in a DT's first single. I remember listening to Untethered Angel once when it premiered and having the vocal melody from the chorus stuck in my head for days.

Another first; JP guitar solos. Like @1:15 and 5:37 when the music breaks down for his solos, usually that's when you get some JP gold, but it wasn't really mind blowing, as it usually is, this time. Somehow I haven't listened to his new solo album yet, even though I've been waiting for years, but I feel like I'm gonna find some great stuff on it and that he emptied his creative solo tank over there, that's totally speculative though and maybe even unfair, this is just one song after all.

Positives: the drums are amazing, I often found myself forced to hone in on it and phase out everything else.
JR does what he does best and what I expect him to do. And I enjoy it as is.

Still excited about DT15, I need to place a pre-order.

[Dublagent66]

I made the mistake of complaining about the last album single (Untethered Angel) after only one listen.  Didn't want to do that again.  The Alien was much better the 2nd time, but I'm a little baffled they chose that song for the single.  It's not really very accessible to a new audience, but I guess since they've been around so long, it probably doesn't matter as much now as it once did.

Even though parts of it seem samey to me or stitched together, there's some pretty tasty stuff going on.  Especially from JP and MM.  I've also noticed that JLB is keeping his range within reach as he did on the last couple albums.  As he approaches 60 years of age, it's in his best interest when it comes to performing live.

Like I said in another thread, not too crazy about the album art and title.  Hoping the music will make up for that.

[geeeemo]

Just heard The Alien on the radio! It was number 10 in the Devils Dozen!  That made my day as I never catch when they play them and it's always Panic Attack when they do. I was surprised more because of the length of the song...

At this moment the outro is my favorite part, but a close 2nd is the instrumental part starting around the 5 1/2 minute mark.

[evilasiojr]

Yeah, I just blew up my plan to only listen to the song a couple of times 

What I'm gonna try though is to step away from it on the next days, maybe weeks. So that it keeps being kinda fresh when the album comes out. October is still pretty far in that sense.

[nobloodyname]

As he approaches 60 years of age, it's in his best interest when it comes to performing live.

I've not heard the tune, and won't until the release of the album, but I imagine this has to be a factor.

[Volante99]

This is the best the band has sounded in the Mangini era and probably their best lead off single in recent memory.

The feel reminds me a lot of ADToE. Overall cool song, lots of surprises and transitions to sink your teeth into which I feel has been lacking with DT as of late. The song doesn’t have much of a hook, though- that’s the only flaw I can really say.

If this is a sign of things to come, I think we’re all in for a hell of an album!

[425]

For the past several years, I've been trying to put my finger on just what doesn't connect with me as well as I'd like about the last three albums. I suspect there are multiple factors, but one completely obvious one that I somehow didn't think about until after this album's tracklist was announced is this: They have been on such a kick lately of writing short songs. From IAW-ADTOE, every album has at least two songs over 9 minutes. On the last three albums combined there are just two 9+ minute songs total.

I know some people have been very much into this, but... I don't think it's for me. A big part of what I like about Dream Theater is hearing musical ideas develop over the course of a longer piece, hearing instrumental sections that take their time to unfold, hearing songs that aren't in a rush to get from point A to point B. These features are just pretty sparse on DT12 and DOT. The Astonishing is a little different, since it is a concept album where certain ideas develop over the course of the album, but it's still almost entirely short pieces. I think the last three albums are all good albums, especially DT12. But there's something missing on them to me, and I think part of it is this issue of longer pieces.

Listening to The Alien for the first time makes me think I'm onto something with this hypothesis. This is my favorite opening single since I got into the band (between ADTOE and DT12), and part of what I like about it is definitely that the music is taking its time again instead of rushing to get through its runtime before the six-minute mark. This makes me cautiously optimistic for the rest of the album. Especially since it does kind of remind me, like Volante, of ADTOE, which is one of my favorite DT albums.

[jammindude]

Just ordered my mega huge ultimate boxed set. I’ve done this for every album except TA since they’ve offered it. (That is, since BCSL)

I actuality wish I’d have gotten the TA mega set…can’t remember why I didn’t. Think I was just going through a work shortage and things were tight. But it sounds like that was a nightmare anyway. From what I heard, the shipping was delayed for months, and then there were lots of reports of them being broken on arrival.

[Ben_Jamin]

Just ordered my mega huge ultimate boxed set. I’ve done this for every album except TA since they’ve offered it. (That is, since BCSL)

I actuality wish I’d have gotten the TA mega set…can’t remember why I didn’t. Think I was just going through a work shortage and things were tight. But it sounds like that was a nightmare anyway. From what I heard, the shipping was delayed for months, and then there were lots of reports of them being broken on arrival.

I guess I am fortunate mine arrived in good condition. NOMAC was in great shape and sits on my shelf still in box. I wanted to make a conveyer for it to go across the room, but didn't want it to drop and break.

It's really nice to have, and I also like how they included the lyrics in the form of a play script you use to audition or rehearse with.

Looking at it as well, you do see why it took longer than expected. I could see all sorts of setbacks that could have happened at the printing place for these 3D printed NOMACS, especially with the amount of small details within this small spherical shaped product.

I guess they learned their lesson and chose not to seize the opportunity to have a viewfinder with the artwork (rather than the art cards) in the boxset. 

[Architeuthis]

I would love to get the box set but concert tickets take priority.   I haven't even got those yet since Washington State seems to be heading back towards a lockdown.  😷🙄