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

[Ben_Jamin]

You know what is great about that teaser....If that's the intro to the album, then it's what I was wondering about as well, if the drums are gonna be how Honor Thy Father intro drums are. And I was right in that thought, which is neat.

[Pettor]

DT has this tendency to start of wild but then never regaining that energy. PBD, Untethered Angel for example. I just really wish that slow down (which sounds great) isn't a sign that the song will continue like that and only surfing chorus and bridge will it take som energy back. Please let this be a wild ride up until the last note in the same crazy way that it started.

Anyway I am excited. The first singles are almost always the songs I enjoy less on the final albums. As a person who loves D/T i think Untethered Angel really feels like a boring song to start of with. This song will be better since that crazy riff from the teaser already gives me more enjoyment 😊

[Ben_Jamin]

Typically the first single ends up being my least favorite from the album. This may break that tradition because this sounds awesome.

Honestly, I'm not being facetious, but I'm surprised nobody has complained about the drums. I think they sound great and for lack of a better term, really "crack." Just in your face, loud, and precise. This may be the perfect followup to Distance Over Time in the sense that it continues the awesome sounds, songwriting, and energy.

That's what I like about the teaser and if this is how the album begins, it's a great way to showcase the drum sound by introducing the album with that awesome drumming and sound.

[Enigmachine]

Agreed about the sound. It's definitely got a lot of Sneap-isms that I feel fit the band like a glove. There also feels like so much musical content in these first 30 seconds, while still feeling controlled and having a distinct groove. Bring on the other 9 minutes, I say.

In regards to the preference for more melodic content, I get where it's coming from and I appreciate that nobody has yet projected that the entire song will be this full-on. So far, most DT songs of this sort of length tend to have a bit of light and shade and with the way DT have been writing recently, I'd certainly expect some dynamics within the song (although I can't say I'd complain if it was a 9 minute metallic shredder either).

[noxon]

Obviously you have to leave room for vocals, so that means going to a more stable riff where vocals can shine...

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Is that the over explained drum fill which starts the album I wonder 😅😅...

I hope the album doesn't just START like that. I like when their albums

Start gentle and build up like Backs of / Untethered Angel(s).  😁

They've done that so many times that I, for one, am glad they didn't take that route again.

This intro kicked my ass and definitely got me going. Can't wait to hear the rest.

[illusionist]

Reminds me a lot of when i first listened to their The Enemy Inside single,some 8 years ago.
It had the same mood,drums thundering,guitars blistering and all.
Now i understand what MM said about relentless album.

[fivestring]

That's what I like about the teaser and if this is how the album begins, it's a great way to showcase the drum sound by introducing the album with that awesome drumming and sound.

Sig'd!

In other news, "there's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis were I do a bass solo."

[Peter Mc]

Not going to make any judgments about the quality of the song or album from a 30 sec snippet but it's not my favourite side of DT.  The sort of generic riffing that sounds like a musical exercise rather than a memorable riff.  They've always done this though so am not complaining, I'm sure there will be lots of stuff I like too.

[Seppe76]

Sounds you have already heard... Nothing new.. 

[Kotowboy]

Sounds you have already heard... Nothing new.. 

Almost as if it's the same band.

[Enigmachine]

Yeah, we've had a lot of intros where it's just been some sort of slow fade (ToT, ADToE, DT12), sound effect (SfaM, SDoIT, BC&SL, TA) or otherwise understated approach (IaW, Octavarium, D/T). It's much rarer when they start up with some already pretty active musical content (WDaDU, Awake, FII, SC) and doing so to the extent of this degree (i.e. something that doesn't even necessarily sound intro-y necessarily) does seem unprecedented and fresh to my ears.

Not going to make any judgments about the quality of the song or album from a 30 sec snippet but it's not my favourite side of DT.  The sort of generic riffing that sounds like a musical exercise rather than a memorable riff.  They've always done this though so am not complaining, I'm sure there will be lots of stuff I like too.

While I'll grant that the riff here perhaps isn't the most dynamic, I do think the excitement here comes from the rhythms and layers made over that.

[RandalGraves]

Is that the over explained drum fill which starts the album I wonder 😅😅...

I hope the album doesn't just START like that. I like when their albums

Start gentle and build up like Backs of / Untethered Angel(s).  😁

They've done that so many times that I, for one, am glad they didn't take that route again.

This intro kicked my ass and definitely got me going. Can't wait to hear the rest.

Agreed. I'm not a huge fan of Untethered Angel but one thing I like that they did for the live shows was just skip the intro and jump right into it.

[rab7]

Not going to make any judgments about the quality of the song or album from a 30 sec snippet but it's not my favourite side of DT.  The sort of generic riffing that sounds like a musical exercise rather than a memorable riff.  They've always done this though so am not complaining, I'm sure there will be lots of stuff I like too.

Definitely sounds like an introductory thing and not the main riff. Like how The Enemy Inside begins with just shredding

Not my favorite side either, but I am excited nonetheless

[Dedalus]

I think the eternal discussion about the drum sound will now have a truce, right? (I'm kidding, I know they'll find a way for this to remain an issue  ).

About the music itself: it resembles SC, which is a bad sign. But it's only 30 seconds, so I can't draw any conclusions.
Come Friday soon. 

[Revenge319]

To me, this sounds more similar to something on Distance Over Time rather than Systematic Chaos. I suppose Systematic Chaos had more of an emphasis on a lot of technical stuff going on, but besides that I don't really see the comparison. Regardless, I'm sure this album's sound will be distinct, just like all of Dream Theater's other albums; it doesn't sound similar enough to DOT that it feels like them continuing the same sound/style.

[Dublagent66]

I think the eternal discussion about the drum sound will now have a truce, right? (I'm kidding, I know they'll find a way for this to remain an issue  ).

About the music itself: it resembles SC, which is a bad sign.

No, it isn't.

[Seppe76]

Sounds you have already heard... Nothing new.. 

Almost as if it's the same band.

What it means?
I&W was different from AWAKE, which was different from FII and so on... This snippet sounds like Enemy Inside, Untreated Angel...
Yes the band is the same but my expectations was different...
I

[Enigmachine]

This snippet sounds like Enemy Inside, Untreated Angel...

Can't see where you're coming from with that one at all. If anything, it's closer to the LTE3 stuff.

[sylentman]

The keyboard sound and the riff after the 20 sec mark reminded me of Shadow Gallery on their album Room V (in case anyone here knows the band).
Really excited about this single/album overall!

[dparrott]

I would love if the album started this way!!!  I love the imagery in the video also.

[DTiwbwMP]

Actually kind of sounds like DT of old.

You mean WAY BACK in 2007?

[DTiwbwMP]

I'll be the odd man out. That clip did absolutely nothing for me. Feeling a lot of Systematic Chaos vibes, which is my least favorite DT sound (Constant Motion specifically).

I'm happy that people are happy.   Let's leave it at that.      (Though the fact it was underwhelming is, actually, a good sign historically).

I agree. Just a snippet, but definitely sounds like nothing different than Systematic Chaos. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that per se.

[faizoff]

I didn't mean to click on that sample, but that sounded huge and amazing. Such had a THICCC and PHAT sound. Can't wait to preorder.

[CDrice]

Sounds really nice! I like how abrupt it starts. Talk about a great way to grab your attention at the start of an album. Beyond the drums, what I really noticed was how the keyboard sounds. I feel like they kind of get lost sometimes when they follow a heavy guitar riff, but here, while the sounds blends well with the guitars, you can still hear them very clearly. I love that!

[Enigmachine]

You mean WAY BACK in 2007?

To be fair, Systematic Chaos was 14 years ago. I can imagine that, for some, that is the DT of old.

[devieira73]

Noxon, can you tell us if this teaser is actually the very beginning of the song? I'm curious because, I thought the drum intro would be longer (not that this is a problem).

[rab7]

Noxon, can you tell us if this teaser is actually the very beginning of the song? I'm curious because, I thought the drum intro would be longer (not that this is a problem).

Yeah I remember the teaser for UA had the intro, and then it jumped straight to the end of the final chorus

[Enigmachine]

MM himself said that the album begins with the drum fill iirc.

[CDrice]

I don't think the drum fill will be longer.  The way Mike phrased it in his post implies that it's a 7 notes fill in 7/16, with the first 4 having that (controversial) polyrhythm thing he mentionned and the last 3 being 3 straight sixteenth notes which would fit with the 3 snare hits before the whole band come in in the snippet. So I think all there is to it.

[Ben_Jamin]

That's what I like about the teaser and if this is how the album begins, it's a great way to showcase the drum sound by introducing the album with that awesome drumming and sound.

Sig'd!

In other news, "there's a bass solo in a song called Metropolis were I do a bass solo."

The drumming and sound in the teaser made me feel kinda spooky to explain it like that. 

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I don't know anything about drums, but hot damn those drums sounded sweet.

[Ben_Jamin]

Not going to make any judgments about the quality of the song or album from a 30 sec snippet but it's not my favourite side of DT.  The sort of generic riffing that sounds like a musical exercise rather than a memorable riff.  They've always done this though so am not complaining, I'm sure there will be lots of stuff I like too.

Definitely sounds like an introductory thing and not the main riff. Like how The Enemy Inside begins with just shredding

Not my favorite side either, but I am excited nonetheless

It reminds me of the intro to At Wits End. How it begins relentlessly from the start.

[erwinrafael]

Mike just posted opening slots for a drum lesson featuring parts from The Alien. Striking while the iron is hot!

[noxon]

It's literally exactly how it begins...