DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY

[HOF]

Edit: that was a dumb comment, nevermind.

[EPIC Outro]

I wonder why they had to drop Astonishing songs to fit the encore. Surely, The Astonishing in its entirety would have left room for more songs to be played since it is only like 2 hours and 10 minutes long?

I am really curious how the shortened version of The Astonishing flowed, though. Would have been very interesting seeing them end set 1 with A New Beginning.

[sfam2112]

I am really curious how the shortened version of The Astonishing flowed, though. Would have been very interesting seeing them end set 1 with A New Beginning.

Flowed fine for me. I did miss "Heaven's Cove" but ending the first set with "A New Beginning" was more climactic.

[Cool Chris]

The Astonishing ... is only like 2 hours and 10 minutes long

Not often I read someone say The Astonishing is only 2 hours and 10 minutes long 

[nobloodyname]

I think I'll ask them to play The Astonishing when I'm about to expire. At least that way my last two hours will feel longer

[Madman Shepherd]

The Astonishing ... is only like 2 hours and 10 minutes long

Not often I read someone say The Astonishing is only 2 hours and 10 minutes long 

 

I think I'll ask them to play The Astonishing when I'm about to expire. At least that way my last two hours will feel longer

[WilliamMunny]

I think I'll ask them to play The Astonishing when I'm about to expire. At least that way my last two hours will feel longer

 

[Buddyhunter1]

I think I'll ask them to play The Astonishing when I'm about to expire. At least that way my last two hours will feel longer

I would just die as soon as Act Of Faythe starts.

[gzarruk]

I think I'll ask them to play The Astonishing when I'm about to expire. At least that way my last two hours will feel longer

I would just die as soon as Act Of Faythe starts.

 

[crystalstars17]

So much hate.   

[nobloodyname]

I was only having a chuckle... no fucking way I'm listening to The Astonishing on my death bed

(PS - "So much hate", says the lady who's done nothing but be negative about MP's return to the band )

[wolfking]

So much hate.   

Probably best you not be around when I do my full listening session of it next week.

[nobloodyname]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

[crystalstars17]

I was only having a chuckle... no fucking way I'm listening to The Astonishing on my death bed

(PS - "So much hate", says the lady who's done nothing but be negative about MP's return to the band )

I was just shaking my head in bewilderment as to why everyone hates the album so much. And not just here. Nothing personal!

I said I'd try to get used to MP and I meant it, lol.

(The way most children get used to Brussels sprouts    j/k!)

[Dedalus]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

[Mosh]

The lack of variety in Astonishing is definitely what kills it for me. There are a couple moments here and there like Three Days and X Aspect, but overall it all sounds pretty homogenous. Much less variety than other DT albums.

[TAC]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

[Indiscipline]

At this point I'd say it's the most misunderstood album they have.

[Setlist Scotty]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

I wouldn't disagree that there are certainly some diverse elements sprinkled throughout the album – moreso than on any other album – but as a whole a lot of the music tends to blur together and feel same-y. Perhaps if there were less piano-based ballads (or songs that started off as such) and there was a song (or multiple songs about conflict (and not just primarily conflict in dialogue - I mean battles and stuff) it might feel like it has more diversity.

[TAC]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

I wouldn't disagree that there are certainly some diverse elements sprinkled throughout the album – moreso than on any other album – but as a whole a lot of the music tends to blur together and feel same-y. Perhaps if there were less piano-based ballads (or songs that started off as such) and there was a song (or multiple songs about conflict (and not just primarily conflict in dialogue - I mean battles and stuff) it might feel like it has more diversity.

So all that diversity runs together?

[Dedalus]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

Totally. I'm genuinely shocked by the comments pointing out the lack of diversity on one of the band's most diverse albums.

[Setlist Scotty]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

I wouldn't disagree that there are certainly some diverse elements sprinkled throughout the album – moreso than on any other album – but as a whole a lot of the music tends to blur together and feel same-y. Perhaps if there were less piano-based ballads (or songs that started off as such) and there was a song (or multiple songs about conflict (and not just primarily conflict in dialogue - I mean battles and stuff) it might feel like it has more diversity.

So all that diversity runs together?

No - I said it's sprinkled throughout, but in the process, it's gets lost because of all the piano-based ballad-y songs.

[Dedalus]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

Yeah, I was going to say the same thing. It's pretty much the most diverse album they have.

I wouldn't disagree that there are certainly some diverse elements sprinkled throughout the album – moreso than on any other album – but as a whole a lot of the music tends to blur together and feel same-y. Perhaps if there were less piano-based ballads (or songs that started off as such) and there was a song (or multiple songs about conflict (and not just primarily conflict in dialogue - I mean battles and stuff) it might feel like it has more diversity.

So all that diversity runs together?

No - I said it's sprinkled throughout, but in the process, it's gets lost because of all the piano-based ballad-y songs.

I'm sorry, but this is a simplistic analysis. If to your ears the various slow moments on the piano make everything sound the same, well that says more about your perception than about the music itself.

It seems like my late grandfather wouldn't know how to distinguish Iron Maiden from Muse, because for him everything would be "noisy music". 

[Setlist Scotty]

I'm sorry, but this is a simplistic analysis. If to your ears the various slow moments on the piano make everything sound the same, well that says more about your perception than about the music itself.

It's not just me saying that. 

[Dedalus]

I'm sorry, but this is a simplistic analysis. If to your ears the various slow moments on the piano make everything sound the same, well that says more about your perception than about the music itself.

It's not just me saying that. 

Many grandparents had the same opinion as mine too.

[Setlist Scotty]

I'm sorry, but this is a simplistic analysis. If to your ears the various slow moments on the piano make everything sound the same, well that says more about your perception than about the music itself.

It's not just me saying that. 

Many grandparents had the same opinion as mine too.

Yeah but grandparents aren't typically intimately familiar with Iron Maiden and Muse. DT fans *are* intimately familiar with DT's catalog. 

[Dedalus]

I'm sorry, but this is a simplistic analysis. If to your ears the various slow moments on the piano make everything sound the same, well that says more about your perception than about the music itself.

It's not just me saying that. 

Many grandparents had the same opinion as mine too.

Yeah but grandparents aren't typically intimately familiar with Iron Maiden and Muse. DT fans *are* intimately familiar with DT's catalog. 

But not familiar with piano music, perhaps? 

anyway....

[porcacultor]

Why can't we all just get along? [EDIT: I was being facetious here, but it didn't translate, so hence the neurotic edit. People can think what they want about the album, just thought of giving my two cents below]

As much as I love The Astonishing, I don't know how to make a case for it. It is a big ask -- I think the band tried their best to onboard the fans to what is arguably a freaky experience: equal parts Dream Theater album and cast recording of a broadway musical.

It is likely the most Jordan-esque of all their albums, even if JP wrote the story. I think the signs in their history that point to what they went for in this album have been there since SFAM -- take the start of Finally Free (and first verse), the whole structure of SDOIT (the track), particularly the Overture and Grand Finale, and The Astonishing ends up feeling like a culmination of that type of musical storytelling.

Not for everyone and, really, perhaps the least Portnoy-esque album in their career, in the sense that he might've (not saying for certain, just a hunch) said "no" to a lot of the ideas from the early stages. Or perhaps the antithesis of a song like "As I Am", if that makes sense.

[King Postwhore]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

When most songs are "Samey"  I wouldn't call it diverse.

[nobloodyname]

OOoh, is that happening? Jesting aside, I think I'll enjoy following along with that.

For the record, I don't think The Astonishing is that bad an album. A couple of tracks have even made my top 100. But let's be honest: a) it lacks diversity, b) it would have been 700x better with guest vocalists, c) 1032x better with a less-hackneyed story, and d) it should never have been a Dream Theater album (and back to point b).

That's a strange criticism. TA is one of the band's most diverse albums.

When most songs are "Samey"  I wouldn't call it diverse.

Quite.

[Dedalus]

Why can't we all just get along? [EDIT: I was being facetious here, but it didn't translate, so hence the neurotic edit. People can think what they want about the album, just thought of giving my two cents below]

As much as I love The Astonishing, I don't know how to make a case for it. It is a big ask -- I think the band tried their best to onboard the fans to what is arguably a freaky experience: equal parts Dream Theater album and cast recording of a broadway musical.

It is likely the most Jordan-esque of all their albums, even if JP wrote the story. I think the signs in their history that point to what they went for in this album have been there since SFAM -- take the start of Finally Free (and first verse), the whole structure of SDOIT (the track), particularly the Overture and Grand Finale, and The Astonishing ends up feeling like a culmination of that type of musical storytelling.

Not for everyone and, really, perhaps the least Portnoy-esque album in their career, in the sense that he might've (not saying for certain, just a hunch) said "no" to a lot of the ideas from the early stages. Or perhaps the antithesis of a song like "As I Am", if that makes sense.

But the discussion is about the album's diversity. It shouldn't be relevant whether we like the album or not when evaluating diversity.
It's not a question of "I like it, so it's diverse. I don't like it, so it's all the same."

For example: my favorite DT album is I&W, which is not a very diverse album (maybe the exception is Another Day). Octavarium is a much more varied album for the DT standard, but it's not one of my favorites.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

i read some speculation on the dt discord that said the only reason they asked MP back was because the new Haken album was so good it threatened DTs standing as de facto kings of prog metal

[ReaperKK]

pm me a link to this DT Discord, I'd like to spend the morning reading some insane DT conspiracy theories.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

i read some speculation on the dt discord that said the only reason they asked MP back was because the new Haken album was so good it threatened DTs standing as de facto kings of prog metal

What is a good Haken album to get a newcomer started?

[jammindude]

i read some speculation on the dt discord that said the only reason they asked MP back was because the new Haken album was so good it threatened DTs standing as de facto kings of prog metal

What is a good Haken album to get a newcomer started?

The Mountain is their masterpiece. This is when they really found their own sound.

But if you want to start with something that sounds more like DT (but still amazing) start with Visions.