Justin Havu Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Yes, I know I'm probably going to catch some heat from this, so bring it on! Anyway... Got the album a month ago, and IMHO, it's now become my new favorite DT album! I've been waiting for them to do another concept album for a long time, and it was well worth it. It seems like more emphasis was put on telling the story as opposed to shredding for an entire album (Not to say there isn't any shredding going on at all. There's definitely some DT moments on this album.) James is definitely sounding better and better as time goes on. My top favorite tracks: [video:youtube] [video:youtube] [video:youtube] Hardware Yamaha MODX7, DX7, PSR-530, MX61/Korg TR-Rack, 01/W Pro X, Trinity Pro X, Karma/Ensoniq ESQ-1 Behringer DeepMind12, Model D, Odyssey, 2600/Arturia Keylab MKII 61 Software Studio One/V Collection 9/Korg Collection 4/Cherry Audio/UVI SonicPass/EW Composer Cloud/Omnisphere, Stylus RMX, Trilian/IK Total Studio 3.5 MAX/Roland Cloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrelatednotes Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Hey there. Hope you don't mind a newbie commenting. DT is one of my all-time favorite bands. I agree that James sounds very good on this release. I keep going back and forth on this particular album, though. There are days I really like it, but then others where I'm kinda "meh" towards it. I don't know why. I'm very impressed with the work they put into this and have really enjoyed Jordan Rudess' restraint in his playing relative to his tendency to play arpeggios over everything (I jest!). It's for sure a very different DT album relative to their others, even their other concept albums (Scenes from a Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence). My fave tracks so far are Three Days, Brother, Can You Hear Me?, A Life Left Behind, A New Beginning and The Walking Shadow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 really enjoyed Jordan Rudess' restraint in his playing relative to his tendency to play arpeggios over everything (I jest!). I guess that's why he is on the cover of this month's Keyboard Magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottKahn Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 It's probably the most definitive DT album, where if someone asked you "What does Dream Theater sound like?" you could give them this record and it captures the grandeur, the progressiveness, the shred, and the melodic content. It's really a perfect starting point for a new fan to discover the band. It won't wow the die-hard metal guy, but the prog fan and melodic/symphonic rock fan will love it. Stay tuned... we have a big feature with Jordan and John P. coming out in a couple of weeks... Scott MusicPlayers.com The FREE online mag for serious musicians http://www.musicplayers.com MusicianFinder.com GET YOUR JAM ON http://www.musicianfinder.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyS Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I liked it years ago. I stopped listening DT after metropolis pt 2. Never followed them anymore. Also couldn't care for the snippets I heard from the later albums. In my opinion they stopped making songs and were showing off too much. Rudess somehow doesn't work for me. I don't like his sounds. However, as an open mind person, I will take a listen on your suggestion.... Rudy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardware Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thank God the shredding is tamed down a little. If I want shredding I can watch Trump talk about his steaks and how successful he is. Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorayM Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I find it a very weird album. There are so many styles colliding that it should feel schizophrenic and hard to listen to, but it's been put together like an ALW musical, so it flows pretty well, even if you can feel the gear changes between the "rock" bits, the "ballad" bits and the "classical" bits. Unlike Scenes From a Memory, which seems more focussed (if a little self-indulgent at the end) I can't dip in an out of this one, the songs don't seem to work on their own. I can't decide if that counts for or against it but it does mean I've only listened to it 3 times. My big negative is the story, it's basically 2112 meets The Hunger Games but less well written. I found it very difficult to follow until I found the synopsis for each song on their website. Maybe I'm stupid but it really turns me off the album. Normally with DT if the lyrics get a bit suspect I can turn off and listen to the outstanding musicianship on display, but there's much less of that here. For once in their history, the music is serving the vocal and while it's LaBrie's strongest performance to date IMO, it doesn't detract from the words he's singing! On the subject of the music, again something just doesn't quite click for me. Although it's fantastically performed, with a real orchestra no less, it sounds like it was written largely by KARMA. The main melody lines are fine but there's something about the way the accompaniment weaves through that sounds robotic, like it was done afterwards by numbers. I know Jordan's gone on record to say that much of Six Degrees... was written with the aid of KARMA so I wouldn't be surprised. Like the story, it just turns me off the whole thing. Previous albums have always felt pretty compositionally strong to me (apart from Six Degrees and self-titled) so it seems odd that such capable musicians like John and Jordan could phone it in like this. Or maybe it was the magnitude of arranging two discs of music meant they couldn't devote as much time to each song? So I'm left thoroughly confused. Despite all the bad points I made above, I don't dislike the album. I don't love it either, but then I wasn't expecting to. I do have massive respect for them as a band for making something so completely unlike everything they've ever done for no other reason than "why not?" and doing it so completely and whole-heartedly. When you've got a fanbase like theirs, that takes guts. I didn't really know where I was going with this post when I started, or where I've gone with it now I've finished. So with that in mind I'm going to sign off with this: http://www.invinciblemusic.com/mm5Graphics/Jordan-Rudess-wide-1.jpg North Haverbrook - Godsticks - SoundCloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrelatednotes Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Awesome pic! I hadn't seen this one of JR. You know, while driving home from work today listening to Steven Wilson's "Hand. Cannot. Erase." for the umpteenth time, it struck me just how good a concept album can be and what it should be. SW's "H.C.E." is exactly what a concept album should be and sound like: cohesive and memorable. Like you, although I don't dislike "The Astonishing" and respect them for the work that went into putting it together, I just don't find it memorable or compelling. There are some sections and series of tracks that I like; but it does feel a bit disjointed overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorayM Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Neither had I but it's such an amazing combination of clifftop, hair, nehru jacket and Lync keytar I just had to share it! Interesting you mention H.C.E, I've had it on a lot and really like it, but it doesn't feel as focused or as memorable as his previous album, The Raven Who Refused To Sing. It has some really great moments, but occasionally it feels a bit lazy, a bit like a collection of offcuts from Lightbulb Sun era PT mixed with offcuts from Insurgentes. It's a bit disappointing for someone who's clearly a talented, even visionary artist. North Haverbrook - Godsticks - SoundCloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unrelatednotes Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 Interesting. I believe the exact opposite, that "H.C.E." is much better than "The Raven..." and that SW has gotten better with each album (excepting "4 1/2" which is, by his admission, songs that didn't fit anywhere else). Ah well. Different perspectives, different opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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