New Dream Theater

So, I got through this album yesterday, and yes, it did literally feel like hiking for two hours in waist-deep muck. It is far, far, far too many minutes of far, far, far too samey stuff. It's two hours of cliches, really. Is it well done from a technical point of view? Sure. Is there anything new to discover here? Other than my limit for listening to the same stuff, no.

I would much rather have had them do a 45 minute album that pushed some boundary other than my patience.
 
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I love this album so far! I've been through it 4 times now and I can tell you one thing, You won 't get it after one listen. Heck, you may even hate it after one listen. it's impossible to catch all of the melodies and nuances through one listen. Also, this is a headphone album, it's not an album to pump iron to, or to put in your ipod and have on shuffle, or to listen to in the background as you clean your house.

I can understand how some people will disagree and hate it though. It's kind of like poetry. You can have some people read a brilliant poem and still not get it while others get it right away. It's not meant as a put down just a way of saying how different people process songs differently.....

Put it this way, every time I've listen to this, I've heard many things that I did not catch the first time, and some of the melodies really started to pop.
 
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I give them credit for uploading the entire thing on their YouTube channel, and despite not being a fan of theirs (I have some of their albums but only actually like a handful of songs) would've been happy to buy this one if I liked what I heard. Unfortunately there was not one single song that I enjoyed -- besides the one-time "chorus" of Chosen. I gave it all a few listens and I'm glad the album was put up to save me from buyer's remorse.
 
One listen and so far, I am feeling a little disappointed. I will listen again and again and hopefully it will grab me. I understand this is supposed to be an experience and I will give it some time (you have to when it's a double album). Hoping for a change of heart or this album will not make through February before I toss it on eBay.
 
I have listened to the first disc once so far, and I'm not ready to pass judgment. Although my gut feeling is positive.

I'm also passively interested in some of the posts in this thread so far. This album has officially been released for less than a week and there are already people who are passing it off as "safe" or lackluster or disappointing. Hmm. It sounds like Dream Theater to me, so it's not a huge departure from the sound that has given them an audience. However, it seems like they spent a helluva lot of time with a lyrical concept, and put to tape more than 30 tracks of music to encompass that concept. And already, less than a week after the album's out they have fans that are just like "Yeah, whatever, this piece of crap...guess I'll sell it to some chump who wants it more..." I'd say wait until you've listened to it all the way through or in parts at least a few times before you pass anything off as pointless. I did my absolute best with Pain of Salvation. I listened to Remedy Lane at least ten separate times, trying my best to enjoy it or "get" it. I didn't. Therefore, I had to move on. I would never do that with an album less than a week after its release.
 
Palabra de Dios said:
I have listened to the first disc once so far, and I'm not ready to pass judgment. Although my gut feeling is positive.

I'm also passively interested in some of the posts in this thread so far. This album has officially been released for less than a week and there are already people who are passing it off as "safe" or lackluster or disappointing. Hmm. It sounds like Dream Theater to me, so it's not a huge departure from the sound that has given them an audience. However, it seems like they spent a helluva lot of time with a lyrical concept, and put to tape more than 30 tracks of music to encompass that concept. And already, less than a week after the album's out they have fans that are just like "Yeah, whatever, this piece of crap...guess I'll sell it to some chump who wants it more..." I'd say wait until you've listened to it all the way through or in parts at least a few times before you pass anything off as pointless. I did my absolute best with Pain of Salvation. I listened to Remedy Lane at least ten separate times, trying my best to enjoy it or "get" it. I didn't. Therefore, I had to move on. I would never do that with an album less than a week after its release.
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I have listened to it a bunch more times now and I can safely say that for me this its their worst album. I think I'll go listen to Pain of Salvation instead :D
 
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MelbCro said:
I have listened to it a bunch more times now and I can safely say that for me this its their worst album. I think I'll go listen to Pain of Salvation instead :D
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go so far as to say this their worst disc, but I can say that this is way too weighty and samey to even come close to their peak. I really wanted to like this cd and have spun it 3 times. It just isn't clicking. It isn't memorable at all to me. I'll go finish listening to Phantasma "The Deviant Hearts" and drink some IPA's.
 
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MelbCro said:
I have listened to it a bunch more times now and I can safely say that for me this its their worst album. I think I'll go listen to Pain of Salvation instead :D
Click to expand...

I've listened to about 45 minutes online so far, and I have a hard time agreeing with this. Then again, DT is a pretty consistent band quality-wise and aren't prone to clunkers. There are some aspects that feel better than the last two albums, but I also get the "sameness" argument. So far, there isn't a song that really stands out.
 
TwizstedJesus said:
I wouldn't go so far as to say this their worst disc, but I can say that this is way too weighty and samey to even come close to their peak. I really wanted to like this cd and have spun it 3 times. It just isn't clicking. It isn't memorable at all to me. I'll go finish listening to Phantasma "The Deviant Hearts" and drink some IPA's.
Click to expand...

IPA rules! :)
 
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Dream Theater is my favorite Prog Metal band and has been for years, but I have to say that after several listens to The Astonishing I am struggling. I love Metropolis II even though it didn't click for me out of the gate, so I am not giving up. I already have VIP ticket to see The Astonishing live in Pittsburgh, which I don't regret. Back to the listening...
 
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