New Dream Theater album announced, hurrah

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vizviz Frets: 10647
As title suggests. 
Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • StefBStefB Frets: 2331
    Quite timely, I’ve been listening to the Mangini albums today for the first time in a few months. 

    I wonder if Petrucci will have become the bear by the time it’s released? 


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  • AlterlifesonAlterlifeson Frets: 475
    Any recommendations for the later albums? I like most of the later Portnoy era albums, particularly Six Degrees and Black Clouds but can't seem to gel with anything from the Mangini era. Any recommendations for a good place to start?
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    Any recommendations for the later albums? I like most of the later Portnoy era albums, particularly Six Degrees and Black Clouds but can't seem to gel with anything from the Mangini era. Any recommendations for a good place to start?
    I think you just have to take them gently. They’re a bit more bwaaaah and to my ear less finessed and musical, but they’re ok. Distance over Time is good-ish. 

    But yep, 6 degrees is a corker. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • OctahedronOctahedron Frets: 400
    Any recommendations for the later albums? I like most of the later Portnoy era albums, particularly Six Degrees and Black Clouds but can't seem to gel with anything from the Mangini era. Any recommendations for a good place to start?
    Out of the Mangini era my fave is the self-titled album.
    Distance Over Time has some good tracks too.
    There hasn't really been a good, consistent whole album of material since Portnoy's departure.
    Music the great communicator, use two sticks to make it in the nature - a music reviews blog: http://usetwosticks.wordpress.com/
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    I will listen to it out of curiosity, but nothing more. Mangini doesn't gel with the band at all, and it seems most of what they do is heavy for the sake of being heavy. All Portnoy era albums were at least musical.

    Nevertheless, I hope it is good.
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  • OctahedronOctahedron Frets: 400
    First track/single released, the album's opening track "Alien"
    It's not "bad", but it's kinda also not exciting. Not memorable at all.I'm so far not intrigued enough to go back and carry on or even to re-listen to this track. 




    Music the great communicator, use two sticks to make it in the nature - a music reviews blog: http://usetwosticks.wordpress.com/
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited August 2021
    It’s ok ish. Pre-order is open now
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I was a MASSIVE DT fan, for a decade they were my fave band. But the last album I got into was Octavarium. I haven't gotten into any album of theirs after that one. Maybe it was just my tastes changing. I don't even own the last 2 albums. 
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    axisus said:
    I was a MASSIVE DT fan, for a decade they were my fave band. But the last album I got into was Octavarium. I haven't gotten into any album of theirs after that one. Maybe it was just my tastes changing. I don't even own the last 2 albums. 


    I’m the same really, but I’ve ordered it anyway. Maybe it will be fantastic. I do quite like The Astonishing, but you do have to put it in your diary and clear enough time to listen to all of it. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • beed84beed84 Frets: 2403
    While I’d say it’s arguably the best thing they’ve released since Portnoy left (I don’t own any of the Mangini albums as they’re all a bit lacklustre), it’s still underwhelming compared to any of their early stuff. IMHO they’ve had their time and are bit jaded now. Still love Petrucci and Myung though.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    beed84 said:
    While I’d say it’s arguably the best thing they’ve released since Portnoy left (I don’t own any of the Mangini albums as they’re all a bit lacklustre), it’s still underwhelming compared to any of their early stuff. IMHO they’ve had their time and are bit jaded now. Still love Petrucci and Myung though.
    Myung has always been too low in the mix, so I find it hard to have an opinion on his playing. Last time I saw DT live, he had a solo section and he played Jaco's Portrait of Tracy. Jaco is amazing, but some technical harmonics piece on fretless bass was not something that fitted a prog metal gig. I thought it was so out of place. Even James seemed to hint that same thing, coming back to the stage he came out with a comment like "I've grown to love John's solo spot" which inferred to me that he didn't much like it at first!

    Petrucci - Guitar god!
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  • AlterlifesonAlterlifeson Frets: 475
    edited August 2021
    Not much to get excited about on that first listen. I see people say that Mangini's first album with the band is one of the best of their career so am going to delve into A Dramatic Turn of Events next. The drum mix sounds much better on this new single however, I think that has been a long standing complaint of the Mangini era.

    axisus said:
    I was a MASSIVE DT fan, for a decade they were my fave band. But the last album I got into was Octavarium. I haven't gotten into any album of theirs after that one. Maybe it was just my tastes changing. I don't even own the last 2 albums. 
    That's where my interest peaked as well. I was really obsessed with the Score DVD when that came out. I wasn't overly impressed with Systematic Chaos, but did like the ITPOE. Black Clounds was similar, only the Count of Tuscany did anything.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited August 2021
    Can we all just agree on these marks out of 10 please.

    When dream and day unite - 6
    Images and words - 9
    Marquee (live) - 8
    Tokyo (live) - 8
    Awake - 10
    Falling into infinity - 4
    Livetime (live) - 6
    Metropolis - 8
    6 degrees - 10
    Train of Thought - 7
    Budoken (live) - 7
    Octavarium - 7
    Score (live) - 8
    Systematic Chaos - 6
    Black clouds - 7
    Dramatic turn of events - 5
    Self-titled - 5
    Boston (live) - 7.5
    The Astonishing - 7
    Distance over time - 8
    London (live) - 7
    View from the top of the world - ?
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I'm going with studio albums only.

    When dream and day unite - 6
    Images and words - 10
    Awake - 9
    Falling into infinity - 4 (then 7 when I compared it to latter stuff!)
    Metropolis - 10
    6 degrees - 9
    Train of Thought - 9
    Octavarium - 7


    These are based on the fact that I found them uninteresting and not necessarily a 'fair' judgement:
    Systematic Chaos - 2
    Black clouds - 2 (like the covers disc though)
    Dramatic turn of events - 4
    Self-titled - 2
    The Astonishing - didn't want to hear it!
    Distance over time - Not bought it yet
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  • VibetronicVibetronic Frets: 1036
    viz said:
    Can we all just agree on these marks out of 10 please.

    When dream and day unite - 6
    Images and words - 9
    Marquee (live) - 8
    Tokyo (live) - 8
    Awake - 10
    Falling into infinity - 4
    Livetime (live) - 6
    Metropolis - 8
    6 degrees - 10
    Train of Thought - 7
    Budoken (live) - 7
    Octavarium - 7
    Score (live) - 8
    Systematic Chaos - 6
    Black clouds - 7
    Dramatic turn of events - 5
    Self-titled - 5
    Boston (live) - 7
    The Astonishing - 7
    Distance over time - 8
    London (live) - 7
    View from the top of the world - ?
    IaW and Awake were unlike anything I’d heard before, loved them. After that it’s 6 degrees, then the heavier turn of ToT (if only for the shredding solo of As I Am, which is awesome). The rest I can take a song or two from and leave, and I’m afraid I just couldn’t be arsed to listen to The Astonishing! I don’t actually mind LaBrie’s voice either-love some of his solo stuff!!
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited August 2021
    viz said:
    Can we all just agree on these marks out of 10 please.

    When dream and day unite - 6
    Images and words - 9
    Marquee (live) - 8
    Tokyo (live) - 8
    Awake - 10
    Falling into infinity - 4
    Livetime (live) - 6
    Metropolis - 8
    6 degrees - 10
    Train of Thought - 7
    Budoken (live) - 7
    Octavarium - 7
    Score (live) - 8
    Systematic Chaos - 6
    Black clouds - 7
    Dramatic turn of events - 5
    Self-titled - 5
    Boston (live) - 7
    The Astonishing - 7
    Distance over time - 8
    London (live) - 7
    View from the top of the world - ?
    IaW and Awake were unlike anything I’d heard before, loved them. After that it’s 6 degrees, then the heavier turn of ToT (if only for the shredding solo of As I Am, which is awesome). The rest I can take a song or two from and leave, and I’m afraid I just couldn’t be arsed to listen to The Astonishing! I don’t actually mind LaBrie’s voice either-love some of his solo stuff!!
    I LOOVE the As I Am solo - love the way it goes bluesy at the end. Go on, we know you can play it, post your version ;)
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • OctahedronOctahedron Frets: 400
    The last time Dream Theater released a good lead-off single for an album it was "The Enemy Inside" from the self-titled album.
    That motivated me to want to hear, and buy that album.
    Meanwhile... this track is sort of like a dry, crumbed KFC chicken piece. There's some good bits on the outside but the inside is just hard to get into and bland and just a waste...
    Music the great communicator, use two sticks to make it in the nature - a music reviews blog: http://usetwosticks.wordpress.com/
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I have to chip in on As I am - that solo ripped my face off! So powerful! I also cite that as the song that turned my son on to metal. He was about 13 at the time and loved it, every time we got in the car he wanted it played.

    Actually there were two other 'game changer' solos from John Petrucci for me - Under a glass moon, which just seemed like the most action packed and interesting solo ever (First time I ever hear trem warbles), and also Erotomania, which was an incredible build up to a superb fast solo.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    edited August 2021
    axisus said:
    I have to chip in on As I am - that solo ripped my face off! So powerful! I also cite that as the song that turned my son on to metal. He was about 13 at the time and loved it, every time we got in the car he wanted it played.

    Actually there were two other 'game changer' solos from John Petrucci for me - Under a glass moon, which just seemed like the most action packed and interesting solo ever (First time I ever hear trem warbles), and also Erotomania, which was an incredible build up to a superb fast solo.

    Absolutely! And what's the song when he and Jordan rip through a hundred scales up and down for like 1 minute? I feel it's also on Train of Thought.


    Ah, yes, In the Name of God, at 8:36 :)


    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10647
    PSA - I have updated my scoring and given Live in Boston a 7.5
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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