Dream Theater - The Alien (Official Video)

[mpexus]

Just out

[Chris]

I like this tune more than just about everything they've done in the last 5-6 albums. Petrucci's lead tone is stellar.

The video sucks though. It's 2021, throw some studio footage in there or something. The only thing I don't like is the as-usual too long and overplayed keyboard solo that nobody but Rudess likes.

[mpexus]

I totally get the lame video thing... in fact there are two bands that could never seem do make a decent video and I doubt they ever will:

- DT

- Iron Maiden


All of this so dated 3D cheesy look is totally old men discovering 1992 3D.

[Coop]

I don't love it but I am with Chris. I like it a lot more than anything they have done in a long time. That lead tone is juicy!

[bigdave]

I dig that they don't cave and do something more commercial as the first release, nope tons of gratuitous guitar, monster drumming and a billion solo sections. Sweet .

It think its better than anything I've heard them do in quite a while.

[jacksonplayer]

A lot going on here, so I need to give it a few listens.

Right off the bat, you'd have to say that Mangini isn't taking a back seat to anyone on this song.

[scole]

Meh.

[Chris]

All of this so dated 3D cheesy look is totally old men discovering 1992 3D.

Right? I'm reasonably sure I had these visuals in the old 3DMark stuff everyone used to run to test their graphics cards.

[Hulk Krogan]

Meh.

Yeah. It's not actively cringey like most recent Dream Theater, so there's that I guess. And Petrucci's playing and tone are untouchable as always. Just not doing it for me otherwise.

And yeah, Dream Theater has had huge old man energy with their album cover/music video choices for a long time now.

[Ghost.]

I'm shocked to hear you all say this song is the best thing they've done in a while because I definitely don't think it tops this song on their last record with about the same amount of time for a song and similar theme. "Pale Blue Dot."

There are parts I really like of this in the first half of the new song but overall it's just kind of "Meh" at the moment.
Maybe that'll change with a few more listens?

I'm just happy more than anything that Mangini lost his mind on this and apparently most of the song was based on drum parts he wrote?
Which if that is the case, I'll never understand why it took them 4 albums to allow to him to contribute as much as he has.
Because by far the songs he has contributed to are far better than anything off of "A Dramatic Turn of Events" (Petrucci programmed parts and Mangini interpreted) or "The Astonishing."

[jim777]

Yeah. It's not actively cringey like most recent Dream Theater, so there's that I guess. And Petrucci's playing and tone are untouchable as always. Just not doing it for me otherwise.

And yeah, Dream Theater has had huge old man energy with their album cover/music video choices for a long time now.

Exactly, it's the same old overplay for the sake of overplaying DT. Every new thing from them is kind of like a juggler with 8 bowling pins in the air adding ANOTHER!! No real interest from me. Maybe if they rediscover the role of melody in their songwriting...

[Chris]

A lot going on here, so I need to give it a few listens.

Right off the bat, you'd have to say that Mangini isn't taking a back seat to anyone on this song.

LIke everything they've done since Train of Thought, I will listen to this song maybe one more time and that's it. :\

Unlike Awake, which never gets old.

[Chris]

I'm shocked to hear you all say this song is the best thing they've done in a while because I definitely don't think it tops this song on their last record with about the same amount of time for a song and similar theme. "Pale Blue Dot."

Full disclosure - for me anyway, I haven't listened to a full DT album in quite some time. They really turned me off that that horrendous and ridiculously pretentious concept album about Princess Petunia or whatever.

The more Rudess influences DT, the less I like listening to DT. The James Labrie solo albums are better than anything DT has put out since ToT too.

[Hulk Krogan]

Full disclosure - for me anyway, I haven't listened to a full DT album in quite some time. They really turned me off that that horrendous and ridiculously pretentious concept album about Princess Petunia or whatever.

Yeah, the last album I actually made it through was the first one with Mangini, and that was probably 80% because it was Images and Words worship with more modern guitar tones.

Even then, every song was a couple of interesting riffs and ideas stretched to 10+ minutes by tiresome bullshit.

Exactly, it's the same old overplay for the sake of overplaying DT. Every new thing from them is kind of like a juggler with 8 bowling pins in the air adding ANOTHER!! No real interest from me. Maybe if they rediscover the role of melody in their songwriting...

I was listening to Scenes from a Memory and Images and Words the other day and like, they're full of memorable songs with good hooks and catchy riffs. They're entertaining to listen to even if you're not sitting there going "oh cool, he's playing an 11/8 polyrhythm using sus4diminishedadd11 chords here!"

Edit: This shit is criminal::

It's a fun, cheesy rock song with enormous guitar tone and sick riffs utterly ruined by like 7 minutes of noodling.

[jacksonplayer]

Full disclosure - for me anyway, I haven't listened to a full DT album in quite some time. They really turned me off that that horrendous and ridiculously pretentious concept album about Princess Petunia or whatever.

The more Rudess influences DT, the less I like listening to DT. The James Labrie solo albums are better than anything DT has put out since ToT too.

Hell, I'm not even really listening to metal at all at the moment.

This new DT song has some interesting things going on but also has a "DT by numbers" aspect to it. The reality is that they know their audience and deliver what those folks want. They're unlikely to branch out and be more experimental...or go simple, for that matter.

[Soopahmahn]

You're right, Petrucci and Mangini especially sound amazing. LaBrie sounds strong too. Hopefully this is a decent record!

By the way, did you see the guy who had a full multi-cam cover of the song ready within an hour of the video release?

[mpexus]

You're right, Petrucci and Mangini especially sound amazing. LaBrie sounds strong too. Hopefully this is a decent record!

By the way, did you see the guy who had a full multi-cam cover of the song ready within an hour of the video release?

He explained it... in Germany the song was released at midnight, so around 14 hours sooner than the rest... still is freaking impressive

[scole]

Footage of Mangini working out his drum parts for the new album:

[Webdood]

Much better than the last several albums, Still much prefer TOT to anything else.

[Bloody_Inferno]

It's ok. Didn't blow me away, but I'll reserve judgement until the full album drops.

[Drew]

One listen in so far so this is mostly first impressions.

*Petrucci's tone here, particularly his lead tone, is better than it's been for at least the last several albums.
*song has promise, but feels a little... meandering? Some good sections, good melodies, it just feels like it would hit a little harder if they tightened it up
*Petrucci's main solo section, IMO, should have been 50% shorter. IT starts off awesome, lots of good melodic content with some cool little flourishes... then as it goes on it sounds like it's got some aggressive punches/cuts in a few places and becomes a lot more exercise-like. We all know JP can shred, we've heard him do this stuff a ton before, how the second half of this solo differs from a million other solos he's taken is mostly inside baseball.

Not bad at all... but it has me hoping this is the long "progressive" song of a tighter, more concise, more focused album.

I had the video playing in the other room while working in my living room, so thankfully I missed most of that.

[beneharris]

I think Octavarium and back is obviously the best stuff DT ever put out. It went downhill from there big time, but I will still listen to and buy what they put out. I really like all the noodling they do, it is one of my favorite parts.

Not bad at all... but it has me hoping this is the long "progressive" song of a tighter, more concise, more focused album.

Sorry to disappoint you - 6:25 is the shortest song

[RevDrucifer]

I’ll give this a good listen in my truck in a few minutes.

I really dug the last album and it got a decent amount of plays, it was definitely my favorite thing since ToT and hopefully this one is on par or better.

My best friend, Jay, is a Berklee dude, we were both huge DT fanatics growing up and during his 2 years at Berklee, he pretty much filled his schedule up with every Mangini lab he had. He’s working at the Drum Center of Portsmouth now and they’ve got Mangini’s big ass, 4-kick drum touring kit set up and for sale in there (only $50K!). He’s not really supposed to play it, but the second he got in the store before anyone else did, he ran back there and jammed out for a while. There’s some kind of full-circle scenario in there somehow, but I’m stoked he got to rock out on that kit for a little bit.

[Drew]

Sorry to disappoint you - 6:25 is the shortest song

Dammit!

[playstopause]

At first listen, I feel like I've heard that DT song a couple of times before.