New Dream Theater is out today and so far...

[Ghost.]

This is my favorite track so far within the four tracks deep into the album I am in.


Andy Sneap did a great job mixing this record. Petrucci's tone really shines here. I love his solos on this track, his wah tone is perfect.
He must have been hanging out with Vai with the all tapping he keeps adding.
Looking forward to listening to the rest of the album.

Curious to see what everyone else thinks.

[RevDrucifer]

I’m cautious to listen to it. I loved Distance Over Time, but even then, I only listened to it for about 3-4 weeks after it came out and haven’t been back since. I want it to be awesome, I’m just tired of being disappointed by DT records and that first single was not doing anything to excite me…..by any means.

[Ghost.]

I’m cautious to listen to it. I loved Distance Over Time, but even then, I only listened to it for about 3-4 weeks after it came out and haven’t been back since. I want it to be awesome, I’m just tired of being disappointed by DT records and that first single was not doing anything to excite me…..by any means.

I totally can relate.

I loved DOT as well. I've listened to certain tracks here and there.

There are some cool moments. I just feel like DT should expand in certain places and they never choose to. Which confuses me considering they were the band that used to push the envelope.

[RevDrucifer]

I totally can relate.

I loved DOT as well. I've listened to certain tracks here and there.

There are some cool moments. I just feel like DT should expand in certain places and they never choose to. Which confuses me considering they were the band that used to push the envelope.

I know all the DT threads turn into nostalgia/Mike VS Mike threads, but I think their biggest downfall is not sitting in a room and letting the songs write themselves. You can tell on WDADU/I&W/Awake/ACOS and even stuff from FII that they were creating those songs by sitting around and improvising and seeing where the songs took them and once they started writing in the studio, all that magic went away. This is entirely why I don’t mind Tool taking forever to write a record, they still write this way and the songs are so much more organic as a result. They’ve just been writing dry-erase board songs for too damn long.

[Chris]

I'm not sure I want Sneap mixed DT. I like Sneap mixes, it's part of why I own a 5150. I don't think they belong here though.

[jacksonplayer]

Took a listen. Didn't make much of a first impression on me.

[Chris]

I take it back, that production sounds awesome.

[scole]

It sounds like Dream Theater and nothing is memorable almost like what you’d expect from a YouTuber writing a song “in the style” of Dream Theater. Petrucci’s solo works against the mix rather than with it much like the production of Satriani’s Surfing/Blue Dream era.

[zepp]

I liked this one. Listened through it yesterday

[playstopause]

That song in the OP has its moments. Classic DT.

[Chris]

Aye, I have to say while I didn't love it, it was the first DT song in a while that made me want to listen to the whole thing.

The chorus is typical oldschool DT cheese but it works.

[desertdweller]

I take it back, that production sounds awesome.

I'm honestly not big on this mix, especially the very middy rhythm guitar tone that sounds like the mic is in the wrong place, and the over reliance on drum samples when you have a killer drummer like Mangini.

The solos and duet in Answering the Call are an early highlight for me on a first run through the album- such a fantastic section.

[Jeff]

I’m grateful for Apple Music, as I didn’t waste $9.99 on this.

[Budda]

I listened to this, because one of my best friends tried showing me DT in high school when I was heavily into nu metal.

Still not my bag. Ah well.

[jacksonplayer]

After a couple listens, I'm coming around on it. "Awaken the Master" and the title track are the standouts, especially the former.

It could have used a little more variety, and that's my main complaint. The songs all have lots of cool stuff going on, though, once you let it sink in. Only one ragtime solo from Rudess, so there's that. In general, I wish he was more modern jazz and less Julliard/corny when it comes to harmony, but if that's what Petrucci wanted then I'm sure that'd be there.

As for the production, I'm listening on YouTube--so, naturally it's very compressed and up-front. In general, the production sounds very pristine and modern, but I'd love to hear a mix with more natural, less-compressed drums. Mangini's drum parts would "sing" more if the kit sounded more unified and not like a collection of random compressed drum samples all over the mix.

Also, Petrucci could stand to dial down the saturation on his rhythm parts, for the most part, or else single-track those parts. Too much going on in the mix to have that big a guitar wall.

Taking those steps with the guitar and drums would probably give the album more "depth" of sound, though I'll wait to hear a non-YouTube version before giving a final verdict on that.

[Megametal7]

I just listened to a whole song, only thing I like is the riff from 10sec mark and that's it.

[desertdweller]

Alright I'll say it. This album bores me. I like Answerimg the Call, Awaken the Master has some cool guitar tones, but the songs are just not my cup of tea.

[beneharris]

Alright I'll say it. This album bores me. I like Answerimg the Call, Awaken the Master has some cool guitar tones, but the songs are just not my cup of tea.

I'm right there with you. It is like DT only remembers how to write one song anymore. The 20 minute song is the same song as the 10 minute song, just with 10 minutes added to it.

[Chris]

Alright I'll say it. This album bores me. I like Answerimg the Call, Awaken the Master has some cool guitar tones, but the songs are just not my cup of tea.

Bring back this guy.

[desertdweller]

Bring back this guy.

And this guy

[tim]

Yea, to me DT can be split into albums with Moore and Portnoy, albums without Moore and with Portnoy, and albums without both Moore and Portnoy. Moore DT is the best DT. Some of the Portnoy years do get a little stale, especially in the later albums, but I noticed a very noticeable shift after Portnoy left. It's not that Mangini is bad, it's that I felt that Portnoy helped level out Petrucci and Rudess a bit. I mean...the astonishing...

Having said that, I think this new album is the best post Portnoy album. It's nowhere close to anything with Portnoy or Moore, but it's listenable.

[desertdweller]

Yea, to me DT can be split into albums with Moore and Portnoy, albums without Moore and with Portnoy, and albums without both Moore and Portnoy. Moore DT is the best DT. Some of the Portnoy years do get a little stale, especially in the later albums, but I noticed a very noticeable shift after Portnoy left. It's not that Mangini is bad, it's that I felt that Portnoy helped level out Petrucci and Rudess a bit. I mean...the astonishing...

Having said that, I think this new album is the best post Portnoy album. It's nowhere close to anything with Portnoy or Moore, but it's listenable.

I liked the album with Paralyzed on it, and the self titled.

But the last album of theirs i truly loved was Black Clouds. The Count of Tuscany is just a wonderful song. I got to see them at the Greek Theater in LA on that tour and they were just awesome.

[jacksonplayer]

I'm just going to drop this right here. Amazing...

[RevDrucifer]

I’ve tossed this on a few times but nothing has grabbed me. I dig the mix and the tones on it, definitely some of the better Mangini sounds they’ve had (even though there’s some sloppy velocity editing on some of the fills) but I know a big thing working against it for me was the vocals. I saw a lot of complaints about the energy and I think even defended LaBrie a bit recently here or elsewhere, but yeah…..I don’t even mean him singing high notes, just the delivery itself is so lifeless.

Meanwhile, Mastodon’s Hushed And Grim has not stopped playing in my house since Friday night. It’s just on repeat on either my studio computer or my iPad. I checked out some of the new Whitechapel on the way to a show last night and will give that another spin, but I feel like it’s going to be a chore to make it through this DT album.

[DonBot]

I gotta say, I can't tell the difference between these songs and anything they have released in the last 20 years. And can they please take the keyboards away from Rudess and give him something else to do?
And Mangini... just because you have a 5000 piece kit does not mean you have to use every. single. one.