Dream Theater

[Evan89]

 

[Avedas]

Looking at the transcription and actually paying proper attention to the riffs, it does seem a bit uninspired to me. There were much better riffs on LTE3 and the solo album. The solo section even seemed like a watered down version of LTE. I wish the whole song grooved as hard as the first minute did. Once the slow melody came in the song lost me.

I'm still expecting there to be some gems on the album of course though.

 

[Stuck_in_a_dream]

New song is OK, but as someone who started listening to DT in the early '90s, I feel like I have already heard it in a similar shape or form multiple times in the past.

Same here as being a fan since I&W, but I loved it! Sounds fresh to me, compared to the Astonishing for example. Loved John's tone, more clarity, great fusion-y phrasing in solo starting at 5:36. There's always gonna be what makes DT sounds like DT, that's why I also listen to Obscura, u know, other stuff. As far as DT goes in my book, this was awesome.

 

[StevenC]

This song is pretty boring honestly. It's not actively bad like some of their music, but completely unremarkable.

 

[Nik_Left_RG]

Agree with the assessment above.

Listening to song made me feel - oh, here we go again - power chord + power chord + few single line notes and top it off with distorted keys. It is getting monotonous at this point. Seems like a re-hash of the past 3/4 albums ..

I have been a fan since I&W up until ADTOE.. Last few albums have been un-inspiring to say the least. They are stuck in this repetitive formula in the last 3/4 albums..

I guess I am stuck in the past but wouldn't call their last few albums Progressive at all..

All IMHO of course..

 

[AMOS]

The Alien is great from a technical aspect but it's all been done before. I was hoping for some new territory. I hope the rest of the album isn't so familiar

 

[AMOS]

Same here as being a fan since I&W, but I loved it! Sounds fresh to me, compared to the Astonishing for example. Loved John's tone, more clarity, great fusion-y phrasing in solo starting at 5:36. There's always gonna be what makes DT sounds like DT, that's why I also listen to Obscura, u know, other stuff. As far as DT goes in my book, this was awesome.

The Astonishing wasn't intended to be a progressive masterpiece, it was a story. But at least it had fresh ideas and a new direction. This Berklee stuff gets old, write something interesting with all that knowledge!

 

[Crungy]

I love these guys but lost interest years ago. The riffs and different sections just seem like they're a caricature of their own band, cycling through the same ideas and motifs.

I'll also say primarily as a bassist that I like you can hear John Myung really well I hated his tone since he went to Musicman basses, this song especially.

I think the last song that really hit me because it's fucking epic was In the Presence of Enemies part 2. The section where it introduces the album opening riff into the Mega Man mono synth part gives me goosebumps every time.

I wonder if any of the other songs will reach those levels.

 

[Crungy]

I will say that watching the video helps it go down a little better lol

 

[groverj3]

Sounds like DT. If you don't like that, you won't like it. It does sound samey, but how many original ideas can someone realistically have? It's good enough that I'll check out the album.

I AM a JP fanboy though.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

It’s gotten better with each listen but like most have said nothing ground breaking here. I miss when DT reserved the heavies intermixed in softer more progressive songs (ie Scarred). They just had more impact. Oh well.

Now what I really want to know is when Romeo is gonna have a new Symphony X album or his next solo album out!!

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Now what I really want to know is when Romeo is gonna have a new Symphony X album or his next solo album out!!

I came across an interview after he released his second solo album saying how disheartened he was with the music industry and how little money albums were making. He said he had a second album ready to record but had lost he motivation to get it done.

it’s been 6 years since the last Symphony X album so hopefully he has been working on music throughout Covid.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

I came across an interview after he released his second solo album saying how disheartened he was with the music industry and how little money albums were making. He said he had a second album ready to record but had lost he motivation to get it done.

it’s been 6 years since the last Symphony X album so hopefully he has been working on music throughout Covid.

Ah yeah, I remember that and maybe explains why he hasn’t released Pt.2. Well that and not having the ability to really tour behind it.

 

[fps]

I really like the new song. It's the band pushing to write the best songs and sections it can, which is fine, and I simply like the melodies and what's going on, nice.

 

[p0ke]

Now that I've heard this song many times, I'm really starting to like it. Seeing Mangini play it at 110% just made it even better for me, that's just crazy:

 

[Ataraxia2320]

The Alien is prob my favourite thing they have done since Octavarium.

Best production any DT album has ever had by a country mile. Mike Mangini finally sounds like he's been cut lose to do what he wants. Some really interesting rhythmical stuff going on.

Only downside is the song is about 2 minutes longer than it really needs to be but that's the nature of the beast. Bring on the new album.

 

[bostjan]

I came across an interview after he released his second solo album saying how disheartened he was with the music industry and how little money albums were making. He said he had a second album ready to record but had lost he motivation to get it done.

it’s been 6 years since the last Symphony X album so hopefully he has been working on music throughout Covid.

I am such a big fan of Symphony X ever since DWoT, and I was so proud of them when they topped the Billboard Rock charts with Paradise Lost. But I know that those guys in the band all hold "regular" day jobs and probably will never be even half as big as they deserve, even if they are #1. It's sad to hear that there's no money in it for a band as good as they are to release solo stuff, but I guess that just proves the point that is so often made that if you took a band like DT and took away all of their endorsements and side swag deals, they just wouldn't be making much money.

 

[I play music]

Now that I've heard this song many times, I'm really starting to like it. Seeing Mangini play it at 110% just made it even better for me, that's just crazy:

what kind of bass drum pedal does he have? looks like both are not in front of the kick drum?

 

[p0ke]

what kind of bass drum pedal does he have? looks like both are not in front of the kick drum?

Something like this maybe?

Couldn't really see his feet so I don't know...

 

[Soya]

He mentioned in a video his drum tech combined two Pearl demon drive double pedals to have the main pedal with beaters set up in the middle and two slave pedals, like the Sonor giant step or that goofy ass pedal Will Calhoun uses.