Written by JoHn Doe on 23.10.2021 at 14:28

Written by Daddy Pig on 23.10.2021 at 14:26

Why only 10sec of ragtime piano? I want more ragtime!

God, no
what's next more cowbell?

Yes, that's what's missing! Lol

Most consistent DT album in a long time.

Inb4 "yeah most consistently mediocre".

DT as usual, nothing unusual, nothing exceptional, nothing new.
Boring in many ways.

Written by ProgHead on 25.10.2021 at 08:42

DT as usual, nothing unusual, nothing exceptional, nothing new.
Boring in many ways.

if I found an album "boring in many ways", I would not rate it a 7 (which here on MS means "good album").

Written by JoHn Doe on 25.10.2021 at 09:05

Written by ProgHead on 25.10.2021 at 08:42

DT as usual, nothing unusual, nothing exceptional, nothing new.
Boring in many ways.

if I found an album "boring in many ways", I would not rate it a 7 (which here on MS means "good album").

but rating it average or bad wouldn't be right. It's not bad. Yet I find it boring and repetitive. Sounds like any other DT album to me. Yet they are pretty good. Solid 7 to me.
Sure it's personal and opinionated, but that's what votes are

At last, they found the so longed cohesion, the chemistry is finally noticeable! They delivered the album that was promised since A Dramatic Turn of Events!
Summing it up: This is technical musicianship, epic songs, and just the right amount of cheese.

^ I enjoyed the self-titled and Distance Over Time quite a bit.
I listened to the new album twice, it's ok, I need more time (that I do not have), but I will try and give it some more listens soon.

It's not bad but I feel this is their weakest record to date.

Written by Ellinor on 26.10.2021 at 09:29

It's not bad but I feel this is their weakest record to date.

that's The (Un)Astonishing and it will always be, at least for me.

Written by Robdog on 27.10.2021 at 15:52

Dream Theater and the record label, lets face it, there is no passion anymore, it's all about making sales now.

there is passion for making sales now

Nice album with amazing musicianship as usual, but James vocals are the weak point once again. Sadly I don't believe he'll be replaced, so then we must get used to his emotionless performance since this moment on... (well, surely some people would point he has been emotionless for them since before, but IMHO he has reached his bottom at that level of performance).

Heard and heard and heard ......and they don't have anything new or better to offer.... I think DT is done.... Cannot expect a Metropolis again from them......Sad part is....I am still a fan.

More or less the same album as last time around, just not as memorable. The only new thing DT adds is 8 string guitars, which aren't really all that unique anymore.

*Also James' voice has more noticeable pitch correction. The deterioration continues and at some point he is either going to have to stand down or be fired.

Written by metalbrat on 07.11.2021 at 18:14

Heard and heard and heard ......and they don't have anything new or better to offer.... I think DT is done.... Cannot expect a Metropolis again from them......Sad part is....I am still a fan.

I think people shouldn't expect the bands repeat their peak efforts (especially if they have many years in the making), but do nice albums (and receiving beyond average releases as true and wonderful surprises -as happened with Judas Priest's Firepower-).

In the case of DT, sadly I think is futile to expect another album as Metropolis (or in my personal case, Six Degrees, my favorite from them), especially when James' vocals are going for the worst.

I've been trying to figure out for a month whether to give this a 6 or a 7, goddamn solid effort

Only people that hate DT are DT fans that do so many mental gymnastics to dislike their new stuff.

Solid album. I enjoyed it. I know that’s a crime

Written by franksamuel0209 on 04.12.2021 at 15:25

Only people that hate DT are DT fans that do so many mental gymnastics to dislike their new stuff.

Solid album. I enjoyed it. I know that’s a crime

not a crime at all, I enjoyed it as well, despite being a bit predictable. These days, one more or less knows what he/she will get when new DT creates new music.

Not sure I understand some of the hype around this one. Not a bad album, but it really sounds like they're running out of ideas.

Written by franksamuel0209 on 04.12.2021 at 15:25

Only people that hate DT are DT fans that do so many mental gymnastics to dislike their new stuff.

Solid album. I enjoyed it. I know that’s a crime

My favorite DT albums fall under their "newer" (Octavarium and onward) tag, I just don't particularly enjoy this one.

The album sounds too stretched. It's a good album but nothing exceptional song writting wise.

I really like this one, much more than Distance Over Time. Each song here is amazing.

Edit: had to drop the rating to a very strong 8... Couple of the songs feel a little uninspired. "Answering the Call", "Invisible Monster" and the title track remain amazing though.

I feel like most Dream Theater albums, even the ones I dislike, have at least one song that stands out and that shows that they still have some element of brilliance hidden in there. Systematic Chaos had "In The Presence Of The Enemies", A Dramatic Turn Of Events had "Breaking All Illusions" and "Lost Not Forgotten", The Astonishing had "Three Days" or "The Path That Divides" etc etc.
This, on the other hand, while it doesn't in any way reach the lows of the aforementioned albums, has pretty much nothing that could truly elevate it and it just ends up being perhaps their most sterile release to this day. There is nothing that makes it worth coming back to, even though it's a decent experience.

Not the biggest fan of the vocals but other than that really cool album