This is quite good. I get "Train of Thought" vibes. 10 minutes flow seamlessly, I was even surprised to see it really was 10 minutes. Makes me feel optimistic for the new album.

Excited. As always. It's not gonna be their best, but it'll be damn good. I'll listen to the single soon.

Sounds like something from Train of Thought/Systematic Chaos era, good stuff

I really don't like Hugh Syme's artwork though, this does nothing to change that opinion

This new song kicks ass. Welcome back, Portnoy!

I'm getting Train Of Thought, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings vibes. I already liked it on the first spin, but I've heard it a third time by now, and I dig it even more.

Good song, nice flow, it didn't feel like a 10 minutes song (time flew by quickly ).

Written by (o> . <o> ) on 11.10.2024 at 02:47

I'm getting Train Of Thought, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings vibes. I already liked it on the first spin, but I've heard it a third time by now, and I dig it even more.

Same. I'm already loving it, not just because of the vibes of their 2000s material but the return of Mike Portnoy!

Every album post Systematic Chaos (which was a fantastic album, by the way) has felt like Dream Theater has been on autopilot. Nothing bad, but nothing great either. And, I had hopes for this new album, but this song feels like more of the same: autopilot music, which isn't bad, just not great.

Written by Daniell on 10.10.2024 at 21:08

This is quite good. I get "Train of Thought" vibes. 10 minutes flow seamlessly, I was even surprised to see it really was 10 minutes. Makes me feel optimistic for the new album.

Just listening to this new song makes me feel like it's 2003 again.

Written by Claudric on 11.10.2024 at 15:49

I can't believe that no one has put a bad comment about this song yet so I'll try. What do we have here ? An intro made of 5 boring notes that builds nothing, leading to another intro made of the same chord progression. The whole part sounds like a attempt to reacreate As I Am, but by a 60 yo grandpa who barely remembers it. New old member obligatory solo part — to more or less the same notes but this time played with *virtuosity*. Jordan Rudess reading a partition bothers me, like is he too busy to learn the song by heart even for a f*cking music video or what ? Then the guys slow down a bit to let LaBrie make this song sound like every other DT songs of the last 15 years, and guess what : it's the same riff again just about cut in half. Oh crap, it's almost chorus time, why don't we repeat that riff we made earlier but this time Jordan has something new and fresh to bring on top of it — sike ! It's the overused Korg sound (yes, the one he's using since 1999) and playing the same notes again with some unremarkable twists. We're not 4min in yet and LaBrie is singing the most forgettable chorus of all the awful last five DT albums. 5:30 and AT LAST we get the funny proggy metal we expected, but it's nothing that we haven't heard before, and it's certainly not worth the 5 min of pain that it takes to get to it. 7min and there's the solo OMG Petrucci plays faster than Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio put together and Rudess is the reincarnation of Beethoven (except it's Baldoven) !!! Too bad this solo is ugly as F*CK, even for prog metal low standards, it's so incongruous and blatantly show-offy that I wonder exactly what level of vulgarity separates them from Cardi B at this point... 8:30 and it's Petrucci's-epic-emotional-solo time he has done only in 13 songs already starting in Octavarium 20 years ago. Let's repeat that chorus 2 times before the end because you probably already forgot it. Then the same unoriginal riff a couple times more with drum rolls everywhere (because we need some close up on Portnoy) and we're finally done. It is not good.

Overall I was not as impressed with this song as most people, but I thought it was decent with a few great moments. This comment is a joke though.

The first part sounds almost like a black metal intro.
The song as a whole is simply AWESOME. Got me hyped for the full record.

The guys took the second half of Steven Wilson's Ancestral and turned it into an album. Aight

Written by Claudric on 11.10.2024 at 15:49

I can't believe that no one has put a bad comment about this song yet so I'll try. What do we have here ? An intro made of 5 boring notes that builds nothing, leading to another intro made of the same chord progression. The whole part sounds like a attempt to reacreate As I Am, but by a 60 yo grandpa who barely remembers it. New old member obligatory solo part — to more or less the same notes but this time played with *virtuosity*. Jordan Rudess reading a partition bothers me, like is he too busy to learn the song by heart even for a f*cking music video or what ? Then the guys slow down a bit to let LaBrie make this song sound like every other DT songs of the last 15 years, and guess what : it's the same riff again just about cut in half. Oh crap, it's almost chorus time, why don't we repeat that riff we made earlier but this time Jordan has something new and fresh to bring on top of it — sike ! It's the overused Korg sound (yes, the one he's using since 1999) and playing the same notes again with some unremarkable twists. We're not 4min in yet and LaBrie is singing the most forgettable chorus of all the awful last five DT albums. 5:30 and AT LAST we get the funny proggy metal we expected, but it's nothing that we haven't heard before, and it's certainly not worth the 5 min of pain that it takes to get to it. 7min and there's the solo OMG Petrucci plays faster than Malmsteen and Michael Angelo Batio put together and Rudess is the reincarnation of Beethoven (except it's Baldoven) !!! Too bad this solo is ugly as F*CK, even for prog metal low standards, it's so incongruous and blatantly show-offy that I wonder exactly what level of vulgarity separates them from Cardi B at this point... 8:30 and it's Petrucci's-epic-emotional-solo time he has done only in 13 songs already starting in Octavarium 20 years ago. Let's repeat that chorus 2 times before the end because you probably already forgot it. Then the same unoriginal riff a couple times more with drum rolls everywhere (because we need some close up on Portnoy) and we're finally done. It is not good.

I ain’t reading all that.

I’m happy for you though.

Or sorry that it happened.

Yes, I quite like this. Singles are not really DT's strong suit (or haven't been for a while), but this is one of their best in a long time. Didn't feel like 10 minutes either, which is saying something.

Written by Claudric on 13.10.2024 at 21:15

Written by A Real Mönkey on 13.10.2024 at 18:14

Written by Claudric on 11.10.2024 at 15:49

I ain’t reading all that.

I’m happy for you though.

Or sorry that it happened.

Never heard of someone feeling "happy or sorry" before. What a schrodingerian nightmare it must be.

Lol

Well analysed about the new song. I had a couple of good spins out of new DT track and I didn't find nothing but bloated attempt to reincarnate old-DT.

Written by A Real Mönkey on 13.10.2024 at 18:14

I ain’t reading all that.

Then why even bother replying to the comment?

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 13.10.2024 at 23:27

bloated attempt to reincarnate old-DT.

Attempt to reincarnate old DT? Correct, because this is exactly what it is supposed to be. Whether or not it's good is another matter.
Bloated? Haven't you heard DT before? This is their standard song length.

I'll take re-hashing of their mid-era over farts like The Astonishing any day of the week. At this point of their career expectiing them to come up with something new or groundbreaking is a pipe dream. I know, technically, on The Astonishing they were trying to do something kind of new. But the quality...

Written by Claudric on 15.10.2024 at 14:08

"Re-incarnate, re-hashing, nothing new or groundbreaking" : this is a new low on the scale of expectation. I'll call it the "no-more-dream Theater" level.

I'm not quite sure I understand your intentions correctly.
Anyway. These guys released some brilliant music in the past. Some of the best prog albums of all time too. "Scenes From A Memory" is practically untouchable in my book. "Images and Words" is close to an absolute as well. These two albums alone are enough for me to hold DT in high regard, no matter what they come up with. I will mercilessly bash brain farts like The Astonishing, but it won't change my general opinion of DT.

It is extremely rare that an old band releases their 'teenth album and it's as good as their best releases from a few decades back. Overkill did it, Exodus too, to name a few. Perhaps DT will rise to the occasion one day as well.

Overall, it's an enjoyable song. It has some good moments, and I like the overall flow of it quite a lot. The latter is why I think a lot of people are saying, it doesn't really feel like 10 minutes, and I'm inclined to agree with that sentiment.

There are however some sections that feel a bit by the numbers. The intro does sound like it was inspired by As I am, but doesn't sound as inspired or tight as the intro of that track, which ultimately makes it a slightly blander decoction. There are a few more of these here and there, but like I said, I do overall like this track. It might not be DT's most original track, but it's a solid one. I would imagine it will serve its purpose well as the second track to keep the pace and flow of the album going.