*Official* The Astonishing discussion thread

[The Astonished]

Brother, Can You Hear Me? has become one of my favourite JLB efforts, ever. He's really acing in that song.

"I sing the song of freedom, my courage knows no bounds.
Brother, now I stand on solid ground.
Brother, I will never let you down.
Never LET YOUUUUU DOOOOOOOOOWN!"

So many shivers down my spine. So fucking great. 

[Progmetty]

^ I'm with you on that

[V_R11]

Brother, Can You Hear Me? has become one of my favourite JLB efforts, ever. He's really acing in that song.

"I sing the song of freedom, my courage knows no bounds.
Brother, now I stand on solid ground.
Brother, I will never let you down.
Never LET YOUUUUU DOOOOOOOOOWN!"

So many shivers down my spine. So fucking great. 

I do wish he would've gone higher in the end though

[Moor]

Has anyone been able to figure out what is that choir singing in the final seconds of Three Days, right after the tango section?

[gm5k]

The riff in "Heaven's Cove" at 2:37 really takes me back to another era of DT.  Is it FII era?  Hard for me to pinpoint.  I love the groove and feel of that riff/section 

HC is definitely one of my favorites on the album after several listens, even if the intro reminds me a bit too much of OTBOA.

[V_R11]

Has anyone been able to figure out what is that choir singing in the final seconds of Three Days, right after the tango section?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18fcD1U7H-v8l8raLuIPfoVNVs65vMGvbHQS00IUCpUk/preview#heading=h.95l4jmoloywa

[dparrott]

Listening to it on the way to work today, I realized that I was right about the GNE: They pretend to be good but in reality are evil.  I picked the wrong side!  I don't want to support these music hating NOMAC loving tyrants!

I can imagine what the artwork for a video for Our New World would look like!  I hope they make one.

[The Astonished]

On the 4th listen now, I think I can name my favourites (for now):

The Gift of Music
A Better Life
Lord Nafaryus
When Your Time Has Come
Act of Faythe
Three Days
Brother, Can You Hear Me?
Chosen
A Tempting Offer
A New Beginning
Moment of Betrayal
The Path That Divides
The Walking Shadow
Losing Faythe
Hymn of a Thousand Voices
Our New World
Power Down
Astonishing


Truly amazing record. So many great stuff on here. Finding something new every time I listen it.

[ResultsMayVary]

  Not sure how a fadeout is "lazy songwriting."  That doesn't even make sense.  "The band didn't end a song the way I think it should have ended" is not "lazy."

The CD is one second shy of being A FULL DISC.  Fuck you Dream Theater. I want that god damned second you thieving gypsies !!!

I think we can all say that there is plenty of music here, but why not add that extra second?

Can't tell if serious or not.

[Train of Naught]

For me:

Dystopian Overture
A Better Life
Three Days
A Life Left Behind
Ravenskill
Chosen
The X Aspect
A New Beginning
Moment of Betrayal
Heaven's Cove
The Path That Divides
The Walking Shadow

[pdurbin22]

I'm a huge fan of "A Savior In The Square"/"When Your Time Has Come." So beautiful and grandiose, and constantly stuck in my head. Don't understand how anyone could find stuff like that forgettable. Not to mention all the other great stuff stuck in my head like "A New Beginning," "Moment of Betrayal," "Our New World" and so much more.

[Kotowboy]

Nah it's more bluesy if anything.

In my opinion - The Astonishing would have carried on that amazing run of Scenes - Six Degrees - Train of thought - Octavarium.

It feels like it picks up where Octavarium left off.

The best album in my opinion.

Easily the best Mangini album.

[The Astonished]

I just found out that the melody of the chorus of "A Better Life" plays at the start of "The road to revolution". Anyone else got that one already? 

That's one of the one things I love about this album. All those numerous recurring themes. And JLB shines alot! I won't be surprised at all, if TA ends up being my favorite album of Dream Theater. It is THAT good.

[ResultsMayVary]

Nah it's more bluesy if anything.

In my opinion - The Astonishing would have carried on that amazing run of Scenes - Six Degrees - Train of thought - Octavarium.

It feels like it picks up where Octavarium left off.

The best album in my opinion.

Easily the best Mangini album.

Agreed. It's their best album in 10 years, without a doubt.

[The Astonished]

I'm a huge fan of "A Savior In The Square"/"When Your Time Has Come." So beautiful and grandiose, and constantly stuck in my head. Don't understand how anyone could find stuff like that forgettable. Not to mention all the other great stuff stuck in my head like "A New Beginning," "Moment of Betrayal," "Our New World" and so much more.

I -love- When Your Time Has Come. My favourite "mellow" song together with Chosen and Losing Faythe.

[fischermasamune]

Has anyone been able to figure out what is that choir singing in the final seconds of Three Days, right after the tango section?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18fcD1U7H-v8l8raLuIPfoVNVs65vMGvbHQS00IUCpUk/preview#heading=h.95l4jmoloywa

The question remains.

[V_R11]

Nah it's more bluesy if anything.

In my opinion - The Astonishing would have carried on that amazing run of Scenes - Six Degrees - Train of thought - Octavarium.

It feels like it picks up where Octavarium left off.

The best album in my opinion.

Easily the best Mangini album.

Agreed. It's their best album in 10 years, without a doubt.

My top 3 albums are Scenes- this one - ADTOE . In that order

[skipreid]

I don't like it. At all. I am a huge DT fan and have seen them numerous times. I was looking forward to this tour, but I won't be going to watch them perform this album. I just couldn't get into it. Of course the musicianship is incredible. I also feel the this is James' best album of vocals. He was brilliant. However after listening to the album 3 times, I can't remember ONE single track that stands out that made me hum or sing a chorus to or catchy riff. For me, the tracks are too short and they never got into songs. I guess it's just a rock opera that HAS to be listened to over the entire act. To me, they focused way too much on the story and characters than the music. I assume now that this tour will be more of a visual play and DT just happens to be standing there playing background tracks. That's just not my thing. So for me, The Astonishing was a big let down and I will pass on it. I also didn't like BCaSL. I would rank this one right down near the bottom with it. I will just listen to Score for a while to restore my FAYTHE....see what I did there?

So we did not hear the same album. Plenty of catchy melodies for me. To say that they did not write songs is beyond my understanding. Sorry, mate, to each their own but... Some tracks still don't click with me, but it's not because they are not songs.

B.Lee

No problem B.Lee. That is the beauty of being an individual. We did dear the same album, we just have a difference of opinion on it. I am glad you enjoyed it.

[Chino]

I have a hard time separating the tracks in my head. I'm constantly waking my phone up to see what song I'm on. The album becomes one huge blur (not complaining).

[TAC]

I have a hard time separating the tracks in my head. I'm constantly waking my phone up to see what song I'm on. The album becomes one huge blur (not complaining).

It gets easier. It's taken me about 7-8 listens.

[rab7]

Has anyone been able to figure out what is that choir singing in the final seconds of Three Days, right after the tango section?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18fcD1U7H-v8l8raLuIPfoVNVs65vMGvbHQS00IUCpUk/preview#heading=h.95l4jmoloywa

The question remains.

All I could make out was "Judgment Day is coming...."

[Shooters1221]

  Not sure how a fadeout is "lazy songwriting."  That doesn't even make sense.  "The band didn't end a song the way I think it should have ended" is not "lazy."

The CD is one second shy of being A FULL DISC.  Fuck you Dream Theater. I want that god damned second you thieving gypsies !!!

I think we can all say that there is plenty of music here, but why not add that extra second?

Can't tell if serious or not.

Not.

[CodyWanKenobi]

Kind of a blown opportunity that they didn't reprise the "and I can't climb this mountain without you" part from Chosen in Whispers On The Wind.

[pantsofeternity]

Has anyone been able to figure out what is that choir singing in the final seconds of Three Days, right after the tango section?

All I could make out was "Judgment Day is coming...."

I believe it's "Judgment Day is coming and you've only got three days... just three days!"

[Kotowboy]

Worked out the Our New World intro riff. But it's fiddly as hell

I can't play it clean at that speed.

[YtseJamittaja]

Am I the only one who thinks Heaven's Cove sounds like Headspace song!? I almost can imagine Damian Wilson singing there.

[pantsofeternity]

In general, I wish they'd included the choral lyrics in the booklet -- most of the time they're just echoing BGVs, but sometimes (as in the case of "Three Days") they're new text that it would be nice to understand.  Especially since they're not exactly mixed with an ear toward enunciation.

[pantsofeternity]

It might have sounded better if songs flowed in and out of the NOMAC tracks instead of them being stand alone.  Then they would have been more like transitional sounds between songs.  It sounds awkward the way it is now to me.

I wondered about this too.  Also, two or three songs contain in-song NOMAC sounds, yes?  It feels like they're present in that abrupt transition in "Savior in the Square," and one Act II song I can't think of at the moment... also, whooshing noises in the overture I assumed were NOMACs.  Anyone able to back me up on this?

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Regarding the "my music player" line--which I also find grating and takes me out of the story--I wish not that they'd substitute another term (mp3 player/iPod, etc.) but that they'd make up some other term for what it'd be called in this other world. The stuff's futuristic, and you've got a lot of world-specific terms already, so what's another one? I think the line would be a lot easier to take seriously that way, and it would be another one of those things where you'd have to dig deep into things to figure out how it all connects. Heck, the music player thing already has that with "BUG." Why not extend it to what the device is called?

Really my only complaints regarding the album--other than the rather poorly-done sound effects--have to do with the elements of the story that have to do with music. There are a few places where they're just too cheesy, and I also don't get a great feel for how exactly the NOMACs tie in with the rest of the story. Generally, I don't really mind lyrics--all of DT's, even TBOT and TCOT,work fine in my opinion, except for these specific bits from TA. I do think this is one element where some internal pushback at JP might've been helpful. It sounds like--from what we know--the band just kind of went with what he had, and often one individual's creative vision needs at least a few bits of sanding and smoothing in a project of this sort of scope.

[Kotowboy]

1. They have to let us know what they're referring to.

2. It's 300 years from now they can't say MP3 or Ipod. That would be antique by then.

3. Music Player is exactly what it is and it won't date it.

[pringkaarwanda]

As you know I've been dying waiting for a true second video in The Astonishing web page, I make my own video then, hahaha
Well, it is not really my own video, but I just realize the video from The Gift of Music in Dream Theater official youtube (the one they use for TGoM release for the first time) is matching with Descent of NOMACS.
So I just put and sync the audio of Descent of NOMACS with that video, and it absolutely great & cool !!!
I am a little bit sure, this video will be used as an opening video before their start playing live in their upcoming concert.

You can watch it here
https://vimeo.com/153834854

[genome]

So, I had my reservations about this album on the first listen. Now I've hit 4 or 5 listens, I'm absolutely loving it. A couple of cheesy bits I'm not too fond of - and a couple of the themes I am not too hot on but on the whole fantastic, and its strongest points are better than anything since Octavarium.

I like:
Dystopian Overture
The Gift of Music
A Better Life
Lord Nafaryus
When Your Time Has Come
The X-Aspect
A New Beginning
Moment of Betrayal
Heaven's Cove
The Path That Divides
Our New World

[The Astonished]

It might have sounded better if songs flowed in and out of the NOMAC tracks instead of them being stand alone.  Then they would have been more like transitional sounds between songs.  It sounds awkward the way it is now to me.

I wondered about this too.  Also, two or three songs contain in-song NOMAC sounds, yes?  It feels like they're present in that abrupt transition in "Savior in the Square," and one Act II song I can't think of at the moment... also, whooshing noises in the overture I assumed were NOMACs.  Anyone able to back me up on this?

I believe the song in Act II you are looking for is "The Path That Divides".

[chrisbDTM]

There's alot of parts on the album that sound like pure Disney to me ESPECIALLY Begin Again. obviously not exact but alot of the faythe stuff reminds me of Menken.
Dream Theater....What I Hear

[RoeDent]

I don't get the complaints about the fadeout ending of ANB. Everything that needs to be said in the song has already been said, and there's plenty of that solo to satisfy before it fades out. Although I am interested in how they will end the song live. Bands usually bring songs to a proper end when playing live, even if the studio version fades out.