I’m one of the few people I’ve seen who thinks Labrie sounds pretty good. Finally is singing within his limits. Has some good power to his vocals on this track.
For me he always been the weakest part of the band,like him in the first few albums,then he started sounding annoying but he sounds good in this new track
I have learned to tune him out/ignore him through the years as the rest of the band is the best & most important part anyway. However, he does sound good on this track...although how much of that is actually studio engineering trickery?
I've always loved his voice from the beginning, but at some point he became weaker and my personal theory is, since Mike P. left, there was nobody, who made him give his best, as you can see in the "Making of ... Systematic Chaos DVD". Mike and John let him repeat certain lines until it sounds perfect. Thereafter he recorded most of his vocal tracks at home ... He's still great in studio ... but I've heard some terrible parts when they played live ... I think they should avoid certain songs : Pull me under, Under a glass moon etc
@@jimit.4220 it was the instrumental for me, there's still a small section that I find a bit too 'out there' for my liking, but then the glorious last part drops before the final chorus....overall it's a superb song :)
I don't think it's coincidence that I hear a *lot* of callback to 'Pull Me Under' in this new track. That's not a bad thing. I also agree with folks who hear lots of Rush sprinkled in there. Petrucci has always liked those dissonant open chords that really marked Alex Lifeson's work, and there's a metric crapton in this song. Great stuff. Jim, good to see you, it's been awhile! I guess the Tube of You finally decided to bring you back into my rotation. :D
Your critique is spot on. This is the Dream Theater I like. It's welcoming and approachable and doesn't make me feel like I need a PHD in music theory to listen to it. It's why I love Images and Words and I'm indifferent to almost everything else they've done.
If music is a chore or difficult to digest, it can make it intimidating. I want to enjoy the music I listen to, but I can also appreciate the complexities in it too, something with a bit of meat on the bones as it were! I think I used to feel that about Tool before I really took the plunge with them.
I think that Jordan Rudess plays a big part of it. Things started to go south after Mike left and Jordan had free hands. Kevin Moore period was the best for me
@@RareHarmony of course but not that much 😊 He’s the no3 keyboardist at DT, which is a great achievement as well. Kevin Moore had most soul and emotion in his playing Jordan is the most technical Derek somewhere there between. Maybe he was the best showman 😊
There will be an instrumental version of the album released along with the Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set (February 7, 2025 release)... so you'll be able to find a copy of that version online soon afterwards.
Happy to see you enjoying yourself. I like Night Terror it has some great stuff and the Rush sound is undeniable. However, I also enjoyed The Alien, which won them a Grammy and Metropolis 1 is just a masterpiece of progressive metal.
That song is a glimpse into what could have been with the guest vocals from dUg Pinnick from King's X. His vocals would have been some I would have liked to hear with DT.
I've seen Dream theater 3 times an amazing live band ..But I saw a band on the same festival Called Heretoir amazing .if you haven't heard of them listen to The circle unbelievable album
Probably not fair to expect anything hugely groundbreaking from DT after all this time. They know what they're good at and this is more of what they're good at - impressively fast and textured metal with technique on show amongst the groovy riffage. I think it's up there with their best though admittedly musically it's not a big stretch from Metropolis 2. Did they miss Portnoy? I had nothing against Mike Mangini but the answer is a big 'Yes'.
I got a call at 3 in the morning not long ago, and all the caller said was "we're putting the band back together"...and hung up!....i think it was Mike P!
Portnoy is what makes it cohesive…Mangini is brilliant…but Portnoy has that “Peart-ish” way of drawing a straight rhythmic line to tempo and time changes…makes it flow better
@@rudolfbecker4313 Yes. Especially the older stuff, but also some newer songs have what we could call "soul" (which is a vague or ambiuous term anyways). I think, for instance, Breaking All Illusions is an example of a relatively modern song with plenty of soul.
@@AMGU2B that's one of the few ones in the Mangini era, I honestly think that Mike P was missing as congenious partner to John P in the writing process. Probably the album with "most soul" is SFAM, just thinking of Through my eyes and The Spirit Carries On (meine Beerdigungsmusik😆)
I agree with what you said about some of DT's songs feel like they are just cramming as much as they can into it. But have you listened to the album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory? It's not only my favorite DT album but one of my favorite albums of all time. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't.
Maybe recency bias as I've listened to this more than any other DT song in this little stretch of time, but it has one of my favourite instrumental sections of any DT song, i absolutely love it. The modern, tight production, combined with an LTE-esque style with Mike making sure to tell us he is BACK and Petrucci juiciness make it so good. And the lack of James (joking I actually think he sounds really good here)
Sometimes Dream Theatre do great openings.....then it goes a bit down hill from there for some reason..... Enjoying the energy of this from the go....Sabbath, Rush, tiny bit of Alice In Chains and Metallica in there too....half way through and 👍 With it all the way. One of their better releases.
I'm definitely looking forward to the whole album in February. This song is really, really good. My have I missed Portnoy. Mangini was a solid replacement, but it was just not the same. I'm so thankful all is right again.
The first few seconds sound a lot like Redshift (synthesizer band). I like this a whole lot (although it’s a pretty standard DT song); maybe a bit darker indeed. I’m used to James Labrie’s voice but he sounds good here; he keeps away from the higher notes. I think you’ve gotta re-listen The alien and then give your verdict again.
How can anyone, with a straight face, say honestly that this is "a hundred times better" than The Alien? I mean, you might like it more, that is subjective, but in no paralel universe this is better than The Alien. This song is pretty much a standard DT song, stretched out a bit too much (it is almost 10 minutes for essentially a single). The Alien had way more variety, a less standard structure, and more interesting sections. This is not a bad song at all, it is actually enjoyable, but by no means this is a better song than The Alien. This is comparable to other lesser songs like Untethered Angel, The Enemy Inside, and Invisible Monster.
Feels like the "groove" is back, this sounds like something from Train Of Thought. Nothing too special about it but ok, better than anything after Octavarium, checked out after that one.
Better than In The Presence of Enemies? Better than Breaking All Illusions? Better than Bridges n the Sky? The Alien? Barstool Warrior? I think you might be exaggerating a little bit.
What a joke they've become. Bringing back their college buddy so they could hang together again was such a a mistake. I hope you're all happy with your RLRLKK fills from here on our.
seems like you're one of the defenders of MM. I was at the Cologne concert, it was such a big fun, having MP back on stage. I've been on every tour since 2000 and I respect MM as a great drummer, technically better than MP, but on stage he was just the drummer. With MP the showmaster is back ... and what's bad about the new song ... yes, as a long term fan I hear lots of self copying, but still 80% of all progmetal bands would be happy to compose music which so many changes and mastership at the instruments.
@@rudolfbecker4313, ask yourself why he left in the first place. Did those issues magically disappear? The answer is no. He bailed on DT, Adrenaline Mob, SOA, etc... He's an egotistical control freak. The other three members will quickly sour on his antics. Am I defending Mangini? Absolutely. Go listen to his YT channel to hear what he was playing on the records, and you will realize just how he got the shaft by JP's piss-poor production.
BTW, this song lasts about the same as Metropolis Part (the song you reacted to a few days ago). It is obvious that this song is not nearly as epic or diverse or interesting as Metropolis Part 1. This song is way too long for what it has to offer. This was a problem that they were suffering in the last MP albums (particularly BC&SL, where songs like A Nightmare to Remember or The Best of Times were overly long to the point of dragging and making you lose interest). This problem was relatively fixed in recent albums. I hope they do not fall into this trap again.
Having watched more of 10 reactions so far, I realize, that the people, who don't know the whole DT catalogue are more impressed like me, the fan, who knows each single DT song. I wish I could say that I like this song very much, but it contains too many elements, I've heard in other DT songs, so for me it's "only" a good song. But I love watching others to be impressed by my favourite band 🤘
I agree! This is a solid song, but it can be considered average for DT standards. I think the overwhelmingly positive reaction is not going to make any good for longtime fans, as the band will be happy to produce more of these "auto-pilot mode" songs.
average DT song = cut and paste from other DT songs.. it's only a "this reminds me of this track or that other track.. etc"...the scope of a progressive band should not be continuously do cover of their songs
@@peppofefe1895 show me the band which doesn't do that after 10 albums ...can you think of 1 band ? they probably had to change many things in their music ... some people will say "wow, sounds great", but the majority will say.... noo, we want the old DT
I get it, but you have to learn how to tune him out & ignore him, putting all focus on the instrumentation & composition. It gets easier to do with time. I had to take this exact same approach with death metal harsh vocals bands at first. I had to baby step into those bands by ignoring the harsh vocals first, then eventually tolerating them, and then to acceptance.
On his worst day, Neil Peart would never write a lyric as insipid as this song’s. Musically it’s largely good and Portnoy’s return is very welcome - but a lot of this is also well-trod ground for DT and really doesn’t explore anything new for them.
I’m one of the few people I’ve seen who thinks Labrie sounds pretty good. Finally is singing within his limits. Has some good power to his vocals on this track.
Agreed, although I saw them in Glasgow last year and he was awful.
For me he always been the weakest part of the band,like him in the first few albums,then he started sounding annoying but he sounds good in this new track
I have learned to tune him out/ignore him through the years as the rest of the band is the best & most important part anyway. However, he does sound good on this track...although how much of that is actually studio engineering trickery?
I have never understood why people don't like him, I've always loved his voice.
I've always loved his voice from the beginning, but at some point he became weaker and my personal theory is, since Mike P. left, there was nobody, who made him give his best, as you can see in the "Making of ... Systematic Chaos DVD". Mike and John let him repeat certain lines until it sounds perfect. Thereafter he recorded most of his vocal tracks at home ...
He's still great in studio ... but I've heard some terrible parts when they played live ... I think they should avoid certain songs : Pull me under, Under a glass moon etc
As with a lot of Dream Theater music the first time I heard it I was like oh that’s pretty good. But then the more I listened the more I loved it.
Exactly, at first I wasn't a big fan of the choruses, but they're actually pretty great
@@jimit.4220 it was the instrumental for me, there's still a small section that I find a bit too 'out there' for my liking, but then the glorious last part drops before the final chorus....overall it's a superb song :)
I don't think it's coincidence that I hear a *lot* of callback to 'Pull Me Under' in this new track. That's not a bad thing. I also agree with folks who hear lots of Rush sprinkled in there. Petrucci has always liked those dissonant open chords that really marked Alex Lifeson's work, and there's a metric crapton in this song. Great stuff. Jim, good to see you, it's been awhile! I guess the Tube of You finally decided to bring you back into my rotation. :D
Your critique is spot on. This is the Dream Theater I like. It's welcoming and approachable and doesn't make me feel like I need a PHD in music theory to listen to it. It's why I love Images and Words and I'm indifferent to almost everything else they've done.
If music is a chore or difficult to digest, it can make it intimidating. I want to enjoy the music I listen to, but I can also appreciate the complexities in it too, something with a bit of meat on the bones as it were! I think I used to feel that about Tool before I really took the plunge with them.
I think that Jordan Rudess plays a big part of it. Things started to go south after Mike left and Jordan had free hands.
Kevin Moore period was the best for me
@@sebulban aww no love for Derek Sherinian?
@@RareHarmony of course but not that much 😊
He’s the no3 keyboardist at DT, which is a great achievement as well.
Kevin Moore had most soul and emotion in his playing
Jordan is the most technical
Derek somewhere there between.
Maybe he was the best showman 😊
"Sabbathy, with Rush running through it!"-- yes!!
I'm really excited how you're gonna like it , so let's go 🤘
Glad you liked it. I think it’s an excellent track and those drums seem to make all the difference. Good reaction!
Just learned that Mike Portnoy is back. What a surprise!
Really enjoy the track! Aside from vocals, it gives me everything I wanted!! Great reaction Jim!!
Vocals are as good as they get, always the weak link in the band
@@chirpywiggins5796 yes I know. Sad but it is reality!
There will be an instrumental version of the album released along with the Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set (February 7, 2025 release)... so you'll be able to find a copy of that version online soon afterwards.
@@nonhuman7562 thank you for the information kind sir!!
Happy to see you enjoying yourself. I like Night Terror it has some great stuff and the Rush sound is undeniable. However, I also enjoyed The Alien, which won them a Grammy and Metropolis 1 is just a masterpiece of progressive metal.
My first listen as well - really enjoyed the track and your reaction!
He always sounds good in studio, it's his live vocals that have been in question for quite some time.
I hope the rest of the album is a bit darker and heavier like this track. Reminds me of some bits off Train of Thought
Why am I two sentences into the video and instantly thinking this guy should record an audio book 😂. VERY soothing voice
I’d love to do that!
HIGHLY recommend checking out Lines In the sand by dream theater. I think DT will makes sense after that . Love the video !
I think that needs “Hells Kitchen” played before it to get the full experience.
That song is a glimpse into what could have been with the guest vocals from dUg Pinnick from King's X. His vocals would have been some I would have liked to hear with DT.
Rush drumming... yes, and also very Lifeson-esque guitar playing by JP here. With the open strings in the chords.... *click NOICE!
I've seen Dream theater 3 times an amazing live band ..But I saw a band on the same festival Called
Heretoir amazing .if you haven't heard of them listen to The circle unbelievable album
Probably not fair to expect anything hugely groundbreaking from DT after all this time. They know what they're good at and this is more of what they're good at - impressively fast and textured metal with technique on show amongst the groovy riffage. I think it's up there with their best though admittedly musically it's not a big stretch from Metropolis 2. Did they miss Portnoy? I had nothing against Mike Mangini but the answer is a big 'Yes'.
I got a call at 3 in the morning not long ago, and all the caller said was "we're putting the band back together"...and hung up!....i think it was Mike P!
fthat solo give me chills
really good song
Portnoy is what makes it cohesive…Mangini is brilliant…but Portnoy has that “Peart-ish” way of drawing a straight rhythmic line to tempo and time changes…makes it flow better
You talked about the soul - the soul is back - Mike Portnoy😄
In my opinion, there is exactly the same soul here as in songs like Untethered Angel or The Enemy Inside. Meaning, there is very little.
@@AMGU2B So is there any soul at all in any DT music - in your opinion ?
@@rudolfbecker4313 Yes. Especially the older stuff, but also some newer songs have what we could call "soul" (which is a vague or ambiuous term anyways). I think, for instance, Breaking All Illusions is an example of a relatively modern song with plenty of soul.
@@AMGU2B that's one of the few ones in the Mangini era, I honestly think that Mike P was missing as congenious partner to John P in the writing process.
Probably the album with "most soul" is SFAM, just thinking of Through my eyes and The Spirit Carries On (meine Beerdigungsmusik😆)
@@rudolfbecker4313 That wouldn't be a bad choice at all! :)
I agree with what you said about some of DT's songs feel like they are just cramming as much as they can into it.
But have you listened to the album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory?
It's not only my favorite DT album but one of my favorite albums of all time. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't.
9.28 min on this video was Rush. 2112 or something in that era.
Maybe recency bias as I've listened to this more than any other DT song in this little stretch of time, but it has one of my favourite instrumental sections of any DT song, i absolutely love it. The modern, tight production, combined with an LTE-esque style with Mike making sure to tell us he is BACK and Petrucci juiciness make it so good. And the lack of James (joking I actually think he sounds really good here)
Sometimes Dream Theatre do great openings.....then it goes a bit down hill from there for some reason.....
Enjoying the energy of this from the go....Sabbath, Rush, tiny bit of Alice In Chains and Metallica in there too....half way through and 👍
With it all the way. One of their better releases.
I like this track a lot. MP managed to keep Rudes in bay.
Don’t get it wrong, I like him a lot but he needs some restrictions 😂
I'm definitely looking forward to the whole album in February. This song is really, really good. My have I missed Portnoy. Mangini was a solid replacement, but it was just not the same. I'm so thankful all is right again.
The first few seconds sound a lot like Redshift (synthesizer band).
I like this a whole lot (although it’s a pretty standard DT song); maybe a bit darker indeed.
I’m used to James Labrie’s voice but he sounds good here; he keeps away from the higher notes.
I think you’ve gotta re-listen The alien and then give your verdict again.
How can anyone, with a straight face, say honestly that this is "a hundred times better" than The Alien? I mean, you might like it more, that is subjective, but in no paralel universe this is better than The Alien. This song is pretty much a standard DT song, stretched out a bit too much (it is almost 10 minutes for essentially a single). The Alien had way more variety, a less standard structure, and more interesting sections. This is not a bad song at all, it is actually enjoyable, but by no means this is a better song than The Alien. This is comparable to other lesser songs like Untethered Angel, The Enemy Inside, and Invisible Monster.
you are right at one point : we should stop using the word better, when we compare music, unless we always add "I like" 😆🤘
@@rudolfbecker4313 Spot on, mate! :)
Feels like the "groove" is back, this sounds like something from Train Of Thought. Nothing too special about it but ok, better than anything after Octavarium, checked out after that one.
Better than In The Presence of Enemies? Better than Breaking All Illusions? Better than Bridges n the Sky? The Alien? Barstool Warrior? I think you might be exaggerating a little bit.
@@AMGU2B The what !?
@@AMGU2B Barstool Warrior is one of my all time favourite Dream Theater songs. That solo is so good
So much Neil Peart. Is their higher praise for a drummer? I think not!
What a joke they've become. Bringing back their college buddy so they could hang together again was such a a mistake. I hope you're all happy with your RLRLKK fills from here on our.
seems like you're one of the defenders of MM. I was at the Cologne concert, it was such a big fun, having MP back on stage. I've been on every tour since 2000 and I respect MM as a great drummer, technically better than MP, but on stage he was just the drummer. With MP the showmaster is back ... and what's bad about the new song ... yes, as a long term fan I hear lots of self copying, but still 80% of all progmetal bands would be happy to compose music which so many changes and mastership at the instruments.
@@rudolfbecker4313, ask yourself why he left in the first place. Did those issues magically disappear? The answer is no. He bailed on DT, Adrenaline Mob, SOA, etc... He's an egotistical control freak. The other three members will quickly sour on his antics. Am I defending Mangini? Absolutely. Go listen to his YT channel to hear what he was playing on the records, and you will realize just how he got the shaft by JP's piss-poor production.
BTW, this song lasts about the same as Metropolis Part (the song you reacted to a few days ago). It is obvious that this song is not nearly as epic or diverse or interesting as Metropolis Part 1. This song is way too long for what it has to offer.
This was a problem that they were suffering in the last MP albums (particularly BC&SL, where songs like A Nightmare to Remember or The Best of Times were overly long to the point of dragging and making you lose interest). This problem was relatively fixed in recent albums. I hope they do not fall into this trap again.
Having watched more of 10 reactions so far, I realize, that the people, who don't know the whole DT catalogue are more impressed like me, the fan, who knows each single DT song.
I wish I could say that I like this song very much, but it contains too many elements, I've heard in other DT songs, so for me it's "only" a good song.
But I love watching others to be impressed by my favourite band 🤘
I agree! This is a solid song, but it can be considered average for DT standards. I think the overwhelmingly positive reaction is not going to make any good for longtime fans, as the band will be happy to produce more of these "auto-pilot mode" songs.
average DT song = cut and paste from other DT songs.. it's only a "this reminds me of this track or that other track.. etc"...the scope of a progressive band should not be continuously do cover of their songs
@@peppofefe1895 show me the band which doesn't do that after 10 albums ...can you think of 1 band ?
they probably had to change many things in their music ... some people will say "wow, sounds great", but the majority will say.... noo, we want the old DT
Opeth @@rudolfbecker4313
@@rudolfbecker4313 Which is exactly what happened with The Astonishing.
Man I really wanna love DT. Incredible musicians and music but the vocals have always ruined the experience for me unfortunately
I get it, but you have to learn how to tune him out & ignore him, putting all focus on the instrumentation & composition. It gets easier to do with time.
I had to take this exact same approach with death metal harsh vocals bands at first. I had to baby step into those bands by ignoring the harsh vocals first, then eventually tolerating them, and then to acceptance.
On his worst day, Neil Peart would never write a lyric as insipid as this song’s. Musically it’s largely good and Portnoy’s return is very welcome - but a lot of this is also well-trod ground for DT and really doesn’t explore anything new for them.
Never liked the singer. So yeah, the instrumental band is amazing.
rumour says, there' s gonna be an instrumental version of the song
Dream Theater have actually managed to create an entirely new genre called ive metal, by completely removing Progress from Progressive.
This track sounds like Portnoy claiming that "Danny Carie has nothing on me!" He recently did a video on Drumeo attempting to play Tool's Pneuma.