aerosiphon

Oh my gosh!!!! .. the sample you included is a total mess!!! ... it doesn’t make any sense!! ... you could have put something shorter but with a few more seconds!!!

The only thing I disagree with is that there’s a change in style compared to Octavarium... the album is pretty good, except for some rather dry parts from an emotional point of view (all technical and little homogeneity)... track 7, if it had been a bit shorter, would have been a masterpiece (the interlude full of riffs and breaks doesn’t integrate very well and risks getting tiring... take out the "risks"!)... for the rest, everything works well, even if various elements unfortunately will never make it an important album on the level of Historic Prog... in the meantime, I’m waiting for it to come out in stores because I don’t fully trust what can be downloaded online... who knows?

Damn, she has become tough!!!! ... maybe the most beautiful eyes in all of the music world! ... but the fact that I would really love to take her to bed will never make me buy one of her records ... heh heh ... ("..yes, honey, no .. no, I was chatting with a friend ... what? ... of course I’ll buy your record! ... okay? ... we’ll talk ... bye..").

I can only imagine the faces of Dream Theater when they find out that everyone already had their latest album a week before it hit the stores.

Best review of the two previous ones... it's clear that you listened to the album carefully and you have adequate musical knowledge.
The album isn't bad, let's be honest, I personally have listened to much, much worse!... however, it's not one of the best either (I personally think Train of Thought is better than this in terms of concept and composition, even though many consider it too hard, excessive...). I reiterate that the instrumental parts and riffs are very well done, the guitar and percussion evolutions now lean towards Nu Metal/Thrash... the DT want to take different directions from the Prog of the '70s (it wouldn't make sense to reproduce it in 2007!!) but they do not renounce the traditional components of Prog either (a good combination of past and present!).
As for the riffs or compositional structures that sound too familiar from their previous albums, in my opinion, they are self-citations (Dream Theater never does anything by chance!!).
Two points against are: LaBrie's voice which (contrary to what you say) is much less expressive since Octavarium... even less suitable in this latest album!!... and then the concept of the album itself that I don't agree with: WAR ON TERRORISM on all fronts, this pro-Bush (and anti-peace) concept puts me in strong disagreement with the political ideas of the DT (which permeate the album... and also Octavarium... and also Train of Thought.... it's an obsession!!!)... However, you are willing to justify them a little if you consider the fact that the Twin Towers practically fell on these guys’ heads! ... what if it had happened to us??... what if we had lost our loved ones in that episode? ... how would we think? ... it's also true that years after that incident, the DT could look at the issue in a more rational and less aggressive way (and consider the failure of BUSH's policies a bit more seriously!!!)... and that's it.
Until next time.

I've been listening to the album since yesterday... and the more I listen to it, the more I realize it's not as trivial as some would like to believe; the sounds in some parts are very "spacey"... the album has very varied sonorities, melody and harder parts blend perfectly (as the Dream Theater know how to do well). I’m not a fan of theirs and I don’t take everything at face value, I realize that in many parts of the album there’s a sense of déjà entendu (apart from the intentional self-references they have accustomed us to). Some riffs come off as petulant, some melodies are overly "melodic"... LaBrie’s voice is rather flat... there are many influences felt, especially from "train of thought" (listen to "Constant Motion")... all in all, however, there are excellent rhythmic and compositional ideas, and as usual their virtuosity is shocking and serves as an example to those musicians who want to understand how far you can push yourself on an instrument...
... the album might not quite reach 4 stars and it’s definitely not for a large audience (in fact, it’s rather niche), but it’s still good music made of "healthy" excesses... the album is by no means unpleasant and flows well (perhaps a bit lengthy, but enjoyable).
One last thing: I don't want to convince anyone to like this album, but please let’s not make "the attack on Dream Theater" a national sport...
Furthermore, I confirm that it all has a semblance of déjà entendu, but it’s like saying to a Blues guitarist: << what a drag, do you always play the same progression?!! >>... heh heh... think about it...

Not to spark a debate with the reviewer, but the official date is June 5th (5th June) as stated on the official website (http://www.dreamtheater.net/news_dreamtheater.php#releaseinfo) ... in Europe, the expected date is June 4th ... but it could be subject to change... and let's put this matter to rest (until proven otherwise).

I found the album online... but that doesn't mean anything because in the USA the album hasn't officially come out yet... I wouldn't want the versions to be those that are not final (or unofficial)... if you had told me "I bought it, I had it shipped from America" it would have been a different story... but you're telling me you downloaded it from the internet... eh eh...

Beautiful ... without exaggeration.

BUT THE ALBUM HASN'T BEEN RELEASED YET!! ... or am I wrong??? ... anyway, regardless of how you managed to listen to it, music is made of nuances, tastes that are equally varied and equally valid; let’s not jump to conclusions beforehand (I’ll listen to it and maybe I’ll agree with you, who knows??) however, you didn't describe the work in depth, in fact, you made me understand absolutely nothing about the type of album, the tracks, any curiosities, the theme of the work, the influences, the rhythms, the riffs, the compositional structure .... in short, a rather meager review ... I’m sorry but you deserve 1 star.