aerosiphon

Diplomatic judgment:
The album may leave one perplexed only because different expectations were set for this band. However, it must be said that it is a "class work," a small gem that I would define as "Alternative Pop Rock": The pop structure of the songs is evident, but one must pay attention especially to the nuances and the care of the smallest details to understand that the aims of the album have been fully achieved with great professionalism.
Non-diplomatic judgment:
Honestly, I preferred them to be more aggressive and with the more expansive and mysterious sound of "El Cielo." In my opinion, Dredg, despite their great class, have tried to reach a wider audience: some melodies are excessively predictable and make old fans turn up their noses, while other tracks are rich and well-defined. The interludes open up to more avant-garde sounds but almost feel out of place within an album of entirely different sonic textures.
In short, an album that leaves me perplexed as well: 3.5 stars.

Nice little record, along with the first from the concept... perhaps a bit too ambitious, but enjoyable. Honestly, I hope they evolve in a more concrete way in this sense, leaving the post-hardcore of previous albums a bit behind... but I don't think that's going to happen (judging by the latest rumors). "Vheissu" had positively impressed me with the originality of some tracks; I would love for the next album to be halfway between this and "the alchemy index." We'll see.

I specify that communicativeness sometimes transcends intention :-)

Well, you're not entirely wrong... after all, music is art, and art is communication... so it is clearly never a universal concept.
As a comparison, you make me think of the cuts in Lucio Fontana's canvas: the idea of artistic beauty is strongly tied to what the artist wants to communicate and what reaches the audience.

Honestly, it's a somewhat self-indulgent album... it doesn’t amaze with its "novelties"... rather hard to listen to due to its unsuccessful experimentalism. There are hints of something good here and there, but nothing special: good ideas regarding the intention to mix a bit of "club" genres with a more "philosophical" electronic sound and Jazz/Rock... but for me, these are poorly executed attempts... after all, coming from a band that has never shone but once made a positive impression on me with "Millions Now Living Will Never Die."

5 balls (or stars... however you want) for a J-Ax album seems excessive! Anyway, good review.

very "progressive" disco... however heavy to digest...

uhmmm... well, I can only confirm the mediocrity of this album; however, I don’t feel like criticizing the stylistic choices of Dream Theater, who will forever remain in the history of music as inventors of a genre or, at the very least, as capable of giving it a wide dissemination.
In the past of this band, there are exceptional masterpieces, and I keep repeating that the loss of inspiration is something physiological in all bands throughout the history of music.
As for the rest, sociologically speaking, all music has a "target," and that does not mean we should denigrate what does not belong to our target or musical taste...

I largely agree with the review: focused, not verbose, almost descriptively just right. As far as I'm concerned, one can no longer expect anything else from Dream Theater; on this album, they've done their best. The loss of inspiration is something physiological in every band throughout music history... nonetheless, the album contains parts that still have good energy, and the band's technical and compositional skills are still at high levels despite 20 years of career, showcasing good doses of inventiveness and creativity. Overall, I can say that the style of Dream Theater has run its course, and it’s right that it makes way for new musical trends that the band is unable to interpret: no matter how much DT could renew themselves, they couldn't alter their identity by playing something different. In any case, if we want to have tangible data to judge a band's success based on "concrete parameters," let's wait for the sales figures, and then we can establish whether DT is a band in total decline or if they still receive strong acclaim on a global level.
P.S.: I notice a sort of protest against Dream Theater on this site; this has not escaped my notice in the past. I want to say that certain expressions of unjustified disapproval only harm those who write them... evidently, I cannot look favorably upon user reviews that have adopted such behavior on the site: yes, we are in a democracy, and everyone can express their dissent towards an album or a band or a review, but if they do not provide appropriate justifications, there can be no dialogue, and such comments will not receive any attention, going unnoticed. One thing that seems evident in certain "cultural circles" is the tendency of people who lack the ability to express their own ideas to "follow trends," finding strength in hiding among the masses of protesters and not exposing themselves upfront with their own critically matured and comparable opinions with the rest of the community.

I quote comments 5 and 9.