Larrok

I confirm that "Undisclosed Desires" is the classic cop-out designed to sell millions and millions of copies in the States.

Great pieces, great sounds, fantastic dissonances, luxurious post-punk, they are among the absolute best performers, this is the next milestone. However, their best piece in my opinion is "Winning."

Does every artist deserve respect? So Gigi D'Alessio and Laura Pausini deserve respect? No, I'm sorry, but an artist must earn respect. It’s not enough to be called an artist by someone to have an automatic right to respect. At least as far as MY respect is concerned.

I completely mistook "Undisclosed Desires" for a Depeche Mode track (whom I can't stand), while almost all the other songs explicitly mimic (not to say plagiarize) the 70s Queen, especially in their use of harmonies. The only one I liked is "Unnatural Selection," which somewhat returns to the style of Origin of Symmetry. All in all, a mainstream average album, in my opinion slightly better than the previous one from 2006, which, however, was a total disaster.

Indeed, Mike Sniper knows how to recreate certain post-punk/dark vibes from the '80s very well, but he is also capable of adding a fairly personal interpretation using a recognizable sound. "Under and Under" is cool.

Good job, lux. I was wondering yesterday why there were still no reviews of their new album. I listened to it for the first time yesterday, and I have to say I liked it... I love their sounds. Their discography is truly impressive; the 4 albums mentioned are all of a high standard.

Did I understand correctly? You said that "it's OBJECTIVE that Dream Theater are expressive"? So me thinking exactly the opposite means that I am unaware of the OBJECTIVE REALITY that coincidentally aligns with your opinion?

For me, this album is not innovative at all, in the slightest. If this is sound experimentation, then where do Brian Eno, Pere Ubu, or Tortoise fit in, 350 years ahead?? "Volte-Face" is the classic "badass" sterile and empty prog-metal track, one of thousands I’ve heard, and "Conceiving" is a ballad that can't be more clichéd and stereotypical, with a piano progression that is pathetic in its formulaicness. These are all photocopy bands, like Threshold and many others. Don't get me wrong, they sound as good as you want, but I wouldn't even mention innovation in these genres.

Wow! Splinter reviewing an album from InsideOut! I would have never thought. Anyway, it's a 3-star album.

"about something that perhaps he knows little about"... I used to listen to the DT and I still have almost all their albums, but over time, with the years, and especially with listening, I realized that compared to dozens and dozens of their contemporary artists, they come across as sterile, kitschy, empty, and citationist. They have an expressiveness equal to zero... with their music, they don't intend to express anything meaningful; they just enjoy practicing style exercises by quoting/plagiarizing many records from the past and stuffing every corner of their pieces with ultra-virtuoso solos that are absolutely self-serving. Then, I don't doubt that they may be liked, but when someone who "dares" to express his opinion on this subject provides arguments, to be told that he is obtuse, that he knows nothing, or even that he is "a child of the times," is simply not acceptable to me; no, it is not acceptable at all.