Dream Theater "Distance Over Time" (2019) album

There is some discussion of what's coming in a different thread here, but this album deserves its own.



Let's get the basics out of the way. Same lineup as the last two albums.

James Labrie
John Petrucci
Johnny Myung
Jordan Rudess
Mike Mangini

Engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin
Mixed by Ben Grosse
Mastered by Tom Baker

Release date February 22, 2019.

1. "Untethered Angel" John Petrucci 6:14
2. "Paralyzed" Petrucci 4:17
3. "Fall into the Light" John Myung 7:04
4. "Barstool Warrior" Petrucci 6:43
5. "Room 137" Mike Mangini 4:23
6. "S2N" Myung 6:21
7. "At Wit's End" James LaBrie 9:20
8. "Out of Reach" LaBrie 4:04
9. "Pale Blue Dot" Petrucci 8:25
10. "Viper King" Labrie 4:00 - bonus track on every version other than standard jewel case CD.

"Distance Over Time" will be available as:

- Standard 9 track CD Jewel Case.

- Special Edition Digipak (incl. 1 bonus track).

- 180g Gatefold 2LP Edition (incl. 1 bonus track, an 8-page-LP-booklet & the entire album on CD).

- Ltd. Edition Artbook (incl. 1 bonus track, 5.1 mix with video animations, instrumental mixes & high res files of the album, stems for “Untethered Angel”, extended liner notes, additional artwork incl. photos from the writing session and additional video content).

- Deluxe Collector’s Box Set (incl. lenticular cover card, Artbook, 180g 2 LP Gatefold Edition with exclusive artwork and exclusive white vinyl, exclusive picture 7”, 60 x 60 cm poster, 10 art cards, slipmat, patch, pin and a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity).

- Digital Album (incl. 1 bonus track).

 

I like both songs so far. Really looking forward to the album.

 

I hope it’s better as the last copycat records.

 

???

 

I like Dream Theater... from Images and Words to Scences. Every album was unique.... With Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence the copycat was so obvious. With the later albums they copied themselves... the riffs, the chorus, songs etc.

 

A studio walk-through interview with band members.



This interviewer is sleep inducing. Just a series of banal questions, not a real conversation at all.

 

I loved the Images & Words through to the Six Degrees era a lot, but they have been spotty for me ever since. Despite that, they are still a top 3 band for me (Beatles and Rush are 1 and 2 respectively) and I have pre-ordered the Deluxe Collectors Box.

 

There's isn't going to be a lot of discussion from me until it shows up at my door.

Haven't heard a note yet.

I've chosen to listen to the whole thing then rather than watch and listen to music clips online. I'll read or listen to interviews with the band before then but I'm not really paying much attention to any reviews or comments until I listen to the album a few times.

 

Not really enthused regarding it as both tracks are kind of mediocre with Untethered Angel's middle being the only thing worth caring about thus far.

 

I am kind of the same way. I&W through Six Degrees was their pinnacle, but I do like every album since, although I certainly like some more than others. The band drives me a little nuts at times LOL, but they have long been a top 3 band for me and likely always will be.

I like the first two songs, but I don't love either. We'll see what the rest brings.

 

When Day and Dream Unite is terminally underrated too.

 

Prog Magazine has given it the thumbs up.

There's an extensive interview with LaBrie and Petrucci, which threw up some interesting things - using a different guy to mix the album, Petrucci being more hands-off and letting the guy come up with his own ideas of which guitar solos to include, and addressing the issue of the diminished drums on previous albums.

To all intents, it reads like they were keen to break from past practices and go for broke with this album - possibly because it's their first on Insideout.

The album also gets a review by Rich Wilson, who wrote the Lifting Shadows DT biography. His book demonstrated a good insight into the band's music across the board, and he reckons this new one is a big improvement.

He acknowledges the criticisms aired by fans over the last few years, and while being discrete enough not to quantify them in print, you can read between the lines that he thinks this album addresses most of those criticisms. (Not all of them - there's still a bit of overplaying at times).

I'm still going to sit on the fence and wait for more general reaction once the album is out there, but if Rich is speaking positively about it, I'm certainly a bit more interested.

 

As usual with DT.....we will see. Production of the past few albums has been dismal at best, especially on the vinyl versions, DT12 was a mess as it sounds like a CD copy onto vinyl. The mastering has been bad....
The last album, I still have yet to listen to the whole thing, and I doubt I ever will. I can't get past the first 30-45 min without going into a trance of boredom.

The released songs are just fine, nothing too special about them. I am also really tired of how they push Myung so deep into the mix, a talented bass player and all we get is Rudess and his tiring synth wonking/guitar god wanna be playing.

Think I'll go spin Awake, and hope for better times........They should have listened to Portnoy and taken a 5yr hiatus.

Sorry......

 

I expect nothing. It only could be better than the last disaster. Images and Words was a very good album (except for the horrible snare mix), Awake was their masterpiece... they never reached this level again.

 

How can Mike Mangini play drums like that!? The cymbals are up so high he is practically mid stand/sit to reach for them. I predict double rotator cuff surgery in the near future if he continues playing like that.

 

What does everyone think of The Astonishing 3 years down the track?

I skipped it, but the good vibes about the new album are making think I should check it out.

 

One of the worst records, I have ever heard.

 

I think I played it once, it's bloated and bored me senseless.

 

Love pretty much everything about it....except the lyrics. For me, that's what kept it from being a stone cold masterpiece.

 

I heard the promo. Better than I expected.... a solid effort 7/10

 

I can't get past the cheesy music, the saccharine melodies, and the bloated runtime. But this thread isn't about that album.

I'm still hesitating on ordering the new one. I had forgotten they moved to InsideOut so maybe there will be an improvement in the mastering, which is what totally tanked the last album for me.

If they didn't overcompress the drums again, it might be worthwhile. Nice to read that Petrucci is supposedly more hands off on this one, but I'm not sure I buy it.

 

This is about how I feel. Like, since Octavarium, I already know what every DT album is going to sound like before I hear a note of it. I will say Train Of Thought was the last one that really had it's own identity, but I also felt like it was more or less the same song repeated 6 times, and it was the first DT album I was kinda disappointed by when it came out.

 

I noted the improved sound before I noted that Kevin Shirley isn't in the production credits listed in this thread.