Dream Theater "Distance Over Time" (2019) album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by agentalbert, Jan 15, 2019.

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  1. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    It was...awkward. I mean, at least when Portnoy did it it was straight-up bad, but LaBrie trying to do that bit was awkwardly hilarious. Kind of an odd choice, given all the material they had to pick from for the first set. Oh well. It was still a decent show.
     
  2. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Good to hear! The more I listen to it, the more I love it. This might even be, dare I say, a top 5 DT record. I really think it is that good.
     
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  3. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    I got my hands on a HQ rip of the Blu-ray version of this and it is definitely less compressed and more dynamic. See below for the difference in Fall into the Light.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Right, but the mix :o
     
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  5. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    The mix doesn't bother me. I was fine with the normal version, even though it was a bit too loud and compressed, and the Blu-ray version is sounding good to me.
     
  6. stodgers

    stodgers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana
    Could you post Pale Blue Dot up through the guitar intro? That's the most egregious track to me..
     
  7. weekendtoy

    weekendtoy Rejecting your reality and substituting my own.

    Location:
    Northern MN
    I listened to this album a couple of times last week during my noon-time walks. The album is continuing to grow on me and is a really strong effort from the band. The songs have a sense of emotion to them that I haven't heard in a long time. Not so much the song itself is emotional, but rather the playing within the song.
     
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  8. stodgers

    stodgers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana
    I've listened a couple more times and remain unimpressed. Last week I figured out what my beef with this album and the S/T one is: DT no longer has a unique identity as a band. I can listen to nearly any track and think of who they are trying to emulate, rather than them just be their own artist. Paralyzed sounds like Chevelle. Barstool Warrior sounds like Kansas (to me at least). At Wit's End sounds like Symphony X.

    None of the songs sound like Dream Theater (again, to me).

    And the production & mixing is again terrible. Pale Blue Dot exemplifies this. The song really starts off atmospheric and builds through the drum intro, but when the guitar kicks in... Man, that is jarring and unpleasant. The six-string just overpowers the drums and I have to turn the song down just to tolerate it. Then the vocals sound like they are starting in the middle of the song. Labrie's phrasing throughout the album is rather perfunctory and rote in general, but here it is really bad.

    I know I should probably clam up, but I'm going to have to add to my album by album thread soon, and now after four listens, I'm not any further along in my opinion than I was initially. This is bottom tier DT, IMO.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2019
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  9. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    [​IMG]

    I know exactly what you mean. There is a sense of joy in the overall playing, and throw in how good the songs are, and it's win-win for fans.
     
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  10. stodgers

    stodgers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana

    J.F.C. I really should have gotten this version. That's insane.
     
  11. Anonamemouse

    Anonamemouse my other pink shirt is black too

    Quite. And I already told you so on page 10... The difference is frightening.
     
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  12. weekendtoy

    weekendtoy Rejecting your reality and substituting my own.

    Location:
    Northern MN
    And you get the 5.1 mix with the Blu Ray (which is why I bought the ear book). The surround mix is 'ok', made better by a few channel level adjustments, along with upmixing with Dolby Surround to send additional content to the heights and rear surrounds to further open up the mix.
     
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  13. stodgers

    stodgers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana
    You did. But I was a fool and did not listen.
     
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  14. weekendtoy

    weekendtoy Rejecting your reality and substituting my own.

    Location:
    Northern MN
    Well as a recent fortune cookie stated: The wise does at once what the fool does at last :D
     
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  15. ytserush

    ytserush Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast US

    Buying that book even with that long Amazon delay was my insurance policy. Even sounds better than the CD on my sub-par set up.
     
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  16. paradox55

    paradox55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Been listening to Distance Over Time incessantly this past week.
    At Wit's End will certainly make my top 10 songs of the year.
    Also can't get enough of Barstool Warrior, Out of Reach, Fall Into the Light, and Paralyzed.
     
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  17. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    I absolutely love Paralyzed. It's freakin' catchy!
     
  18. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Nice! Fall into the Light and At Wit's End are two great DT songs, and I am also very high on Barstool Warrior and Out of Reach. I think all four would be in my top 10 songs of the Mangini era.
     
  19. ermylaw

    ermylaw Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City
    I've just seen in an email from Burning Shed that there will be a CD/Blu-ray version, which seems like a good call based on the dynamics discussion.
     
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  20. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Very sensible ... I've only been listening to this on streaming (despite the fact that it's one of my albums of the year!) but the inclusion of the Blu-ray will definitely make me buy physical.
     
    ZiltoidtheOmniscient likes this.
  21. stodgers

    stodgers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Montana
    I would begrudgingly purchase another copy for the blu-ray, but to me it is appalling that they are doing this to fans.
     
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  22. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    I can see that. I'd say that I'm also something of a fan but maybe it's a bad idea to reward slow purchasers.
     
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  23. weekendtoy

    weekendtoy Rejecting your reality and substituting my own.

    Location:
    Northern MN
    The burning shed price after shipping would work out to a savings of $20 over the price I paid for the 4 disc Earbook edition 6 months ago.

    The Earbook is a nicer collector's item, includes expanded liner notes, pictures & so forth, and you get the instrumental disc. I maybe paid $2.50 a listen to get the Blu Ray right away.

    Probably not money wasted and I doubt I would have waited, knowing then, what I know now.

    That said, they should probably make the deluxe editions a little more limited if they are going to subsequently re-issue the Blu Ray in a cheaper package.
     
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  24. Brenald79

    Brenald79 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I want to cry when my playlist of 2019 albums is on shuffle and a new DT and Devin Townsend track are played back to back. The difference in dynamic range hurts so bad!
     
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  25. bunkaroo

    bunkaroo Forum Resident

    I actually had the big book edition pre-ordered so I could get the Blu-ray, but I wound up cancelling it not long before the release since I didn't want to spend that much on it. Looks like I made the right call! Sucks for others who might have done the same and not cancelled.
     
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