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Key · 06-27-2016, 06:57 PM

You ever get really excited about an album that you know is coming in a few months, then once it's released, you give it about two full listens only to find out how disappointed you are with the album? Well, Dream Theater have managed to do just that...

Dream Theater - The Astonishing (2016)

I'm a pretty easy going fan when it comes to Dream Theater. They're a band I have been listening to for years, and I did have the chance to see them perform live, and they definitely know how to put on a good show. The last couple albums have been hit and miss, especially with some changes in lineup, but they still managed to make the album sound good, at least that was the case until their release this year. The Astonishing was said to be something different than their previous albums, something along the lines of a rock-opera of sorts. I'm thinking to myself, "hell yeah, that sounds awesome." Unfortunately, the album did not deliver. Y'know, when I hear a band is going to do a rock opera, you'd expect to hear more than just some slow songs with vocals in them, but that's what we got with this album. I think there's really only three tracks in this entire album that actually made me want to listen to them again. As the album kept going from track to track, I felt like each album dragged on longer than the last, dismissing of course the few tracks that actually did grab me. I'd also like to mention that this album is split up into two acts, for a total of 24 tracks. That brings the entire album to a wopping 130 minutes. That's a ridiculous amount of time to be listening to an album, especially one that really doesn't grab me as much as I hoped it would upon the release of the concept it was going for. It's a shame, really. They've had a good track record of coming out of a dark place of releasing a bad album, but still making the album at least decent enough to listen to, but I don't think I will be looking to listen to this album again. Unfortunate really, was hoping for something jaw droppingly brilliant in the form of a rock-opera, but it didn't even come close.

Standout track:

Spoiler for video for The Gift of Music - Dream Theater:

06-27-2016, 06:57 PM	#7 (permalink)
Key . Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 13,153	You ever get really excited about an album that you know is coming in a few months, then once it's released, you give it about two full listens only to find out how disappointed you are with the album? Well, Dream Theater have managed to do just that... Dream Theater - The Astonishing (2016) I'm a pretty easy going fan when it comes to Dream Theater. They're a band I have been listening to for years, and I did have the chance to see them perform live, and they definitely know how to put on a good show. The last couple albums have been hit and miss, especially with some changes in lineup, but they still managed to make the album sound good, at least that was the case until their release this year. The Astonishing was said to be something different than their previous albums, something along the lines of a rock-opera of sorts. I'm thinking to myself, "hell yeah, that sounds awesome." Unfortunately, the album did not deliver. Y'know, when I hear a band is going to do a rock opera, you'd expect to hear more than just some slow songs with vocals in them, but that's what we got with this album. I think there's really only three tracks in this entire album that actually made me want to listen to them again. As the album kept going from track to track, I felt like each album dragged on longer than the last, dismissing of course the few tracks that actually did grab me. I'd also like to mention that this album is split up into two acts, for a total of 24 tracks. That brings the entire album to a wopping 130 minutes. That's a ridiculous amount of time to be listening to an album, especially one that really doesn't grab me as much as I hoped it would upon the release of the concept it was going for. It's a shame, really. They've had a good track record of coming out of a dark place of releasing a bad album, but still making the album at least decent enough to listen to, but I don't think I will be looking to listen to this album again. Unfortunate really, was hoping for something jaw droppingly brilliant in the form of a rock-opera, but it didn't even come close. Standout track: Spoiler for video for The Gift of Music - Dream Theater: