Dream Theater - Distance Over Time

[venidominefan]

I think it's a great album....but find the mix to be a letdown. Wish they would allow someone like Jacob Hansen to have a go with their sound.

[Sir Exar Kun]

One spin in only so far, and I'd best describe this as.... FAMILIAR.

It's a completely safe album. Everything on here sounds instantly like vintage Dream Theater. Songs are concise, but all solid. One ballad out of 10 songs, and nothing that goes too far out into left field. Musically, this sits somewhere between "Train of Thought", "Octivarium", and "Systematic Chaos". Nothing too heavy, nothing too technical..... Just good solid SONGS.

It's a nice return to form following "Astonishing", but doesn't tread any ground we have not heard before..... For me, that's not a BAD thing, it's just a comment. Looking forward to repeat listens, as there's a lot of memorable stuff on here.

[sez]

Ah, Dream Theater. It seems you are still lost and wandering out there somewhere. I was forgiving of ADTOE: it was decent, given what had happened. You got my hopes up with S/T: though the drum mix still stunk, the music was great, and it seemed like the "dramatic turn" was going to roll off your shoulders. Then you released that stinking pile of excrement that was The Astonishing, and somehow, you got lost in the weeds. I don't think I'm alone, but as far as I was concerned, you'd dug yourselves into a hole the size of which you dug when you released FII. Back then, you came screaming out of that hole like a rocket with SFaM and then released a string of albums I thoroughly enjoyed all the way up to BCSL (with the possible exception of Systematic Chaos). This time, you've released DOT.

I can say I only thoroughly enjoy two tracks (Fall into the Light and Pale Blue Dot); the rest sort of fade into a mushy, fuzzy ball of distortion and and bad drum sounds (that snare sound dates back to Metallica's Master of Puppets and became gauche when Bonnie Tyler released Total Eclipse of the Heart).

I really hope this is a grower, but I'm starting to lose faith. I'm listening to FII right now just to see if I like it better, and I'm finding I do.

Oh, Dream Theater, I hope you find your way again.

[introclaus]

Finally got around to spend some quality time with it ... I originally only managed to get 2 spins out of it after I bought it before my ex-wife borrowed it, and I just got it back today after dropping the 8-year old off with her, and I've been hanging out with this album since then, and I'm actually really digging it. Sounds like such a "return to form" after the IN MY OPINION (!!!) forgettable last couple of albums.

I know there are plenty of people out there who like various of the post-Portnoy albums and even those who love "The Astonishing" (which I honestly can't remember one single thing about except that it was overlong, over-dramatic and kept making me want to go to sleep). This one here might be the first Dream Theater that I've really liked in a long time (probably since Black Clouds & Silver Linings).

There are some good melodies on here, some really nice technical passages that I hadn't expected from these guys anymore, and I like how clear the production is (I kind of like Petrucci's productions actually). So far my favorites are "Fall Into the Light", "Pale Blue Dot" and "Barstool Warrior".

[LarryD]

Put me in the " I'm having a tough time with this one " category ........ I'm trying to embrace it, but I'm having trouble ......... I can't remember anything about the songs, except for Barstool Warrior, and Petrucci's tone, which is awesome ........ I will agree that they are back to form, meaning the "true" DT - but I'm one of those chumps who loved "The Astonishing" so use that as a guide line ...... this is certainly a more technical, more aggressive DT which I imagine most people want, but I've loved all Mangini-era discs so far, so I expect this one to fall in line, but initially, unlike the others, I'm having a tough time with it ......... definitely not an instant gratification disc, but I am a DT whore, so it will continue to play until I love it ............

[Sir Exar Kun]

Put me in the " I'm having a tough time with this one " category ........ I'm trying to embrace it, but I'm having trouble ......... I can't remember anything about the songs, except for Barstool Warrior, and Petrucci's tone, which is awesome ........ I will agree that they are back to form, meaning the "true" DT - but I'm one of those chumps who loved "The Astonishing" so use that as a guide line ...... this is certainly a more technical, more aggressive DT which I imagine most people want, but I've loved all Mangini-era discs so far, so I expect this one to fall in line, but initially, unlike the others, I'm having a tough time with it ......... definitely not an instant gratification disc, but I am a DT whore, so it will continue to play until I love it ............

This surprises me, as I was very much the opposite. Typically I expect to have to listen to a DT album several times to absorb the nuances and subtleties, but this album felt like one spin through and I had a pretty good grasp of the dynamics, and subsequent listens were more about filling in holes rather than actually still taking it all in. It felt almost OVERLY familiar right out of the gate, and that's even with only listening to ONE song prior to getting the full disc. In some respects, this is a bit of a drawback for me as I want to hear something that presses the boundaries a bit, but this album honestly comes across as just being a very SAFE, very compact, very familiar DT album at its heart.

To be honest, there are only a couple of songs that didn't "click" with me right away..... Here's my quick track-by-track breakdown:

Untethered Angel - Loved this song the moment I first heard it. Basically, it fits the same bill as "As I Am" or "On the Backs of Angels"
Paralyzed - Think "Forsaken" from "Systematic Chaos"; catchy, straight to the point.
Fall into the Light - Opens with a serious Metallica riff, but develops its own mesmerizing vibe throughout the balance. Another song I love.
Barstool Warrior - Instant DT hook right out of the gate; very prototypical Octavium / Systematic Chaos sound again. Catchy and memorable right away.
Room 137 - Marilyn Manson riff straight away, and this falls into the "pseudo-heavy" DT style ala "Burning My Soul" but not quite as irritating.
S2N - Heavy Rush influence here. Another song that after hearing twice I had stuck in my head all day.
At Wit's End - One of the two songs I struggled with the most; this one has broken through and I enjoy more now, but I still hate the way they end the song.
Out of Reach - Typical sub-par DT ballad. Nothing remarkable.
Pale Blue Dot - For being the album's opus, this is the other song I struggle with. Not a bad song by ANY means, it's just not clicking with me somehow.
Viper King - Bonus track that sadly sounds like a bonus track. Really doesn't fit with the rest of the album. Sounds like a Jame LaBrie tribute to Deep Purple.

On a positive note, there's a lot of great melodies here throughout, and 7 out of the 10 songs are absolutely rock solid ("Room 137", "Out of Reach", and "Viper King" are the ones that don't work well for me). To my ears, this fits perfectly in amongst Octavarium, Systematic Chaos, and the self-titled album. All discs with really good stuff, and some stuff where they just try a little too hard.