It's leaked too. Listening to it now.
I'll update with some commentary as I hear the songs.
False Awakening Suite
Sounds like something from Circus Maximus or something. Grand, a little bombastic but not amazingly good or anything.
Standard unnecessary intro-track.
The Enemy Inside
Not very good intro, but a decent riff following that. Nice drumming. LaBrie not straining his voice - good. Boring chorus. Pretty cool solo.
Far from the worst DT I've heard, but not particularly good.
The Looking Glass
Sounds like it could be from Falling into Infinity. Drums and keyboard sounds very 90s. Not very fond of the guitar w-wu-wo-wo-woh-woh-woh thing Petrucci does on guitar. Again a nice solo, although it does sound a little 90s softcore porn musicish.
So far I'm thinking: Where the fuck is the bass?
Enigma Machine
Wow, heavy start. Oh, I see. This sounds like it's gonna be instrumental. But, what made Matropolis so interesting (at the time) was all the instruments being involved in the wankery. Come on Petrucci, let Myung enter the spotlight too. Nope, none of that. This is basically Petrucci vs. new guy on drums for 6 minutes.
The Bigger Picture
First verse is the first soft part on the album. Pretty okay. Chorus is the same as on The Enemy Inside, lol. 5:10 and onward is actually good. Yeah, the best bit on the album so far.
Behind the Veil
Open with a Hollywood epic movie sound straight from the 90s. Then some weird keys on that. And then the song completely changes. What an unnecessary intro. Verse riff is very dull. This sounds like something from 6 Degrees or something. Nonsensical lyrics, gay chorus. Ambitious keyboard solo. Meeh.
Surrender to Reason
Opens like an average newer DT song. Breaks off into acoustic guitars for first verse. Then back to chugga-chugga. Pretty decent stuff. Decent chorus, pleasant little guitar solo. Eh, what's this now? Choir enters for a quick chugga-chugga part. Back to some verse. That was weird. Now some weird guitar solo bit. I think this song has an identity crisis. Ends with the decent chorus again.
Along for the Ride
Ballad time? Sounds like it. Oh wow they used the "magical trinkle" sound, ahahha, oh wow. That's grade-A gay. Pretty nice bridge or whatever. Decent chorus I guess. Flute-keyboard solo. Chorus. End.
Illumination Theory
Oh boy, 22 minute song. Nice opening. Groovy guitar riff - disgusting snare sound. The snare sounds like farts. Seriously wtf? Otherwise good but these snares. Has some bits that sounds like the more chaotic parts of Scenes from a Memory, but with a fart-sounding snare drum. This is pretty good stuff - first verse starts. Urgh, slightly ruined by bridge-like thing after the first verse (fart drums have completely ruined song already though).
Orchestral part. Hum. Pretty long, too. 2 minutes or something.
Oh shit here comes the Patrucci-bomb, strap in. Oh wait, it's Myung. Where the fuck have you been the entire album? LaBrie is getting a little too ambitious at this point. Solo-time. Man, Petrucci taking all the solo slots. This is his album, it seems.
30 second silence.
Piano outro for the last 2 minutes.
Oh well.
---------------------
No new ideas.
No bass.
Snare drums sound like someone farting on the 22 minute song.
The Bigger Picture has an alright ending.
Pretty bad overall. I guess it's DT in a nutshell: they know their ways around instruments (except how drums should sound) but they can't write songs to equal it.
People who like average prog metal stuff without too much emotion or melody should love this.
I'll update with some commentary as I hear the songs.
False Awakening Suite
Sounds like something from Circus Maximus or something. Grand, a little bombastic but not amazingly good or anything.
Standard unnecessary intro-track.
The Enemy Inside
Not very good intro, but a decent riff following that. Nice drumming. LaBrie not straining his voice - good. Boring chorus. Pretty cool solo.
Far from the worst DT I've heard, but not particularly good.
The Looking Glass
Sounds like it could be from Falling into Infinity. Drums and keyboard sounds very 90s. Not very fond of the guitar w-wu-wo-wo-woh-woh-woh thing Petrucci does on guitar. Again a nice solo, although it does sound a little 90s softcore porn musicish.
So far I'm thinking: Where the fuck is the bass?
Enigma Machine
Wow, heavy start. Oh, I see. This sounds like it's gonna be instrumental. But, what made Matropolis so interesting (at the time) was all the instruments being involved in the wankery. Come on Petrucci, let Myung enter the spotlight too. Nope, none of that. This is basically Petrucci vs. new guy on drums for 6 minutes.
The Bigger Picture
First verse is the first soft part on the album. Pretty okay. Chorus is the same as on The Enemy Inside, lol. 5:10 and onward is actually good. Yeah, the best bit on the album so far.
Behind the Veil
Open with a Hollywood epic movie sound straight from the 90s. Then some weird keys on that. And then the song completely changes. What an unnecessary intro. Verse riff is very dull. This sounds like something from 6 Degrees or something. Nonsensical lyrics, gay chorus. Ambitious keyboard solo. Meeh.
Surrender to Reason
Opens like an average newer DT song. Breaks off into acoustic guitars for first verse. Then back to chugga-chugga. Pretty decent stuff. Decent chorus, pleasant little guitar solo. Eh, what's this now? Choir enters for a quick chugga-chugga part. Back to some verse. That was weird. Now some weird guitar solo bit. I think this song has an identity crisis. Ends with the decent chorus again.
Along for the Ride
Ballad time? Sounds like it. Oh wow they used the "magical trinkle" sound, ahahha, oh wow. That's grade-A gay. Pretty nice bridge or whatever. Decent chorus I guess. Flute-keyboard solo. Chorus. End.
Illumination Theory
Oh boy, 22 minute song. Nice opening. Groovy guitar riff - disgusting snare sound. The snare sounds like farts. Seriously wtf? Otherwise good but these snares. Has some bits that sounds like the more chaotic parts of Scenes from a Memory, but with a fart-sounding snare drum. This is pretty good stuff - first verse starts. Urgh, slightly ruined by bridge-like thing after the first verse (fart drums have completely ruined song already though).
Orchestral part. Hum. Pretty long, too. 2 minutes or something.
Oh shit here comes the Patrucci-bomb, strap in. Oh wait, it's Myung. Where the fuck have you been the entire album? LaBrie is getting a little too ambitious at this point. Solo-time. Man, Petrucci taking all the solo slots. This is his album, it seems.
30 second silence.
Piano outro for the last 2 minutes.
Oh well.
---------------------
No new ideas.
No bass.
Snare drums sound like someone farting on the 22 minute song.
The Bigger Picture has an alright ending.
Pretty bad overall. I guess it's DT in a nutshell: they know their ways around instruments (except how drums should sound) but they can't write songs to equal it.
People who like average prog metal stuff without too much emotion or melody should love this.
