THE OFFICIAL DREAM THEATER DISCUSSION THREAD

[Horus]

So how 'bout dem new songs?

 

[Detective Clarence Beauregard]

I really like Constant Motion. I heard Dark Eternal Night once, but the quality was horrible... I'll wait for the final version on that one. I really hope this album has a Train of Thought vibe.

 

[Horus]

I like Constant Motion just 'cause it's a song that's easy to get into. With the exception of the intro and outro, they really don't use as many odd time signatures and stuff that you'd expect Dream Theater to use i their music.

But the verse sounds too much like Glass Prison.

The Dark Eternal Night is really nu-metally until the instrumental section in the middle. It's cool and different, but the opening riff is just so nu-metally.

 

[Yngvai X]

the whole idea of a special price with benefits is offensive to me.

So do you not buy digipak versions of CDs that include things like bonus tracks or a 2nd CD/DVD of extras? Or special editions of DVDs that have outtakes or interviews etc? They charge a special price for extraneous "benefits" for that stuff too.

Make the most money possible, that's the capitalist way! But is it always the best? Further, is it in opposition to the heart of live music? Yes

You keep saying this is in opposition to "the heart of live music" but I've yet to hear you give a detailed explination of what you mean by that. What is the heart of live music? By your arguments, I can deduce that its people just watching the performers perform and nothing else? That doesn't exist unless you wanna go to Central Park and watch some dude on the sidewalk... and even they have their case open for people to throw coins in (ooooh those capitalists!)

Secondly, what is wrong with making the most of your potential? If I can respect an artist making the most of his potential with art, why does the double standard come in once we start talking about monetary gains?

My bottom line has been and still is KEEP EXTERNAL BUSINESS OUT and keep the music pumping. There's a clear difference between music-related, necessary business which I understand, and external non-music related business that's sneaking in to leech off of and take advantage of the situation. Only as much business as is necessary should be involved, ie ensuring the band gets the money from merch, the venue gets paid, the label gets paid, etc, but all of this external capitalizing on the situation... all of that is unnecessary and offensive.

Once again, where are you drawing the fucking line on what is external and what isn't? Why isn't merchandise external to you? It technically has nothing to do with music. Do you tell the pizzeria next door to the venue or the strip club down the block to close down for the night? Because god forbid those establishments capitalize on hungry concertgoers or horny bandmates after the show.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

God you two are retarded

 

[Kenneth R.]

Thanks Matt for being a cunt and overexaggerating/misrepresenting nearly every point I made.

1. bonuses on a CD are music related. Unless it's like the Ghost Reveries special edition situation. Also, remasters of albums immediately after the album was released... wth is that about? Oh, right, we can get them to buy it AGAIN, right away.

2. It might be hard to explain this to someone who seems to see only in green. The "heart of live music" etc etc is that which propagates the scene, such as fans showing up early, supporting bands, spreading the word, bands promoting the scene (and again I hate to use the word scene because that is itself a business bullshit factory) generally the amount of activity and interest in a particular kind of music. IE, something like hair metal, which was popular in the 80s, became perceived as 'sold out' and 'false' in the same period of time grunge was making its entrance. People just stopped supporting the genre because they felt it was more about fashion and money than music, and grunge seemed more 'real'. That is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about here. The introduction and proliferation of heavy business within a genre of music (or music in general for that matter, or art in general) is detrimental to the support and therefore propagation of that particular art.

You know clear well what I'm talking about but now you're picking a fight with me like those other 'tards on the forum did, just to 'win'. There is a problem with music business, this Dream Theater incident represents it, the FYE incident represents it, the Starland Ballroom incident represents it, and I could list off another page of incidents that represent the problem, but YOU'RE willing to bury your head in the sand. Go ahead

 

[Horus]

So now because of Dream Theater, all Prog Metal is about fashion and money?

 

[progmetaldan]

meh.

I like Constant Motion, the intro is cool, JP's solo is awesome, JR's solo is awesome, the verse and vocals are nothing fantastic, but overall it gives me a happy feeling inside.

I haven't heard the other one which was leaked yet, I hope it isn't Nu-metal as Ptah said, but if it's no worse than 'Honor Thy Father' that will be okay I guess...

Can't wait for the new album, and for Dream Theater to tour Australia, and if the special tickets to meet the band are available I might even get one, cos I might not get another chance... So there ya go.

 

[progmetaldan]

So now because of Dream Theater, all Prog Metal is about fashion and money?

I thought because of Dream Theater, all Prog Metal is about instrumental wankery and self-possessed songwriting...

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

meh.

I haven't heard the other one which was leaked yet, I hope it isn't Nu-metal as Ptah said, but if it's no worse than 'Honor Thy Father' that will be okay I guess...

What's wrong with Honor Thy Father? Are you refering to the "rap"-sounding part? Other than that, the song has nothing mainstreem about it. Even that "rap" part is awesome and if I remember correctly, it's in 7/8, lol.

 

[progmetaldan]

What's wrong with Honor Thy Father? Are you refering to the "rap"-sounding part? Other than that, the song has nothing mainstreem about it. Even that "rap" part is awesome and if I remember correctly, it's in 7/8, lol.

Nothings wrong with Honor Thy Father. That's what I'm saying. Ptah said the intro is Nu-metal, but the rest is cool. If it's similar to HTF in the respect of only one slightly nu-metal part, then it will still be cool.

 

[Taliwakker]

Kenneth..the music business is a lot harder on musicians than on the "fans"...everyone knows that the music biz is a flawed model...nobody denies its...its been going on for years....nobody has their head in the sand.
So maybe you could/should un-knot those panties of yours and come up with a better model where everybody wins, where bands can ensure that they make enough money to live and support their families not only for the now but for the future also, where radio stations play more than songs the big record companies pay them to play, where a band can share a stage with unicorns and pandas...blah blah blah.
Why don't you go find a Barabara Striesand forum and complain about the 4-5figure cost of her VIP packages.

 

[Setsu]

I like Dream Theater, a lot.

Listened to A Change of Seasons today, haven't heard it in awhile.

The Dark Eternal Night sounds pretty sweet. I'm glad Rudess stuck in a rag time'ish solo as well as some Continuum shredding at the end.

 

[Yngvai X]

Also, remasters of albums immediately after the album was released... wth is that about? Oh, right, we can get them to buy it AGAIN, right away.

I take it this is a jab at the fact that Distant Tides was remastered and released again recently. So, here is the explination (not like I imagine you'll believe it, since you seem to be convinced I don't give a shit about music):

Distant Tides was a self-financed and self-released endeavor. The distribution rights to the album were signed away to a company called CDInzane. I own the copyright, but they are the ones who have the right to distribute the actual product. Anyway, Zane and I had a falling out for reasons that Im not going to get into here, and he refused to print and distribute any more copies of the album. The initial was totally wiped out, and I had no means to repress the album myself, and even if I did, distribution was on ice (until the contract runs out, which at the time was over a year away). Enter Rock Machine records from Brazil. Brazil was outside of Zane's contractual territory, and they wanted to license the album. All well and good, but I wanted copies of the album to be available in the US and Europe as well. The contractual loophole was to release a different product than the one described in the contract I signed with Zane. To make the product different, it was agreed to remaster it, so that sonically, it could be argued (should it ever need to be), it was different. The artwork was revised as well and a bonus track added, all in an attempt to make it a different enough product to get out of contract. Not to mention my producer, Jeremy Krull, H-A-T-E-D the original master, so for us to be satisfied with the end product, it wasn't a bad idea either. I don't think fans who already own the original version of Distant Tides need the remaster, it was done for people who don't have the album and were unable to get it anymore because the first pressing was totally gone.

2. It might be hard to explain this to someone who seems to see only in green.

My eyesight is pretty good at detecting all the colors in the spectrum, I see you're pretty good at detecting shades of red.

The "heart of live music" etc etc is that which propagates the scene, such as fans showing up early, supporting bands, spreading the word, bands promoting the scene (and again I hate to use the word scene because that is itself a business bullshit factory) generally the amount of activity and interest in a particular kind of music. IE, something like hair metal, which was popular in the 80s, became perceived as 'sold out' and 'false' in the same period of time grunge was making its entrance. People just stopped supporting the genre because they felt it was more about fashion and money than music, and grunge seemed more 'real'. That is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about here. The introduction and proliferation of heavy business within a genre of music (or music in general for that matter, or art in general) is detrimental to the support and therefore propagation of that particular art.

Let me try to spell out my stance more clearly, because apparently you think I think I like the "corperate" side of the music industry, and I don't, for the most part because of the same reasons why I'm defending Dream Theater in this debate. I know what its like to work hard at something I love to do. I've put in a lot of fucking hours in my life so far at it. I love it so much that I don't want to do anything else for the rest of my life besides that. I don't feel anything should stand in my way of trying to reach my potential with that goal. The only one allowed to tell me what to do with my music, my work, and my craft, is myself. Now logically, for me not to be a raging hypocrite of my own morals, I must respect everyone elses' right to their potential in their craft, no matter if its playing guitar, flipping hamburgers, or running a company.

The corperate side of the music business sucks huge donkey dong because they often infringe on the rights of the artist, because companies get greedy. However, I still have no business trying to regulate their business. Is it convenient? No. But if I want to maintain my respect for my own ambition I have no business insinuating that their business should be regulated, because that implies that I think its ok for my art to be regulated as well. I am defending Dream Theater because they have the right to do what they want to bring whatever kind of show they want to their fans.

You know clear well what I'm talking about but now you're picking a fight with me like those other 'tards on the forum did, just to 'win'. There is a problem with music business, this Dream Theater incident represents it, the FYE incident represents it, the Starland Ballroom incident represents it, and I could list off another page of incidents that represent the problem, but YOU'RE willing to bury your head in the sand. Go ahead

I'll agree with you on all of these accounts (aside from the Dream Theater one, of course), but I don't consider it burying my head in the sand. On the contrary, I do what I can to ensure I maintain as much creative freedom and control as possible with my craft. I'd like to hear what your alternative to "burying your head in the sand" is, and for it to hold any sway with me, it'd be nice if it didn't include any double standards.

 

[DoomsdayZach]

LOL

This never gets old. Who wants some anal-eeze to help with the butthurt?

 

[progmetaldan]

Where is the link to listen to 'The Dark Eternal Night' please.

 

[Meedleyx10]

i found it on youtube. The video was just this 3 second clip of one fat woman slapping another fat woman looped over and over again while the song was playing

 

[progmetaldan]

Theres a few things on youtube now, even a promo video of some description...

 

[Anonymous]

Bitches don't know 'bout Matt Moliti's dick.

 

[progmetaldan]

I just listened to The Dark Eternal Night. Didn't really like the verse that much (damn I wish MP wouldn't sing as much ) but the instrumental bit slayed! Loved JR's ragtime solo, and JP's solo was an absolute monster!