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The Astonishing

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Untitled

The Astonishing is the thirteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released as a double album on January 29, 2016 through Roadrunner Records.

Background

In mid-2013, guitarist John Petrucci began writing a story for a concept album, presenting it to the rest of Dream Theater about a year later. The band and the record label were receptive to the idea, with Petrucci recalling, "Everybody had the 'go for it' mentality. And from the very first meeting that we had with Dave Rath at Roadrunner, when I presented this and even just said the title, he was 100 percent on board. The involvement of everybody at Roadrunner has been absolutely unbelievable, so supportive. It kind of ignited the secret nerd in all of us that loves this sort of stuff, because it's fun, it's different."[2] From its conception, Petrucci envisioned the story as eventually being re-worked into a film, play, or video game.[3]

Writing for the album's music commenced in January 2015 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York, where the band also recorded their two previous albums.[4] Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess wrote most of the material while composer David Campbell assisted with aspects of the orchestration such as string lines and choirs; Campbell later told Petrucci that it was the biggest project he had ever worked on.[2] In August, James LaBrie began recording vocals.[5] Singing as multiple characters, he took it upon himself to create unique interpretations of each one, with Petrucci offering him sporadic advice and feedback.[2] In July, Dream Theater took a break from the studio to play some shows in Europe,[6] but continued writing while on the road.[7] Recording completed in late September,[8] with mixing beginning the next month and mastering concluding in mid-December.[9][10]

The story was inspired by Petrucci's love of franchises such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars, as well as his observations on the role of technology in modern-day society; in an interview with Billboard, he explained, “I was thinking of all of the things now that people used to do that they don’t do anymore because they’re automated or done by robots: lots of jobs, self-driving cars coming right around the corner ... My thought was, ‘What would happen if with all the advances in technology in music that music [became] all artificial?’”[3] The story, as described by Rolling Stone, "centers around a band of rebels trying to defy an oppressive empire, with music playing a central role."[2]

The Astonishing is notable for being not only the longest Dream Theater record to date, but also the first album since 1989's When Dream And Day Unite to not feature a song longer than ten minutes in length.

Synopsis

In the year 2285, the northeastern region of the United States has turned into a dystopia ruled by the oppressive Great Northern Empire of the Americas. The only resemblance to entertainment that exists is the electronic noise of the NOMACS (Noise Machines). The empire is ruled by Emperor Nafaryus, Empress Arabelle, Crown Prince Daryus and Princess Faythe. In a distant village called Ravenskill, a man named Gabriel possesses the natural ability to make music and sing ("The Gift of Music"). He has an older brother, Commander Arhys of the Ravenskill Rebel Militia, who has a son Xander with his deceased wife Evangeline ("A Better Life").

The first act starts when Nafaryus hears a rumor about Gabriel being the savior of the people. He and his familiy travel to Ravenskill to see him for themselves ("Lord Nafaryus"). In the Ravenskill town square, Gabriel is performing for the people when the royal family shows up. He continues playing at the emperor's request and nearly brings them all to tears ("A Savior in the Square"). As he plays, Faythe remembers how she found a music player when she was a child and kept it a secret all her life, and as she and Gabriel stare at each other they fall in love ("Act of Faythe"). Nafaryus, though briefly moved by Gabriel's song, sees him as a threat to his rule and gives the people of the town three days to deliver their savior to him, or he will destroy the town ("Three Days"). Arhys hides his brother and refuses to give him up ("Brother, Can You Hear Me?").

Back at the Emperor's palace, Faythe decides she must see Gabriel again. Disguising herself, she begins to travel back to Ravenskill. Arabelle, knowing about her daughter's intentions, instructs Daryus to follow and protect her. Daryus feels he has always been overlooked by his father in favor of his sister, so he travels to the town with his own intentions ("A Life Left Behind"). Faythe arrives in the town and finds Xander, who trusts her and leads her to his father Arhys. Faythe convinces Arhys that she can help, so he brings her to Gabriel's hideout. Gabriel and Faythe embrace, and she promises to try to convince her father to stop the madness ("Ravenskill").

Meanwhile, Daryus finds Arhys' home and takes Xander captive. Daryus promises he will guarantee the safety and wealth of Xander in return for Arhys bringing Gabriel to him. Darys does this hoping that it will gain him respect from his father ("A Tempting Offer"). Arhys is forced to say yes, remembering the promise he made to Evangeline, to protect their son ("The X Aspect"). Faythe travels back to her father's palace and learns that her music player once belonged to her father. After a while, Nafaryus bows to the pleas of her daughter ("A New Beginning") and agrees to meet with Gabriel at an abandoned amphitheater called Heaven's Cove ("The Road to Revolution").

The second act begins as Arhys informs Daryus that Gabriel will be at Heaven's Cove that night ("Moment of Betrayal"). As Arhys waits at the amphitheater, he changes his mind, and when Daryus shows up, they start a fight. Daryus overpowers Arhys and kills him ("The Path That Divides"), unaware that Xander followed them and saw the whole scene. As Xander runs to his father's dead body, Daryus sees the silhouette of someone approaching him. Assuming it to be Gabriel, he attempts to kill him, realising too late that it is actually Faythe ("The Walking Shadow"). Gabriel arrives at the scene and sees his dead brother and the dying Faythe. Covering Xander's ears, he unleashes a scream that causes Daryus to go deaf and that is heard by Nafaryus, Arabelle and the entire town ("My Last Farewell").

Nafaryus and Arabelle arrive and beg Gabriel to use his gift to save Faythe ("Losing Faythe"), but Gabriel is unable to sing after screaming so loud ("Whispers on the Wind"). The people, attracted by the scream, show up and start singing, giving Gabriel hope. He finds his ability to sing and brings Faythe back to life ("Hymn of a Thousand Voices"). Nafaryus, realising what he has done, decides to end the conflict with Gabriel and shuts down the NOMACS for good ("Power Down"). Daryus is forgiven for his actions, and Gabriel and Faythe raise Xander as a family ("Our New World"). Nafaryus promises to govern the empire as a fair leader in a new world where music is appreciated again ("Astonishing").[11]

Release

Dream Theater began their marketing campaign for The Astonishing in October 2015, prompting visitors to their official website to choose between mailing lists for "The Great Northern Empire" or "The Ravenskill Rebel Militia".[12] Registrants were then notified of updates to their side's Twitter page as they occurred.[13][14] In early November, the band announced that their thirteenth studio album would be titled The Astonishing and launched a promotional website that suggested it would be a concept album.[15] The website slowly revealed key elements of the album's story, including its characters, map, and track listing.[16] That same month, they also announced some European tour dates in early 2016, and that the album would be played in its entirety.[17] In December, the album was given an official January 29 release date,[2] with multiple special editions being made available for pre-sale including a deluxe set with a handmade NOMAC 3D model.[18] Leading to the album's release, the band released a single, "The Gift of Music",[19] and premiered another song, "Moment of Betrayal".[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[20]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
Classic Rock[22]
Consequence of SoundB-[23]
Cross Fire (de)[24]
Kerrang![25]
Metal Hammer (uk)[26]
Metal Hammer (de)[27]
Metal Sucks[28]
Record Collector[29]
Rolling Stone[30]

Reviews for The Astonishing have been generally favourable and currently holds a score of 80/100 from 6 ratings on the aggregate site Metacritic.[20] In his review for Metal Hammer magazine, Dave Ling called the album "stupefyingly complex, cinematic and ambitious almost to the point of lunacy", rating it 8 out of 10.[26] Thom Jurek from AllMusic similarly praised the album, giving it 4 stars out of 5, concluding that "as demanding as it is, the story and music are worth the effort."[21]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by John Petrucci; all music is composed by Petrucci and Jordan Rudess

Act I
No.TitleLength
1."Descent of the NOMACS" (instrumental)1:10
2."Dystopian Overture" (instrumental)4:50
3."The Gift of Music"4:00
4."The Answer"1:52
5."A Better Life"4:39
6."Lord Nafaryus"3:28
7."A Savior in the Square"4:13
8."When Your Time Has Come"4:19
9."Act of Faythe"5:00
10."Three Days"3:44
11."The Hovering Sojourn" (instrumental)0:27
12."Brother, Can You Hear Me?"5:11
13."A Life Left Behind"5:49
14."Ravenskill"6:01
15."Chosen"4:32
16."A Tempting Offer"4:19
17."Digital Discord" (instrumental)0:47
18."The X Aspect"4:13
19."A New Beginning"7:40
20."The Road to Revolution"3:35
Total length:79:49[1]
Act II
No.TitleLength
1."2285 Entr'acte" (instrumental)2:20
2."Moment of Betrayal"6:11
3."Heaven's Cove"4:19
4."Begin Again"3:54
5."The Path That Divides"5:09
6."Machine Chatter" (instrumental)1:03
7."The Walking Shadow"2:58
8."My Last Farewell"3:44
9."Losing Faythe"4:13
10."Whispers on the Wind"1:37
11."Hymn of a Thousand Voices"3:38
12."Our New World"4:12
13."Power Down" (instrumental)1:25
14."Astonishing"5:51
Total length:50:34[1]

Sources:[31][1]

Personnel

Dream Theater
Additional musicians
Production

References

  1. ^ a b c d "The Astonishing". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Smith, Steve. "Inside Dream Theater's Wildly Ambitious New Concept LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Titus, Christa. "Listen to Dream Theater's Epic New Song 'Moment of Betrayal' From Upcoming Album 'The Astonishing': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  4. ^ Epstein, Dan. "Interview: Dream Theater's John Petrucci Gives Update from the Studio". Revolver. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Begin recording vocals today for the new album. Completely pumped, time to kick some serious Buccaneer ass...yaaarggh". James LaBrie Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  6. ^ "First Tour Dates For 2015". Dream Theater Official Website. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  7. ^ Childers, Chad. "Dream Theater Eyeing Early 2016 Album Release". Loudwire. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  8. ^ "...last day". John Petrucci Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  9. ^ "...and so it begins". John Petrucci Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  10. ^ "There's nothing like the smell of fresh masters". John Petrucci Official Facebook. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  11. ^ "Track Description". Dream Theater. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  12. ^ Ewing, Jerry. "ARE DREAM THEATER ABOUT TO UNLEASH MASSIVE CONCEPT PROJECT?". Team Rock. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  13. ^ "A voice arises from deepest Ravenskill! Heed not the decrepit, misdirected, torrential force of the Empire's decrees". Twitter. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Great Northern Empire of the Americas: Our Royal Decree has arrived". Twitter. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  15. ^ Childers, Chad. "Dream Theater Begin Unveiling Characters + Track Listing for 'The Astonishing' Album". Loudwire. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  16. ^ DiVita, Joe. "Dream Theater Unveil 'The Astonishing' Artwork + Track Listing". Loudwire. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  17. ^ Bowar, Chad. "Dream Theater To Play Upcoming Album In Its Entirety During 2016 European Tour Read More: Dream Theater To Play New Album In Full During European Tour". Loudwire. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  18. ^ "Order the Deluxe Box Sets for The Astonishing". Dream Theater Official Facebook Page. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Dream Theater Premiere New Song, "The Gift of Music," Announce 2016 World Tour". Guitar World. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  20. ^ a b "Reviews for The Astonishing by Dream Theater". Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  21. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "The Astonishing - Dream Theater". Allmusic. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  22. ^ Lawson, Do (22 January 2016). "Dream Theater: The Astonishing". Classic Rock. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  23. ^ Barry, Sean (29 January 2016). "Dream Theater - The Astonishing". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Cross Fire review". Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  25. ^ "Dream Theater: The Astonishing". Kerrang! (1603): 51. 16 January 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  26. ^ a b Ling, Dave (7 January 2016). "Dream Theater: The Astonishing". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  27. ^ Mineur, Matthias. "Metal Hammer review (in German)". Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  28. ^ Thompson, Crash (27 January 2016). "Review: Dream Theater's The Astonishing Will Astonish the Band's Fans and Non-Fans Alike". Metal Sucks. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  29. ^ Jones, Tim. "The Astonishing". Record Collector. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  30. ^ Smith, Steve (29 January 2016). "Dream Theater's New Album: The Astonishing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Dream Theater: The Astonishing". Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  32. ^ "Dream Theater - Interview". Prog (62). December 2015. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  33. ^ Klaas, Michael. "Interview mit Jordan Rudess zum kommenden Album "The Astonishing"". Metal.de.
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