Innocence Faded Is A Gem!

[TSJMajesty]

From songfacts:

"According to Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, the Elton John songs "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and "Rocket Man" were musical inspirations for this song."

 

[metropolis_4]

You forgot Explorers Club.

Totally forgot about that album! I’m gonna listen to it today, thanks

 

[la szum]

Finishing up Octavarium, and on my way into Systematic Chaos. You can tell someone
heard Muse and was inspired.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Finishing up Octavarium, and on my way into Systematic Chaos. You can tell someone
heard Muse and was inspired.

Mike was the guy listening to all sorts of bands and turning everyone else onto them, including me. When I read that he had turned JP onto Muse, and he liked them, naturally I had to check them out. So that's how I got exposed to Muse.

My brother and I didn't have many tastes in common, so I was always on the lookout for a band he and I both might like. I knew his tastes ran to 90's hip hop, Rage, AIC, etc., but he hated anything guitar-centric/prog, especially DT.

So I called him up to tell him about Muse, and he was like, Dude, I've been into them for years.

 

[la szum]

This verse screams Muse. Great song!

 

[la szum]

I love Octavarium. Killer album front to back!

Man, my brain needed this reset on what I thought I knew about Dream Theater
and what was worthy of my time and what was not.

 

[la szum]

By comparison, jumping right into Systematic Chaos and it feels the group wank-fest I remembered.

 

[la szum]

I am being triggered people.

First time. Happening on Album 9. How can I not fast forward??

It's just feeling like a gaggle of notes without the melody, grooves, and
harmony of previous albums that I was waiting for.

 

[TSJMajesty]

This verse screams Muse. Great song!

There's some clever connections with this album. 8 songs- 8 natural notes, 8th DT album. 5 accidentals, 5 members, 5 previous live albums.
They wrote each song in a different key, in sequence, starting on the "Root" of All Evil, ending on the "Octav"-arium, with the sound effects between the songs in the key of the half-step between the keys of the songs.

Six Degrees begins with the fade-out sounds of Metropolis 2000; ToT begins with the ending of 6 Degrees, and Ocatavarium begins with the ending of Tot, but also ends with it, to complete the cycle/octave.

 

[la szum]

I barely made it through Systematic Chaos. Barely! That and Awake are my least enjoyable albums so far. Awake
just felt like they were not all in it together and on the same page as a band. Moore was checking out.

Systematic Chaos just felt really notey and self-indulgent. To me.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I barely made it through Systematic Chaos. Barely! That and Awake are my least enjoyable albums so far. Awake
just felt like they were not all in it together and on the same page as a band. Moore was checking out.

Systematic Chaos just felt really notey and self-indulgent. To me.

Hahaha Just wait.... It didn't happen quite that early for me...., like I LOVE In The Presence of Enemies, especially part 2. That dark vibe, and the music toward the end for me is fantastic. But it was probably their first album where I found a few songs were like, wtf?? (Prophets of War)

But Ministry of Lost Souls is one of my favorite DT songs. I really dig how it completely changes in the middle section, and how JP modulates the main theme. He does a great job, theory-wise, of connecting the various parts together. To me.

 

[DrewJD82]

I barely made it through Systematic Chaos. Barely! That and Awake are my least enjoyable albums so far. Awake
just felt like they were not all in it together and on the same page as a band. Moore was checking out.

Even with Moore checking out, I think that added to some elements I love on that album; the space. "Voices" and "Space Dye Vest" especially, those big open sections....oh I love that album. My favorite Petrucci tones, too. That rhythm tracks were a Dual Rec and a IIC+ (which is why I ripped that combination off for my main metal preset a couple months ago). It seemed like a good progression after I&W to me; it was heavy enough to remain relevant, if they did another I&W sounding record at that time I think they'd be tagged as 80's leftovers.

They recorded that album at One On One in LA, same place Metallica did The Black Album.

 

[MindCrime]

I've been a huge DT fan since the early 90's. The first time I heard "Pull Me Under".....that did it for me ! I have all their CDs except for maybe 2, I think.
But, "Images and Words" along with "Awake" (are masterpieces) will never get old with me ! The other CDs are amazing indeed.

Truly master musicians.

 

[la szum]

Even with Moore checking out, I think that added to some elements I love on that album; the space. "Voices" and "Space Dye Vest" especially, those big open sections....oh I love that album. My favorite Petrucci tones, too. That rhythm tracks were a Dual Rec and a IIC+ (which is why I ripped that combination off for my main metal preset a couple months ago). It seemed like a good progression after I&W to me; it was heavy enough to remain relevant, if they did another I&W sounding record at that time I think they'd be tagged as 80's leftovers.

They recorded that album at One On One in LA, same place Metallica did The Black Album.

That's interesting. To me the tones were a little too Retro-Buzzkill 90's. I should confess those super
fat, scooped, loose Rectifier rhythm tones are not my cup of tea. That's never been how I dial mine in.
They just sound dated to me, and tied top that period of time, rather than timeless.


Oh, the flow of Awake just feels a little more disjointed than the work before or after. Like the fractured band
was reflected in the fractured music.

 

[la szum]

Hahaha Just wait.... It didn't happen quite that early for me...., like I LOVE In The Presence of Enemies, especially part 2. That dark vibe, and the music toward the end for me is fantastic. But it was probably their first album where I found a few songs were like, wtf?? (Prophets of War)

But Ministry of Lost Souls is one of my favorite DT songs. I really dig how it completely changes in the middle section, and how JP modulates the main theme. He does a great job, theory-wise, of connecting the various parts together. To me.

Haha! Not the band. Just that album. I love Octavarium and Train Of Thought. I will listen to those again in the
next week. With Systematic the flurry of notes just got overwhelming, and the emphasis seemed less song-centric
and more performance/let me show off centered.

 

[la szum]

Black Clouds & Silver Linings today. 75 minute album and only 6 songs. So Dream Theater.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Black Clouds & Silver Linings today. 75 minute album and only 6 songs. So Dream Theater.

You mentioned Never Enough a few posts ago. That's another one that I think is very well-written. Lots of harmonic minor, and such a blast of a song. It's one that I've worked on quite a lot, and has a few parts that I can actually PLAY!

The way Petrucci re-states the themes in different ways is probably one of my favorite things I love about listening to DT's music. JP did a column for GP for a season around the time of SFAM, in which he discussed how he repeats themes, the example I recall was Beyond This Life. Good stuff to incorporate.

 

[la szum]

My one beef arising out of this listening experience (not that I am entitled to a beef!) is I sometimes
wish they would lean into a riff a little more. Lock into that sucker and ride it for a few more measures.

It's a band with ADHD for sure!! No offense to anyone who struggles with attention and is hyper-active.

I just hear these killer riffs/grooves and then they'll move on and sometimes they never return to them fully.

 

[la szum]

Kind of afraid to move onto Mangini's 1st album with the band after just listening to Portnoy's last.

 

[la szum]

Ok, right off the bat the drums on Dramatic Turn Of Events are not mixed as forward as with Portnoy.

Am I hearing things? Keys/Rudess seems a bit more forward, too.

Love Petrucci's tones right out of the gate.