Distance Over Time (Bonus Track Version)

This album is my favorite since Systematic Chaos, and I think it’s easily the best of the Mangini era so far. Excellent album.

A track by track analysis: 1. Untethered Angel 3.5/5 stars A bit too weird of a song, but after the very Broadway-ish Astonishing, old school fans should be happy that Dream Theater is back to basics. 2. Paralyzed 5/5 I’ve tried to hate this song, as it sounds too similar to Red (a good band, by the way) but the melody just wouldn’t leave my head, so I give up. It’s a good song. 3. Fall into the Light 6/5 The very progressive song was good already until John Petrucci’s solo catapulted this song into my personal work from Dream Theater. The instrumental break is too beautiful to describe. 4. Barstool Warrior 3/5 Just an okay song. Definitely not my favorite here. 5. Room 137 5/5 Mangini’s first lyrical contribution after 8 years in Dream Theater is a psychotic blend of Queen and Yes with crazy progressive metal thrown in for good measure. 6. S2N 6/5 This is what the 2013 self titled album should’ve have sounded like. It’s melodic and highly technical in a very sophisticated manner and very smoothly streamlined. 3rd best song on the record. 7. At Wit’s End 5/5 At Wit’s End sounds very much like something from Systematic Chaos, as if to apologize to fans for The Astonishing. The only thing I don’t like is the hidden track at the end; it sounds too much like Muzak and is totally unnecessary. Doesn’t hurt the song, luckily. 8. Out of Reach 6/5 My 2nd favorite song of the album and the best ballad Dream Theater has had in years. John Petrucci’s clean guitar work stands out, as does James LaBrie’s airy vocals at the end of the song. 9. Pale Blue Dot 4/5 As the most complicated song on the album, Pale Blue Dot is sure to please fans who yearned for a song like this last time around. My only tiff with this is that it’s too similar to Room 137 just by a margin, but it’s otherwise incomparable. Consensus: Almost among the best albums the band has made, Distance Over Time rewards listeners with repeated sittings with the return to Dream Theater’s signature progressive metal. Not as amazing as Train of Thought, but nevertheless a strong effort all the same.

The playing is great. But 2 years later and I still cannot get into this album. It just seems lifeless to me. It is DT so there are some sparks of greatness here but no fire, at least for me. Luckily AVFTTOTW just dropped and its awesome.

I have been with these guys since 92. That's almost 30 years of loving this band. However, is it weird to say that this sounds forced and wayyy to heavy? The songs are great but dont feel like the old days. Its too digital I guess. I just want it to be natural and not feel like Im listening to a DT machine.

This album is great I love DT been a fan for a long time love all the albums great metal band over all you rock DT

How do they manage to compose heavy music that at the same time is epic, melodic and beautiful? These guys are geniuses.

I'm a long time DT fan who has every album. Favorites are Images and SFAM. A lot of people swear by this particular album, but I don't hear it..... It's not bad, but most songs are not memorable and even sound uninspired. A couple standouts like Fall into the Light and S2n, but otherwise forgettable. The musicianship is top notch as always, just the melodies and lyrics are not that interesting to me. At least it's better than The Astonishing.

Everyone here is a qualified and knowledgeable reviewer of musical talent, composition, technique, engineering. Uh, I highly doubt it and if given a rigorous quiz to demonstrate their competency, what percentage would come close to passing? Speak only of what you are qualified to speak of.

So why would I STOP NOW? Click yes if you agree!!!

Yes, this is something you can dance to if you're so inclined. However, the question is, does the vinyl version have any grooves in it, because these boys have clearly fallen into one or maybe two. Never the less, I do love that beefy guitar - just not for breafast, lunch, and dinner?