Maps of Music

The Astonishing (2016)

Where the lyrics of The Astonishing take you, and where it was really made.

A 34-track album running over two hours was planned to be heard as one whole piece, not as singles, and its story plays out much like a film.

Key places

Cove City Sound Studios, Long Island (2016)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — The band recorded their parts for the album throughout 2015 at this Long Island studio. The same studio was also used for several earlier Dream Theater albums. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Samurai Hotel Recording Studio, Astoria (2016)

Recording site Samurai Hotel Recording Studio — Discogs lists the Samurai Hotel as one of the recording locations for this album. The point marks the Astoria area of Queens. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Street of Dreams Studios, Toronto (2016)

Recording site Phase One Audio Group — Discogs lists Street Of Dreams Studios as one of the album's recording locations. The map point sits at the city center of Toronto, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Astonishing: thirteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater
• Released 29 January 2016 through Roadrunner Records, the band's final release with that label
• The band's second concept album, after Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
• Story by guitarist John Petrucci; music by Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess
• Set in a dystopian future United States in 2285
• 34 tracks, over two hours long; the band's longest album

Background

• Petrucci began writing the story in mid-2013 and presented it to the band about a year later
• Story inspired by Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Petrucci's observations on technology in modern life
• Petrucci and Rudess wrote the music independently from the rest of the band
• Recording of bass, drums, guitars and keyboards began in January 2015 at Cove City Sound Studios
• James LaBrie recorded vocals in Canada starting in August 2015

Recording

• David Campbell assisted with orchestration and handled logistics for the string and choir sessions
• Richard Chycki served as sound engineer and mixer; Petrucci produced
• Recording completed in late September 2015; mixing began the next month and mastering concluded in mid-December

Cover

• Cover art by Jie Ma; cover art direction by Sean Mosher-Smith

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Petrucci, Myung and Portnoy formed the band under the name Majesty while attending Berklee College of Music.
• The band was renamed Dream Theater in 1988 after a legal challenge from a Las Vegas group also named Majesty.

Members

• Current members are John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), and Mike Portnoy (drums), who rejoined in October 2023.
• Petrucci and Myung have remained in the band since its founding.

Career

• The band has released 16 studio albums; Images and Words (1992) is its highest-selling release.
• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999) received high critical acclaim.
• By 2018 the band had sold over 12 million records worldwide.
• The band has been referred to as one of the "Big Three" of progressive metal, along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning.
• A View from the Top of the World's lead single "The Alien" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: average score 80, based on six reviews from mainstream publications
• AllMusic praised the band for investing in the album concept
• Rolling Stone credited the bandmates for the boldness of their aspirations and the assurance of their execution
• Loudwire supported the unique approach but warned it might make the album polarizing for fans
• Consequence of Sound called the concept somewhat silly but gave the album an overall positive review
• Record Collector described the storytelling as seamless
• RTÉ.ie called it great fun
• Many critics singled out James LaBrie's vocals as particularly strong
• AllMusic noted that the drummer and bassist were not featured as prominently as usual

Reappraisal

• Dream Theater later said fan response was mixed, which they had expected given the project's nature
• John Petrucci said some fans embraced the story and theatrics, while others wanted the normal Dream Theater sound

Records

• Top-ten debuts in nine countries, including Norway, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Canada
• United States: peaked at number eleven on the Billboard 200
• First Dream Theater album to debut at number one on the Billboard Rock Chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album runs over two hours with 34 tracks, and was planned to be enjoyed as a full album rather than as singles.
• Five tracks are short electronic songs representing the music of the NOMACS, the machines of the story's empire.
• "The X Aspect" is the first Dream Theater song to use bagpipes, played by Eric Rigler.
• "Three Days" includes a saloon-style swing section written as a contrast to the bleaker parts of the story.
• On the 2016 tour the band played the album in full at each show and booked historic venues such as Radio City Music Hall.
• The story was first conceived as a possible film, play, or video game, and Turbo Tape Games later partnered on a video game adaptation.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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