Metropolis Part 1 and Part 2 (Full Album) Reaction: Extended Play Lounge (Ep. 1) & 100K Sub-tacular!
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- Опубликовано: 10 авг 2021
- #DreamTheater #MetropolisPart1 #MetropolisPart2 #ExtendedPlayLounge
In this momentous episode, I am embarking on my most daring musical voyage yet...a listen to the entire Metropolis saga by Dream Theater. Both Parts 1 and the full Part 2 album are included in this continuous take reaction.
This is the first episode in my new Extended Play Lounge series, available to my Patreon Patrons (tier 2 and up) well before general release on RUclips.
This is also serving as my special 100K subscriber celebration reaction video...as Metropolis was the overwhelming favorite of those active on the channel.
Thanks again to everyone for your support. Without it, I couldn't be able to take the time to undertake a video like this.
JOIN THE NEW EXCLUSIVE DAILY DOUG COMMUNITY!
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In 9 days, this video has over 27,000 watch hours. Thanks for the great support!
You are a joy to watch and listen!
I may have listened to this album for that many hours. At this point it's an obsession. It may be unhealthy. Don't give it another listen. Stop now while you can, before its literary and musical layers fully entrap you.
you deserve it, I love your videos only thing I don't understand is why you don't like the dub kick drum its like my favorite part.
@@logicturtle9838 waste of time?
@@logicturtle9838 not 2 hours just 1 "hours" and 47 minutes. Lol
Nicholas and a therapist are meeting in modern day. Nicholas is troubled by vivid visions of a young girl and has done to the therapist as a shoulder to lean on. The therapist uses regression therapy to try to help bring clarity to Nicholas' visions.
Nicholas goes back to 1928, where he sees Victoria, who is having relationship troubles as Nicholas begins to see her life through her eyes.
Julian = The Sleeper = Victoria's boyfriend, has addictions to gambling and cocaine. Julian and Victoria's relationship goes on the skids due to Julian's addictions.
Edward = The Miracle = Julian's brother. Victoria turns to Edward as a confidant. Edward seduces her despite the shame of pursuing his brother's lover. Edward views Julian as ungrateful and unworthy of Victoria, and he wants to possess Victoria as his own. Victoria doesn't feel the same, but fears Edward and is unable to end their affair. She eventually reconciles with a recovered Julian and they plan a secret meeting. Edward sees their rendezvous and kills Julian in a jealous rage. Victoria/Nicholas hear the therapists' voice say "open your eyes" before Edward shoots her as well. (This is a misdirection played upon the first time listener, who assumes the therapist is trying to bring Nicholas out of his hypnotic regression.) We know from an earlier song that Edward plants a suicide note on his brother, and we know from the very beginning of the album that the authorities take the note as genuine, making the murder-suicide an open and shut case.
Nicholas now has closure and knows Victoria's truth. He drives home, where a news report is playing CNN reporting the day John F Kennedy Jr died in a plane crash (this would've been VERY fresh when the album came out, so it was a way to make sure the listener knows the story is back in the modern day). Nicholas pours himself a drink, starts an old record, but is surprised to hear the same voice say, "Open your eyes, Nicholas" as the therapist, who has followed him home, shoots Nicholas. The implication is that Nicholas is the reincarnated Victoria, and the therapist is the reincarnated Edward.
And I would add something else, I think the old man that appears in "Fatal Tragedy" is the reincarnated Julian
Just a minor note: When Edward kills Victoria, he says "Open your eyes Victoria," which does establish a link between him and the Therapist, but it doesn't feel like misdirection to me.
One thing I'd like to add, Victoria's code name is sometimes referred as Metropolis or The City. Sometimes those two things do not correlate to her in some passages. "The city's cold blood teaches us to survive" is referring to Victoria's and Edward's "cold blooded" relationship, hence when Nicholas says he's learning how to live his life by looking through her eyes. It does slip the mind because it is subtle, I probably had to listen and read the lyrics 5 times with a hard focus to catch it.
Great explanation. Thanks!
Would love to see this turned into a movie.
1:22:16 when Doug said "I like this, where there's less shredding" and literally right after John Petrucci starts shredding
uahuahuahuahuahuahuahuahuhauhauhsiuahdiuashdiuashiduhasd
Ahhahaahahahaha
lol yep
funny thing..the "Part 1" in Metropolis' name was added as a joke..then every fan was asking for part 2..and they gave us the best album in music history..long live the kings!
Little tidbit here...
I have this album on 4 different formats including record. Finally Free on the record is designed to never end. The last groove of the track is closed and doesn't allow the needle to track to the dead wax and you get the endless static noise (which is actually a record being played with the turntable not featuring auto stop just constantly playing the dead wax section of the record). You physically have to stop your record player or it'll just go on and on. I find it amazing that they did that.
And that static is the lead in to "The Glass Prison" on the succeeding album :)
I didn't discover this until i later picked up a vinyl release of Images & Words, so cool. Rush also did this on the vinyl release of Fly by Night, with the chimes on “By-Tor and the Snow Dog” as they loop indefinitely. Neil with us forever...
Same tactic as used on the final track of Sgt. Pepper's by the Beatles, A Day In The Life uses the run out groove in the same way.
Really amazing. I was not aware of this. Thanks a lot. 👍
How interesting! I knew about how SFAM, SDOIT, TOT and 8VM were linked with the close of the first being the opening of the second, and so on (with 8VM closing the cycle by ending with the keyboard playing an F1 and the other sound effects that were on the beginning of that album), but what you said here is new to me. Fascinating!
Doug: "The double kick drum takes away from the power of the piece"
Portnoy fans (myself included): "Oh no, you didn't"
He's right though. One can appreciate MP's drumming and still think that some of his beats are suboptimal musically
Double kick adds power definetly
There's a time and a place. In saying that, Portnoy uses every single piece of the kit exactly as it's required in every Dream Theater song.
I can see Doug’s argument in a few of the sections here, but I disagree with how often he mentions it. Sometimes the part would be better escalated to, say, a 9, which would be slightly less intense, and without the throbbing bass drum.
Other times, that part screams “11,” and double kick is required.
I understand his point but I disagree. But this I think is actually a very subjective thing between all the objective elements in music. It's like blast beats. A lot of people genuinely find that blast beats add musical value to some metal. I cannot for the life of me even imagine agreeing with that, it feels like noise to me. Maybe in terms of dissonance-resolution I can agree, but the beat itself I don't feel any rythm
With double Kick I can cause there is the snare marking the tempo and the kick serves as a sort of adrenaline pumping sound. And I mean that genuinely, not half-assing an explanation some troll mindset.
And so it's probably very much a difference in sensibility. I can feel the music in a double kick. Some people can feel the music in a blast beat. And Doug probably doesn't have a sensibility for neither of those specifically.
Anyway that's my thesis
0:00 Intro
4:24 Metropolis Pt 1
15:28 Regression
18:23 Overture 1928
22:14 Strange Déjà Vu
28:13 Through My Words
29:36 Fatal Tragedy
37:01 Beyond This Life
48:48 Through Her Eyes
54:31 Home
1:07:50 The Dance of Eternity
1:14:17 One Last Time
1:18:23 The Spirit Carries On
1:25:21 Finally Free
1:37:21 Doug's final words
thanks for making this
Ty
''Doug's final words'' looks here like it could be legit title of this album's closer
thank you so much sir!
@@fortis_3625 I was thinking the same thing lol, "Doug's final words" kinda ominous.
“Home” is the centre of the album both musically and lyrically. It’s a perfect 10/10 song.
100%. It is perfect. Although, it’s the most perfect part of a brilliant album.
Totally agree. So much of the story is told in that song, so it's a critical piece of the overall story. But as a standalone song it's also amazing...true headbanger, instrumentally challenging and yet melodic and tasteful.
it's a TOOL-ish track
@@delacruzneili Even though its in D minor, Tool's favourite key, and features some indian instruments I think its a stretch to say it sounds like Tool lmao. It kinda reminds me of "Reflection" but only in parts.
Home and Dance back to back is attempted murder
I was 17 back in 2000 when a radio producer here in Athens decided to put this on at 2 in the morning. The whole album... Just announcing while laughing that, ''you know folks, I 'm going to share with you the best rock/metal album of the last century''. And you know what? He was right! Thanks a lot Doug...
Έλα ρε πατρίδα! Καλή φάση...
I've always said that this is indeed, the best rock/metal album. It's not even per se the stuff I typically listen to, but it's just... the best!
Awesome ! I was 17 in 2001 when I first heard this...
Μεγάλε. Αλάνι
Ποια εκπομπή λες;;
I'm so stoked to watch this tonight. Metropolis II is an all time favorite album of mine and I'm THRILLED to hear your analysis. Been binging your channel the last week. Keep up the amazing work, Doug! 🤘🔥
Mah boi Jason!
Metropolis II is my #1, Empath is #2. Had some good videos to watch today... :)
the man is basically making fun of all the corny stuff any trained musician gets when listening to Dream theater. anyway that's what sadly pays most on his Channel. he literally suspended any opinion on Metropolis part 1
Hey Jason. Hope you are well
The worlds collide.
This is the best album ever made, I don't care if people disagree. Thank you Doug, thank you Dream Theater. My 17 and my 39 year old are both happy.
I was 17 when I first found this album. Im now 39 as well
@@cfleck4277 easily the best album ever made. no filler all amazing songs with a cool story.
Same. 16 and 38. Discovered DT with the Once in a LiveTime album a musician friend gave me just to marvel at MP. I stopped playing drums, but never stopped listening to them.
discovered when i was 16 and now im 16
@@andrewlogan7151 One of us. One of us. One of us.
Funny if you think about it:
Victoria haunting Nicholas to warn him of The Miracle is the only thing that lead him to the hypnotherapist in the first place, making his death her fault.
i have been haunted by this fact for years
You gotta do Dream Theater's "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence"!
That transition from goodnight kiss to solitary shell always brings me chills!🤣
Just skip side 1
UP
For me it has to be the live version from "Score"
@@khamkaiarolim9975 Same. Always feels good when you find out someone around the world has the same goosebumps spot.
Now waiting for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence by Dream Theater
Too much double kicks in that 😂
I would like to see his reaction to Twelve Steps Suite and how DT managed to hold the consistency of the concept throughout 5 albums.
@@todayisagoodday4642 Only in a couple earlier tracks. Overall it has a less than average amount of straight double kicks.
"How do they possibly play this - without notes - live?" - Jordan actually uses sheets when playing live
Makes sense why he does when you watch Dance of Eternity.
I mean I think actually creating the stuff has a lot to do with memorizing it. Still freaks of nature though.
"and Petrucci's melodic solos are as good as they get on the guitar"
Based.
There might be more technical players (not many) but John is God, he is just... God. A second close is Marty Friedman, check out Tears of an Angel, that shit is as good as it gets from instrumental guitar.
@@incitatus634 I don't understand how Marty could be near Petrucci, as I'd be putting Marco Sfogli somewhere up there, but it's all so subjective.
@@incitatus634 Marty Friedman doesn't even sweep pick.
Only Gurthie Govan has somewhat better jazzy improvisation. Otherwise it's all about JP. The guitar god.
Lifeson, Petrucci, Gilmour, Knopfler, Gates. Top 5.
This is the most important album of my life. I always come back to it and it got right in the feels.
Yep, this paints an image in my brain that no other album can. It's really like a movie, the music is almost secondary.
A pivotal album in my life as well. I heard "Pull Me Under" on the radio and I stopped what I was doing, drove to the nearest music store and bought it and looped it for MONTHS!!!. It opened a whole new type of music for me. It was like the next generation after RUSH.
It gets me right in the feels ever time. Especially that outro lead guitar to The Spirit Carries On. That first bent note just pulls on my soul. Petrucci writes the best solos with feeling.
It’s the album that took DT out of the clubs and into arenas. Even on the same tour.
This is probably the only album that gets me a little choked up when I listen to it. It's absolutely amazing.
Big shoutout to the Patrons for allowing this to be released on RUclips.
Fun fact: the last bit of "Home" at 1:06:53 is in 19/16.
1:30:30 "One last time, we lay down today,
One last time, until we fade away"
I've always imagined Julian and Victoria laying down in a pool of their own blood, looking into each other's eyes as they died. Truly heartbreaking and bittersweet. They died together at least...
pretty much how one of my most important friendships I wish ended but didn't now I just hate the person forever ._.
Yeah absolutely. Always took it as a very painful but beautiful line to read
Doug: they DO play this live, line by line, note by note. Every single arrangement. By memory (maybe Jordan reads some parts). And when they're done, they usually play and hour or so of the rest of their catalogue. Maybe 1 or 2 misses in total, at most. Mind-blogging. They have a number of live DVDs performing this.
What % of the audience could even tell if they missed notes? This kind of thing is apocryphal
Live Scenes from New York is an absolutely legendary album. The entire Scenes from a Memory album, plus about 10 other classics from their early career. Oh yeah, and the entire A Change of Seasons as an encore.
@@dmidkif Live Scenes from New York is so ingrained that the original studio seems just a little bit off to my ear.
I think Jordan Rudess typically has the sheet music on his pad. Don't know how much he needs it but I've seen some videos of him showing off his setup and I think I've seen that pad in every or at least on most of his live performances.
And also there's the fact that even though these songs have insane amounts of notes and so on, this band can focus on only these songs and they have composed them themselves, spend a lot of time with them in the studio and play them again and again at gigs. So it's not really comparable to musicians-for-hire who have to learn new songs (they might have never heard of before) for every new production. Easier to remember.
But yes, it is still very very impressive.
@@timmokoo5679 The impressive thing is that despite that, they still can cover other bands' songs, and very well (I think their rendition of "Funeral for a Friend" is superior to the original, but it may just be because I heard their version first).
I love how he is soooo into the lyrics and into the story of this whole drama album. Besides the knowledge of the chords progression and stuff, he was like watching (listening) to a movie. xD
Might be one of the very few that actually listened the album as intended haha, I also feel he gets the most out of this knowing music theory
Why wouldn’t he not be? It’s logical
@@AtomizedSound This sentence made my brain hurt.
Dream Theater has to be among the most talented and skilled group of musicians ever assembled.
such a unique style of writing music
This is my favorite album of all time. A true masterpiece.
Even though its far from being Labrie's most technical performance, the feeling and acting with multiple actors is outstanding.
This is DT's at their best.
Doug, about the meaning of TDoE:
The Dance of Eternity is supposed to represent Love. At that point in the story, Victoria has cheated on Julian, the Sleeper, with Edward, the Miracle.
The song is a playout of the rollercoaster of emotions people are going through at that point, Julian with his addictions, and Victoria cheating on him with Edward.
As the lyrics say in the end of Metropolis Pt1 ... "Love is The Dance of Eternity"
@@CheloWiiU OOOH GOOODDDD, I NEVER SAW THAT RELATION. Mindblowing!
This is a very interesting, intelligently made album, one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Would absolutely love to see you tackle Angra - Temple of Shadows. They're an incredible Brazilian power metal band. It's a prog album about "the life of a crusader in the 11th century - known as The Shadow Hunter - questioning the ideals of the Catholic Church." The musicianship is absolutely incredible throughout and they have some really cool traditional Brazilian influences you won't hear elsewhere that I think you'd really dig.
x2
Now we are talking! Avante meu Brasil!
I think he dont like much double bass drum, and this album have an amount of it.
Yes, I periodically get obsessed with this album and play it over and over and over. It is fantastic
Yeah, but I think it's not gonna happen. As being said by the fellow above, Doug doesn't like too much the double bass drums and Angra is full of them.
One of the coolest things on the album is how they change key for Nicholas and Victoria, so that when James is singing her parts he is in a higher register than the male character. It’s very intelligent.
1:39:30 Yes, the hypnotherapist is Edward. He figures out that Nicholas is Victoria throughout their sessions and figures that he knows the truth, and then follows him back to his home to kill and silence him. The history repeats itself. You were spot on!!
"Really cool Mike-ing on the drums."
👍🤣
XD
Was it not "my king"? 🤔
@@juholaaksonen7455 😯
You bring me back 22 years ago, when me and my friends heard this masterpiece for the very first time, having your same reaction.
My old and smiling heart thanks you.
f me, it's been almost _thirty years_ since images and words.
i guess _something_ would make me feel old, sooner or later.
@@GeorgeTsiros I was talking about SFAM, about I&W it was listened that I was yet a schoolboy in 92 (17 yrs old, highschool, but anyway student)
Almost hard to believe that this came out 22 years ago.
Seeing this live, absolutely note-for-note perfect, was one of the best things I've ever seen (along with A Change of Seasons!)
As did I. Blew me away that they all played each note I heard on the CD which I played all the time. Awesome band, awesome writing. I think they are all from that other planet... the one all the greats come from.
I had the honor of seeing it live in 2001 at the Hoise of Blues and again in 2018 fully played perfectly
When I saw them play this live, it was at the Wiltern Theater with the Dixie Dregs opening. The show was oversold and the fire marshal shut the show down during "The Spirit Carries On."
you were at the live taping in NYC? I watched that dvd 100 times
I also saw this in Dallas. By far the GREATEST thing I've ever witnessed.
"There must be the third and last dance..." Chills every time. That riff. So simple, so perfect. Just the first of about 50 chill-inducing moments in this masterpiece.
"how do they play this without notes"
Jordan plays with all his sheet music. he writes all his sheet music out and plays from it live. hes just more comfortable doing that because of his classical backround.
Even then he's said before it's more of a saftey net than anything. He's played a lot of this stuff without the sheet music at some of his solo gigs. His level of virtuosity is seriously out of this world
It's funny that classical trained musicians need sheet music but Petrucci and Myung don't need it while they're playing the same complicated stuffs.
Portnoy even said that they used to play the songs so much during the recordings that he doesn't need any kind of reminding, he plays everything naturally, and remembers it all effortless, even when they were doing big tour with 50 songs on playlists that they changed every night.
I don't know about writing it out. He's usually got it on a tablet computer attached to his keyboard.
@@berlanddix648 That's total BS. Most classical performers can and do perform massive musical works from memory. If you had attended classical concerts, you'd know that.
@maxhowlett9649 I played classical piano at a high level for a long time. In my experience, by the time you get a piece of music to performance level, you don't really need the sheet music anymore, but it's helpful to have it there for reference once in a while.
Personally, I find that it's easier to play music from memory on guitar than on piano, because guitar is so based on shapes and patterns that can easily be transposed by sliding up and down the fretboard. With enough practice, your fingers just find the right shapes and off you go. Piano is different, because every key is a different set of shapes, so you're always thinking about the notes. I think that makes it a little tougher to play complex music using muscle memory.
Static...the end of this album is the begining of the next album "six degrees of inner turbulence
6=6° album 6 songs (if you considered six degrees like only one song)
7 album= train of thought (14 letters)
First song:as i am (7 minutes)
Last song: in the name of god (14 letters)
7 songs
Ovtavarium(8° album) 8 songs
Systematic chaos (9° album)
9 songs
Dream theater (12° album)
D R E A M T H E A T E R
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Speaking of that static leading into "The Glass Prison", gotta do the whole Portnoy AA suite, right???
Also, the SONG 6Degrees - a 42-minute masterpiece!
You can also hear funeral bells in the static
Systematic chaos has only 8 songs, not 9, or 7 if you count in the presence of enemies as one song
Similarly, the ending sound of 6° album is the same as the beginning sound of the next one (Train of Thought).
The ending sound of "Octavarium" (last song of the Octavarium album), is the same as the beginning of the first song ("the Root of All Evil") of the same album, which it links to the lyrics "This story ends where it began..."
Dream Theater does love their numerology.
This, for me, is the best album ever written (to date). Absolute masterpiece.
Angra - Temple of Shadows is also a good one.
Best concept album since “The Wall” and DT’s finest moment
Nah it's too long, bloated, with a lot of filler. Would have worked better as a 20 to 30 minute piece. Rush never fell into this trap, and this is the edge they had over DT.
Pain of Salvation, enough said
"Operation: Mindcrime" of Queensryche...
@@JayJayPee123 You're wrong
@@JayJayPee123 "Nah it's too long, bloated, with a lot of filler." yeah, 'the wall' is boring album. and DT's I&W is a pure masterpiece from the beginning to the end
You listened to one of the best albums humans had ever written IMHO.
53:20 So glad to hear you appreciate Dream Theater's versatility. That's something that doesn't get mentioned enough and is something only fans who listen to their full albums understand. DT have become infamous because of their technical chops, and this is reinforced when people are introduced to them via their really "flashy" tracks like Metropolis Pt. 1 or The Dance of Eternity. Fans almost never recommend their ballads or experimental tracks like Space Dye Vest. So what's happened is DT is often dismissed as the epitome of wanky prog. Meanwhile, they probably have more emotionally substantial songs than the vast majority of metal bands in existence, and you got to experience that with this album. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is probably my favorite DT album precisely because it showcases their entire range, and pretty much every track has such individual brilliance.
I completely agree. In fact, in SDOIT they have one of my favourite tracks from them and one of the saddest songs I've ever heard: Disappear.
Agree with all of this.
I agree...many people associate them with just being a bunch of flashy stuff that you can't really dance to or even keep up with in your head unless you're familiar with odd time signatures. However, they have their selection of simple songs as well such as the ballads. Heck, I'd go as far as saying that the studio version of "Hollow Years" could serve as a more than adequate slow dance song at a school dance. This isn't to say that I don't find their more complex songs catchy (quite the opposite), but for the lay music fan, those simpler ones are much more comprehensible.
Agreed! DT is my favorite band of all time, because they have the widest range, strongest technical abilities, and deepest lyrics and meanings of any band ever. Those 3 things, not just the virtuosity. I absolutely love all of it!
The ballads are amazing! I Walk Beside You was my wife and I's first dance song.
Another day, Wither, Along for the Ride, The Answer Lies Within, This is the Life ... all AMAZING and 1000x better than any radio ballad. Any of them.
That face that Doug has at 12:18-12:33 is the same face I had when I first heard that instrumental part. Absolutely spellbound.
1. Watching Doug critically listen reminds me what an outstanding work of art this music is. Having listened to it since the day it came out I've come to kind of take it for granted
2. I'm constantly amazed at the insights Doug make listening to music the very first time. He often picks up things that it took me many, many listens to catch...and sometimes makes me realize things I'd completely missed.
Interesting how Doug remains calm and finds notes and metres in The Spirit Carries On. I'm just crying here.
I was lucky enough to hear them play this album live in its entirety in February 2020. The last show of their world tour - just before the pandemic. It was an incredible performance.
I was lucky enough to be at the LSFAM show in NYC. Easily the greatest concert I’ve ever seen.
Same! It was the last concert I went to... :(
@@baptoufragilise me too 😞
I saw them do it in February, too. But 20 years before that. ;-)
I got lucky and saw them twice that tour!
Fun fact about the static ending: The very next album in their discography "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" starts the same way, with the static. Also, thats the next song I want you to do from Dream Theater. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Its a 42 minute, 6-part masterpiece.
Absolutely, CD2 live rocks and is perfect
"Sucks to be Nicholas" - Doug Helvering
Love this video so much I'm going to watch it again. Worth listening to the 12-Step Suite, too. I consider it Mike Portnoy's magnum opus, intensely personal to him. The first movement is the first track of the album following this and it begins with the same static this album ends with. These guys are simply amazing.
After leaving DT and just finishing his 12-Step Suite in the DT albums, Portnoy asked Haken to tour with him to perform his 12-step suite. It's amazing.
@@Arrow2theACL Wish I coulda seen it live. The videos look like a heckuva party.
Double-kick is just another tool in the arsenal of a drummer. At 35:52, for example, you failed to notice the awesome splash pattern Mike Portnoy (the drummer) was playing with his hands over the double-kick pattern. As others have said, it gives an incredible boost of energy to the whole band. It takes a lot of practice to master, and is simply used to offer variety. Also, Portnoy doesn't use it all the time, so it has a greater effect when it's there. That being said, I can understand if it's not your thing, but the faces you make while mentioning double-kick makes it seem condescending. Great commentary otherwise, keep up the good work!
he never mentions single kick drums... it is also pretty interesting that the only thing he mentioned in the dance of eternity song regarding the drums was "oh double kick drum" on several occasions, now consider this piece has over 100 meter changes in about 6,5 min....
100%
The double kick wasn't used very tastefully though. It doesn't really add more power
He's just an old quirky classical musician though. It's not at all the opinion of the fanbase in general. Never heard anyone else whine about it like this dude, and it's kind of distasteful. Sure, you dont like it, we get that, but it does not take away from the music. It adds power, where power is needed. DT is not DT because of the choices they made musically, not what a random youtube reactioner thought. I cant imagine DT without double kick drums.
He just doesn't like double kick drums and is his video so he can say or put any face he likes. I love double kick drums so much but I get is not from everyone, period. That's a small part of all his analysis that is pretty fun to hear. If you guys don't like what he says about that little part of the drums is simple, don't watch it.
For their 20th anniversary tour, they played the whole album with a video screen behind them. It shows the story being played out, which would help a first time listener follow the story.
And they played it so well!
Should have been with MP
I've been there, in Paris, that was truly amazing.
The Dance of Eternity is often known as the mother of all instrumentals, with 108 time signature changes. The musicians say that, whoever can play this song, can play any song on earth.
I remember when this came out. I bought it immediately and played in my car driving home from Circuit City. God, I miss the 90s. Of course, this album blew me away, and while they've made some great albums since then they've never topped this one. Bringing in Jordan Rudess was genius. I miss Kevin Moore, but I don't think he'd have been able to keep up. I mean, he left prog metal for a more electro sound. Chroma Key is cool stuff, though.
the dude that first played me this album last name was laurie.
Kevin would definitely be able to keep up. He didn't leave prog. He wanted to experiment. It's not like he's less talented because of that or anything. He left Dream Theater because of a lot of personal problems. Not because he "can't keep up"
Hi jordan
I wouldn't have expected Doug to know this, but the voice at the start of scenes is legendary Rush producer Terry Brown.
GET OUTTA HERE!! I didn't know that either and I bought this CD when it came out!
At first I thought it was Labrie but when I found out it was Terry I lost my poop
The hypnotherapist?
@@thundersnow93 yeah.
sweet.... did not know that. bet they got him because Rush were an influence.
I have always considered this to be the greatest recorded musical performance in the history of music. I'm completely serious. It's the masterpiece of all time.
100% correct. I just wish everyone could feel what it does to us. They would be happier people.
I say 'contemporary music'
London Symphony doing Beethoven's 9th is still superior
This is impressive musicianship, "the masterpiece of all time" it most certainly is not. Even if you catagorize it into something as niche as "fantasy storytelling progressive rock album", it would still have heavy competition from the likes of 60's/70's albums from bands like Yes, among others in my opinion.
Scenes was the first DT album I bought, it was the latest release when I was seeing Petrucci in G3 in Austin, and I hadn't heard of him so I bought their latest to familiarize myself with them.
They became my favorite band of all time in a single album haha.
I've intensely enjoyed every album from them, especially the last 4.
Thanks for this video! I have one comment. Progressive metal is still metal. "Two kick drums" are part of it. Mike Portnoy uses them because he can play the drums, not because he can't. He doesn't do this very often. Best regards!!!
Was with you for the entirety. Observation 1: When watching on a 24 inch monitor, "leaning in" is scary. Observation 2: I never cease to learn from you. Observation 3: you gotta get over the kick drum phobia. Observation 4: I wish I could buy you a beer and discuss music and politics.
God yes, when he leans in he's invading my bubble, and to myself say, "BRUH! Get out of my space!"
I remember discovering Dream Theater in high school when Images and Words came out. Pull Me Under was getting heavy play on the local rock station, and my friends on the Rush forums on....Prodigy (I think) were absolutely going crazy over how good we all thought they were. I still get goosebumps the way LaBrie's vocals soar on Metropolis Part 1. That entire album still holds up for me as my favorite album of theirs -- though Scenes from a Memory comes in a very close second.
NO SHUT UP-- Metropolis Pt. 2 is one of my favorite albums of all time-- I know it top to bottom, thousands of hours ive spent listening to it-- i am writing this comment before i watch this but i am about to hit play i am so excited
"The Best of Times" should be your next DT song! Mike Portnoy dedicate it to his dying father and was able to perform it to him before he died! Great lyrics and one of the best Petrucci solos!
When I said I would pay to see you reacting to Metropolis in your ACoS video, I wasn't kidding. Best 2 dollars I'm ever gonna spend! Thank you Doug, you sir are a legend.
Yeah i remember your comment, and you did do it
@@JustinOhio The Astonishing is trash compared to this
@@rayv8185 why do you think so?
@@rayv8185 ASTONISHING has its place. SFAM is better in terms of technicality but Astonishing has better voicings(chordal changes and modulations) and melodies.
I know, people hate me for saying that.
Still SFAM is my fav album of theirs. No question.
@@mackyalilio8811 I listened to The Astonishing for the first time all the way through a few days ago and I literally don't remember a single thing about it
Please please find Mike Portnoy's explanation of the "shrink & grow" section and just react to that, if not his breakdown of the whole song timing. It's insanity.
oh hell yea!!!!!!!!
Yesss!!!!! Shrink n grow!!!
Yes! I was thinking the same thing while listening. I guy like Doug would really appreciate that.
Da-Dan- Phenomenon, da-dan,-Phenomenon 😅
Here it is! ruclips.net/video/HECYrCmCjhA/видео.html
My favorite album of all time. I got this album in 2003 and, though I listened to (and played) a lot of incredible music since, nothing has captured my musical imagination quite like this album did.
34:15 The "shrink and grow" section during the fatal tragedy solos. It's a pretty cool concept. Mike Portnoy explains it here: ruclips.net/video/HECYrCmCjhA/видео.html
Jeez Doug! I really disagree with you about the double kick bass drum. It gives the song a deeper, richer, and epic feel. I saw you do a little head banging to the double bass on Beyond This Life! 😆😆
Agreed. It's metal and expecting no double kick is like expecting a good drumming from Lars Ulrich haha. I love his reactions but there are a few things that really annoy me - bias towards double kick, constant talking over really good pieces and the bias towards double kick lol
I don't like to disagree with opinion. It's his to have. That said, I LOVE double kick. But I was raised on metal.
@@tomz4332 he talks and thinks wayyyyy too much during his first listens
just needs to FEEL and absorb
I wonder how he feels about blast beats 😂
His hate to the double kick is infuriating... It is metal and it's PORTNOY
Wouldn't have it any other way IMO
I don't think I've ever met a music enthusiast dislike double kick before. It serves a purpose in the music, and trust me when you see a knackered drummer forego the double kick live, whatever they replace it with sounds really odd and throws off the whole piece.
Yeah, he needs to just let that go. He comments wayyy too much about it!
I agree, double kick is a great skill, not every drummer can play double bass but he is so annoying with that.
I geht why he thinks it’s lazy but it just fits so well in some places. I for example love the beginning of “this dying soul” and wouldn’t like it so much if it wasn’t for the double bass
Double kick is great for punctuating a piece but obscures rhythm when overused. I always loved Neil Peart’s playing and his occasional use of double kick. With Neil gone Mike Portnoy is my choice for greatest living drummer and his choice to use more double kick is something I can live with.
@@darrenjones5885 Yes, but Rush and DT are different bands in the songs they played stylistically overall so I wouldn’t expect Neil to use hardly any Double Kick, but the songs DT writes, it calls for it in sections. Long as it’s inventive and not just overused monotonous beats, then it’s great
Through her eyes still gets me after all these years. Really moving piece...
Have you heard the version on "Greatest Hit (...and 21 other pretty cool songs)" ? It has some saxophone in it too like on Another Day which i think makes it even better.
"Why hasn't this been staged on Broadway or in a movie?" I know right?!?! 🤘🤘
I was lucky enough to see them play Metropolis pt II in Denver. They opened for Satriani & I had never heard their music before. I went out the next day and bought the album ... love it!
My life is complete!...My favourite reactor/analyst doing my ALL TIME FAVOURITE ALBUM...Thank you world...It was worth living this far!
Maybe double kick will grow on you. I used to not like it much. It's still not my favorite, but I think it's used in a lot of cases as necessary to the song. I actually think it can ADD to a music's intensity. As a drummer, I do try to not rely on it as it can be overused, I think, but it has its place in metal and can really add a ton of energy. Saying drummers shouldn't use it is akin to saying a guitar player should not use distortion or a bass player should play with a pick /s
I kinda feel put off when I can hear the drummer doing lots of really cool stuff but the comments we hear are about the double kick drums over and over again...
@@FabioUtzig to each their own. I love playing crazy stuff when I can, though I'm no Mike portnoy... By a long shot, haha.
Yeah... Too many comments about double kick. I just hope it grows on him a little. Took me a year or two to start appreciating it.
From a musical point of view I can see why it may seem stale but from a metal point of view it really gets the energy going, the blood boiling and get the head banging.
To be fair most of his complaint about double kick is just 8th notes with the snare on 4 and 8, it's a basic driving beat, he thinks it is monotonous. I understand why he doesn't like it but sometimes it is just necessary when the other band members are soloing. Otherwise it clashes and doesn't let the instrumentation shine. Mike has plenty of flourishes in Met 1 and a few creative double base beats, he only does 8th's in 2 sections of the song. His sense to write something simple in a song is 👌, that basic quarter note groove after the intro, almost anyone can learn that on a drumset in 1 lesson, BUT, it sounds epicly appropriate with Petrucci doing the muted 16ths (also love the intro drum groove but the latter is an example of wonder in simplicty)🤤. But when he feels that there is space that can be filled, expect some really tasty fills. Sorry, really biased toward Portnoy, he amazes me.😁
@@michaelberresford4291 haha, no need to be sorry. He's one of my favorites. Mangini is amazing in his own way and I love him, too. Bobby Jarzombeck is also an incredible drummer.
Metropolis Part 2 is an absolute masterpiece. Saw them perform it live in 2019, the 20th anniversary.
When I was about 12 this album completely blew my mind. It was my first proper metal album, and it was so impactful on me that for a long time I found it hard to get into other metal bands, because it all felt less adventurous than early dream theater
I'm 15 years deep into Dream Theater (started when I was 16 years old) and still to this day can get into other bands. Of course I listen to many others, but they ALL pale in comparison. Dream Theater basically 'ruined' them for me. They're the best thing I've ever experienced.
I've listened to them since 1989, and it kinda ruined me because almost everyone else pales in comparison to their incredible talents. They are amazing to say the least.
it was a huge impact on many of us.
Jordan Rudess (who, at age 9, entered the Julliard School of Music 'Pre-College Division') joined the band after he did a side project with Mike and John (from dream theater) called Liquid Tension Experiment. They put out two albums, Jordan joined the band and that was if for LTE for a time. When Mike P left DT, the LTE guys would get together many many years later to record a 3rd album which came out this year. Check them out in your spare time. Many of the first album is improv. I enjoy the second one more.
Also, there is a live performance of "Scenes From A Memory" called Scenes From New York (I think) where they perform this record in its entirety as well as various songs from their catalog including "A Change of Seasons". Go get it.
Doug reacted to something off LTE3.. ruclips.net/video/3yH5OZFVKH0/видео.html
Doug did an analysis of Rhapsody in Blue from LTE 3. That was one of the first of his videos that I saw. That got me into checking out Doug’s other stuff. It’s worth a watch!
Jordan also auditioned for Dream Theater after Kevin Moore left and they wanted him then but he ended up having commitments with another band (can't remember which, Dixie Dregs maybe). Then once LTE became a thing they offered him the job again, he said yes, and Derek Sherinian was given the boot. I'm pretty sure Derek's on good terms with the band though.
I'm glad Sherinian was replaced, as it spurred him on to form Planet X and create a whole new style of prog metal. Also, we got this album from DT with Rudess, so that's a win too.
@@reubennb2859 Planet X were the shit. I hope they decide to get back together one of these days.
I always took Metro 1 to be stories from the Bible.
The "smile of dawn arrived early May" was Eve in creation, and brought forth two brothers, Cain and Abel.
Those two brothers were at odds, and one murdered the other, then regretted it forever.
But he was successful (the Miracle), whereas the other fell asleep (the Sleeper) ("death is the first dance eternal").
The second pair of fighting brothers were Esau and Jacob, and Jacob defeated Esau through deceit (of Isaac) ("deceit is the second without end")
The third? Don't know - my mind always jumped to Romulus and Remus (not Biblical, I know). (But John Petrucci is Roman Catholic)
If you consider that they founded Rome through fighting against one another, it almost makes sense.
But the third one is love - love is the dance of eternity, so...
Yeah the first song isn't really connected at all to the album. They had to really stretch to make it fit.
Dude, your reactions are a breath of fresh air. It's great that you can notice and appreciate elements like key changes, time signatures, less common chord progressions, etc. I truly appreciate your intelligent observations! Subscribed.
It's been almost 2 years and I still haven't seen it.
16:15 you should see/listen to the Live Scenes From NY version, and have fun with that countdown too.
12:37 Did you ever get to what draws you away from prog? 21:30 ah yes
39:00 amazing Doug just finds things at first listen not only in the music but also in the lyrics that takes big fans years to find
You're going to lose your mind once you dive into Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Agreed, hope that’s on his radar!
Fantastic, Sir! Your real time reactions are priceless, this was a real marathon of a piece and you stayed right with it. John's guitar solo on Spirit Carries On is one of his very best, makes me cry, makes my dog cry, makes the roof leak. Thanks for your tireless efforts to give us the daily dose of the Daily Doug!
Makes my refrigerator's condenser cry, seriously.
Everytime I had a chance to see "Spirit..." live I cried as a little and afraid girl! True fact!
Lol, not really realtime. More like fake time. Have you noticed that an entire concept album that has been discussed and interpreted for decades, is worked out by Doug on the first listen with the generally accepted interpretation? Likewise with the analysis. He's not first listening anything - he researches it, then acts like he's figuring it out in real time. There are plenty of examples of things you wouldn't pick up on a first listen, but he always does. It's his shtick.
What a fun video. It's an amazing album. Welcome to the "I understand why people say 'Dream Theater'" club.
I think it's fair to say -- "listen to this during a quiet time with good headphones or quality stereo.... if by the time it's done your hairs have failed to stand up, you don't get chills -- and you didn't cry just a little.... start over and play it again. You weren't paying attention."
SFAM - its right there with Tommy, Quadrophenia, DSOTM, The Wall and Mindcrime. Classic, nearly perfect concept record. A rock opera, if you will.
I think they overture for six degrees is even better than overture 1928. More sophisticated.
In Six Degrees overture synth sounds are extremely cheesy though.
finally the greatest album from DT. by the way, the outro of this album is the opening of the next album " six degrees of inner turbulance" , greetings from Chile, south america .
wena compare, viendo aca al tio Doug
@@mpg8314 wena compas. aqui viendo al gringo reaccionando a las suites de Metropolis de Drim Titer. donde haya buen prog hay un chileno, fijo.
Wena wena cabros!!! Que bueno que no estoy solo acá!
Quedé loco en el movistar arena viendo como tocaban esta weá
This actually begins a trend of endings bleeding into the beginnings of future albums up to Dark Clouds and Silver Linings.
I lost the count how many times I have listened to this album, is almost impossible to say that one song is my favorite, if you ask me chose I would maybe say “Home”, but this time I had huge chills in the “Oh yeah” that James shouts in “Beyond this Life”
This album is freaking incredible. I still remember hearing it the day that it came out and the hair standing up on my arms, giving me chills. I have probably heard this album in it’s entirety somewhere between 1000-2000 times, still hearing new stuff. It still gives me goosebumps and makes my eyes tear up! Thanks for this review and thanks to DT for the ultimate Prog masterpiece!!
The therapist is the next incarnation of The Miracle
Yep, coming full circle
And Nicholas would be the reincarnation of Victoria
metropolis pt. 2 is probably my favorite dream theater album, and it was a joy to give it a listen with you. Thanks, Doug!
regarding double kick stuff, i'll just say this: it's so idiomatic to this type of music that it's always going to be there. i agree that it can be overdone, but it has its place.
randomly thinking about this again, and i think it's worthwhile explaining why i think double kick is appropriate in prog and metal.
you'll commonly hear double kick as a way to add an additional level of intensity to double time sections. e.g. standard time -> double time -> double time + double kick.
double kick subdivision is also a good way to transition between complex groupings of 2 and 3, and perform metric modulation while retaining a strong sense of the underlying beat. sure there are other ways to subdivide with the hands, but i feel double kick is more grounded, which helps even complicated rhythmic sections retain a "head banging" quality that's an important property of metal music.
just my 2 cents.
Genuinely can't imagine Portnoy playing this kind of stuff without double kicks.
I have been waiting for this for a while and it was just as awesome as I thought it would be. Great video, I really like the longer content, fantastic work! Thank you for this.
Thank you for this! I really enjoyed it!
Yeah, you got more than most people do on their first listen Doug - I'm impressed. Most people don't figure out the hypnotherapist = Edward thing, and some don't even get that the Miracle and the Sleeper are Edward and his brother Julian. It's hard to take in both music and lyrics and understand how it all fits together. Lyrically, great job (I think you have the gist of the story) - also, understand that every band member except Rudess contributed lyrics to Part 2...they divided it up to share the lyrical load (Myung did one song - _Fatal Tragedy_ and LaBrie did _One Last Time_ ...the rest were Portnoy and Petrucci), so the fact that they got a story with as much continuity as they did is insane. Musically though, there's MUCH more to discover (and wouldn't it be a shame if there weren't? Hell, I've heard this album hundreds of times and I still hear new things.). There are MANY references that bounce back between one song and another (leitmotifs you'd call them), and between Part 2 and Part 1. Also, I do think you should watch the entire Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York performance of this at some point (even if it's not a reaction) because it's incredible...and because you can see that they do indeed remember all the notes (except Jordan Rudess, who has a computer scanning through his sheet music for him...well, he does in later concerts, I can't remember if he used it way back in the year 2000). I believe Mike Portnoy collapsed after that concert (which clocked in at over 3 hours long, though not all of it was filmed - the Metropolis Part 2 was filmed, plus a few other songs including the _A Mind Beside Itself_ suite, which is more than 22 minutes in total, and _A Change of Seasons_ which, is more than 24 minutes long), and later spent several hours vomiting and suffering from dehydration. It's a true testament to Portnoy's commitment to his art that he was able to keep on going when he was feeling so crappy.
Also, and this may not be something most people would search out...there is an earlier mix available of most of these songs (Kevin Shirley remixed many of them for the official release - the band liked the first mix, but felt it didn't sound "big" enough), and I actually prefer some of the earlier versions better...particularly the first mix of _Fatal Tragedy_ and that of _Home._ There is an official bootleg recording, the entire second disc of which consists of the first mix of the album. _Regression, The Dance of Eternity, One Last Time_ and _Finally Free_ were not remixed, so the version on the official bootleg is the same as that in the main release.
Well, Portnoy collapsed at the end of the show because he used to take a shot of jack daniel’s and do a line of coke between each song.
And this show was particularly long, he drank and used more than usual.
After being taken to the hospital, is when he decided to quit drinking.
@@casaroli not sure that’s the story. I believe MP had already started down the road to sobriety and announced it publicly at that point. To my understanding, he played the whole LSFAM show with a high fever (103°F+) and probably should have been brought to the hospital afterwards. We waited over an hour to meet and get autographs after the show that night. We did get to meet JM & JR though. Then someone came out and announced to the crowd waiting that they’d probably be bringing MP to the hospital because of said illness & fever.
I could be wrong, but I believe what I’m saying is the public story. And yes, I was at the show and can be seen on the DVD/video.
Jordan did a lot of work musically on the album. That's one of the reasons they got him and let Derek Sherinian go.
@@paultullo3275 It's on lifting shadows, the book.
@@casaroli oh, OK. I haven’t read that.
Since, interestingly, no one has mentioned it... The whole story is an homage to the film Dead Again with Kenneth Branagh, Emily Thompson, Andy Garcia, Robin Williams, and Derek Jacobi.
Really? Gonna check it out, thanks!!!
This was super fun to watch. Great job.!
Thank you very much for doing this video. Enjoyed every single second of it.
Oh my God. I swear, I swear I was thinking about this just earlier today. No joking. I even decided that I would e-mail you or something. This is so nuts and so incredible. Thank you!
WOOOOW!!! My favourite filmmaker is Chris Nolan. Every new Nolan movie is an EVENT for me and the day I go to the cinema is a celebration.
As I saw that Metro2 Reaction is up from You, I felt like a new Nolan movie premiere :)
Doug, your Dream theater's reactions are great, because you comment the lyrics. I'd never paid attention to them because I was always so excited about the music. This is nice, you entered in the story and me too. Tks
This was just great. This album changed my life and I'm glad you made it through. Keep'em coming!
These are going to be so great, extended plays are definitely going to be my favourite content
Same here!
Man... the first time I heard the "Open your eyes Nicholas..."
The chills man... the chills... I thought someone was talking to me auhahuahuhuahua
Amazing Doug !
Keep up the good and passionate work!
Kudos to you, as always !
I so much enjoyed this! Especially the last song! Thanks for sharing this on YT!
I was able to see this entire "Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory" concert in 1999.. The concert was at the Fillmore West in SF.. Show started with Dream Theater, then Emerson Lake & Palmer, then Deep Purple .. At the end of the show.. everyone said Dream Theater truly stole the show..
Doug, you're going to love "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" Dream Theater..
In the track " Home " the sitar section in the beginning, was influenced by the trailing theme song from the movie "Fifth Element"
chill out with the kick drum comments or react to other genres man haha. hopefully it grows on you and you understand the awesomeness of it ;).
Man this was such a pleasure to watch thank you so much🖖😎
Way to bring out the fans Doug, great content, just wonderful!