Customer Ratings & Reviews

Seem's people are split on this CD, I like it but I like concept albums so I guess I could be a little bias. Dream Theater have always pushed the envelope with their releases, long songs are not anything new to them, and as long as you enjoy their music why not a concept album? Their are some parts that are a little less enjoyable than others but that is usually the case with a concept album, exceptions IMHO, The Wall and Operation Mindcrime. All in all this is a great CD and worth a listen if you are a Dream Theater fan.

Best concept album since Pink Floyd The Wall. I know some people were waiting for heavy songs, but this is not that kind of record. However this should be considered as a progressive rock MASTERPIECE, Dream Theater is a progressive rock band more than a progressive metal band. Arrangements for keyboards and electric guitar are excellent, using the orchestra was phenomenal. Some passages reminds me a lot of Blue Öyster Cult's Fire of Unknown Origin. Be prepared for over 2 hours of really good musicianship. Well worth it.

I have not liked anything Dream Theater has done since Mike Portnoy was pushed from the band, and this album is no different. There is a ton of songs, but nothing grabs you like the old days of their writing. The drum fills are all the same, the beats are not interesting, and the songs have nothing that draws you in. They just seem to jam part after part together and it comes out feeling like mush at the end. The vocals are seriously the worst thing he's done yet (except for live) and the dreamy keyboard parts just drone on and go nowhere interesting. If you just want some cool background music going on, get it. If you're hoping for something that will draw you in like Scenes From a Memory, don't waste your time on this.

If you are a Dream Theater fan, this is for you. If you are a progressive metal fan, this is for you. Amazing musicianship and a cool story to go with it. Just short of five stars bc some of the songs seem a little awkward having to fit into the concept.

I've been along time Dream Theater fan so it's pretty much a given for me to pick up anything they release as with any diehard fan. It's a lot of material on this so it's going to take some time to digest but there's definitely some good stuff on this.

Leave it to Dream Theater to come up with something as ambitious as a double album (not the first one they've done, remember Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence?) to flex their musical muscle. Well, don't get too excited if you're expecting something along the lines of their recent music. It's more like Dream Theater doing a rock opera, a very theatrical sounding one. This may or may not be the Dream Theater you're used to, but give it a shot.

Dream Theater release one of their most ambitious projects with The Astonishing. With 34 tracks on two discs, The Astonishing is Dream Theater's first concept album in years. These guys rarely disappoint, and this new album is no exception.

Ok. DT fans wil either love it or hate it. More melodic and less technical then previous material but a nice change nonetheless. They could of scaled down to about 20 songs to bump up the rating but overall, a very good album.

I am not a huge fan of Dream Theater, the singers voice usually gets to me before long, and really how many time signature changes do you really need in one song. However this CD is pretty good, the first CD is fantastic.

Wasn't sure about this concept album on first listen but this is now one of my favorites. DT's older stuff has typically been my preference but the breadth of the music here is fantastic. Be aware that there are no epic guitar or drum solos. I could see Myoung and Mangini being somewhat unchallenged. Overall a fantastic effort--can't believe the creativity of these guys after so long making music together.

I have always liked Dream Theater the progressive metal band more the Dream Theater the 'let's go write an overblown rock opera and impress everyone' band. And this is the most overblown yet. The 'let's try to top ourselves' desperation seeps through every second. While the talent of this band is undeniable it's over 2 hours and I started getting bored after 45 minutes. I would only recommend this to Dream Theater superfan completists, NOT as a starting point. They have better albums. Even this line-up, with new(er) drummer Mike Mangini, has a better one; A Dramatic Turn of Events, the first one with Mangini.

This is a really good album, but it's hard to get into at first. I would recommend sitting at home with headphones on and no distractions to really digest the album. Some beautiful melodies, but a bit repetitive.

Its amazing that a exhaustingly detailed story manages to make these guys concentrate on their songcraft and cut back on the excessive noodling. Worth the time and effort to listen to in one setting

If you loved Scenes From A Memory, then you'll love this! Truly amazing. This is DT in top form. The double album tells a beautiful story (I don't wanna spoil it) that just gets better with every listen. Classic DT music while at the same time moves the band into new ground. The Astonishing is trey something that needs to be listened to over and over again!

What an amazing concept and execution of a mix of metal, prog-rock and a little broadway too. I've listened to this album multiple times and am more astonished (heh heh) each time. I can't wait for the live show! Listen to the album while reading the lyrics simultaneously for a great experience (and play it loud of course)

I bought this CD because DT has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. I didn't download it because they usually have pretty good artwork and lyrics included. Plus, I like to support the band. Another great release from a great band!

This is a typical high quality release from Dream Theater. The musicianship is excellent and the songs are compelling. The guitar playing is outstanding.

To be fair, Dream Theater have earned the right to record, release and play whatever they want. However, my problem is that the album as a whole is very different from the two songs previewed before the release. I almost feel like I was tricked into buying the album. When they released two good songs in the typical Dream Theater style, I figured "ok, this is going to be good". Boy, was I wrong. The album starts off just fine with a great instrumental. After about 2 songs, it just get's bad. It's sappy ballad after sappy ballad with little hints of the Dream Theater prog style scattered throughout. I just didn't work for me. Moment of Betrayal is the best song on the album and apart from that, nothing really great is to be found in this album. I'm just very very glad that I didn't get tickets for this tour as they are ONLY playing the new album.

I have been a huge DT fan since I first heard 'Pull Me Under' many years ago. I have all of their releases and was definitely looking forward to this full concept release. The musicianship is beyond compare as always, but to me they went too 'concept' here. This sounds more like a musically heavy version of a Broadway production than a hard rock/heavy metal/prog band. I just cannot get into this like I have with all of their previous releases.

This is another great release from possibly the best band in the world! It's been 17 years since their last concept record and this is worth the wait! This album soars with wonderful musicianship, mesmerizing vocals, and a story to match! "The Astonishing" is a masterpiece!