The upcoming album by Dream Theater is called The Astonishing, set for release on January 29th world wide via Roadrunner Records. This is the 13th studio album by the band. Recorded in Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York.

This album cover extends an ominous invitation into the retro-futurist dystopian setting of The Astonishing. The deceptively beautiful yet chillingly totalitarian image is a bold harbinger of the visual components and ideas presented by the sonic story that is our most ambitious creative work to date.  We are very proud to soon bring you…The Astonishing.

Dream Theater – The Astonishing

“The new album will be a further progression of the band’s creative identity,” Petrucci told Revolver. “Every time that we go into the studio, we always try to make something that’s better than the last.

Everybody in the band has this kind of attitude where we love doing what we do, we’re very lucky to be able to do what we do, and we feel that the best is still to come. That’s partially why we self-titled our last album, because it signified a new beginning, and the strength of the belief that we have in the future of the band.

A new album project is like a fresh and inspiring blank canvas, and I love that every couple of years you have the opportunity of reinventing, trying something new and starting from scratch. But given the history of the band, you do have to take all of that into account and consider what we’ve done already, what we haven’t explored yet, and what will not only keep us interested and fired up, but will also keep people who listen to the band excited, as well. You really have to deliver the goods—you can’t rest on your laurels, you can’t get lazy.

The first look into the details of the album came from Rolling Stones magazine:

Familiar elements are all in place: extraordinary flights of technical prowess, instantly memorable melodies, James LaBrie’s heroic vocals, John Petrucci’s daredevil guitar feats, Jordan Rudess’ elaborate keyboards, John Myung’s agile bass and Mike Mangini’s fiercely precise drumming. But this time, Petrucci deployed his estimable compositional and lyrical skills in service to a fantasy-oriented plotline in which a determined band of rebels defies the might of an oppressive empire — and the power of music plays a central role. Rather than simply stringing songs together, Petrucci and Rudess fashioned sounds to suit disparate settings and situations, and devised recurring themes to signify characters in the story.

Heightening the drama, Dream Theater bolstered its sound on The Astonishing with a full orchestra, multiple choirs and a clutch of unorthodox instruments. Enlisted to muster those forces was David Campbell, a veteran conductor and orchestrator whose extensive credits include work for film, Broadway, and more than 450 gold and platinum albums by the likes of Paul McCartney, Rush, My Chemical Romance and Campbell’s son, Beck.

Campbell commented:  “[This is] probably the most ambitious album project I’ve known, for its stylistic scope and epic forces.  In addition to being ace musicians at a stellar level, Dream Theater are masters of melodic and rhythmic excitement, which is dramatically demonstrated when you hear their music accompanied by full orchestra and choirs.”

Dream Theater, one of the most prolific and iconic progressive rock bands of the last thirty years, are set to release their eagerly awaited double concept album, The Astonishing, on January 29.  Yesterday the band premiered the album’s lead single, “The Gift of Music,” in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone in which founding guitarist John Petrucci discussed the origins of the conceptual double album. 

“The Astonishing” paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It’s a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.

Consisting of 34 tracks spread across 2 unique acts, The Astonishing is available now for pre-order at all DSP’s (http://flyt.it/DTTheAstonishing), with all orders accompanied by an instant grat download of “The Gift of Music,” which can be heard below.  “The Gift of Music” plus additional Dream Theater material can also be streamed here: http://flyt.it/DTTheAstonishingSP (album art and track listing attached).

The Astonishing will also be available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard 2-CD set, 4-LP vinyl box set and a limited edition deluxe box set, all of which are currently available for pre-order at http://flyt.it/DTTheAstonishingStore. The limited edition box set contains a 32-page screenplay, a poster, a map, 20 trading cards, and a 3D figure of a NOMAC (from Petrucci’s story), as well as the 2-CD album, all housed in a special box.

In addition, Amazon UK are running a very limited exclusive pre-order offering customers the choice of a free patch (while stocks last) with their two-CD purchase.  There are two patches  – The Great Northern Empire and the Ravenskill Rebel Militia – to choose from, representing the two sides in the story, which fans have gradually learnt about via the band’s microsite, new character-based Twitter handles, and email missives.

Recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with John Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Rush) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating, The Astonishing paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It’s a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.

Furthermore, Dream Theater are set to kick off a momentous European headline run which will get underway February 18 at the Palladium in London, England.  The winter run will see the prog-virtuosos delivering a one-of-a-kind set in which they will be debuting The Astonishing live in its entirety for the very first time. This will be a very special concert, with strong visual components to follow the music. It is exclusively set in concert halls and theatres. Dream Theater will also tour the U.S. in support of The Astonishing this coming spring, performing the double album in its entirety while transforming venues into immersive and interactive settings for a unique and unparalleled live experience. For up-to-the-minute news and ticket information, please visit http://www.dreamtheater.net/tour.

Pre-order Dream Theater’s The Astonishing

We have put together two very special box sets for The Astonishing and we are thrilled to share them with all of you! While you can click on the link below to find all of the details about these beautiful sets, there is one thing that we feel it’s important to explain: there is a specific component to the Deluxe Box Sets that is not only very cool, but that we believe is crucial; the NOMAC 3D replica. Because of the intricacies involved in creating this unique model (they are all hand painted!), it is taking longer than originally anticipated to produce. Of all the items we’ve put together when designing The Astonishing box sets, this is the one we’re most excited about! As a result, the Deluxe Box Sets won’t be shipping until March, so for those of you who choose to pre-order, we’ll be sending you the physical double-album CD, plus a small gift on the date of release, as a sign of our appreciation for your patience while you await delivery of the full package. Trust us, these box sets will be worth the wait!

We can’t tell you how proud and enthused we are about The Astonishing, and we really can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

Pre-order Now

The Astonishing Track Listing:

Act 1
1) Descent Of The NOMACS
2) Dystopian Overture
3) The Gift Of Music
4) The Answer
5) A Better Life
6) Lord Nafaryus
7) A Savior In The Square
8) When Your Time Has Come
9) Act Of Faythe
10) Three Days
11) The Hovering Sojourn
12) Brother, Can You Hear Me?
13) A Life Left Behind
14) Ravenskill
15) Chosen
16) A Tempting Offer
17) Digital Discord
18) The X Aspect
19) A New Beginning
20) The Road To Revolution

Act 2
1) 2285 Entr’acte
2) Moment Of Betrayal
3) Heaven’s Cove
4) Begin Again
5) The Path That Divides
6) Machine Chatter
7) The Walking Shadow
8) My Last Farewell
9) Losing Faythe
10) Whispers On The Wind
11) Hymn Of A Thousand Voices
12) Our New World
13) Power Down
14) Astonishing

Dream Theater Tour Dates:

Feb18	Palladium – London, United Kingdom
Feb19	Palladium – London, United Kingdom
Feb22	Carre Theatre – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb23	Carre Theatre – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb24	Carre Theatre – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Feb26	Oslo Concert Hall – Oslo, Norway
Feb27	Oslo Concert Hall – Oslo, Norway
Feb28	Oslo Concert Hall – Oslo, Norway
Mar1	Cirkus – Stockholm, Sweden
Mar2	Cirkus – Stockholm, Sweden
Mar4	Kuppelsaal – Hannover, Germany
Mar5	Le Palais des Congrès de Paris – Paris, France
Mar6	Le Palais des Congrès de Paris – Paris, France
Mar8	DR Koncerthuset – Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar9	Friedrichspalast – Berlin, Germany
Mar10	RuhrCongress – Bochum, Germany
Mar12	Store Sal Vejle Musikteater – Vejle, Denmark
Mar13	Forest National – Brussels, Belgium
Mar14	Meistersingerhalle – Nurnberg, Germany
Mar15	Alte Oper Hall – Frankfurt, Germany
Mar17	Teatro degli Arcimboldi – Milan, Italy
Mar18	Teatro degli Arcimboldi – Milan, Italy
Mar19	Teatro degli Arcimboldi – Milan, Italy
Mar22	Liederhalle Hegel-Saal – Stuttgart, Germany
Mar23	Kongresshaus – Zurich, Switzerland
Apr14	Le Capitole de Quebec – Quebec City, QC, Canada
Apr15	Bell Centre – Montreal, QC, Canada
Apr16	Sony Centre for the Performing Arts – Toronto, ON, Canada
Apr18	Palace Theatre – Albany, NY, United States
Apr19	Orpheum Theatre – Boston, MA, United States
Apr20	Oakdale Theatre – Wallingford, CT, United States
Apr23	Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY, United States
Apr24	Hippodrome Theatre – Baltimore, MD, United States
Apr26	Palace Theatre – Greensburg, PA, United States
Apr27	Taft Theatre – Cincinnati, OH, United States
Apr30	Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL, United States
May1	State Theatre – Minneapolis, MN, United States
May3	Paramount Theatre – Denver, CO, United States
May7	The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA, United States
May10	Schnitzer Auditorium – Portland, OR, United States
May11	Paramount Theatre – Seattle, WA, United States