Dream Theater: The Astonishing [2016]

Released	January 29, 2016
Recorded	January–June, August–September 2015
Studio	Cove City Sound Studios, Glen Cove, New York
Genre	Progressive metal progressive rock
Length	130:23
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	John Petrucci

The Astonishing is a rock opera, released as the thirteenth studio album and second concept album by Americanprogressive metal band Dream Theater on January 29, 2016 through Roadrunner Records. The album’s story was conceived by guitarist John Petrucci and its music was written by Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Composer David Campbell was hired to assist with orchestrating the album’s string lines and choirs. Recording was completed throughout 2015 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York, with the exception of vocals, which were recorded in Canada. Mixing and sound engineering were performed by the band’s longtime collaborator, Richard Chycki, with Petrucci producing.

The Astonishing is set in a dystopian United States and follows the Ravenskill Rebel Militia in their efforts to defy the Great Northern Empire of the Americas using the magical power of music. It was inspired by contemporary fantasy and science fiction franchises such as Game of Thrones and Star Wars, as well as Petrucci’s observations on the ubiquity of technological automation in modern-day society. In their effort to match the album’s narrative, Dream Theater wrote songs in a wide variety of styles ranging from mellow ballads to their more conventional progressive metal sound.

Leading up to the The Astonishing’s release, the band marketed the album with its own website, fan mailing lists, and trailer. It debuted in the top ten of the Norwegian, Hungarian, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch, German, Austrian, and Canadian charts, and became the first Dream Theater album to reach number one on the US Billboard Rock Chart. It has received generally favorable reviews and currently holds an average score of 80/100 on the review aggregator Metacritic. The band is currently touring in support of the album.

Track listing

All track information taken from The Astonishing liner notes.^[1]

All lyrics written by John Petrucci, all music composed by Petrucci and Jordan Rudess.

Act I
No.	Title	Length
1.	“Descent of the NOMACs” (NOMACs instrumental)	1:10
2.	“Dystopian Overture” (Instrumental)	4:50
3.	“The Gift of Music”	4:00
4.	“The Answer”	1:52
5.	“A Better Life”	4:39
6.	“Lord Nafaryus”	3:28
7.	“A Savior in the Square”	4:13
8.	“When Your Time Has Come”	4:19
9.	“Act of Faythe”	5:00
10.	“Three Days”	3:44
11.	“The Hovering Sojourn” (NOMACs instrumental)	0:27
12.	“Brother, Can You Hear Me?”	5:11
13.	“A Life Left Behind”	5:49
14.	“Ravenskill”	6:01
15.	“Chosen”	4:32
16.	“A Tempting Offer”	4:19
17.	“Digital Discord” (NOMACs instrumental)	0:47
18.	“The X Aspect”	4:13
19.	“A New Beginning”	7:40
20.	“The Road to Revolution”	3:35
Total length:		79:49

Act II
No.	Title	Length
1.	“2285 Entr’acte” (Instrumental)	2:20
2.	“Moment of Betrayal”	6:11
3.	“Heaven’s Cove”	4:19
4.	“Begin Again”	3:54
5.	“The Path That Divides”	5:09
6.	“Machine Chatter” (NOMACs instrumental)	1:03
7.	“The Walking Shadow”	2:58
8.	“My Last Farewell”	3:44
9.	“Losing Faythe”	4:13
10.	“Whispers on the Wind”	1:37
11.	“Hymn of a Thousand Voices”	3:38
12.	“Our New World”	4:12
13.	“Power Down” (NOMACs instrumental)	1:25
14.	“Astonishing”	5:51
Total length:		50:34