TRANSATLANTIC'S THE WHIRLWIND - Available Now!!!

VERY good cd! I just listened both cd's once and I'm currently watching the dvd. Money well spent!

www.leverageband.com

oh come on, what's the point of pre-ordering if I can gat it from amazon cheaper and sooner like actual pre-order?

Warning: Alcohol before the pregnancy may cause the pregnancy.

I am Right now through the whirlwind, and it's awesome man!
 
While I feel there are some parts that could be Morse solo work, much of the song is quite Transatlantic-ish, and I am in no way deceived by this song :D
 
Thanks SMPT:e for this wonderful recording :) (I just have to listen to the 8 next songs)
9.7/10 for The Whirlwind

Stay tuned.

The first couple of tracks still aren't grabbing me, but everything from "A Man Can Feel" (love that bass line!) on is really, really solid.

Calamity Range - My Tunes

man, am I the only one without my BOX??? :'(

  

And my box has just arrived. Awesome!

"Popular taste is cyclical, not to say fecal." - Neil Peart

biomorfo


man, am I the only one without my BOX??? :'(

me neither :(

Does anybody in Toronto or anywhere around Toronto have it yet?
I don't want to get it exactly a month after it came out like BC&SL.

Where's my box???

WTF? Still not here? Fucking hell.

Bah. It's the weekend again. Fuck.

God damn. Canada really sucks. Bah fucking humbug. Another musicless weekend. ='(

Kind of an off question . I just got a new computer and tried loading Whirlwind in it. No info comes up from the cd.
No song listing and it says unknown artist.

 Is this because it's so new?

It should be in all the major CD databases by now. It's in gracenote at least.

That's pretty weird, because when I ripped it using Roxio the song titles came right up.

Lloyd2112


WTF? Still not here? Fucking hell.

Bah. It's the weekend again. Fuck.

God damn. Canada really sucks. Bah fucking humbug. Another musicless weekend. ='(

Me too Dude! This SUCKS!!  to Canada Post. Maybe next year, it'll arrive. The waiting is so frustrating.

 
http://www.youtube.com/user/newThreefanatic

I had to put the names in myself for So Many Roads, but Whirlwind came up automatically.

It's not on tracktype.org

"Popular taste is cyclical, not to say fecal." - Neil Peart

Glad you are all digging it!!
I am awfully proud of it myself.... 
 
Just FOR THE RECORD as I've seen some threads (not neccessarily here, but on some other sites), assuming that this is another "Neal Solo Album" with me, Roine and Pete playing on it:
 
Of Neal's original 45-minute "Whirlwind" demo, the only bits that made it to the final Transatlantic version are:
-- II. The Wind Blew Them All Away
-- III. On The Prowl
-- (the ending instrumental section of) XI. Is It Really Happening
-- XII. Dancing With Eternal Glory
 
Essentially, that's about 20 of 77 minutes....
 
Everything else stemmed from other demos that Roine & Pete brought in or evolved in the studio once we were all together....
 
And that's pretty much the way that the first 2 TA albums worked as well...
 
MP

That's still a good portion of Neal's work still there but that's all cool!
Can't wait to get my hands on it! :-)

Thanks very much for putting in the time to work as Transatlanic again Mike, it shows very much so that you are proud of the work put in!

I think it's the other way around, Neal's solo stuff has begun to sound more and more like Transatlantic.

Portnoy

   Of Neal's original 45-minute "Whirlwind" demo, the only bits that made it to the final Transatlantic version are:
-- II. The Wind Blew Them All Away
-- III. On The Prowl
-- (the ending instrumental section of) XI. Is It Really Happening
-- XII. Dancing With Eternal Glory

faizoff

The Wind Blew Them All Away - This musically feels like a combo of some NM stuff along with all of the above's soldier of fortune [Camouflaged in blue] part. I think this is my least liked part in the whole track.


Dancing With Eternal Glory/Whirlwind(Reprise) - More NMish feel and lyrics to the track but this time fits into a TA album ending very much in the vein of Stranger in your Soul.

At least I mentioned 2 of the 4 very NMish stuff on those tracks in my post haha. And I hadnt even heard the whirlwind demos that were released. 

"I'm in a glass case of emotion."

And I must echo what everone has said about the mix of the album, fanfuckintastic. I love the drum and bass sound on the album.

"I'm in a glass case of emotion."

Yeah the bass sound is KILLER. Totally in love with it. Drums sound basically as they always do. I mean I got used to that sound from Neal's solo albums. I thought they are going to mix it up a bit for this one, but they probably thought why fix it if it's not broken. The mix/production is top notch though really. It's fantastic. The song writing is even more fantastic. I'm really digging Mike's and Pete's vocals. But Neal has put down some rather wicked vocal tracks as well. Really versatile on this album. Good stuff \m/

After several listens I have come to the conclusion that this album rocks! Thanks MP for another great release.

Loving this release.  This is my album of 2009!!  Spinning has to be my favorite song of the moment, I play it at least 5-6 times a day.

A bad DT album (as if such a thing will ever exist) is 100x better than anyone elses good album.

The new album is fantastic.  Very ambitious, and for the most part fulfilling that ambition.  I echo the sentiments about the wonderful sound of the bass on this album.  Pete sounds sensational.

Gotta chime in on the buzz surrounding this album. I'm not sure where my skepticism came from, prior to release. A 70+ minute song just seemed a bit like...c'mon now. Foolish me for doubting the magic created when these 4 individuals get together. Only time will tell how this material stands up alongside the first two releases, but my snap jusdment upon the first listen is 'gaawwwwwwd daayyuuummmnnn'!!!! Very very cool stuff, and 100% Transatlantic!!! Bravo, fellas.

B

Thank you Mike, Neal, Roine, and Pete for making this album and coming back together. It's an energetic, optimistic and bright masterpiece of the highest order.

Loving it! Mike has done a great job on his vocals!

Wow, those parts that MP listed are the exact parts that reminded me the most of Neal's solo stuff.  Well, that and some of the lyrics.   

I must find a way to make my bass guitar tone sound like Pete's tone.  It is absolutely killer.

I am listening to The Whirlwind for the first time. WOW, it is good! I like Pete´s tone and his in the mix. There is some killer bass in there.

Guys do not wait another 7-8 years for another release, because it is amazing what you put out!

4 - 8 - 15 - 16 - 23 - 42 - Are you lost??

Keys In Motion

Loving it! Mike has done a great job on his vocals!

I would have much rather preferred Mike's natural vox versus the auto-tuned variety.  There's WAY too much of that going on in the music industry now a days.  Sounds extremely artificial......almost like somebody kicked MP in the nads and sent him up another octave.

Wow I love Lenny Johnson, it's my favorite from the 4 bonus tracks.

Roine rules!

Now known as João "John" Piruças

I'm not a reliable source necessarily, but I find the claim that any of the vocalists here used autotuners completely unlikely.

The problem is, or rather one of the problems, for there are many, a sizable number of which are continually clogging up the civil, commercial, and criminal courts in all areas of the Galaxy, and especially, where possible, the more corrupt ones, this.

Fantastic album.

I second what's been said about Mike's vocals on A Salty Dog.  Really, really good.

yesrushdt

Keys In Motion

Loving it! Mike has done a great job on his vocals!

I would have much rather preferred Mike's natural vox versus the auto-tuned variety.  There's WAY too much of that going on in the music industry now a days.  Sounds extremely artificial......almost like somebody kicked MP in the nads and sent him up another octave.

Where exactly in the album are you talking about?

Curtis with a K
"Fuck me with a sugar dick."

It just feels so good to be listening to another TA album. Nothing can touch the music these 4 create when they get together.

Neal's influence on the lyrics is certainly present, but I don't get Neal solo album from listening to it. Overall, I think it is a fantastic job. I am looking forward to hearing this live!

raisingfear101

Where exactly in the album are you talking about?

It's pretty obvious to me that all of Mike's vocals are auto-tuned.  It's more noticeable on Set Us Free, Out of the Night and A Salty Dog.

Sponging all of the CD in.  On The Prowl's got that West Side Story "Cool" vibe in that one area.
 
http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/lyrics/cool.html
 

Really digging the album, I think it is one of the best productions as far as sound quality, mixing and tones that I have heard in a long time!  Mikes drum tone is about the best he's ever had and Pete's bass tone is to die for. 

Neil's overtly christian lyrics were pretty much kept in check except for the "Dancing With Eternal Glory" section which really killed a bit of the vibe for me but I'll just have to get used to it.  This is the type of album that bears repeat listening sessions before giving an accurate review.  But I must say that it has not grabbed me right away like the previous two relesaes have.  We'll see how this album grows though.

As for disc 2, the originals are hit and miss.  I really enjoy Lenny Johnson and the cover songs were all killer!  Especially Soul Sacrifice...Mike busting out the Latin chops and playing with serious energy and groove, outstanding!  

I really like the album and love the mixing. Really great job. Also, to respond to some speculation here, there is a 99.9% chance that autotune WAS used on the album to a tasteful degree. It's pretty unavoidable these days. It's almost as common and useful as something like delay or reverb. There's nothing wrong with it to the extent that accomplished bands like this use it (I don't particularly enjoy blatant autotune unless it REALLY fits). But that they DO use it is pretty much a given.

Hopelessly drifting, bathing in beautiful agony...

faizoff


And I must echo what everone has said about the mix of the album, fanfuckintastic. I love the drum and bass sound on the album.

Totally agree with the above!
 
Spinning the first cd for the third time. . . loving it more and more.
I love the covers of "I Need You". I like the mix of America´s and Beatles´version 

4 - 8 - 15 - 16 - 23 - 42 - Are you lost??

yesrushdt

raisingfear101

Where exactly in the album are you talking about?

It's pretty obvious to me that all of Mike's vocals are auto-tuned.  It's more noticeable on Set Us Free, Out of the Night and A Salty Dog.

I won't believe it until Mr. Portnoy himself comes here and confirms it.

Man, I am hooked on "Spinning"! What a great track! I love the extremely Yes-ish opening too!

Fuck weekends. That's all I have to say.

Grr... maybe tomorrow. Reading this thread is so painful. Well at least I'm hearing lots of positive things about the album, which is just making my anticipation grow.

I haven't received mine yet !!! WTF ???

Salmacis


Man, I am hooked on "Spinning"! What a great track! I love the extremely Yes-ish opening too!

 
I agree.  Very optimistic, feel-good track.  Favorite on CD2 definitely. 

The transition from Out Of The Night to Rose Colored Glasses....did anyone else think they were going to play Unquiet Slumbers by Genesis?

The worst thing about censorship is *******.

Death once had a near Chuck Norris experience.

The ending to "Is This Really Happening?" is some of the best music I have ever heard.

This Is Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth Before It Is Recycled...- Steve Wilson, Lightbulb Sun

This one is growing on me fast!  After listening to it the first time, I was rating it just at "ok".  But after a few more spins it is really clicking and I'm loving it.

I'm probably in the vast minority here, but I think I actually like this one more than Bridge Across Forever.  Maybe because it's still so fresh and new.  I still like Bridge, but after hearing it so many times over the years, I don't enjoy it nearly as much as I used to. 

And yeah, the production is fantastic.  I've played this on several systems, from crappy players to high-end and it sounds fantastic no matter what!

I love the Santana cover!!! Great song, great drumming.
The CD is pure quality as expected, MP never dissapoints me!
I hope this is not the end of this band again, I would like to see a part 4 one day :)

The north is to south what the clock is to time
There's east and there's west and there's everywhere life
I know I was born and I know that I'll die
The inbetween is mine

Still haven't gotten through this monster.

Was listening to it in the car the other night and I couldn't keep the smile off my face the whole drive. Love it, love it.

I'm loving this album more and more with each listen.
Is it really happening is a standout for me.
As others have said.... The production on this album is amazing....
A huge drum sound, and perfect bass tone. I really do wish that every
record i owned had this quality of production.
Well done MP.

I love this record more and more. It has much more to offer than that typical Morse/Portnoy signature sound we came to know from Morse's solo records. I love the influence Stolt has on this record. I think TA would have worked less with Jim Mateos. Stolt really brings something different to the table. Something more emotional and vintage. It has become a diverse album. In songwriting AND the way the leadsinging is more spread over the the bandmembers. The production is great and this album breaths classic symfoprog from the 70's and early 80's. It is a style I'm starting to appreciate more and more. I am kinda drifting away from that progmetal sound and getting more into this classic symfo sound more and more. Love the emotion and details brought by Stolt and Trewavas. Great job, guys!

Can anyone else hear the Steve Miller Fly Like An Eagle sounding
bit?

SPECIAL OFFER:
Be among the first 200 people to pre-order from radiantrecords.com and enter a drawing to win the Transatlantic "Whirlwind" Note board. This is the board that Mike Portnoy wrote sections of the album on as they were writing it.

Does anyone know who won this... could someone post photos...

Bought it on the strength of the 30 sec previews on Itunes!
Where can I find the above mentioned "Crazy Horses" and "A Salty Dog". I think I heard the former on an Eddie Trunk Show somewhen and loved it. Is it buy-able?!

ToniLiveInLisbon


SPECIAL OFFER:
Be among the first 200 people to pre-order from radiantrecords.com and enter a drawing to win the Transatlantic "Whirlwind" Note board. This is the board that Mike Portnoy wrote sections of the album on as they were writing it.

Does anyone know who won this... could someone post photos...

Winner's name posted on page 15. There were pictures of Neal drawing the name in the email that Radiant sent out, but I haven't seen any pix online.

On second listen

I really ought to try disc 2

Ebay listings http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/thefunkygibbons/
Silver bootleg and other sales www.thefunkygibbons.net

Great album! definately up to par with the first two TA albums!

-just visiting this planet-

For those in central/western Canada, the wait shouldn't be too much longer. Just got mine today!

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and... uh, ruin a stupid anecdote. I think that's how it goes...

I've just finished my second complete listening, and had the same experience as the first. This album has taken me on a spiritual journey unlike any other I've ever experienced. The combination of the lyrics and the incredible music yanked me in from start to finish. Neal's religion is different from my own, but this album is not overtly religious as much as it is spiritual.  The way this album made me feel reminds me of why music means so much to me. Music should tug at the heart of the listener, and this album did so as strongly as any piece ever has before. Perfect album.

^Nice post Dobe.

I spun it several times this weekend along with Redemption's album and both of these have really hit me hard.
It's going to be a tough year to choose an album of the year...hey wait a minute, who says I have to
 
After a couple weeks I'll say firmly that the TA album stands right along with the other 2. Superb in every way.
I'm totally shocked at how good the mix and production are.
 
And...let's put to rest forever the notion that a great artistic album can't be recorded in a short amount of time
(for future DT reference that is)

dahogsta


Bought it on the strength of the 30 sec previews on Itunes!
Where can I find the above mentioned "Crazy Horses" and "A Salty Dog". I think I heard the former on an Eddie Trunk Show somewhen and loved it. Is it buy-able?!

To answer your question:
"A Salty Dog" is on the bonus disc of "The Whirlwind" Special Edition.
"Crazy Horses" can be found on Neal Morse's "Lifeline" Special Edition bonus disc.

dkepner

ToniLiveInLisbon


SPECIAL OFFER:
Be among the first 200 people to pre-order from radiantrecords.com and enter a drawing to win the Transatlantic "Whirlwind" Note board. This is the board that Mike Portnoy wrote sections of the album on as they were writing it.

Does anyone know who won this... could someone post photos...

Winner's name posted on page 15. There were pictures of Neal drawing the name in the email that Radiant sent out, but I haven't seen any pix online.

Thanks man...

I don´t come here very often :(
And since I didn´t receive any email from radiant anoucing the winner... I just got curious since my copy arrived today:)

emtee


 
And...let's put to rest forever the notion that a great artistic album can't be recorded in a short amount of time
(for future DT reference that is)

Just to put that in context though, even if they ended up changing most of it they did start from demos as opposed to Dream Theater who don't do that anymore.

TA=WIN

pure and simple

Pieps

dahogsta


Bought it on the strength of the 30 sec previews on Itunes!
Where can I find the above mentioned "Crazy Horses" and "A Salty Dog". I think I heard the former on an Eddie Trunk Show somewhen and loved it. Is it buy-able?!

To answer your question:
"A Salty Dog" is on the bonus disc of "The Whirlwind" Special Edition.
"Crazy Horses" can be found on Neal Morse's "Lifeline" Special Edition bonus disc.

Cheers, but shoot, I got the Whirlwind on Itunes, and thus have no bonus disc. Likewise with the Lifeline one.  Nowhere legit to get these songs digitally?

Upon first listen, it was ok. I disagree completely with the "Neal Morse w/special guests" sentiments. I got much more of a Flower Kings feel with occasional streaks of NM throughout the first 45 minutes or so. In fact it feels like Roine sings more on The Whirlwind than on both other discs combined.

It was pretty good up until Is It Really Happening onward, where I got pretty bored. It's a shame, because the ending should be the most captivating part of the whole thing. When the teaser came out, the main theme played and I was like "Ok, I can imagine this being what they end it on too." And guess what, that's exactly what happened

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and... uh, ruin a stupid anecdote. I think that's how it goes...

My 3-disc set just arrived today! Can't wait to listen to it!!!! 

k, so seriously, what the fuck? I can't imagine where the fuck my album is, or why it's taking to long to get here, but I really wish it would come soon. I mean really, what is the point of preordering something if it takes weeks and weeks to get to you?

I bet it got stuck in customs or something, and then I'll have to pay out my ass in customs fees because some douchebag at the customs office thought it was dangerous goods or something. That generally happens when I order shit online. It takes forever to get here, and I have to pay extra. Fucking shit.

So has anyone in southern Ontario gotten their album yet?

As is the case with a lot of great prog rock, this is a major grower.  Many listens into it, I am loving pretty much all of it.  I have no idea how it compares to the first two (hard to beat SMPTe), but I just know that this CD is freaking great. 

I have only been listening to this CD for four or five days and can already say this will probably be my 2nd favorite of the year (behind only The Incident).  Yet another terrific effort by TA!  Bring on the fourth studio album.

ViolinTheater

yesrushdt

raisingfear101

Where exactly in the album are you talking about?

It's pretty obvious to me that all of Mike's vocals are auto-tuned.  It's more noticeable on Set Us Free, Out of the Night and A Salty Dog.

I won't believe it until Mr. Portnoy himself comes here and confirms it.

Just watch the bonus DVD on the 3-Disc version of the album and you'll see how incredibly good MP is singing. Just watched him doing the background vocals and the lead parts and he hasn't gone out of key not even for a millisecond!

No auto-tune whatsoever, imho!

Together we stand, divided we fall!

Lloyd2112


k, so seriously, what the fuck? I can't imagine where the fuck my album is, or why it's taking to long to get here, but I really wish it would come soon. I mean really, what is the point of preordering something if it takes weeks and weeks to get to you?

I bet it got stuck in customs or something, and then I'll have to pay out my ass in customs fees because some douchebag at the customs office thought it was dangerous goods or something. That generally happens when I order shit online. It takes forever to get here, and I have to pay extra. Fucking shit.

So has anyone in southern Ontario gotten their album yet?

No, I haven't either. I have a good feeling about today though! I'm dying to hear this album (literally, I have h1n1 hah).

I found this review of "The Whirlwind" today that sums up my feelings on this album just about perfectly.

Just to add another thing about Amazon shipping Kirk, last week I ordered a bunch of stuff (Mousepad, CDs, etc) on the 30th of Oct with the free shipping option. The order showed that it would ship on the 4th of Nov. I get an email on Oct 31 that its already been shipped and expected date of arrival was 6th of Nov. I got the stuff today 3rd of Nov in the afternoon. 


/Happy Amazon customer.

And ps these gel mousepads with a wrist rest are amazing. If anyone has carpal issues get these now!

"I'm in a glass case of emotion."

KirksNoseHair


I found this review of "The Whirlwind" today that sums up my feelings on this album just about perfectly.

I just had to stop reading that review to say I hate the cheap shot the Beard's expense.  There was no need for that, he's not reviewing their album.  I'm sure I'll enjoy the rest of it but that really pissed me off.

My copy turned up!  Yay! 

Got 'So Many Roads' in the jiffy bag with Whirlwind and Shaming of the True.  Don't seem to recall ordering the So Many Roads version of the bundle.  Oh well.  *shrugs*

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