Official Dream Theater Thread

[bluefox4000]

Octavarium's my personal favorite if we don't count I&W, Scenes, Awake and SDOIT as I feel that those are what most DT fans consider their best 4 albums.

 

It's actually my fav....but it's funny......it's not to popular in the DT community.

 

Why do they know, lol

 

Mick

[PolarizeMe]

Octavarium's my personal favorite if we don't count I&W, Scenes, Awake and SDOIT as I feel that those are what most DT fans consider their best 4 albums.

 

It's actually my fav....but it's funny......it's not to popular in the DT community.

 

Why do they know, lol

 

Mick

I feel like everything after SDOIT has divided DT fans. Octavarium would still be my favorite as well, even if I did count I&W, Scenes, Awake and SDOIT. I even like I Walk Beside You and Never Enough which appears to be seen as some of their worst songs by some in the DT community.

[Segue Myles]

Images and Words was fantastic. I am going to continue chronologically until this marathon is over, and I am eager to start purchasing their work (I am listening to them via Spotify).

 

I currently own their greatest hits package, which left a very big impression on me. My favourite era is currently Octavarium.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Segue Myles

[J2112YYZ]

Images and Words was fantastic. I am going to continue chronologically until this marathon is over, and I am eager to start purchasing their work (I am listening to them via Spotify).

 

I currently own their greatest hits package, which left a very big impression on me. My favourite era is currently Octavarium.

 

Once you hear Awake, Scenes From A Memory and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, you will forget about the mediocrity that is Octavarium. Half that that album is very good (Root Of All Evil, These Walls, Panic Attack and the title track) the rest is just garbage. I'm glad you're getting into the band though. They've been one of my favorites ever since Images & Words came out. The best thing about them is that every two years without fail they release a new album and tour. They're one of the few bands you can always count on to do that. Next year they will have a new album out, I just wish they toured North America a little more for their last one. Even when they have an off album like Falling Into Infinity or Octavarium, there are still some great songs on it.

[Segue Myles]

Images and Words was fantastic. I am going to continue chronologically until this marathon is over, and I am eager to start purchasing their work (I am listening to them via Spotify).

 

I currently own their greatest hits package, which left a very big impression on me. My favourite era is currently Octavarium.

 

Once you hear Awake, Scenes From A Memory and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, you will forget about the mediocrity that is Octavarium. Half that that album is very good (Root Of All Evil, These Walls, Panic Attack and the title track) the rest is just garbage. I'm glad you're getting into the band though. They've been one of my favorites ever since Images & Words came out. The best thing about them is that every two years without fail they release a new album and tour. They're one of the few bands you can always count on to do that. Next year they will have a new album out, I just wish they toured North America a little more for their last one. Even when they have an off album like Falling Into Infinity or Octavarium, there are still some great songs on it.

 

Thanks! I look forward to each album even more now!

 

They remind me of Rush in the way they handle both complexity and melody with ease, and I can tell just how much the guys like Rush!

 

In all honesty, I get the hype for this band more than that of Metallica or Slayer. But each to their own. (And yes, I know Dream Theater were inspired by that era of metal bands also).

[bluefox4000]

Man do i love the 2nd disc of SDOIT. Can't stand the 1st though. Love Scenes, Octavarium (domn't care what anyone says)

 

Actually

 

Albums I love

 

1. Images

2. Awake

3. Fall into Infinity (Unpopular I know, lol)

4. Scenes

5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance: Disc 2

6. Octavarium

7. A Dramatic Turn of Events

8. Dream Theater

 

Albums I Hate

 

1. When Dream and Day Unite

2. SDOIT: Disc 1

3. Train of Thought

4. Systematic Chaos

5. Black Clouds and Silver Linings

 

Cause for me with DT......there is no in between i either love it or i hate it.

 

Mick

 

Edit: I know SDOIT 1 and 2 are the same album.....but they're so different they could be seperate albums.

Edited November 27, 2014 by bluefox4000

[bathory]

octavarium sucks aside from the title track. anytime they try to incorporate muse/coldplay/radiohead/U2 into their sound, they fail

[bathory]

images, awake, a change of seasons and scenes are really all you need. six degrees is good too.

 

the first album has great music but really bad vocals. falling into infinity is half good, half poor attempts at having a hit. train of thought is a lame attempt at sounding BRUTAL, systematic chaos is like everything bad about the two albums before it times ten. black clouds aint horrible but its got some really stupid shit on it, and the 2 new ones are being raved about by the fans but dramatic turn is just a lame rewrite of images and words, and the self-titled is really boring and uninspired (I'm in the minority on that one, because the fans are acting like it's as good as the kevin moore stuff)

[greg2112]

Scenes is the pinnacle for me, miles better than anything else they've ever released, IMO. Also enjoy Train of Thought, which kicks.

 

I far prefer their latter material (SDOIT - on) to their earlier output, which I think sounds a bit dated/cheesy. Probably in the minority here among DT fans I know...

Edited November 29, 2014 by greg2112

[bluefox4000]

Scenes is the pinnacle for me, miles better than anything else they've ever released, IMO. Also enjoy Train of Thought, which kicks.

 

I far prefer their latter material (SDOIT - on) to their earlier output, which I think sounds a bit dated/cheesy. Probably in the minority here among DT fans I know...

 

Even though i enjoy the earlier stuff i sorta agree. I love Images but if i'm being honest the drum sound on that album annoys the shit outta me. And Jordan Rudess blows Kevin Moore away.......sorry folks. Ana awake is great and i still put with DT albums i love but it is beyond dated, lol production, vocal style.......everything. but hey......it's not a bad thing.

 

Mick

[Segue Myles]

Scenes is the pinnacle for me, miles better than anything else they've ever released, IMO. Also enjoy Train of Thought, which kicks.

 

I far prefer their latter material (SDOIT - on) to their earlier output, which I think sounds a bit dated/cheesy. Probably in the minority here among DT fans I know...

 

Even though i enjoy the earlier stuff i sorta agree. I love Images but if i'm being honest the drum sound on that album annoys the shit outta me. And Jordan Rudess blows Kevin Moore away.......sorry folks. Ana awake is great and i still put with DT albums i love but it is beyond dated, lol production, vocal style.......everything. but hey......it's not a bad thing.

 

Mick

 

If Toto recorded metal in the eighties, it would have sounded like DT's first two albums with whatshisname...the vocalist escapes me!

 

Cheesy but awesome!

[MarkScudder]

John Petrucci was my next guitar man-crush after Alex, and I played Ibanez for many years because of him (and their price point, natch). But the whole thing leading up to when Portnoy left just soured me horribly. The "reality show" documentary they released about finding a new drummer made Petrucci, and especially Rudess, who is still the "new guy," look like bitter, impatient pricks who wanted to control everything. I know that's largely marketing and advice from their label and the producers of those videos, but this is a band that has stood up to record label and media influence, and especially after Falling Into Infinity, were able to prove that they knew better than any external force. I had so many years invested in them that I couldn't just never listen to DT again, but if you were to look at my music collection, you'd think DT disbanded when Portnoy left (and to be honest I didn't like Chaos or Black Clouds, so they went off the rails after the 20th anniversary tour for me).

 

They learned a lot of chops from Rush, but they didn't learn how to be modest.

 

The other thing is that it seemed that Portnoy kept the band American-sounding (and to a lesser extent, British-sounding). What little I've heard since whats-his-nuts joined the band sounds like generic Norse math-metal. People claim he's a "better" drummer than Portnoy but he's not as human, as emotional. And there was always emotion in DT stuff, it wasn't always just cold math. I'm sure I'm in the minority if I don't like prog from Sweden and Norway, but I just don't. Portnoy's influences, that ranged from The Beatles to Pantera to Rush, balanced DT's prog ambitiousness with a traditional heavy rock vibe that I thought made them a better, more enjoyable band. Other than the chorus in "Breaking All Illusions," which is unfortunately wrapped in eleven and a half minutes of crap, I can't stand anything they've released since.

 

Unfortunately, I'm also not a big fan of anything Portnoy's been involved with since leaving DT. So it's just really tragic, I'm the only person left on earth who thought Portnoy needed DT and vice-versa, and they were perfect for each other, and I can neither stand new DT nor Winery Dogs.

 

I'm grateful that in 2006 someone introduced me to Devin Townsend; his excellent work fills my jones for Portnoy-era Dream Theater, Rush-esque tongue-in-cheek humility, and often-undervalued anthemic wall-of-sound emotional music. Plus he's operating in the post-industry era where he can crowdfund projects that wouldn't otherwise ever get financed by a record company, like Casualties of Cool and Z2. Dev has essentially replaced DT in the #2 spot of my favorite bands of all time.

 

I have a particular memory of one time I met Dev after a show; take it for what it's worth. He was talking to fans, most of whom obviously thought he was a god. One asks him, "Devin, where did you go to school?" and he replies, "Vancouver High School, why?" The kid replies, "No, I mean for music." The kid literally didn't understand that most successful musicians in non-classical genres don't go to school, they have an independent work ethic that makes them excel. And this kid just couldn't understand that Dev didn't go to school to learn what he does. I think about that when I think about the new drummer in DT, who gave up teaching at Berklee to join DT, and has a sort of cold, academic vibe to his playing.

 

But everyone's different, I guess. It's just not my thing.

Edited November 29, 2014 by MarkScudder

[bluefox4000]

John Petrucci was my next guitar man-crush after Alex, and I played Ibanez for many years because of him (and their price point, natch). But the whole thing leading up to when Portnoy left just soured me horribly. The "reality show" documentary they released about finding a new drummer made Petrucci, and especially Rudess, who is still the "new guy," look like bitter, impatient pricks who wanted to control everything. I know that's largely marketing and advice from their label and the producers of those videos, but this is a band that has stood up to record label and media influence, and especially after Falling Into Infinity, were able to prove that they knew better than any external force. I had so many years invested in them that I couldn't just never listen to DT again, but if you were to look at my music collection, you'd think DT disbanded when Portnoy left (and to be honest I didn't like Chaos or Black Clouds, so they went off the rails after the 20th anniversary tour for me).

 

They learned a lot of chops from Rush, but they didn't learn how to be modest.

 

The other thing is that it seemed that Portnoy kept the band American-sounding (and to a lesser extent, British-sounding). What little I've heard since whats-his-nuts joined the band sounds like generic Norse math-metal. People claim he's a "better" drummer than Portnoy but he's not as human, as emotional. And there was always emotion in DT stuff, it wasn't always just cold math. I'm sure I'm in the minority if I don't like prog from Sweden and Norway, but I just don't. Portnoy's influences, that ranged from The Beatles to Pantera to Rush, balanced DT's prog ambitiousness with a traditional heavy rock vibe that I thought made them a better, more enjoyable band. Other than the chorus in "Breaking All Illusions," which is unfortunately wrapped in eleven and a half minutes of crap, I can't stand anything they've released since.

 

Unfortunately, I'm also not a big fan of anything Portnoy's been involved with since leaving DT. So it's just really tragic, I'm the only person left on earth who thought Portnoy needed DT and vice-versa, and they were perfect for each other, and I can neither stand new DT nor Winery Dogs.

 

I'm grateful that in 2006 someone introduced me to Devin Townsend; his excellent work fills my jones for Portnoy-era Dream Theater, Rush-esque tongue-in-cheek humility, and often-undervalued anthemic wall-of-sound emotional music. Plus he's operating in the post-industry era where he can crowdfund projects that wouldn't otherwise ever get financed by a record company, like Casualties of Cool and Z2. Dev has essentially replaced DT in the #2 spot of my favorite bands of all time.

 

I have a particular memory of one time I met Dev after a show; take it for what it's worth. He was talking to fans, most of whom obviously thought he was a god. One asks him, "Devin, where did you go to school?" and he replies, "Vancouver High School, why?" The kid replies, "No, I mean for music." The kid literally didn't understand that most successful musicians in non-classical genres don't go to school, they have an independent work ethic that makes them excel. And this kid just couldn't understand that Dev didn't go to school to learn what he does. I think about that when I think about the new drummer in DT, who gave up teaching at Berklee to join DT, and has a sort of cold, academic vibe to his playing.

 

But everyone's different, I guess. It's just not my thing.

 

I like "What's his nuts" a light year more then Portnoy......but what do i know. Portnoy was a great drummer no mistake. His ego soured me though. Real glad he's out. the last 2 metal core Portnoy era albums blew chunks, IMO.

 

Mick

[Cygnus 2112]

I love Black Clouds and Silver Linings and Octavarium. SDOIT is a strange album. Disc 2 is amazing, while Disc 1 is very weird. I've listened to it numerous times and it still hasn't clicked. And the first time I played this band for my friend, he said This sounds like Rush, only metal.

[bluefox4000]

I love Black Clouds and Silver Linings and Octavarium. SDOIT is a strange album. Disc 2 is amazing, while Disc 1 is very weird. I've listened to it numerous times and it still hasn't clicked. And the first time I played this band for my friend, he said This sounds like Rush, only metal.

 

Disc 2 of SDOIT is awesome.........disc should have just been scrapped, IMO.

 

Mick

[Cygnus 2112]

Segue, you need to watch Live At Budokan. It is one of the best live shows I've ever seen.

[Hemispheres4Echo]

Dream Theater to enter studio in February to begin work on new album!

 

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dream-theater-to-enter-studio-in-february-to-begin-work-on-new-album/

[bluefox4000]

If it's anything like the last 2......they'll be 3 for 3 with Mangini......very excited.

 

Mick

[Rod in Toronto]

I´m not sure if they´re already recording a new album because they´re feeling the creative juices flow, or because they want to quickly get out of a record deal with Roadrunner. But I´ll take it!!! DT12 was a huge step up compared to ADTOE for me.

[bluefox4000]

I´m not sure if they´re already recording a new album because they´re feeling the creative juices flow, or because they want to quickly get out of a record deal with Roadrunner. But I´ll take it!!! DT12 was a huge step up compared to ADTOE for me.

 

Loved em both but DT12 was way better i agree. Addicting melodies on that one.

 

Mick

[J2112YYZ]

I only wish they would've toured North America more for the last album. They did two legs for ADTOE but only one for DT12. It's too bad they couldn't tour more to support such a good album. They released it, toured and now they're onto the next one. It seems to me the album kind of just got forgotten about. I see no reason why the next album shouldn't be good. Even on the albums I don't like too much, they have a couple good/great songs on them that are worth listening to.

[the masked drummer]

Glad to see they're still at it. MP sure isn't doing a very good job of pretending he doesn't want back in. I mean, he's not as bad as Ace Frehley wanting to get his fat-ass on stage with Kiss again, but he sure does seem to miss being in DT. I wish he would just go on record admitting he f*cked up and went with the quick, easy money, but should have thought about the repercussions (pun intended.) Now that would be refreshing...

[Mr. Not]

I'm a bit late to the punch, but considering how good their previous two albums were, and how fantastic the setlist for this show/tour (almost a year old, again, late to the punch) is, I'd say Dream Theater is as strong as ever, or at the very least the strongest they've been since I&W or SCFAM... Mike Portnoy was dragging them down for about a decade there - not his drumming, but everything else about him. Truly one of the least (if not the least) likeable prog musicians today.

[the masked drummer]

That's interesting you mention that because it's fairly close to his non-drinking" years. What would you say his biggest douchery is? He's a workaholic control freak, to an extent, but actually a pretty sincere and nice guy. It's sad his "Innocence Faded".

[Mr. Not]

That's interesting you mention that because it's fairly close to his non-drinking" years. What would you say his biggest douchery is? He's a workaholic control freak, to an extent, but actually a pretty sincere and nice guy. It's sad his "Innocence Faded".

 

Either that one incident when he knocked over one of the cymbals and stopped the show with Billy Sheehan and some others playing to rap about how bad his drum tech was or whatever, or the time he got pissed at a fan of his for wearing a Dramatic Turn of Events shirt.

 

He also couldn't stand his fellow bandmate's vices (as you can read from why he left Dream Theater or other blogs of his) when he clearly has many of his own which they had to deal with. His influence on the band was too strong, the band seems much more democratic without him. If he wasn't a douche, they'd have let him back in by now given how strong their history together is. Mike's personality indeed meshed better with the guys of A7X, I'd say.