Dream Theater

Anarking

Karl Hungus wrote:

If "Taste" is the likes of Crazy Frog singles, Big Brother, Budweiser, and the myriad of other popular norms that equate the dregs of an intellectual drainage ditch, then I don't even want to have taste!

I never thought Id see it but it appears that a Dream Theater fan is now trying to claim the intellectual high ground.


Oh wait, you used the smilie! It was just being ironic!


Oh you card!

pbsuxok1znja4r

I've listened to about three DT albums; Images & Words, Train Of Thought and Octavarium. I think they're good. I love their rhythms and riffs and they surprised me with some satisfyingly heavy parts in songs. But they're badly let down by the vocals. Crap lyrics too, for whatever that's worth. I find the keyboard parts to be for the most part naff. The subject matter, like a lot of metal, gets irritating at times, also.

They're insanely good musicians (not just because their stuff is hard to play, but because their song structures/arrangements/lengths must've made 'em incredibley difficult and tedious to write), but that doesn't necessarily mean they write great records or songs, unfortunately. While listening I just find myself wishing they hadn't made most of their songs ten freakin' minutes long.

Gah, I suppose I'm playing too much the devil's advocate here; they're a pretty good, unique band and it's likely that I've yet to hear their best stuff, so, yeah. Thumbs up for DT, on the whole.

Oh, and ivory towers should really be avoided every bit as much as drainage ditches

Sanitarium

I am a hugh DT fan. From all the albums I have i can safely say my favorite is When Dream And Day Unite or Metropolis Pt. 2 Scenes From a Memory. Thoes albums really show off dream theaters real style. From listening to the commentrys on their DVD they say that their style is more of a Mixture from the Album SFAM and Awake. I would deffinatley say give dream theater another chance. They are a great band with amazing talent.

LTE2 is one of my favourite albums. Funnily enough, I never picked up the first one though. Is it as good?

Liquid Tension Experiment and Liquid Tension Experiment 2 are not albums from Dream Theater. They are a side project featuring Jorden Rudess, John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy. It is basically Dream Theater without James LaBrie but it is testing the more experimental side of DT. The bands name is Liquid Tension Experiment and their albums are named after the band name also.

I personally love James LaBrie's solo album "Elements Of Persuasion". It is deffinatley as good as Dream Theaters stuff, if not better. It is my favorite album of 2005.

I find the keyboard parts to be for the most part naff. The subject matter, like a lot of metal, gets irritating at times, also.

They're insanely good musicians (not just because their stuff is hard to play, but because their song structures/arrangements/lengths must've made 'em incredibley difficult and tedious to write), but that doesn't necessarily mean they write great records or songs, unfortunately. While listening I just find myself wishing they hadn't made most of their songs ten freakin' minutes long.

That is what progressive rock is about. They are experimenting with keyboards and off beat songs. Most of their songs are 7/8 timing and split up into different 'Scenes' or sections. For example, the Album Six Degrees Of Inner Turblence is actually one long song, but the band decided it was not right to make an album out of just one song, to they made the song into chapters and then made each chapter a seperate song. As for bad lyrics, I agree somewhat on that, but you cant judge that on just 3 albums. Their origional first singer, Charlie Dominici, on When Dream And Day Unite was an amazing vocalist and song writer. You should Listen.

LightofDarkness

I think DT are about a progressive as mainstream Yes, as in they aren't very much at all. There's much argument in the progressive music world as to whether they are progressive or not. They certainly don't even come close to matching the sort of prog that bands like King Crimson manage to create, or Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Zappa or Anglagard. And the band rarely go off into zany time signatures, they're often quite simple diddles thrown onto the end of common beats, nothing to get sexually aroused over

@Sanitarium: I think anyone who's heard LTE knows what it is (and are often thankful for the absence of LaBrie :P ).

I would agree that the vocals and sometimes the keyboards add a little too much cheese to the proceedings for myself or a lot of people to enjoy it. I dislike LaBrie's "intrusive" stylings, and the keyboards can be a little over done at times ( Keyboard solos are just a bit naff IMO, even CoB's keys annoy me at times). I think Petrucci is a brilliant guitarist though, one of my favourites, I just find it such a pity that he's in this band.

Sanitarium

James LaBrie was a brilliant front man for all the albums before 1994 because he has severe food poisoning and had to go on tour a few weeks after that. He also got surgery to his vocal chords before the tour, but could not finish the tour. He spent untill 2002 training his voice again. This is whi I tell people not to judge Dream Theater when they see them live or their newer albums, because they dont relise that his voice isn't as good.
I dont see why most DT fans dislike James Labrie. Charlie Dominici is my favorite singer that was in DT, but he was not well suited for the band. I think james labrie is more suited for it.
So far, I have seen no valid reasons for disliking James Labrie in DT.

Somnus

I agree with Sanitarium, I think James is an excellent vocalist.I certainly cant think of anyone else who could replace him.

Crucifix

Sanitarium wrote:

Liquid Tension Experiment and Liquid Tension Experiment 2 are not albums from Dream Theater. They are a side project featuring Jorden Rudess, John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy. It is basically Dream Theater without James LaBrie but it is testing the more experimental side of DT. The bands name is Liquid Tension Experiment and their albums are named after the band name also.

Actually Myung isn't in the Liquid Tension Experiment, Tony Levin does the bass.

OctavarIan

Sanitarium wrote:

Their origional first singer, Charlie Dominici, on When Dream And Day Unite was an amazing vocalist and song writer.

Woah, I disagree here. He wrote the lyrics to one song, and co-wrote another, and they were the two weakest songs on the album imo, (Status Seeker and Afterlife), and I don't believe he had much, if any, imput on the actual songwriting. Kevin Moore, now HE was an incredible songwriter/lyricist.

Sanitarium wrote:

It is deffinatley as good as Dream Theaters stuff, if not better.

In your opinion

Crucifix wrote:

Tony Levin does the bass.

He's a powerhouse of a bassist. Without him there would be no 3 Minute Warning, just imagine.... ugh

Crucifix

OctavarIan wrote:

He's a powerhouse of a bassist. Without him there would be no 3 Minute Warning, just imagine.... ugh

He also wrote the bassline for Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer". Legend.

Karl Hungus

OctavarIan wrote:

In your opinion

It's his opinion by virtue of the fact that he said it. No need to point out the fact.

I've not heard the album though, so I've no opinion to offer.

Tar.Aldarion

Karl Hungus wrote:

I've not heard the album though, so I've no opinion to offer.

In your opinion!

*Checks to see of that makes sense*
>_>
<_<

Sanitarium

Crucifix wrote:

Actually Myung isn't in the Liquid Tension Experiment, Tony Levin does the bass.

Didn't he play in LTE 1?

Crucifix

Sanitarium wrote:

Didn't he play in LTE 1?

Erp! Maybe...I don't have that album
EDIT: Apparantly not

Sanitarium

Oh, right. You learn something new everyday I suppose.
Is anyone else into the John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess side project? I got their album at the weekend and it is amazing. It is called 'An evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess'. It so relaxing in some songs and fast in others.
Anyone heard any MullMuzzler or OSI? They are next on my list...

OctavarIan

Sanitarium wrote:

Anyone heard any MullMuzzler or OSI? They are next on my list...

OSI is fantastic. Get the newest album 'Free', then the first one. I haven't heard Mullmuzzler, but if it's similar to Elements of Persuasion, I'm not that keen on doing so.

Sanitarium

OctavarIan wrote:

OSI is fantastic. Get the newest album 'Free', then the first one. I haven't heard Mullmuzzler, but if it's similar to Elements of Persuasion, I'm not that keen on doing so.

Elements of Persuasion was AMAZING! I am guessing you like Octavarium?

OctavarIan

Sanitarium wrote:

I am guessing you like Octavarium?

Yes, but it's nowhere near being my fave DT album. My username is only so because my real name fit nicely into it...

Oeneus

I wasn't too fond of Images And Words despite it's high reputation. It just didn't click with me.
But I'm absolutely hooked on Scenes From A Memory and Octavarium.
One thing I have to criticize about Dream Theater though is the use of odd time signatures. I am totally aware of how technically brilliant these arrangements are, but my ears and brain tend to have quite a hard time keeping up with it.

18AD

Sanitarium wrote:

Oh, right. You learn something new everyday I suppose.
Is anyone else into the John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess side project? I got their album at the weekend and it is amazing. It is called 'An evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess'. It so relaxing in some songs and fast in others.
Anyone heard any MullMuzzler or OSI? They are next on my list...

I haven't been able to get my hands on 'An evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess'. I may try again tomorrow. Have you heard the Jordan Rudess solo stuff? I think it's amazing. Very different sounds on his different albums. I'm not sure how many there are but I have 3 of them. One is just a calm piano only album, the other two are a mixture of soft piano with technical dream theatery sounds with lots of effects. Also, I'm pretty sure Petrucci does the guitar on a lot of it.

Oral Slang

I had a ticket to go & see John Petrucci in Sound Control in London last year the day before the gig. In the end I didn't go though.

I was over visiting my brother & felt a bit guilty about going out 3 nights in a row, so ended up going out with him & his girlfriend instead! Would have loved to have gone to it though...

Mystic Fibrosis

Sanitarium wrote:

Anyone heard any MullMuzzler or OSI? They are next on my list...

The first self-titled OSI album is absolutely brilliant. And for all you apocryphal death metal fans (i.e. Doc J and KH ) it's got Sean Malone on the bass/Chapman stick. And Steve Wilson does guest vocals on one track. Very much worth picking up.

(note that I'm not recommending this album on the strength of the musicians, the actual songs themselves are great too )

Patricide

O my god i jst got train of thought there, I must say one of the greatst albums i have EVER heard, the guitar work from petrucci, basswork from myung the drumming from portnroy and la breis vocals o my god the way the songs were wrote THIS IS blowing my mind. I heard this is there heaviest album what would be there second heaviest cause this stuff is the greatst thing to ever touch my ears.

nix

Duff Man Jr. wrote:

I was listening to metallica at work and started disscussing how rubbish st. anger is with a member of the public, He told me to check out Dream theater that they will change my life.

Being the openminded guy i am, i aqquired a few songs and i could only listen to half of one because i coudldn't stop laughing. I have visions of a guy on the edge of a cliff in a white suit with the wind blowing and his arms outstreached.

I know they have a lot of respect and fans here, and now everyone is going to say they are techinally brillent musicans, but i dont feel the need to analise every band i hear, i just cant stand them.

lol I'll name some songs which you may find to your taste, which may be best to listen to first and the rest will surely grow on you as they did to me.

- Glass Prison (Probably their heaviest song, first song i listened too and i fell in love straight away)

- As i am

- Octavarium (This is their newest work of their new album "Octavarium")

Also listening to all of their album "Scenes From A Memory" is a must, this is possibly my favourite album of all time, and i encourage you to listen to it all.

AlanOB

To me Dream Theater are a band who fail as often as they succeed unfortunately. I mean I love some of their work and all, but they can really fall flat at times, going from innovative, brilliant, progressive geniuses to immature, uninspiring wankery in the space of an album.

They got off to a good start in '89. When Dream and Day Unite is excellent neo classical prog metal for the most part. The Killing Hand for example is a total masterpiece (with great vocals from Charles Domenici) and tracks like Afterlife and Only A Matter of Time are frantic brilliantly executed songs with awesome solo work from John Petrucci. Light Fuse and Get Away is brilliantly innovative too and deserves a mention.

Then they hit their high point. Images and Words and Awake are fantastic albums. Everytime I hear Scarred or Metropolis they never fail to send shivers down my spine. Two records of pure genius.

And the after that, pretty much nothing. Apart from a brief but memorable recovery with the absolutely brilliant concept album Scenes From a Memory (has it all - great long prog tracks and equally great short, touching ballads), they've been bad at least, awful at worst.

Falling Into Infinity is mind bogglingly bad, Six Degrees is the definition of overblown, uninspired, Tales Of Topographic Oceans style, double-album wankery, Train of Thought is derivative of newer, crappier bands, and Octavarium is mediocre (with a U2 song thrown in for good measure it would seem. Ugh.)

Don't get me wrong. I love their (good) work. But they have a LOT of unflatering stuff. Hopefully people will hit on the former and not the later first and don't get put off the band.