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Kashmir75 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 25 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1029
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 Topic: Porcupine Tree vs Dream Theater
Posted: December 04 2009 at 22:43 |
Two of the more popular prog bands these days, and two of my current favourite bands. But which takes the top slot?
They take prog in such wildly different directions. DT is very influenced by Rush and by heavy metal bands like Maiden, Sabbath, etc; whilst PT are more spiritually akin to King Crimson or Pink Floyd or Tool.
What do you think?
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Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...
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progkidjoel
Prog Reviewer
Joined: March 02 2009
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 19643
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 00:12 |
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Porcupine Tree.
PT is so much more diverse than DT stylistically. The one thing I can't stand about Dream Theater is that I can't stand about 95% of their songwriting, which jumps up to 99% after Kevin Moore left.
Porcupine Tree are brilliant as technical musicians, and I love nearly everything they've written and released.
That is obviously just personal taste though; I'm not straight up saying PT is better, I'm saying they're what I'm looking for in a prog band.
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jampa17
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2009
Location: Guatemala
Status: Offline
Points: 6802
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 08:34 |
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Dream Theater cannot be compared with PT... they are not bad, but an Alternative band with couple of proggy riffs cannot stand over Dream Theater... In the quality of music, Technic and capacity, DT overrun PT easily... now, if some people like more Steven Wilson voice more than James Labrie, that's other story. I have been saying all this time that this bands are not similar in any way... and of course, DT is the Icon and the reference of Prog Metal... PT is just a heavy prog band, and even their heavy side is quite soft actually... agree with Joel... Kevin Moore era was the top of Dream Theater, but I like their metal extreme side they have reach over the years...
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Change the program inside... Stay in silence is a crime.
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Petrovsk Mizinski
Prog Reviewer
Joined: December 24 2007
Location: Ukraine
Status: Offline
Points: 25210
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 08:52 |
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I can't really listen to PT anymore to be honest. Something about their sound just doesn't really affect me much anymore.
Dream Theater, on the other hand, have produced 2 of the what I consider to be some of the most remarkable works of prog metal of all time, Awake and Images and Words.
I like other DT albums but I can live without them, but I cannot imagine not having Awake and Images and Words in my collection, those 2 albums are very very special to me.
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J-Man
Prog Reviewer
Joined: August 07 2008
Location: Philadelphia,PA
Status: Offline
Points: 7826
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 08:54 |
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I think Porcupine Tree is incredibly overrated. I enjoy many of their albums (Lightbulb Sun, Deadwing, In Absentia, The Sky Moves Sideways, etc.), but I don't think any of them are worth more than a 3 star rating. Most of their music seems uninspired and leaves me cold. Dream Theater on the other hand is one of the most consistent bands in the prog world, and are some of the most talented musicians out there.
Porcupine Tree just can't compete with that.
-Jeff
Edited by J-Man - December 05 2009 at 08:55
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Citizen Erased
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 25 2009
Location: Scotland
Status: Offline
Points: 192
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 08:57 |
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Porcupine Tree by about a million miles.
Dream Theater are good musicians but the quality of their songwriting is painfully awful, the vocals are cringeworthy and songs needlessly long for the sake of it.
Porcupine Tree make extensive, psychadelic songs that slot in perfectly to an album; Dream Theater's best songs tend to be their shorter riffier ones but even many of them are overdone e.g. Constant Motion.
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And lo, the mighty riffage was played and it was good  <a href="www.last.fm/user/jonzo67" targe
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RoeDent
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 08 2009
Location: Wales
Status: Offline
Points: 850
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 09:03 |
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I love both of these bands, but on the basis that I'm not familiar with the entire PT catalogue, I'll go for Dream Theater this time.
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Elderflower Man
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 05 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 155
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 10:41 |
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Can't say I've listened to much Porcupine Tree- although The Incident is one of the best CDs I've heard all year- but I've liked what I've heard. However, Dream Theater are my overall favourite band, so I think I'll have to go with them.
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The Sleepwalker
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 03 2009
Location: The Netherlands
Status: Offline
Points: 15141
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 11:58 |
Both are terribly overrated, but I'd pick Porcupine Tree by far.
Porcupine Tree created some very interesting albums. FOABP and Nil Recurring are very good releases and I enjoy The Incident as well, but most of their other stuff is nothing more than decent IMO. Dream Theater is unlistenable to me.
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hirszu
Forum Groupie
Joined: April 03 2009
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Status: Offline
Points: 46
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 18:54 |
Why confront them? There is no sense in comparing them - ... ... -DT is much better 
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MikEZzZZ
Forum Newbie
Joined: December 03 2009
Location: Indonesia
Status: Offline
Points: 3
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 19:23 |
can't compare them....
PT is Prog Psychedelic Rock and DT is Prog Metal....
but so far i still choose Dream Theater....  |
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CPicard
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 03 2008
Location: Là, sui monti.
Status: Offline
Points: 10837
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 19:51 |
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.....
King Crimson.
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NecroManiac
Forum Senior Member
Joined: November 29 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 224
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 20:05 |
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Porcupine Tree.
The only reason Dream Theater isn't simply categorized as a power metal group is because of their concept albums and their overbearing (at times) instrumental w**kery.
Don't get me wrong though, I kind of like Dream Theater. I just get easily tired of all the cheese.
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 What's yer faovrite album? =^_^=
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harmonium.ro
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
Joined: August 18 2008
Location: Anna Calvi
Status: Offline
Points: 22989
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 20:16 |
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Porcupine Tree for me.
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MovingPictures07
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 09 2008
Location: Beasty Heart
Status: Offline
Points: 32181
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 20:31 |
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Dream Theater.
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The Truth
Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
Joined: April 19 2009
Location: Kansas
Status: Offline
Points: 21795
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Posted: December 05 2009 at 20:45 |
The first word that came to my mind is ugh. I think I'll stick with that as my vote
Haven't we had a poll like this before?
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Kashmir75
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 25 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 1029
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Posted: December 07 2009 at 01:01 |
 progkidjoel wrote:
Porcupine Tree.
PT is so much more diverse than DT stylistically. The one thing I can't stand about Dream Theater is that I can't stand about 95% of their songwriting, which jumps up to 99% after Kevin Moore left.
Porcupine Tree are brilliant as technical musicians, and I love nearly everything they've written and released.
That is obviously just personal taste though; I'm not straight up saying PT is better, I'm saying they're what I'm looking for in a prog band. |
Although I am a fan of both, I agree with you that PT focus more on songwriting than on shredding and showing off. DT can write good songs, but sometimes they do need to edit themselves a bit more.
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Hello, mirror. So glad to see you, my friend. It's been a while...
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Hypongle
Forum Newbie
Joined: December 09 2009
Status: Offline
Points: 3
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Posted: December 09 2009 at 05:13 |
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Joined this forum a moment ago to say something totally different. But, after reading this topic, I have to ask....
Do people perhaps think that Dream Theater's vocals are just a little bit too 'cock-rock-post-glam' to fill out the otherwise interesting musicianship & compositions presented by the band ? And in saying that, aren't the compositions largely a little bit clinical & labourious in their unfolding ?
To clarify, I have heard (by way of owning the CD's) about five releases by DT, so I may have missed their finest gems that have propelled them towards the pedestal and stand as as "Prog Rock Super-Gods" in the eyes of many.
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jampa17
Prog Reviewer
Joined: July 04 2009
Location: Guatemala
Status: Offline
Points: 6802
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Posted: December 09 2009 at 09:06 |
Hypongle wrote:
Joined this forum a moment ago to say something totally different. But, after reading this topic, I have to ask....
Do people perhaps think that Dream Theater's vocals are just a little bit too 'cock-rock-post-glam' to fill out the otherwise interesting musicianship & compositions presented by the band ? And in saying that, aren't the compositions largely a little bit clinical & labourious in their unfolding ?
To clarify, I have heard (by way of owning the CD's) about five releases by DT, so I may have missed their finest gems that have propelled them towards the pedestal and stand as as "Prog Rock Super-Gods" in the eyes of many.
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Yes, maybe you missed Awake, Images&Words and Scenes from a Memory... look as this is an Appreciation thread, people should take more than a minute and makes arguments, like saying that DT members are better than the PT musicians, technically and for the range of capacities, DT members are way ahead PT, Even Labrie has a wider vocal range, more strengh in his voice and a vocal training better than Wilson... yes, you can like it or not, but DT is most qualify to make better songs, and in a matter of fact they are... but at the moment people is just saying who they like more, not arguing why or what they don't like from the other band... Which album you have heard about them and about PT...???
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Change the program inside... Stay in silence is a crime.
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infandous
Forum Senior Member
Joined: March 23 2006
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2446
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Posted: December 09 2009 at 09:32 |
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I'm not sure how you compare these groups, as they are nothing alike. However, it is worth pointing out that Mike Portnoy loves PTree, but Steven Wilson doesn't much care for Dream Theater. Of course, my impression is that I'd much rather hang out with Portnoy than Wilson, as Wilson strikes me as an arrogant sort.
If we are comparing lyrics, PTree by an incredibly wide margin. If we are comparing music, I'd say I prefer PTree, though DT certainly have the edge in terms of technique and instrumental skill. But PTree just write better songs, better melodies, and have much more palatable vocals for my taste. Though to be fair, neither bands vocals are all that great to my ears.
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Porcupine Tree vs Dream Theater
