Dream Theater Poll

Metropolis wrote: CHARLES  DOMINICI IS A PONCE

Word.

What were they thinking?

As someone who is pretty knowledgeable and well versed in most genres of metal, I can tell you that most metalheads find Dream Theater pretty off-putting... Some common complaints that I often hear are "too much noodling" and "pretentious...  the songs go nowhere."  I've heard people say similar things about prog rock as a whole.  Most metal fans (and I'm generalizing a bit) prefer their music straight-forward and direct.... they want the riffs and they want the songs to get to the point. 

It seems obvious to me (maybe because I've frequented plenty of metal forums over the years) that you can separate most metal fans fall into two categories... those that enjoy prog-metal, and those that don't.  There are of course extremes in both categories, but I find those that don't enjoy prog metal to be vehemently opposed to it.

Now, if you want to ask me, I happen to enjoy Dream Theater's music.

John Gargo--

And if you think SOME of their albums are indeed pretentious, but some are good?

Most of the metal I listen to is prog. But I won't turn my nose up at good non-prog metal I come across, either. I guess I kinda walk the borderline...

frosty wrote: The most encouraging thing I find about Dream Theater is that their albums are continually improving. Train Of Thought is an absolute cracker, can't wait for the next one.

cmon man train of thought is just what pantera would play if they were better players.

great album indeed but nothing like prog for me

Cygnus wrote: frosty wrote: The most encouraging thing I find about Dream Theater is that their albums are continually improving. Train Of Thought is an absolute cracker, can't wait for the next one. cmon man train of thought is just what pantera would play if they were better players. great album indeed but nothing like prog for me

if they remade TOT with about 1/2 of Petrucci's w**king removed. It would be perfect. Dark, but perfect.

Arcer: Take a listen to A.C.T.'s album "Last Epic". IMHO it shows the potential of prog metal to be truly prog, rather than the recycled, uninspired up-itself lameness of Dream Theater. The sample mp3 on this site gives a fair idea of what the album is like - it's one of the stronger tracks, so you should be able to make your mind up from that.

While I may not like most of the crop of "prog metal" bands, and fail to hear much true progressiveness in most of them, I applaud the efforts to keep prog alive - by both musicians and the fans, without whom the effort might not be made.

The best "prog-metal" album I've heard recently is Fantomas' "Suspended Animation" - but I knew I'd heard the style done somewhere before - it's in the theme music to "To Die For", the 1995 film featuring Nicole Kidman - it segues thrash metal riffs and orchestral soundtrack music (Very low quality sample here - http://elfman.filmmusic.com/media.htm - you'll need Real Player).

Maybe film music is the new prog? A lot of it uses metal these days...

Certif1ed wrote: Arcer: Take a listen to A.C.T.'s album "Last Epic". IMHO it shows the potential of prog metal to be truly prog, rather than the recycled, uninspired up-itself lameness of Dream Theater. The sample mp3 on this site gives a fair idea of what the album is like - it's one of the stronger tracks, so you should be able to make your mind up from that.

It's funny, because I think that "Torn by a Phrase" is one of the weaker tracks... which just proves what an incredible album that one is! That's one of the CDs I've literally managed to overplay. Had to copy it before it got totally unplayable.

As for DT, I quite like Awake, I really, really like Octavarium, and I might like I&W if I manage to get through the thick layer of cheese covering most of it... Under a Glass Moon and Metropolis are winenrs, though. Otherwise, I think that they try too much to be listener friendly, like radio metal or AOR. The worst example of the latter is Falling Into Infinity, which is just cheesy ballads more than half the way, and Train of Thought sounds like they're trying to sound like Metallica or Linkin Park. Their worst record by a mile. The debut is at least fun... The title track on 6 Degrees is great, but the first disc is dangerously close to sounding like ToT. Scenes From a memory never made it for me, a few good tracks, but as usual there's too many poor ballads, and the instrumentals are what saves it. Too bad that there's so few... A Change of Seasons, well, I really do prefer the original artists. The title track is good, though, but no more.
 I've got no problem with either musician's playing, except that I might find Myung's playing quite unimaginitive (does that word exist??). But they're locked up in their own genre.
 And, as everybody knows by this time, I think that LaBrie is the most useless singer ever.

I believe that they might help metal fans to get into prog, though, rather than scaring people away.

But, Dream Theater should switch place with Pain of Salvation. PoS are the better in my book, and being slightly less big might've saved DT's artsiness before they turned up with albums like ToT and FII...