Do you think Awake was the last good disc of DT?

[The Metal Chick]

Images and Words and Awake are the best albums, Scenes did absolutely nothing for me, and i have yet to hear ToT. I'm probably one of the few that actually enjoyed 6degrees, but it's no match for I&W and Awake.

 

[OfSinsAndShred]

I&W was great, Awake didn't do much for me. ACOS was mind-blowing, though, if you wanna consider it an album. Scenes was cool, especially the first 5 tracks or so, but aside from that it was "meh". I won't even mention the last two albums.

There's my thoughts on DT.

 

[mark_bwaite]

I think everyone of DT's albums have been quality. 'When Dream and Day Unite' was less focused though.

 

[Connauch]

I love all of Dream Theater, but feel that Images and Words was the most emotional sounding of all their albums. When Labrie sings "Like a scene from a memorryyyy..." on Metropolis pt.1 it just hits me hard.

 

[Knight of the Templar]

Imagaes and Words is great... Metropolis, Wait for Sleep and Learning to Live are masterpieces...

In Metropolis, for example, I love the first verse... how LaBrie sings a melody, and the background is really different... like a march (the beginning riff on Overture 1928). And then, the solo at 5:50... Petrucci and Moore playing fast, and cool! Yeah, I love that song!!!

 

[Odysseus]

Images and Words and Awake are the best albums, Scenes did absolutely nothing for me, and i have yet to hear ToT. I'm probably one of the few that actually enjoyed 6degrees, but it's no match for I&W and Awake.

I completely and totally agree, except I only liked certain parts of some songs on 6DoiT. I personally think that Labrie gets annoying after awake. I don't know what it is... but I find him less enjoyable. The best parts of SFAM and 6DoiT are instrumental IMO. I would like to state my belief though that Kevin Moore was a far better match for DT than rudess. He always wrote what was right for THE SONG (cuz that's what's most important...Petrucci even states it in his video) but Rudess on the other hand can ruin songs that could've been good. Good example being the dance of eternity...that damn ragtime part RUINED the song. It simply didn't go w/ anything and the song would've been FAR better w/o it. Another example being a live video of the Mirror in which rudess does a solo in the outro of the song. It simply didn't fit. Of course all this is my opinion, but it's my opinion that awake was the last good album, and it was no coincidence that it was moore's last album w/ the band.

 

[Knight of the Templar]

Well, Odysseus... I agree with you in some parts (not in the DOE Ragtime solo, which I love). Moore didn't overplay, he just played what fitted in the song. He wrote songs based on feeling more than techinque... Wait for Sleep, Space Dye Vest... they're not difficult to play, but those "simple" keyboard parts, are filled with feelings...

Take the beginning of One Last Time: Piano. Soft. Melodic. Does it means something for me? Nope. It's not emotional to me. It doesn't bring me a tear, or make me think about someone, or something sad, or anything else. It's just... a piano.

I'm not saying that Jordan Rudess it's bad. Not at all. He has all my respect, and admiration for being the hell of a player (yes, he's fast and yet clean). And I like that "Action Figure"... (see DT's Metropolis 2000 for further reference... )

As Mike Portnoy said: Jordan Rudess is the ultimate musician, Derek Sherinian is the ultimate rock-star... and Kevin Moore is the ultimate artist.

 

[v01c354nd51gn5]

as a drummer, i really cant stand Train Of Thought. everyone else on the cd is good, but theres something about the drums that really pisses me off. maybe its the fact that they were recorded in a different studio than usual. i dunno. its the same (or pretty much the same) setup as 6DoiT which i do like for some reason. im in an area without many drum teachers that can teach me progmetal drumming, so before i found out about SX (im ashamed to say there was such a time), i pretty much learned from portnoy's DVDs and cds. now its like ... who's this guy playing portnoys set? i've really lost all faith in that guy. his old stuff was alright. now im stickin to drummers who care ... notice the sig... as far as awake goes, i think there were some pretty nice things that followed it.

 

[Mr. Shred-ididle]

I&W was amazing, it completly reshaped/created the 90's prog scene as we know it. Awake was a masterpeice, DT's best by far. I sure love that album. ACOS is an amzing song, but its not an actual album so it doesn't really count. FII was shitty, but had some good songs. They where under pressure from their record company and were trying something new, and it didnt turn out well. SFAM was 1/3 good with some of their most awsomme songs, but also some of their shittiest songs and a really, really crap story. Alot of fans love it tho :S 6DOIT was Ok at best, i don't think its AS bad as some people say, but it isnt overly good. Now TOT, i actually like. I hate Endless Sacrifice, but mostly enjoy the other songs. Its no Awake or anything close, but better than the last three albums for sure. ITNOG absolutely owns! I like the heavier direction of DT too, unlike most crying prognerds.

so yeah thats me take on DT's albums

 

[Yngtchie Blacksteen]

Rudess can ruin songs that could've been good. Good example being the dance of eternity...that damn ragtime part RUINED the song. It simply didn't go w/ anything and the song would've been FAR better w/o it.

I couldn't disagree more, the ragtime section is one of the highlights of the song.

 

[soulshred]

ı think they are still amazing but different,very different ı prefer their old stuff though.

 

[Kyra]

I love all of the albums, and I think One Last Time is a great song. So much emotion for me, from the vocals to the keys to the guitar. The way it's echoed in Finally Free has a great effect as well.

 

[matcauthron]

I can't say I like the question... Awake isn't one of those albums I really remember, so it's not the one I'd have mentioned. And it is awfully unfair to "Scenes from a Memory", which is in my opinion one the best pieces the 90's gave us. The music, the variety of styles, the storytelling... It has it all!

I agree, though, that I feel a shiver when I listen to "Images & Words". It was a very special album, even if "Scenes" is much better.

I'm discovering "Train of Thoughts" at the moment... I don't know if it will remain one of my favorites, probably not, but it's a hell of a good album anyway!

DT has its ups and downs, but the band is definitely still there, alive and kicking!! I'm seeing them live at the end of this month.

 

[Splinterhead]

I think ACoS is prolly their last original effort (except for the covers o' course). Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of the band but I think that their influences shine through a little to clear on the latter albums. Their older albums tend to be more...how should I say...Dream Theaterish?

 

[Prog Maiden]

I wouldn't say Awake is DT's last good album. I agree with shredmaster though--I'd consider Awake the peak of their musical career. But that doesn't mean all the albums following are horrible. They are after all a very experimental band, and I wouldn't expect them to keep releasing discs like Awake. I think once you accept that DT is never going to release another album like Awake because they're always 'progressing' and trying new things, you might enjoy the new direction they're taking. Everyone who is expecting another album to sound like the Kevin Moore era is inevitably going to be disappointed. I for one am a huge Kevin Moore fan, but I won't condemn the band because of his absence. ToT has grown on me quite a bit, although I'll admit I think they are trying to be too technical at times on this one.

 

[Knight of the Templar]

The thing I have against ToT is the shred. I liked Petrucci's solos on previous albums... but on this one... >__<

For example, the "samba" shred part in "In the Name of God" ruins that moment... I can't stand it, really. The same with Stream of Consciousness (although I love the song)... and This Dying Soul... the final minutes are just musical nonsense (and I don't like the song at all).

 

[Serge...]

Dream Theater threads on this board get wayyy too many replies. Remember the Train of Thought thread? Maybe someone should bring that one back. Anyway, Dream Theater's done decent stuff since Awake, nothing I've ever wanted to listen to more than every once in a while though. I guess the best post-Awake stuff is Liquid Tension, but that doesn't count.

 

[Annie]

i&w is the best but.. sfam was awesome too.. almost as good as images.

ToT was.. weird

 

[Wicked Inferno]

personally i thought 6doit was a great cd, right up there with images and words so i cant agree with you. DT still cranking out quality work today.

 

[ShredManWalking]

Train of Thought is their last great album, and I think Scenes is their best album EVER! In fact, Scenes From a Memory is the best album in the whole world!

I second that. Along with Operation: Mindcrime and V: The New Mythology Suite.