Heirs to the DT throne?

[RuRoRul]

I don't think any prog metal band can ever take the "throne" the same way DT has right now, few prog bands get that kind of popularity and those that do can usually gain popularity because of their connection to other styles of music (e.g. Opeth).

But a relatively new band that makes music roughly in the "DT progressive metal" realm is Seventh Wonder, and although I don't think they will ever be as popular, they certainly seem poised to become the top progressive metal band if they continue their current course and DT were ever to not be around.

But unfortunately I doubt we're likely to see a "new DT" in terms of popularity, even if it's not Seventh Wonder.

 

[farren]

Man I don't know how anyone can be disappointed by Remedy Lane, that album is perfection.

I adore several tracks on Remedy Lane: A Trace of Blood, Undertow, This Heart of Mine, Dryad of the Woods, Waking Every God... It was just sort of a harbinger album for me, especially following the near-perfection of TPE1. It made me nervous for their future, and while I enjoyed several sections of Be (which I skipped over in my previous post just because I considered it a one-off, and kinda still do), I felt sadly vindicated in my fears when Scarsick came out.

For the record... I would put Vanden Plas up there with DT... while DT may edge VP out in musicianship, I like VPs songwriting as a whole better than DT... and I just ordered the Lost in Thought CD that kicked this whole thread off.

Not to sound like a VP fanboy... Okay, I am, but I don't think it's fair to consider Vanden Plas in the running for this because VP has been around a very long time and has been brilliant in their own way concurrent with DT. A lot of the stuff on Colour Temple is a lot older than the release date would indicate, and while that album has a lot of '80s hair metal elements to it, it's still a brilliant progmetal album. I think we agree VP's been fresher this millennium, though And thanks for sponsoring them I flew out just to see them last year and they're my only top 10 band I thought I'd never live to see perform live.

 

[farren]

That was Scarsick.

But yeah, I know what you mean. At the same time, I used to expect Pain of Salvation to continue being a brilliant prog metal/rock band, not a mediocre "I-wanna-be-bluesy-rock-alt-proggy" outfit. Unfortunately they chose the latter with the Road Salts. I really hope it's just a period and they decide to go back to their old style (and I don't mean repeat themselves).

*cough* Daniel's always on his period...

 

[Formerly known as Chris F5]

To me..its Riverside...
not one clunker in their catelogue(including 2 EPs)
Every one of their CDs were my CD of the year for that year.

Redemption also

 

[J-Man]

The more i listen to the new Subsignal cd "Touchtones" and the new Beyond the Bridge "The Old Man and the Spirit" these are two excellent candiate to take up the reins.

 

[edgeofthorns]

(figures I would agree with Edgeofthorns)

What that heck is that suppose to mean!?!

~Brian~

 

[AngraRULES]

The more i listen to the new Subsignal cd "Touchtones" and the new Beyond the Bridge "The Old Man and the Spirit" these are two excellent candiate to take up the reins.

Maybe, but it's going to take a looooong time, as there are a lot of other bands "in line"... haha

Beyond the Bridge is indeed a solid record. Have yet to hear the new Subsignal though.

 

[dtguitarfan]

I was thinking about this on the way home today, and realized something. There have been a few bands listed in this thread as candidates to take over the DT throne: Circus Maximus, Seventh Wonder, Redemption, etc. But I realized that all these bands, while being EXCELLENT bands that I LOVE, have some major differences in their career from Dream Theater. First off, DT started their career early - they quit school to start their band. Second, the time between albums - WDADU came out in '89 and IAW came out in '92. Lastly, DT had nothing holding them back when they started out - they weren't trying to juggle family, job, and music all at the same time. So while I was thinking about this, I realized there is a real candidate that is very similar in all these aspects to DT, but I never mentioned them before because...well, they're an instrumental band and I think a lot of people on this forum are too stuck on having a singer to consider this band any good. But hear me out here - Animals As Leaders. They are fresh out of college, young guys without family or jobs to tie them down. They released their first album in 2009, a single in 2010, and their second album in 2011. They've been touring like crazy - at then end of one tour they begin another, and they're always surrounded by bands that you wouldn't think they'd tour with. Very progressive - a style all their own that can't be compared to anyone else. Ground breaking (Tosin Abasi plays an 8 stringed guitar with bass strings and the band is just 3 members but they sound like they have about 5). These guys are amazing, and I think they very well could rise to the same popularity DT enjoys now even faster than DT ever did.

 

[farren]

Haha...

That's all.

No, really, I don't think their background is even relevant. It's about the music. Isn't it more important (and indicative of who the heir is, a concept I don't even find significant) that general prog fans who respect or appreciate the current (or respected, based on one's opinion of recent DT efforts) approve of the heir? I see a logical bridge from Yes/Rush to DT, for example. I don't see any logical bridge from DT to AAL who has more influence from popular techmetal groups like Meshuggah, and more obscure fusion groups, than from DT. I don't care about the personal parallels. That the group has a vocalist, though, I consider essential to be in the running for this arbitrary distinction that we'll only really be able to speak accurately on 10-20 years later.

Also, I think a lot of the bands listed in this thread as heirs are really hybrid prog/power-metal groups. There's nothing power metal about DT, but there's a lot of power metal in this thread. I guess that's kind of to be expected given the name of this board and festival

 

[dtguitarfan]

Haha...

That's all.

No, really, I don't think their background is even relevant. It's about the music. Isn't it more important (and indicative of who the heir is, a concept I don't even find significant) that general prog fans who respect or appreciate the current (or respected, based on one's opinion of recent DT efforts) approve of the heir? I see a logical bridge from Yes/Rush to DT, for example. I don't see any logical bridge from DT to AAL who has more influence from popular techmetal groups like Meshuggah, and more obscure fusion groups, than from DT. I don't care about the personal parallels. That the group has a vocalist, though, I consider essential to be in the running for this arbitrary distinction that we'll only really be able to speak accurately on 10-20 years later.

Also, I think a lot of the bands listed in this thread as heirs are really hybrid prog/power-metal groups. There's nothing power metal about DT, but there's a lot of power metal in this thread. I guess that's kind of to be expected given the name of this board and festival

You go ahead and laugh. But you know what, as much as a prog fan like myself hates to admit it, the reason DT is considered to hold a throne at all is due to one simple fact: the number of records they sell. And outside the little world of Prog Power, Animals As Leaders are being talked about - they are featured in magazines like Guitar World, etc. Which is more than can be said of any of the other bands mentioned in this thread, as much as I like them all. And I do - I love all of the bands people have mentioned in this thread. But I think there is a very real possibility AAL will be way more popular than any of them.

 

[farren]

You go ahead and laugh. But you know what, as much as a prog fan like myself hates to admit it, the reason DT is considered to hold a throne at all is due to one simple fact: the number of records they sell. And outside the little world of Prog Power, Animals As Leaders are being talked about - they are featured in magazines like Guitar World, etc. Which is more than can be said of any of the other bands mentioned in this thread, as much as I like them all. And I do - I love all of the bands people have mentioned in this thread. But I think there is a very real possibility AAL will be way more popular than any of them.

I agree with almost every word of that. I just don't see how any of this establishes heir-apparent status or connects them to DT at all. Our criteria is totally different, which is an inherent problem in having this discussion at all That's part of why I think it's really only useful to look back in retrospect many years down the road.

 

[Azrael LenGraden]

What that heck is that suppose to mean!?!

~Brian~

You and I always seem to be on the same page with our likes and dislikes... we really need to hook up at this years fest...

 

[dtguitarfan]

I agree with almost every word of that. I just don't see how any of this establishes heir-apparent status or connects them to DT at all. Our criteria is totally different, which is an inherent problem in having this discussion at all That's part of why I think it's really only useful to look back in retrospect many years down the road.

Well, the discussion is who will take over the DT throne. I'm looking past who sounds the most like DT. I'm thinking who could actually be the most influential progressive band 25 years down the road. I may have no idea what I'm talking about (it's quite possible and I know someone is going to quote just that sentence out of context) but I'm looking at the fact that Tosin Abasi is being featured in Guitar World and other such magazines, and thinking that perhaps AAL is already miles ahead of some of the other bands that were mentioned in this thread as far as popularity at this stage in their career (having released their first album only 3 years ago). I mean, correct me if I'm wrong - were any of the other bands listed even featured in Guitar World, much less within 3 years of their first album? Seriously, correct me if I'm wrong, I'd like to know. I'm just thinking it's possible that in 25 years, AAL will have outlasted any of the other bands in this thread. Maybe. If nothing else, I think Tosin Abasi will have played in one band or another that was influential over the course of 25 years. I'm thinking, not who do I WANT to take over the DT throne, but who might actually be influential and sell albums and grow a fan base that just keeps growing over the next 25 years and is maybe one day nominated for a grammy that they then lose to a stupid, no talent, 3 chord song playing band.

 

[dtguitarfan]

One more thing:

That the group has a vocalist, though, I consider essential to be in the running for this arbitrary distinction that we'll only really be able to speak accurately on 10-20 years later.

You think a vocalist is essential but let me ask you this: putting style aside, who's sold more records, Circus Maximus or Steve Vai? Who's sold more records, Seventh Wonder or Joe Satriani? It is not ESSENTIAL to have a vocalist in order to be successful and influential, comparatively speaking. It is ESSENTIAL for you, personally, but not for them to sell records and be talked about more than other groups in the genre.

 

[AngraRULES]

One more thing:


You think a vocalist is essential but let me ask you this: putting style aside, who's sold more records, Circus Maximus or Steve Vai? Who's sold more records, Seventh Wonder or Joe Satriani? It is not ESSENTIAL to have a vocalist in order to be successful and influential, comparatively speaking. It is ESSENTIAL for you, personally, but not for them to sell records and be talked about more than other groups in the genre.

 

[farren]

One more thing:


You think a vocalist is essential but let me ask you this: putting style aside, who's sold more records, Circus Maximus or Steve Vai? Who's sold more records, Seventh Wonder or Joe Satriani? It is not ESSENTIAL to have a vocalist in order to be successful and influential, comparatively speaking. It is ESSENTIAL for you, personally, but not for them to sell records and be talked about more than other groups in the genre.

If you put style aside, one could say that Adele is taking over the throne vacated by the retiring Judas Priest. DT and AAL are not similar. I'm not hating on AAL, they're doing great and are becoming very popular. It's 'ESSENTIAL' for me that a band that is supposed to take over DT's throne [this is known as an heir apparent, if you thought I misunderstood the basis of this thread in your post preceding the one I quoted above] actually resemble, structurally and stylistically, DT in some way, and that probably means they need to have a vocalist as well as a guitarist at the bare minimum. That's just me.

Like I said, your criteria is completely different than mine, just like yours and mine probably varies from every other poster in this thread in some way. I find your criteria so vague stylistically, and on the other hand so popularity-based, that anyone could theoretically 'take over the throne' if they possess some measure of talent and are popular. Edit: I have no dog in this fight and have nominated no one, by the way

 

[dtguitarfan]

I'm gonna say one more thing, and then I'm done. Bringing Adele in, you're not even comparing fruit any more - with AAL and DT I may be comparing apples to oranges. In fact, I know I am. But here's the thing - if we had a discussion in the early 90's about who would take the throne from Rush, and I said DT, you might have said "DT has more in common with Iron Maiden than with Rush!" And you might have thought I was ridiculous. But styles change. The next Progressive band to be the most influential and noteworthy of it's day may not belong to the same sub-category or subgenre as DT. That's all I'm saying. Who would I LIKE to take over the throne from DT and who do I think makes the most sense as far as being stylistically similar? Seventh Wonder, Circus Maximus, Symphony X, or Redemption. But I don't think that's realistically going to happen. Why? SW and CM have families and jobs - things tying them down and keeping them from throwing themselves 100% into their music career. SX and Redemption have already been around for a while and haven't taken over the throne yet so I'm not sure that's happening. I can't say who is going to take over, and neither can anyone else, it's all just guessing. But AAL is a progressive band, and they have earned some recognition pretty fast so I think it's possible they might be very influential in days to come, that's all I'm saying.

 

[AngraRULES]

Usually the crown isn't really passed on until the current King is dead... all I'm saying.

 

[dtguitarfan]

Usually the crown isn't really passed on until the current King is dead... all I'm saying.

So you're saying Yes still holds the throne? ;-)

 

[AngraRULES]

Nope. Yes never held the throne.

BURN.