It's also one of the reasons people like them. 2 sides to every opinion.
I personally really like the album. I don't understand the James Labrie hate.
New DT Album
- Thread starter Marq
- Start date
It's also one of the reasons people like them. 2 sides to every opinion.
I personally really like the album. I don't understand the James Labrie hate.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
People who listen to music purely for technical show offing are like the teens of the music world. Eventually you get over the sensory overload stimulation phase and look for something more lastingly impressive that an enormous set of tits.
_Gentleman of_the Snow_
Prog' Drummer
You're right... tits AND ass.
Actually, that is quite an impressive simile. I fully agree.
But people still have the right to like that form of music.
The wankfests were just bonus moments for me. I enjoyed the slow ballads, and Labries moments. It's possible to like their album without just thinking about the moments where they want to add technical skill.
ABQShredHead
©1970
Kenneth R.
Cináed
It's ironic when people feel cornered, they start defending their "right" to this or "right" to that. I'm not stopping you from listening to anything. But I will look down on motivations when I feel they are shallow. That's just my opinion, however.
I think the new album is passable; however, I agree that the ballads are all pretty boring and bland. The biggest thing with DT is that I feel a lot of people are very very critical of them. A lot of this comes from how good their earlier albums were, but also because they are so well known and praised around the world. People expect huge things from a band of their magnitude.
I think the new album is a step in the right direction but still not quite there yet. There are some interesting things on their and I am glad to hear them not trying to be so constantly heavy and in your face. Even so, I think they need to put some more of the jazz influences back in their music to get back to where they once were. I really think Jordan Rudess is a huge reason for loss in their creativity and that losing Kevin Moore cost them dearly.
I think the complaints about Labrie are sort of shallow in that he has never been more than a passable vocalist in a band all about the music.
I think the new album is a step in the right direction but still not quite there yet. There are some interesting things on their and I am glad to hear them not trying to be so constantly heavy and in your face. Even so, I think they need to put some more of the jazz influences back in their music to get back to where they once were. I really think Jordan Rudess is a huge reason for loss in their creativity and that losing Kevin Moore cost them dearly.
I think the complaints about Labrie are sort of shallow in that he has never been more than a passable vocalist in a band all about the music.
Detective Clarence Beauregard
Dehumanized
I honestly think that the only way this band is going to release an album in the same caliber as I&W, Awake, or FII (yes, FII) is if they dump Jordan. My belief is that he is mostly responsible for the emotionless wankfests that have plagued their music in the last decade or so. The band has always had wankier parts, but they used to be tasteful and have some feeling to them (Metropolis pt. 1, Learning To Live).
The only album they've done with Rudess that I've liked a lot was Train of Thought, and I think it's because it was a more guitar-driven album that focused on the keyboards a bit less. Don't get me wrong - I love keyboards (they're the instrument that sets progressive metal above other metal subgenres for me) - I just don't love Jordan's keyboards.
I've never thought that. If the band is all about the "music," why even have a vocalist at all?! To be honest, I think many people would be less critical of the band if they didn't have vocals, since having them automatically places them in front of an audience (the mainstream) that will most likely complain about long, show-off instrumental passages.
I think many LaBrie complaints also come from people who do listen to DT for more than just the wank sessions (me included), and let's face it - compared to some other metal singers, his voice is a tad annoying (at least to me). He writes some really good melodies (or Petrucci does, I'm not sure), but could you imagine DT with a vocalist as good as Russ? It would change the whole ballgame.
_Gentleman of_the Snow_
Prog' Drummer
I actually like Labrie's voice. I guess I'm one of the few around here...
I still prefer Gildenlow, Allen, and some others, but I have no qualms with Labrie.
I find his voice really great at times, actually (ex.Wait for Sleep).
I still prefer Gildenlow, Allen, and some others, but I have no qualms with Labrie.
I find his voice really great at times, actually (ex.Wait for Sleep).
Beneath the surface is their best ballad in ages!
_Gentleman of_the Snow_ said:
Massive fan of JLB. He's not the best singer going around but has a strong, unique voice. Can't fathom how people can bag him and yet praise people like John Arch etc
nckissfan
Civil War reenactor
I like the new album. It is not their worst, in my opinion. There are too many light intros for my taste, and a lot less energy than other albums.
I like LeBrie as a singer. I am not a fan of his "breath-y" slow singing. It is getting far more "breath-y". I don't know what you call it, but it is like he exhales completely when he is singing on slow parts. He used to not do it so much, but now every slower part sounds that way.
I like LeBrie as a singer. I am not a fan of his "breath-y" slow singing. It is getting far more "breath-y". I don't know what you call it, but it is like he exhales completely when he is singing on slow parts. He used to not do it so much, but now every slower part sounds that way.
Detective Clarence Beauregard
Dehumanized
I don't mind him on songs like that, because the vocals fit the music. What LaBrie's voice doesn't fit, in my opinion, is the heavy-as-shit music that Petrucci and the others have been a fan of writing in recent years. His voice is well suited for the more melodic, progressive stuff.
I've only heard Arch a few times (old Fates Warning stuff), and I can't name a singing vocalist who has annoyed me more. No doubt the guy has great technical ability for a vocalist, but I just found him to be massively annoying.
Kenneth R.
Cináed
No. His voice hasnt aged well. He used to sing like a banshee(in a good way), but his accident, age, and screaming, how awesome it might have been in the early 90s, kinda killed it.
I dont think Jorden is much to blame. I enjoyed alot of his work from Metropolis to ToT which was their last REALLY good album. Theres just so many good keyboard pieces one can make up when your main songwriter wants to trade solos with you every 5 minutes for every. Single. Fucking. Song.
I dont think Jorden is much to blame. I enjoyed alot of his work from Metropolis to ToT which was their last REALLY good album. Theres just so many good keyboard pieces one can make up when your main songwriter wants to trade solos with you every 5 minutes for every. Single. Fucking. Song.
Rocksister
Member
Yes, Detective, YES!!!!!!! Train of Thought is the ONLY album by DT that I can even BEGIN to listen to, and even then, only occasionally. The vocals are weird in that band, sorry, fans of DT, I can't stand that type of vocals on what is supposed to be at LEAST VAGUELY metal genre stuff. But TOT is heavy on the music side, so I can pretend no one is singing and enjoy parts of it. Um, Heritage? Tell me more. I'm pretty much a music snob and ignore most everything that's not Symphony X but I"m willing to branch out as long as we aren't talking ballads and choir boy vocals. I'm talking metal, but not growling, screaming crap. I saw Blackguard at the SX Iconoclast tour concert in NC in April and they put on a FAB show with the long hair and rotating heads and growling/screaming, but buying an album like that would stink. The visual part of it is what rocks. For the music alone, I'd go with another band at that show, Shockopera, before I'd go with Blackguard. So if this "heritage" is the growling/screaming type or the choir boy vocals or ballads type, I'm not interested. Yes I've listened to all of the above, so I"m not forming opinions based on nothing. I was interested in Pain of Salvation until I heard "Sisters" posted here in its entirety. Yuk............
