Why Dream Theater?

[Meedleyx10]

I used to have their first three CDs for about 10 years (I've been intrduced to them back in 1994). Anytime later I've also bought the 'Live at the Marquee', which is the only one, I still own. During the years I've sold all the rest, because I 've seen no reason why I should keep them. But I'm doing ok with this Live-CD and with considering them beeing Rock. And, yes, I've never and will never buy another one if their Cd's.

And indeed. Playing loud and fast doesn't mean the band is a Metal-band. Rock can also be loud and fast but equally be bad. So it's always a question of the view one has.

For me there are many good bands, but DT is not among them. I really don't care for them.

i wasnt criticizing your opinion of them and never would, sorry you misinterpereted that. I was just commenting on your statement about there being no variety in their playing.

 

[Meedleyx10]

Rose Immortal is correct, the only thing you can debate is a band's technical skill level, however that is the very thing I was wanting to debate when I started this thread. Dream Theater has this certain arrogance to them, that they are the undisputed "Prog Kings", so after noticing this while I was reading stuff on their website and watching their videos and interviews and such I began to ask myself "What makes them so special?" I then proceded to listen to all of their records (excluding WDDU) looking for what made them so speical. I have watched all their live videos, I have had front row seats to watch Petrucci play at G3, and I have even listened to the LTE cds. I still do not see anything that separates them so far apart from teh other prog bands. I know that some of you say it's because of their profound influence on the genre, but they themselves were heavily influenced by earlier prog bands, are these bands then superior to DT? I know that they really affect all of us in different ways, this cannot be debated, I just want to know WHY? Why do they get the credit they do, why do they think of themselves so highly, and finally why do their fans insist on not branching out and giving other bands even a listen? Trust me, my guitar teacher is one of their biggest fans, and he won't even listen to other bands. I just want to know why.

I don't know what makes you think they are arrogant, cause they really aren't as far as i can tell. They are always giving praise to their influences and other players they like, ive never heard them say "we are the best band in the world and you must worship us". Sure bands like Rush and Yes came along before them, but DT took that style and took it to places it hadn't been to before. Hence the term Progressive. Not a whole lot of progress has been made since then. Sure some great bands have come along since then, but nobody else has really produced anything groundbreaking and progressice since then. Other than the increasing level of technical skill that bands are displaying, not a lot has happened in the genre. With the exception of a few bands (pain of salvation for example), no one seems to be doing anything new.

 

[Rose Immortal]

I don't think every DT fan is the kind that won't listen to other bands. I mean, look at me--I love SymX, Opeth, Ayreon...and I don't have to just listen to all prog all the time, either. I love Blind Guardian, too, and even Coldplay and Radiohead. It doesn't matter what people say to me, especially about the latter two bands. Being a prog fan and also liking Coldplay/Radiohead gets you a lot of flack. And how far is that, from the supposedly snotty "DT/prog only" attitude?

 

[arglebargle]

I can't imagine listening to nothing but prog... what a dull existance that must be.

Also, this thread is perfect proof why threads like this shouldn't exist... even if this was started with good intentions, it's degenerated into attacks on personal taste and opinion, however subtle they may be.

I can't be the only one who simply DOESN'T CARE whether Dream Theater is better or worse than Symphony X, or whether <X> band is more technically skilled than <Y> band. I don't care what anyone else thinks either; my taste isn't threatened by people with different opinions.

 

[Kenneth R.]

I can't imagine listening to nothing but prog... what a dull existance that must be.
.

not to mention closedminded, and not very 'progressive' of personality.

 

[TotenMitMacht]

I think that the future

 

[Neva Kee]

Okay, so here's 2 more cents:

It's really easy in my book - I like a lot of DT's songs and a lot of the instrumental parts and there is more than one part that really makes me groove with it or touches me in some way. There are other songs that I don't like, so I don't listen to them that much and that's that.....and as long as I go on liking what they produce, I will continue buying their material as I will with any other band that I have CDs from.
I just like a lot of what they do - plain and simple.....and I think some of you think too much about the music you listen too, but then again it may be just because it is not my way of approaching the subject.
In the end there will always be people who have a different opinion - hey there are obviously a lot of people out there, who like Rap and Hiphop music, which I cannot understand in the slightest, but they exist and they have every right to, even if I would like to have them like different music....

Oh, and by the way - I believe that nearly every band that I listen to deserves more credit for what they are doing, but all I can do to change this is play their music to other people so they might come to like it...

 

[Xtopher]

Oh, and by the way - I believe that nearly every band that I listen to deserves more credit for what they are doing, but all I can do to change this is play their music to other people so they might come to like it...

i dont agree with that. i used to think that way years ago, and i showed my friends the "new great bands" that i discovered and had them listen to their albums, and i was pissed off when they didnt care much about it coz i really liked it and wanted to talked about the songs with someone or just know that others liked it also, like for example when i "discovered" SX and loved it since the first note, so i showed it to my friends and didnt really payed attention to them so i was like the only SX fan for like 5 years since they got a little more popular, at least here and everyone started talking and listening to them. i now feel much comfortable listening to the great bands all by myself knowing that im the only one that knows about it and dont try everyone to love them as i do...that even makes me feel someway special (lol)

 

[Jax]

I can't be the only one who simply DOESN'T CARE whether Dream Theater is better or worse than Symphony X, or whether <X> band is more technically skilled than <Y> band. I don't care what anyone else thinks either; my taste isn't threatened by people with different opinions.

Nope, you're not, but really, isn't it up to each of us to decide who we think is better? There is no 'carved in stone' hard fact here, and I've always thought 'who's best?' should be replaced with 'who's your favorite', because there is simply no global 'best' to be had. It's all about personal taste and opinion, which is why these threads are so amusing; these people can rant until they're blue in the face, and they'll still never make someone like music that they don't like, or dislike music that they do like.

That said, I'm tempted to put a ban on this 'SymX vs. DT' nonsense for the simple fact that it's old, tired, perpetuated solely by the fans (the bands themselves get along quite well), and MJR himself thinks it's "the stupidest fucking thing he's ever heard". I really try not to over-moderate here, but I think this crap is going to be more detrimental than beneficial to this forum..I'll discuss it with MJR when he gets home and we'll see.

 

[arglebargle]

Yeah, the fact of the matter is, NOBODY can bring anything new to this debate, simply because everything's already been said a thousand times over.

Every time I see a thread like this (not just on this message board), it's like, "Oh crap, another DT vs SX thread... Jesus Christ".

 

[Rose Immortal]

It's a shame it's gotten like that. I mean, because I like BOTH bands, I wind up getting flack no matter who's supporting who. I would love to be able to discuss the aspects of both bands rationally, but it rarely even happens.

Honestly, I think these topics get out of hand WAY faster than the religious ones do. Which says quite a lot, doesn't it?

 

[fading]

I am both a DT fan and a Sym X fan. During the years I have become more attached to Sym X due to there power and passion for every song they write. They are excellent. DT are excellent as well. I just feel they have driven them selfs into a funk and can't steer from it. Once you develope a certain style of writing it is hard to get out of it. The DT albums are sounding a lot a like since I&W and Awake. If we want to look at the proper credit, I think the Fates Warning deserves the most influential credit. They are the pioneers of Prog, before it was called Prog. Anywho, just my thoughts. I dig them both

 

[Statler Waldorf]

Geeze, I started this thread, and I NEVER intended it to be a "Symphony X vs. Dream Theater" thread, if you read my original post you will see this. I don't care which band people like more, I just wanted to discuss Dream Theater and what everyone thinks makes them special, that is it, end of question.

 

[Ascension]

Geeze, I started this thread, and I NEVER intended it to be a "Symphony X vs. Dream Theater" thread, if you read my original post you will see this. I don't care which band people like more, I just wanted to discuss Dream Theater and what everyone thinks makes them special, that is it, end of question.

And...you posted it on the SX forum...what did you expect to happen? Go post this on the DT board and see what happens. You will get slagged ferociously.

Like the saying goes...you can't scream fire in a crowded theater...or something like that.

 

[bball_1523]

Before you close this thread, I want to admit something:

I have a hard time listening to Dream Theater nowadays. I don't know what it is. I have 4 of their albums, and have heard a total of 6, plus parts of budokan dvd, and other live stuff. I think I know what the thread starter is feeling now, or not. I can't pinpoint as to what exactly is turning me off from DT. I think how "some" of the fans make out DT to be the end of all good music, turns me off, but I'm not sure if that's the main reason.

What do you guys think? How do you appreciate DT's music? I just have a hard time accepting them right now. But hey, I really want to appreciate them.

 

[Jenna123456789]

Are you kidding me???????

I would cry if they got a new singer. James has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard... No other singer could fit in with the DT music so well.

 

[JRuless]

I'm very dissapointed by reading this topic.
I was listening some Symphony X and while listening I started to look here at sympx.com for some news about the album, tours and stuff. Visited this board and confrontated with this..is there any need to start a topic where people like me, great DT fan, but a great Symphony X appreciator too, become a little shocked?
Why compare DT and Symphony X in such a way? It's like there has to be ONE band..and everyone who doesn't like SX and does like DT is a noob, come on folks, grow up. Music is a taste. DT overrated? maybe, maybe not. It's an opinion. BTW: there styles are so different you can't even (easy) compare them. All the bashing isn't nessesary, it's easy for the die hard SX fan to say that DT isn't a great band. (about the metalstory: ever listened to The Glass Prison? ) but to hear all this as a DT fan, it's not easy to listen to SX songs without being flashbacked to this topic....greetz

 

[bball_1523]

I'm very dissapointed by reading this topic.
I was listening some Symphony X and while listening I started to look here at sympx.com for some news about the album, tours and stuff. Visited this board and confrontated with this..is there any need to start a topic where people like me, great DT fan, but a great Symphony X appreciator too, become a little shocked?
Why compare DT and Symphony X in such a way? It's like there has to be ONE band..and everyone who doesn't like SX and does like DT is a noob, come on folks, grow up. Music is a taste. DT overrated? maybe, maybe not. It's an opinion. BTW: there styles are so different you can't even (easy) compare them. All the bashing isn't nessesary, it's easy for the die hard SX fan to say that DT isn't a great band. (about the metalstory: ever listened to The Glass Prison? ) but to hear all this as a DT fan, it's not easy to listen to SX songs without being flashbacked to this topic....greetz

the point of this thread was to ask what is so great about DT, not in a bashful way. But it got outta hand, sorry.

 

[Dark_Mage]

Frankly, if DT had never come into being, there would be a lot less wannabe mediocrity walking the premises of Berklee, and guitar stores.

DUDE!!! all musicians were "wannabes" at one point. you've got to be a wannabe if you want to learn an instrument.

 

[bball_1523]

DUDE!!! all musicians were "wannabes" at one point. you've got to be a wannabe if you want to learn an instrument.

yeah I agree, there's wannabe's everywhere already and have been before DT ever existed.