Why Dream Theater?

[Dark_Mage]

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

a wannabe to me is someone who " wants to be" a musician.if your not a "wannabe" than what the hell are ya supposed to be.

it's not like micheal romeo was born shredding his ass of, he had to be a "wannabe" to achieve his level of greatness.

 

[Rose Immortal]

Agreed. My "instrument" is my voice...and I guess I am kind of a "wannabe". This actually relates directly to DT because singing with LaBrie's vocals was the first time I was ever able to get anything more aggressive out of my little voice! It's not great yet, but I wannabe.

 

[Dark_Mage]

Agreed. My "instrument" is my voice...and I guess I am kind of a "wannabe". This actually relates directly to DT because singing with LaBrie's vocals was the first time I was ever able to get anything more aggressive out of my little voice! It's not great yet, but I wannabe.

my point exactly

 

[Statler Waldorf]

Well to answer Ascension's question, I asked this DT question on the SX board as opposed to the DT board because I figured I would get a more honest response without a lot of spin. I think that finally I am starting to read responses that fit into what I was wanting to discuss. I feel most people got distracted thinking this was some kind of "Dt Vs. SX" thread, but I think that thanks to people like 'bball_1523' everyone is starting to understand what I was wanting to accomplish. I wanted to hear the opinion of others who while they may be DT fans also apparently like other bands like Symphony (because they are posting on this forum). I knew that if I posted this on the DT forum I would get crucified. So to get to the point, I appreciate the discussion guys (and gals). At times I feel we were kind of missing the point; however I think we did eventually discuss some cool stuff. THANKS.

Statler

 

[bball_1523]

Well to answer Ascension's question, I asked this DT question on the SX board as opposed to the DT board because I figured I would get a more honest response without a lot of spin. I think that finally I am starting to read responses that fit into what I was wanting to discuss. I feel most people got distracted thinking this was some kind of "Dt Vs. SX" thread, but I think that thanks to people like 'bball_1523' everyone is starting to understand what I was wanting to accomplish. I wanted to hear the opinion of others who while they may be DT fans also apparently like other bands like Symphony (because they are posting on this forum). I knew that if I posted this on the DT forum I would get crucified. So to get to the point, I appreciate the discussion guys (and gals). At times I feel we were kind of missing the point; however I think we did eventually discuss some cool stuff. THANKS.

Statler

hey no problem. I posted a thread at DT forums about what makes them like DT. As I said before, I am struggling to listen to their music lately, and I want to know what I can do to appreciate them more.

 

[Korlich]

Hey guys,



I was just wondering if I am the only one on this forum who thinks DT is severely overrated? The other day I listened to all of their albums, except for Images and Words, looking for what it is that makes them so "special".
After close examination I have concluded that I must be deaf because I didn't hear anything! Yes most of the musicianship is downright amazing, but I do not feel their songs are always thought out very well, ecspecially lyrically. I also have serious issues with the vocals, there are absolutely no hamonies to speak of, and I find James as one of the genre's worst singers. I don't know whehter or not this guy saved every band member's life at one point or not, but it is obvious they owe him something and that is why he is part of the band. It reminds me of an outstanding football team which just has a medeocre Quarterback.
I will give Dream Theater some credit, they are amazing when it comes to odd time signatures and finding unique ways to incooporate them into songs. However this being said, I do not believe they are the "hands down" prog kings, and I feel other bands such as Symphony X and Shadow Gallery deserve more credit and need to stop being passed off as "Dream Theater Rip Offs". I know that a lot of you guys like DT, and I find this kind of humorous because the DT fans over at their official forum absolutely hate Symphony X. So what's my point? I think that we give DT too much credit, and I think we need to look at some of the outstanding musicianship displayed by less popular bands. I want to hear everyone else's opinions. What do you guys think?

DT is pretty weak except for a couple songs here and there. Images and words is their best cd though. But if you wan´t pure genious Prog metal listen to Opeth or Porcupine Tree.

 

[Pastorius]

I can't believe people are deeming DT to be 'weak'. It's like saying that 2 billion ants isn't much because there are 2.3 billion ants right next to them.

DT are a great band, and if you watch interviews with them, they come across as nice guys, especially Portnoy (but not Myung - he comes across as mute). They definitely value their fans a lot, and who cares if they're not as heavy as other bands?

Who cares if they use 7 string guitars to get a heavy sound. The point is they get the heavy sound when they want it. Sure, it might not be as heavy as the new Bastard Death To Hell Fucker Chainsaw Killers album, but they're not that kind of band.

Take The Time is just a masterpiece of a song. I agree that they are missing Kevin Moore's influence on the band, but after a brief flutter of wanky out of place keys work from Rudess, I think he's really settled in.

I can't stand people branding DT as shit or bad because of
a) some fans on an internet forum. Internet forums are NOT an accurate representation of an average DT fan.
b) other bands they find better to listen to.
c) LaBrie's vocals. IMO vocals are a hit and miss thing. Some people like it, some people don't. There is no formula for what makes a good vocalist. I like LaBrie.
d) older albums being better than newer albums. Just be glad they're still writing. I'm sure you'd be a hell of a lot more pissed if they stopped writing after Images And Words or Falling into Infinity or Scenes.

That's probably a very unstructured rant that makes no sense, but whatever. DT AND SYMX RULE

 

[bball_1523]

I can't believe people are deeming DT to be 'weak'. It's like saying that 2 billion ants isn't much because there are 2.3 billion ants right next to them.

DT are a great band, and if you watch interviews with them, they come across as nice guys, especially Portnoy (but not Myung - he comes across as mute). They definitely value their fans a lot, and who cares if they're not as heavy as other bands?

Who cares if they use 7 string guitars to get a heavy sound. The point is they get the heavy sound when they want it. Sure, it might not be as heavy as the new Bastard Death To Hell Fucker Chainsaw Killers album, but they're not that kind of band.

Take The Time is just a masterpiece of a song. I agree that they are missing Kevin Moore's influence on the band, but after a brief flutter of wanky out of place keys work from Rudess, I think he's really settled in.

I can't stand people branding DT as shit or bad because of
a) some fans on an internet forum. Internet forums are NOT an accurate representation of an average DT fan.
b) other bands they find better to listen to.
c) LaBrie's vocals. IMO vocals are a hit and miss thing. Some people like it, some people don't. There is no formula for what makes a good vocalist. I like LaBrie.
d) older albums being better than newer albums. Just be glad they're still writing. I'm sure you'd be a hell of a lot more pissed if they stopped writing after Images And Words or Falling into Infinity or Scenes.

That's probably a very unstructured rant that makes no sense, but whatever. DT AND SYMX RULE

I thought you just have to accept that some people find DT boring. Sorry, but it's all matter of taste in music. I think DT are still a great band though.

 

[soundgarden]

One thing I discovered from the DT.net board is that there are many fans of DT that listen to Prog ROCK more than Prog Metal. Fans of prog rock usually like DT a lot because DT can be considered prog rock. DT is easily comparable to Rush. Fans of prog metal, such as Symphony X and Opeth, usually consider DT mediocre. And of course there are fans on both sides of the fence, such as myself, who believe DT holds a top position as one of the best, if not the best, prog bands.

 

[Rafaga]

I thought you just have to accept that some people find DT boring. Sorry, but it's all matter of taste in music. I think DT are still a great band though.

The problem is that a lot of people in this forum states his/her tastes as facts, and wants to impose these to others, just read how DT and their fans got bashed in the other thread (that one was long too).

 

[Rose Immortal]

DT are a great band, and if you watch interviews with them, they come across as nice guys, especially Portnoy (but not Myung - he comes across as mute). They definitely value their fans a lot, and who cares if they're not as heavy as other bands?

Portnoy IS funny, from the little I've seen of him on the Gigantour forum.

Still, I do think people oughtn't be so harsh on Myung. You never know what kind of issue is going on there. I mean, if you think about it, everybody has some quirk or another like that. Example for me: I will NOT talk to answering machines unless it's an emergency. Really talking to ANY sort of recording machine bothers me unless it's a phone call to someone I know at least in passing. And in such cases I typically have to write it down or I lose it and make a complete and total fool of myself.

Take The Time is just a masterpiece of a song. I agree that they are missing Kevin Moore's influence on the band, but after a brief flutter of wanky out of place keys work from Rudess, I think he's really settled in.

To my mind, you hit the nail on the head with Rudess. He's not a bad musician at all, but until Octavarium he was not fully integrated with the band, and it unfortunately did serious damage to Scenes. Have not heard 6 Degrees out of fear of wasting lots of money on it, but on ToT he was starting (in MY opinion) to get better.

 

[bball_1523]

The problem is that a lot of people in this forum states his/her tastes as facts, and wants to impose these to others, just read how DT and their fans got bashed in the other thread (that one was long too).

I agree with you on that. It's offending to me when people state things as facts when everything in the topic of matter of subjective.

 

[Dark_Mage]

I agree with you on that. It's offending to me when people state things as facts when everything in the topic of matter of subjective.

we could'nt be more on the same page, I hate that shit

 

[rockyracoon]

To my mind, you hit the nail on the head with Rudess. He's not a bad musician at all, but until Octavarium he was not fully integrated with the band, and it unfortunately did serious damage to Scenes. Have not heard 6 Degrees out of fear of wasting lots of money on it, but on ToT he was starting (in MY opinion) to get better.

couldnt disagree more. Rudess's work on SFaM was right on. i dont think he needed to do any more/less on that album. not sure why so many people think the Kevin Moore days were DT's best, and the Rudess days are their worst. sure the Kevin Moore material is great, but so is his solo work. same with Derek Sherinian. i love his DT work, but im glad he parted ways with them, cuz i love Planet X and his other solo work. and now with Jordan, its the same thing. i really think they are all great, and were great for DT in different ways. hopefully SX doesnt ever change lineups, but if they do, im sure it would still be fine. i think sometimes parting ways works out for both parties. though i would certainly love to know what Thomas Miller is up to these days. i also look forward to seeing members of DT and SX work on future projects together, so people can put an end to this stupid feud. IMO, 2 kick ass bands, 10 amazing musicians...

 

[bball_1523]

hey, when was the very first time someone started a battle against DT? Or vice versa?

 

[Rose Immortal]

couldnt disagree more. Rudess's work on SFaM was right on. i dont think he needed to do any more/less on that album. not sure why so many people think the Kevin Moore days were DT's best, and the Rudess days are their worst.

I think it's because with the addition of Rudess, they went to the most excess that they ever had before. A lot of people, including me, think it's poor composing and poor use of him. It's not that Rudess is a bad player, but he wasn't being used the right way by the band in a lot of people's opinions. Though let me say again, I personally think that with Octavarium he is becoming a LOT better-integrated with DT and a lot less out of control.

 

[24]

<<<The problem is that a lot of people in this forum states his/her tastes as facts>>>

Not necessarily speaking about the forum, but some people just word their feelings a certain way that doesn't spell out that it is their opinion.

"Dream Theater has never done anything worthwhile."

"I think Dream Theater has never put out a good album."

I read those both as the same thing. The "I think" part just states the obvious. Of course they "think" that, so it doesn't need to be stated. But when a person doesn't point that out some people think they are stating an accepted fact.

Anyway, I never took this thread as SX vs. DT. "Why Dream Theater?" clears it up for me.

 

[bball_1523]

<<<The problem is that a lot of people in this forum states his/her tastes as facts>>>

Not necessarily speaking about the forum, but some people just word their feelings a certain way that doesn't spell out that it is their opinion.

"Dream Theater has never done anything worthwhile."

"I think Dream Theater has never put out a good album."

I read those both as the same thing. The "I think" part just states the obvious. Of course they "think" that, so it doesn't need to be stated. But when a person doesn't point that out some people think they are stating an accepted fact.

Anyway, I never took this thread as SX vs. DT. "Why Dream Theater?" clears it up for me.

that does make sense, but I think a lot of people still see those kind of posts at facts rather than opinion, based on how it's worded. I personally think the phrase "I think" would make it more comforting for those people to accept opinions.
I also think another hint that a person might be stating things as facts, is if they keep posting about it over and over.

 

[24]

<<<but I think a lot of people still see those kind of posts at facts rather than opinion>>>

I'm sure you are right. I can not relate to that way of thinking (seeing as facts over opinion). Whatever someone thinks, I know that to them it is a fact, because it is...how they feel is fact. But it does not necessarily apply to anyone else. It's just all a matter of wording and perception. But everything is.

As for Dream Theater, they are gods that I do not worship. Know what I mean?

 

[Yngvai X]

Nevermore owns.

Just thought I'd post something worthwhile in this thread