Dream Theater Fans

Drenis
Drenis Posts: 2,871
edited November 2011 in Music & Movies
Any of you here??

New album in stores today... plan to pick it up after work and give a listen. To me this will be a make or break album to see where the band is going as far as direction with the new drummer (Mike Mangini).
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,604
    edited September 2011
    Love Images and Words.
    --Gary--
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  • indyhawg
    indyhawg Posts: 1,646
    edited September 2011
    Picked it up this morning. I am on my second listen. It sounds great. I like it much better than their previous effort. I have been a huge DT fan for around 20 years now.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2011
    I picked it up on the way home, gonna give it a spin in a bit.

    There are already a couple dream theater threads and a few fans on here, including a couple started by me
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2011
    Been through it once now. I'll call it decent, not their worst, not their best. If I were listing their albums in order though, this would probably be in the bottom half.

    I didn't think it was possible to make a song worse than 'Wither' from their album, but I think they may have achieved that 'goal' with Far From Heaven...just awful
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited September 2011
    Always on the prowl for new stuff. What do you guys suggest I start with? I've never heard of them!

    cnh
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2011
    Awake

    That tends to be most people's favorite and is a good representation of them. My personal favorite is Scenes From A Memory so I'd highly recommend that one as well.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited September 2011
    Thanks, I'll check those out online.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited September 2011
    Well I only got to listen to the first track tonight. Still to early to tell but I did like the song. Great riff. Drums were a bit... well I'm biased... I'm a big MP fan as percussion is my passion. I did like what I heard so far though. Hopefully I can listen to it with more then .5 watt output since the lady won't be home. :p
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  • SCompRacer
    SCompRacer Posts: 8,511
    edited September 2011
    AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »
    Awake

    +1 to that. I suggest Images and Words next, then Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. After that, you may want them all.:biggrin:
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited September 2011
    OK I've got 3 listens under my belt now. In typical Dream Theater fashion, it's better after I've had some time to digest it.

    I do not care for 'Far From Heaven' at all. In my opinion that song and 'Wither' from their last album are easily the two worst songs ever written by the band, and IMO two of the worst songs in music history. If those had been written by Kelly Clarkson or some such that would at least be understandable, but how a band capable of such great songwriting could put such garbage on their record is just inconceivable.

    I will give them a pass on that though, as that song is only 4 minutes long and without it there is still over 70 minutes of other music on the album. It's garbage, but I don't have to listen to it and without it I still have more music on an album that I get from most other bands, so I'll let it slide.

    I may post up a song by song review as I did with their last album, not ready for that yet. I will say that I like it better now than I did last night, but its not going to be at the top of the list.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited September 2011
    Damn I can't wait to get home and continue from last night...
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited September 2011
    Alright so I've FINALLY listened to the whole album with most songs twice over.

    AsSiMiLaTeD - Agree with you on 'Far From Heaven'. Still not sure how I feel about it. I need to read the lyrics to better understand.

    Over all the album is good. I'm happy. I was expecting to see this as fail with MP gone. Lots of catchy riffs and transitions. I think the album will grow on me more and more.
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited October 2011
    I went to the concert last week here in Dallas, helluva a show as usual. I got to hear the whole album live and will say that this album is not quite as good of a live show than their others. I'll say that the songwriting is good, but the songs don't leave quite as much room for musicianship as some of their other stuff.

    They did a set of acoustic stuff which was great, except that they ended that set with Far From Heaven, what a steaming pile of garbage that soong is, and its even worse live. It's not like these guys can't write a good slower song, "The Silent Man" and "Vacant" are two examples of excellent songs, both slow. I feel like if I play Far from Heaven and Wither, at the same time, that it'll tear a hole in the fabric of the universe and destroy the world, hope nobody attempts that.

    Mike Mangini is a great drummer, once of the best alive probably, so let's get that out of the way now. That being said though, her drum solo was flat. The degree of difficulty was unbelievable (most people wouldn't try that in a studio, much less live), he's 'technically' a better drummer than Portnoy, maybe alot better. But there was no showmanship, no 'umph' to it at all. I enjoyed it because of my musical background, but it felt more like something you'd see at a drum clinic, not a concert.

    In a technical sense, the solo was better than I've seen Portnoy produce. In every way that matters though, it was less enjoyable to watch. I think mangini did fine on the album, but they miss Portnoy in live performances, and I think they know it.

    All in all, a very good show though, and I had EXCELLENT seats right in fron of Petrucci.
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  • MacLeod
    MacLeod Posts: 14,358
    edited October 2011
    I agree with the Mangini/Portnoy comparison. Mangini is amazing at the stuff he can do. Portnoy aint no slouch himself but he's much more of an entertainer. One set of concerts, he took a single tom out to the edge of the crowd and gave a pair of drumsticks to an audience member and theyd play back and forth on it. Stuff like that is what Portnoy was best at, connecting with the audience.

    As for their ballads, I dont like ANY theyve ever done. Some are ok but most are just blah. Kinda like the band Savatage. Theyd come out with some ball busting, **** ripping heavy metal songs, then come off with some flat, sorry, sappy piano ballad. Just awful. It got to the point where I started ripping the songs from their CD's and putting all the good ones together because I was literally having to skip almost every other one.

    Hard to make great ballads and great metal songs. Testament, Metallica (before sell out), Dokken were some of the few that could do both.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited October 2011
    I have nothing more to add then how jealous I am...
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited November 2011
    Never heard of them till last nite after seeing this post. Thanks . I think they are one of those bands that the more you hear the more you like. I youtubed them last nite. Sure the cd will soun better. Once again thankyou, hard finding new music that i like.
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  • KaosTsoc
    KaosTsoc Posts: 372
    edited November 2011
    So far this album is good, not outstanding, but good. I do like the intro to Bridges In the Sky. I wish they would put out another album that has that same metal sound to it. Now that would be good. In regards to what mac said about their ballads, I tend to like those as well. It kind of brings the album together sometimes... Also like he said Testament (have not heard that name in a while) was able to do both really well.


    Thanks.
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  • KaosTsoc
    KaosTsoc Posts: 372
    edited November 2011
    I have to say though that I Metropolis album the most. That was the first one I heard, and after that I was hooked, and went on to look up the rest of their stuff, and have been a fan ever since then.

    Thanks.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited November 2011
    Anyone have a sample that I could borrow? I'm interested but would like to get a whole disc in my hands to check out before investing more time.
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited November 2011
    And I thought this would be an interesting thread on dream home theaters. :rolleyes:
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited November 2011
    Thats what i thought. Glad it wasn't. Got new music to check out.
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  • fin05
    fin05 Posts: 1
    edited November 2011
    Hollow years... EPIC!!

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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited November 2011
    dorokusai wrote: »
    Anyone have a sample that I could borrow? I'm interested but would like to get a whole disc in my hands to check out before investing more time.

    What are your three favorite groups to listen to? I only ask because DT's sound is VERY wide. They have some of the softest songs to heavy masterpieces and everything in between. I'm sure some guys will recommend you an album based on your listening habits to start out with.
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  • z3r0m4g3
    z3r0m4g3 Posts: 40
    edited November 2011
    Im not sure Id pay any attention to the lyrics, most of them are parochial at best. Neal Portnoy is a whiny ****, crying about digital drum pedals, still cant touch Neal Pert <
    not sure of the spelling. The only thing worth listening to is John Petrucci and his lightning fast speed picking solos, love him but Im bias I play guitar so go figure. The Mirror amazing muted guitar riff, and the solo is freaking awesome. I saw Dream Theatre live at Yale when I was in high school, it was a Christmas concert, and it was all acoustic, I WAS PISSED.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited November 2011
    z3r0m4g3 wrote: »
    Im not sure Id pay any attention to the lyrics, most of them are parochial at best. Neal Portnoy is a whiny ****, crying about digital drum pedals, still cant touch Neal Pert <
    not sure of the spelling. The only thing worth listening to is John Petrucci and his lightning fast speed picking solos, love him but Im bias I play guitar so go figure. The Mirror amazing muted guitar riff, and the solo is freaking awesome. I saw Dream Theatre live at Yale when I was in high school, it was a Christmas concert, and it was all acoustic, I WAS PISSED.

    Do you know what the definition of a musician or musicians is?
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited November 2011
    Neil Peart and Mike Portnoy are almost nothing alike except that they both play drums in progressive bands.

    Mike wanted to go in a different direction and honestly I harbor no ill will to him. I think Mike Mangini adds a different nuance to the sound. He isn't as all over the place and crashy as Mike and that is nice in it's own way.

    As far as the new album, it is much more mature than there last two but is it better? I don't know but it is different. I still like Metropolis the best.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited November 2011
    Drenis wrote: »
    What are your three favorite groups to listen to? I only ask because DT's sound is VERY wide. They have some of the softest songs to heavy masterpieces and everything in between. I'm sure some guys will recommend you an album based on your listening habits to start out with.

    I'm all over the place from Helmet, Beastie Boys, Gold Panda....into Trip Hop or Jazz....almost everything so I doubt you could go wrong here.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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