Prog Band you tried to get in to , but can't.

JD wrote: Pawn Hearts, Still Life, H To He, Who Am The Only One, Godbluff, A Grounding in Numbers, tried them all.

I really tried to get into Dream Theater. They are VERY solid technically. I’m a Rush fan, so I thought it was an obvious fit. But, when I listened to DT, I either detected songs that seemed like Rush spin-offs or I didn’t respond to them on an emotional level.

When I hear Freewill by Rush, I immediately feel something and - as my wife says - it’s like an invisible antenna pops out of my head. Subdivisions really digs into me and there is some connection formed. I can even relate to the lyrics. Xanadu takes me to another plane. But, Dream Theater has not done this for me. I hear a lot of instrumental wizardry, but I don’t feel anything.

I’m even afraid to listen to them and other bands like them for fear of losing the inspiration I get from listening to other forms of Prog music. I think I have DT aversion. I know that’s not fair. I should give them another chance.

I just remember … oh, this sounds like a variation of Limelight. That sounds like a new riff for Xanadu. They also use chromaticism a lot, but not in … at least, to my ears, anyway … a pleasing way. I love chromaticism in chord progressions, but as scales in solos it just either sounds like a guitar exercise or that one is searching for the notes. Some chromaticism in blues and as grace notes sounds nice. But, I don’t care for excessive chromaticism in riffs and solos. I think the issue is that I enjoy tonality (even when the root is on the run, like in some prog). But, excessive chromaticism loses tonal richness … and eventually my ears say “enough!”

I hope I haven’t offended the DT fans. As I said, they are extremely good from a technical standpoint. The music just hasn’t yet connected with me.

P.S. I also stopped listening to Rush albums after Vapor Trails because I thought they started to sound too much like DT. I think I’m stuck in the 1980s and 1970s.



Edited by Jaketejas - February 01 2022 at 17:49

I'm also a fan of Trewavas, but his project with Edison's Children just didn't do anything for me. 

Edited by paisanojac - August 01 2023 at 11:36