Porcupine Tree vs Dream Theater
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Polls
Forum Description: Create polls on topics related to progressive music
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=121639
Printed Date: March 06 2025 at 15:28
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Porcupine Tree vs Dream Theater
Posted By: YESESIS
Subject: Porcupine Tree vs Dream Theater
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 09:07
|
Just hope the forum doesn't explode. |
Replies:
Posted By: Manuel
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 09:11
| Porcupine Tree all the way. Dream Theater is no doubt a great band, but I could never get into the prog-metal genre, and even though I like some of their stuff, never really did it for me. Porcupine Tree's music was always more interesting and exiting to my ears. |
Posted By: Odvin Draoi
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 09:12
| Equally: OK for me. It doesn't mean they sound similar, just about okayness. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 09:15
|
Dream Theater ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: TCat
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 10:06
|
Porcupine Tree gets my vote. Dream Theater has some great albums, but PT has many more great ones. Even their not so great ones get listened to more often than DT's albums. ------------- https://ibb.co/8x0xjR0" rel="nofollow">  |
Posted By: Grumpyprogfan
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 10:12
| DT no question. They started a whole new genre, prog-metal. They were innovaters. Bands today try and sound like them. PT, while great, didn't create anything new. |
Posted By: Mormegil
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 10:13
|
Dream Theater. Couldn't get into PT. ------------- Welcome to the middle of the film. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 10:40
This is so true, that even dream theater tries to sound like dream theater these days ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Grumpyprogfan wrote:Posted By: tboyd1802
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 11:34
|
PT easily. DT never clicked with me... ------------- He neither drank, smoked, nor rode a bicycle. Living frugally, saving his money, he died early, surrounded by greedy relatives. It was a great lesson to me -- John Barrymore |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 11:41
|
Of all the no-contest polls!!! Yeah, DT. Period. Better musicianship (by faaaaar) at EVERY position. Waaaaayyyy better vocals. Less moaning and groaning about the world. Sooooooo much more to offer. And influence? Yeah, for a couple decades, DT wannabes were popping out of the woodwork. These two aren't even in the same musical universe.
|
Posted By: progmatic
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 12:48
|
it has become fashionable to hate on Steven Wilson but Porcupine Tree is one of prog's all-time great bands. I only really like one DT album in totality; I like other songs by the band but nothing trips my trigger the way PT does. ------------- PROGMATIC |
Posted By: dr wu23
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 12:52
|
PT.....never really got what people saw in DT. ------------- One does nothing yet nothing is left undone. Haquin |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 13:11
|
PT ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 13:30
| Dream Theater for me. |
Posted By: Catcher10
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 13:35
|
Porcupine Tree, although I do enjoy DT but these past several years not so much. I really do not like Labrie's vocals, I think there are maybe 2-3 albums where he sounds good. The soundscapes that PT create are pretty special, plus the catalog is more interesting from Porcupine Tree. -------------   
|
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 13:59
This is the first I've ever heart of it being "fashionable" to disparage Wilson. I developed my overall lukewarm appreciation for PT along with an active dislike of some PT albums, all on my own and likely before such a thing came into fashion. Meanwhile, it has always been fashionable to rag on DT, much like any other technically proficient artist or any other metal band (making prog metal itself an entire genre worthy of scorn for many). |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 14:07
|
Both excellent but PT. ------------- |
Posted By: wiz_d_kidd
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 14:23
|
I have to go with Dream Theater because I can't stand Porcupine Tree. |
Posted By: King of Loss
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 15:17
| Porcupine Tree |
Posted By: twosteves
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 17:48
same...
|
Posted By: Enchant X
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 20:07
| DT |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 21:29
Porcupine tree by zillion years DT didn´t started anything and many other bands plays prog metal before DT, try Queenrysche, Fates
Warning, Watchtower, Sieges Even, Psychotic Waltz, Mekong Delta https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotic_Waltz" rel="nofollow - , etc. |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 22:03
That Queensryche may have preceded DT in no way changes the fact that it was DT that made the genre viable in the long term and spawned scores of following groups. Everyone who came after 1992 cites DT as an influence. And every last member of DT can play/sing circles around his PT counterpart. It's like Les Miserables vs See Spot Run. |
Posted By: Progmind
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 22:08
|
Dont agree Fischman Queensryche sold a lost of albums and people forget that, Rage For Order was progresive metal, and Operation Mindcrime sold a lot too and made the genre viable, not DT. If you read the zines of that time, the term prog metal or intelligent metal started with Queensryche in 1988, they were very popular in that time
|
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 29 2019 at 23:28
Yep. They sold a lot of albums, including a few to me. Great group! But regarding the current discussion, as you say, they were very popular at the time. They've been irrelevant since Empire. Meanwhile, DT has continued to be the standard bearer for the genre for over a quarter century now. And again, I've never heard a band trying to be Queensryche, but I've heard dozens trying to be DT |
Posted By: Foxprog
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 01:59
Ah we have a typical DT fan here. I agree you with 100% that they master the instrument's very well. Unfortunately that does not help when there is a lack of skill when it comes making compositions. On the other hand, Steven Wilson is a well crafting composer, mixer and a musician. Yes, John Petrucci can do some "epic" things with his guitar and Wilson can't. But is that really cool honestly? And oh, they did not create a genre. Btw, how many PT/Wilson albums have you listened with a focus? My sincere regards.
|
Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 04:17
|
I'm not a huge fan of either but PT are leagues ahead of DT. DT are showmen and showoffs. PT at least try to be song writers, and often succeed. DT have never made an album that comes anywhere close to Deadwing or In Absentia. In fact for my taste, they've never done anything as good as Signify. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 08:10
You're assuming I have no appreciation for Wilson's composition, which is false. Btw, thecanswer to your question is 5: Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear of a Blank Planet, and The Incident. You also seem to assume I blindly soak up technical virtuosity with no concern for composition, which is also false. Yes, DT let their virtuosity tune away with them at times, but for the most part, they have excellent compositions as well. Too many people hear the technical wizardry and just assume it's there to cover a lack of compositional skill, which is just lazy. I can see not liking DT, but people try to mask a purely subjective dislike with made up objective analysis. |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 08:13
|
David Lee Roth is a showman. Madonna and Lady Gaga are showoffs. DT are musicians. If all you're hearing is showoffs, you're not listening. |
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 08:38
|
Maybe Porcupine tree has more good albums thinking about it, but images and words alone is the best album between the two imo. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Foxprog
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 09:25
Believe me, I don't hate DT. I respect them and even have paid a ticket to see them live. Which unfortunately was a disappointment. Setlist was good (Images & Words tour) but the sound was quite bad. I think I & W is their best work, a really solid album. Did you like any of those PT albums?
|
Posted By: dougmcauliffe
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 09:30
Hey I saw them last month as well and the sound did suck, waaaaaay too loud. ------------- The sun has left the sky... ...Now you can close your eyes |
Posted By: Fischman
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 10:19
My favorite of the bunch is In Absentia. I absolutely can not abide Fear of a Blank Planed (although I do recognize its artistic achievement). The others lie somewhere in the middle. I agree on I&W. Honestly, if they had made more like that and less like The Astonishing, they wouldn't be so subject to the criticism they sometimes rightly receive.
|
Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 11:24
| PT for me. In Absentia is an awesome album - I prefer it to Fear of a Blank Planet or Deadwing. I've tried with DT, but never really got the buzz. |
Posted By: Dopeydoc
Date Posted: November 30 2019 at 13:13
|
PT is great DT is good
|
Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: December 01 2019 at 02:00
|
This seems to have sparked off a debate about Dream Theater. Other than ELP and Marillion , the band that prog fans most love to beat up on. I think they have done some worthy albums and the early albums such as Awake seem to be more loved in general. Personally I love the track A Change Of Seasons although this was apparently a fan club release because it included a bunch of tribute songs on Side Two. However I do love this album and the studio track alone is better than anything PT ever did. Perhaps later on DT lost their way a bit. Jordan Rudess seems to lead them on a more technical direction although I still like Six Degrees and will give that a spin. However the spin off group Liquid Tension Experiment that features Tony Levin was more my taste. I wish there had been more of that. DT have made some truly horrible albums in recent years so that doesn't help their case much either. Porcupine Tree yep. Not exactly innovative and Steven Wilson can be a giant bell end when he wants to be but they have crafted some special albums. Fear Of A Blank Planet was mentioned in the TV show Loudermilk so they seem to have even managed to infiltrate popular culture. If I had to listen to either bands discography from start to finish its obvious which I would choose so PT gets my vote.
|
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: December 01 2019 at 02:26
|
can't choose this time... |
Posted By: AFlowerKingCrimson
Date Posted: December 01 2019 at 11:50
| The Tree but I don't dislike DT. |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: December 01 2019 at 13:04
|
I like PT quite a lot, especially their later albums, but DT are on another level. True, DT have made quite some crap, but in general they are trendsetters and one of the most influential bands of all the history of Prog, besides highly vistuoso instrumentalists. Steven Wilson is a very good composer but tends to be derivative. IMHO he was very fortunate to recruit Gavin Harrison as drummer, PT would not be quite as good without him at the drumsticks. Having said this and having seen both of them live more than once, at present I prefer attending a PT (or rather SW solo) concert than a DT one. DT frequetly sound a bit too dirty live, while the sound of the last SW concert was excellent.
|
Posted By: TexasKing
Date Posted: December 01 2019 at 15:49
| Dream Theater easily. |
Posted By: judahbenkenobi
Date Posted: December 02 2019 at 08:51
| I like both equally. DT for its technicality, and PT for its... I don't know, it just touches my soul |
Posted By: digdug
Date Posted: December 02 2019 at 12:08
|
I like DT but PTREE by quite a bit ------------- Prog On! |
Posted By: geekfreak
Date Posted: April 14 2020 at 08:49
|
Tree ------------- Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." Music Is Live Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Keep Calm And Listen To The Music… < |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: September 14 2021 at 08:28
bump 
|
Posted By: nick_h_nz
Date Posted: September 14 2021 at 09:16
|
I like some DT albums far more than some PT albums, and I definitely don’t enjoy either band’s discography anywhere near equally. Both have some albums I love, and some that do very little for me. But PT’s discography is far more varied, rather than rooted in the same sounds, so for that I am giving them the nudge. ------------- https://tinyurl.com/nickhnz-tpa" rel="nofollow - Reviewer for The Progressive Aspect |
Posted By: Gentle and Giant
Date Posted: September 14 2021 at 12:09
|
PT > DT ------------- Oh, for the wings of any bird, other than a battery hen |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: September 14 2021 at 14:20
Sorry snipping... I recall more DT fans being beaten up by certain kinds of Prog fans, at least in the earlier days of this forum, than the band itself.  Micky in a bar fight with a bunch of DT fans would be a thing to behold.  As an electrician, maybe he could rig up something like this for me in a DT fight since I ain't much of a brawler (not that I would want to beat up DT fans, perish the thought, but for self-defence if those DT fans started attacking me for any past perceived slights): Dynamo vs. DT (just re-watched The Running Man film the other night) I haven't really got into either band in a big way, but do want to give PT more of a try. If I had to choose, the prickly Porcupine Tree skewers Dream Theater. |
Posted By: Sacro_Porgo
Date Posted: September 14 2021 at 14:58
|
Dream Theatre, easily. Both of them are great, and I'll admit I have much more experience with DT than PT, but I know what I dig, and DT is more in line with that than PT. ------------- Porg for short. My love of music doesn't end with prog! Feel free to discuss all sorts of music with me. Odds are I'll give it a chance if I haven't already! :) |