The deroute and decline of DREAM THEATER!

So much is down to personal taste. I liked The Astonishing and don't see that as 'stagnation' at all but I'm aware a lot of people don't like it. Actually I'm not keen on their most vaunted albums Scenes From A Memory ( I got bored with that very quick) as well as Train Of Thought (flat out don't like) and was never a big fan of Images and Words. However I love Six Degrees and like Octavarium although its a bit of a 'rip off' album of other artists such as Muse and Pink Floyd. Their absolute peak for me though was A Change Of Seasons, just a fantastic epic I never get bored with. I haven't heard the most recent but then nowadays I'm giving a chance to a lot of newer artists and have less time for DT sadly.

progbethyname wrote: Another thing. I actually like when Day and Dream Unite a lot more than most of their newer catalog. Call me crazy but Charlie Dominici did a great job singing and I love the Terry Date Engineering and production. Certainly sounds dated today, but WDADU is a real fun listen.

As for me, ever since Portnoy left the band has not been the same... they sound too safe and formulaic, and nothing really stands out. There are a few songs I do like well enough, but overall I could just forget about them. Now, perhaps it would have been just the same if Portnoy had not left, the formulaic aspects started to show on Black Clouds at least, if not before, and there's a reason Portnoy wanted a break, and those reasons would have been the same (besides, Porntoy's work out of Dream Theater since he left have not been much greater either, anyway). Now, as for the latest album, even though DT are one of my top 5 bands ever, I have not bought, for besides them sounding much less exciting for their last album, it already came way too expensive, at least here, and I haven't tried to look for it online to see if I can get it at a more reasonable price.

moshkito wrote: Catcher10 wrote: I agree on one thing that Myung is always buried in the mix, which is horrible. He is a great bass player and should be more out front.......Again, the production that Petrucci is doing is not the best decisions. Hi, What is strange to me is that these "decisions" seem to be fine with John and Jordan ... for James, it should be no big deal since in the "learning" of any piece, Petruchio will change so many times as to make it difficult and tough to even create a sentence for a lyric ... that might be one reason why James waits so long to show up and add to the band. I've seen DT, twice now, and the best of the shows was when they toured with that "Mindcrime" band. Fates Warning opened the whole thing, but sadly was not appreciated, although that solo stuff seemed to get on many folk's heads that went and got a coke and popcorn! Their encore, though ... was one of the best pieces ... The Who's song that you can now find on some albums ... it is really nice and very good.  The 2nd show, also in Portland, was too much Petruchio already and kinda sad ... it was Octavarium time, and the show was fine, but already you know that it is a one man show and the drummer doesn't like it! it was a good show, but already, you felt it was getting repetitive, despite some nice material. As for Jordan, I don't know what to say ... for someone that seems to do really well on his own and with others, playing 3rd and 4th banana on DT and on top of it, Petruchio not liking keyboards on top of his guitar ... kinda takes his abilities away, so if he sits back, then he is just collecting a paycheck!

Psychedelic Paul wrote: I agree there may have been a slight decline in the quality of Dream Theater's albums over the years, but they're a band who've really stood the Distance Over Time.  <div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1989: Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite - [URL=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_li0d7h1v8158uiQviXYaU0s-YVGLUiFr8" rel="nofollow]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_li0d7h1v8158uiQviXYaU0s-YVGLUiFr8[/URL] <div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1992: Dream Theater - Images and Words - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lAQBvxVGv13GwL7f0z2M5SJrn1BaGNvKA<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1994: Dream Theater - Awake - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mSQAf-fo5V_C1QP1VgzjjCKG7lHnSVvpU<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1995: Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kWXG8rbHM2tUkDz0tIOLTEaSWswZyvnNc<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1997: Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kNr4sNPbVjsA8pfWfR-bajDVuZZd2lPBo<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 1999: Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mY0UJ7SdDG7n4DgXGJ_h-vG0QH9LpayaA<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2002: Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nTL1U2POUqlwoey4_5PuJU6raBZOMZmTE<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2003: Dream Theater - Train of Thought - [URL=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mzHbHh63t-rMNesv4qdp459qrE1AD290E" rel="nofollow]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mzHbHh63t-rMNesv4qdp459qrE1AD290E[/URL]<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2005: Dream Theater - Octavarium - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kenWZqZjpo5SVB1Jqq5I_ymw9FXIpVOKQ<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2007: Dream Theater - Systematic Chaos - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n-aJJz0aVUUdehC1GC6KKlsyra3bNvzb4<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2009: Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mITLc-8859pN5FyuxZRjILfBdWgnRDJL0<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2011: Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaO5evNthlMg_FDhpXDbtsuKtydKx6aGD<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2013: Dream Theater - Dream Theater - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLo8SRTJOJ2EbaRhaZ6z2tSAwOtJh892RE<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2016: Dream Theater - The Astonishing - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mBL-KhEYcvVpXh7Br3U9uxoDyQfgK4JdE<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2019: Dream Theater - Distance Over Time - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nd0JULKbs82YNulDtoiDTnJdUkBvOfaVU<div style=": rgb248, 248, 252;"> 2021: Dream Theater - The View from the Top of the World - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ksmWOXgYlkDzEJpHnBPdLWX47z2VysqSY

Agreed

It was never my intention to make the impression that I opined that DT have declined in quality. On the contrary, I think that in recent years (10-15 years) their output has been remaining in high quality. Hell, even The Astonishing is on my Top 50 Albums of All Time (contrary to most of the responders to this post). I'm pleased to see that 'Train Of Thought' is in high regard. It's also in my Top 50 and their best IMO.

Edited by earlyprog - February 03 2023 at 12:06

Catcher10 wrote: I agree on one thing that Myung is always buried in the mix, which is horrible. He is a great bass player and should be more out front.......Again, the production that Petrucci is doing is not the best decisions.

Jared wrote: Cristi wrote: I would not say it's a decline, more like stagnation. They've become a bit predictable. I find it difficult to know where they should go, if anywhere to be honest and feel that they are damned if they do and damned if they don't... I think the last great album they made was probably Octavarium. After that, they took a slightly different direction with SC and parts of BC&SL, which ended up being an unsuccessful cul-de-sac they came out of after Mike's departure. ADTOE was actually very solid, but it offered nothing new while XIII seemed to me a bit of a safe 'DT by numbers' before we had tA, which was erm... anything but predictable..   They then returned to a slightly more interesting 'DT by numbers' with DoT... They seem to be stuck somewhere between the devil of pleasing their loyal but ageing fanbase and the deep blue sea of experimentation with all the risks that go with it...

I would not say it's a decline, more like stagnation. They've become a bit predictable. 

I agree on one thing that Myung is always buried in the mix, which is horrible. He is a great bass player and should be more out front.......Again, the production that Petrucci is doing is not the best decisions.