What Does Dream Theater Need to Do? (Musically)

I could see them doing some jazz "interludes" the same way Transatlantic did, but as a direction of the band that would seem weird to me. If anything, it would be interesting seeing them do something purely atmospheric, a la Sigur Ros...I long to see Petrucci just going nuts with feedback and distortion, creating textures with effects instead of so many precisely-executed scales...

Although, It's strange to me to speculate about what a band "should" do - unless it's a member of the band making that speculation - they should do whatever they feel good about doing, and hopefully challenge themselves and their listeners along the way. It's another thing to think of a specific goal, such as, what do they need to do to win a bigger audience, or what do they need to do for their music to be more enjoyable to me personally (for me it would involve dropping all of the double-kick stuff, and more soulful soloing)...

And you have to discuss this two weeks before the album is released because ...

They should try writing lyrics to a song first, then come up with music that fits.

Which is exactly why I am only a casual fan. Kinda like them, kinda don't. I'd never ask a band to do what I want. I mean, what I want, in the end, could be worse than what they give me, for me. What the hell do I know? I am not them.

At any rate, I preferred their I&W-SDOIT era, and nothing else really got to me. I don't expect anything else they make in the future to appeal to me, and that's ok. I fully agree with T. Now for some VDGG.

If DT does that with Rudess send me a PM guys!! I would really love to hear a more chill-out band, just like in Falling Into Infinity, Derek's jazzy tones are superb, even though they were few and shadowed in the mix!!

The T wrote: Yes, let's criticize them, let's give opinions on their music... But let's quit this day-dreaming about how ideal they could be if they only played exactly like we, hardly musicians most of us, like them to play.

Now that's not fair at all. You bash people for singling out Dream Theater, and then you go ahead and start specifically targeting Yes? Unbelievable

I think Dream Theater needs to do acid. And maybe spend some time bumming around India. I'll bet that would result in a whole new direction for them.

The T wrote: maybe because people realize the talent they have and wish they played more to their tastes...

KingCrimson250 wrote: The T wrote: Yes, let's criticize them, let's give opinions on their music... But let's quit this day-dreaming about how ideal they could be if they only played exactly like we, hardly musicians most of us, like them to play. Now that's not fair at all. You bash people for singling out Dream Theater, and then you go ahead and start specifically targeting Yes? Unbelievable I think Dream Theater needs to do acid. And maybe spend some time bumming around India. I'll bet that would result in a whole new direction for them.

Dream Theater needs to lose the "bad ass" image.  They're almost old enough to qualify for social security.  Very few old men can pull of the bad ass thing.

On that note, I think I should get them to play my son's upcoming second birthday party...

They should do the same thing a lot of metal bands need to do, in my opinion: back off the solos a little bit. Man, I love solos. Guitar solos and bass solos and drum solos and keyboard solos and everything mixed in between. But I noticed this first with Symphony X and it applies to Dream Theater too. They need to back off the choppy instrumental bits somewhat. Not that they should get rid of them, by any means. But they have proven in the past and even through Systematic Chaos, they have shown that they can write good melodies, well-balanced songs, everything they need to be doing. But they do solo after solo that are written over some special riff just for the jam session that really detracts from the flow and feel of the rest of the song (biggest point in case, In the Name of God). These solos aren't usually a problem, but I just feel like they are so desperate to write big noodles that they sacrifice some of their best songs to do it.

Just my opinion. And it's likely wrong, because I like Mike Patton.