Trollin' Polls Vol. 1: Dream Theater vs. Magma

Magma is closer to Wagner and Karl Orff 

Magma for their indisputable originality!

I love the opinions of some members who come to a Prog site:

Jethro Tull = THE gateway band

rogerthat wrote: DisgruntledPorcupine wrote: rogerthat wrote: Anthony H. wrote: The problem that I have with DT haters is that they for some reason take pride in the fact that they don't like the band, which is the very definition of snobbery. Oh, missed this! No, it is just very amusing to listen to DT fanboys throw a fit whenever their invincible heroes are, even judiciously, criticized.  You will no doubt find it hard to swallow this but I don't find much DT hate on PA, except for people like Walter.  Talk to metalheads and you will hear them utterly dismissing DT as flower metal w***ers.   So, Exitthelemming is absolutely right, they are not really much of a gateway to prog for metalheads because metalheads typically don't subscribe to the DT aesthetic.  I know 7 metalheads who listen to DT. I was one of them, and DT were indeed my gateway to prog. It was a generalized statement and exceptions don't disprove the rule. I can show you many more than, ermmm, 7 metalheads who absolutely dislike DT.  The first time I heard DT, I didn't even know they were prog because I hadn't heard of this thing called prog metal.  I thought they were some kind of flashy metal music.  I already knew some of Genesis/Yes's music and didn't find much similarity between them and DT, sorry!

DisgruntledPorcupine wrote: rogerthat wrote: Anthony H. wrote: The problem that I have with DT haters is that they for some reason take pride in the fact that they don't like the band, which is the very definition of snobbery. Oh, missed this! No, it is just very amusing to listen to DT fanboys throw a fit whenever their invincible heroes are, even judiciously, criticized.  You will no doubt find it hard to swallow this but I don't find much DT hate on PA, except for people like Walter.  Talk to metalheads and you will hear them utterly dismissing DT as flower metal w***ers.   So, Exitthelemming is absolutely right, they are not really much of a gateway to prog for metalheads because metalheads typically don't subscribe to the DT aesthetic.  I know 7 metalheads who listen to DT. I was one of them, and DT were indeed my gateway to prog.

It was a generalized statement and exceptions don't disprove the rule. I can show you many more than, ermmm, 7 metalheads who absolutely dislike DT.  The first time I heard DT, I didn't even know they were prog because I hadn't heard of this thing called prog metal.  I thought they were some kind of flashy metal music.  I already knew some of Genesis/Yes's music and didn't find much similarity between them and DT, sorry!

DisgruntledPorcupine wrote: Anthony H. wrote: I knew that Magma would win this, because I know the people who regularly post on these forums. I don't mind them winning, because the music that they make is incredible. The problem that I have with DT haters is that they for some reason take pride in the fact that they don't like the band, which is the very definition of snobbery. Also, DT are certainly going to be viewed fondly in generations to come. They're one of the bands who helped bring prog into this generation of listeners; you can't deny that, whether you like them or not. Their music is near and dear to the hearts of many people (including myself). If you don't like them, then that's no big deal, but don't insist that there's some sort of objective problem with their music. Both paragraphs are incredibly true.

Anthony H. wrote: I knew that Magma would win this, because I know the people who regularly post on these forums. I don't mind them winning, because the music that they make is incredible. The problem that I have with DT haters is that they for some reason take pride in the fact that they don't like the band, which is the very definition of snobbery. Also, DT are certainly going to be viewed fondly in generations to come. They're one of the bands who helped bring prog into this generation of listeners; you can't deny that, whether you like them or not. Their music is near and dear to the hearts of many people (including myself). If you don't like them, then that's no big deal, but don't insist that there's some sort of objective problem with their music.

stonebeard wrote: I agree. It's a fault in my own taste that I don't like Justin Beiber that much, but at least I recognize that. Not as much I can say for Magma fans who apparently value long, female-repellent beards over a good tune.

And Kohntarkohz pt-2 does not have melody? It's more gorgeous than DT's cliched AOR/glam-y vocal melodies.  And what about Coltrane Sundae?  And if it's just about a good tune, why are we all on a prog forum anyway? I am not saying that all prog should be, in the words of Exitthelemming, only the heinously weird, atonal, free-form, balloon animal strangling extremes of modern jazz but prog is about expanding the frontiers of what's possible, right?

Anthony H. wrote: but don't insist that there's some sort of objective problem with their music.

IF technical exhibitionism is not a problem for you, then yes there's nothing wrong with their music.  Most DT fans refuse to acknowledge this and yet the Rudess years reek of exhibitionism to my ears and most other people who have this complaint(I really like the Moore albums, speaking of which).  And I don't 'discriminate':  I don't like Karn Evil 9 as much as I used to because a lot of it now feels like "Look, I am Keith Emerson, the best keyboardist in the history of music" when the much more controlled Dave Stewart could have shown him a thing or two.   Likewise, maybe you don't mind a cheesy and overemotive style of singing so much but that is the complaint most people who don't like La Brie's vocals have of his singing.