What are Dream Theatre Like?

One of the earlier instigators of metal prog and a band of good to great musicians (as witness the huge number of spin-off albums they've made as individuals, teaming up with musicians from other bands, Kings X to Krimson). However, their vocalists have never been the best - James LaBrie (cheese by name and voice) has been treated as a joke in many other places. So to start, avoid  the later albums and so LaBrie. Go for their 3rd, 4th, 5th albums, for instance   Images and Words - all of which are midpriced and also often found cheaper secondhand (e.g. Images & Words is £2-99 at Amazon.UK right this moment if your'e quick).

BTW if you like IQ and that excellent neoprog of their latest album, check out the French Canadian band  Hamadryad's Conservation Of Mass (on Unicorn Records)

http://www.hamadryadmusic.com/p_albums.html

and the Polish Band Satellite's A Street Between Sunrise & Sunset:

http://www.rocknet.nl/newreleases/sattelite/

These are my favourite neo-prog albums released in the last 5 years

goose wrote: James LaBrie is on their 3rd, 4th, and 5th albums!

Thanks for the correction - shows I  play DT predominantly for their instrumental work - and let me reiterate ,the vocalists have been the weak link (and I'm one who has  learnt to accept Geddy Lee's voice).

I love LaBrie's style and versatile technique - he's capable of doing a lot of varied stuff along a tune: just listen to 'Vices/The Silent Man'.

I admit his voice has waned a bit throughout the years, but again, it is his performance skills which allow him to shine still as the great vocalist he IMHO has always been. His parts in Trent Gardner's 'Leonardo' are awesome. 

Anyway, there are three other North American vocalists I enjoy more than LaBrie: SX's Russell Allen, FW's Roy Alder, and SG's Mike Baker.

Dream Theater has always been a very technical and skilled band. Their first three studio albums is a must for all fans of progmetal. After the album "Awake" it has gone only one way for this band IMO, and that's downhill!!! Very boring and sterile. As mentioned by others on this site, the memebers of DT has been involved in many side projects. The best of them is Liquid Tension Experiment.