Best Dream Theater album : Awake

[Techdeth]

Same. Wasn't the same after Kevin left.

If you listen to say all the pre 2000 DT albums each one is so different with growth . After about 2006 it all has the same sound . They like settled
Edit I must add the new album with Mike is pretty good

 

[DrewJD82]

Awake is my favorite now, but SFAM was a HUGE album for me. They all were up until Octavarium, which is when I started listening to heavier music.

Petrucci’s tones on Awake are PERFECT and I miss that era of songwriting from them, before they started writing/recording at the same time. There hasn’t been a tune like “Voices” since that period, with all that space in the middle.

The whole Mangini era was a snore fest, much like Hellyeah was for me, a marriage of musicians I loved who managed to write the most boring shit together. Making that dude play to a click live just sucked whatever energy that band had right out. I dug the new album with Portnoy quite a bit, actually listening to it more than 5x, but it’s still not 90’s DT.

 

[rsm]

If you listen to say all the pre 2000 DT albums each one is so different with growth . After about 2006 it all has the same sound . They like settled

Not really sure how much further they could push it and not go into some kind of mathmetal or neo prog metal LTE for example. I think they pushed and reached the limits of prog metal...before it's something else post-prog.

After years of pushing speed in thrash Metallica and Megadeth, etc., also dialed it back

Technically and musically Rudess is lightyears beyond Moore, and any other keyboardists they had. Mangini is a technical machine also beyond Portnoy.

Now with Portnoy back, I think they're in re-adjustment mode with Parasomnia, and we're going to see future DT dial it back, maybe more melodic explorations again.

 

[GOHOINC]

Wow . How come ? Just was peak music ?

I was a kid, I started on guitar but was mostly drumming at that time. Bonham was god, then I heard awake and I realized that if Bonham is god, there had to be more than 1 god. At least thats how I thought at the time.

I didn't think anybody else sounded or played like what I heard on awake. Then when I saw the images and words live video I was finally able to see some of what my ears couldn't figure out listening to awake, that video taught me how to use triplets across my kit instead of only one drum at a time as we were learning in band. I was instantly a better drummer from having watched that video.

As much as I like them they have never been my favorite band. That said dream theater and Mike portnoy probably influenced my playing, on any instrument, as much as any band.

 

[Techdeth]

Not really sure how much further they could push it and not go into some kind of mathmetal or neo prog metal LTE for example. I think they pushed and reached the limits of prog metal...before it's something else post-prog.

After years of pushing speed in thrash Metallica and Megadeth, etc., also dialed it back

Technically and musically Rudess is lightyears beyond Moore, and any other keyboardists they had. Mangini is a technical machine also beyond Portnoy.

Now with Portnoy back, I think they're in re-adjustment mode with Parasomnia, and we're going to see future DT dial it back, maybe more melodic explorations again.

I think one prog album beat that at their own game but they add in some death metal and even county to jazz .
Best prog album ever . This album is dream theater on steroids .

 

[Techdeth]

I was a kid, I started on guitar but was mostly drumming at that time. Bonham was god, then I heard awake and I realized that if Bonham is god, there had to be more than 1 god. At least thats how I thought at the time.

I didn't think anybody else sounded or played like what I heard on awake. Then when I saw the images and words live video I was finally able to see some of what my ears couldn't figure out listening to awake, that video taught me how to use triplets across my kit instead of only one drum at a time as we were learning in band. I was instantly a better drummer from having watched that video.

As much as I like them they have never been my favorite band. That said dream theater and Mike portnoy probably influenced my playing, on any instrument, as much as any band.

Shit I wish you could drum for me

 

[GuitarManTim]

I still think this the best . They should hatchet the darker direction . But they decided to be Pink Floyd on the follow up

Awake, images and words and scenes from a memory part 2 are some of if not completely my all time favorite albums prog or not. And I agree the album after awake was a bit boring comparatively but I do really like lines in the sand from that album.

 

[Techdeth]

Awake, images and words and scenes from a memory part 2 are some of if not completely my all time favorite albums prog or not. And I agree the album after awake was a bit boring comparatively but I do really like lines in the sand from that album.

I stlll like the albums after but ya those my fav too

 

[Techdeth]

Awake is my favorite now, but SFAM was a HUGE album for me. They all were up until Octavarium, which is when I started listening to heavier music.

Petrucci’s tones on Awake are PERFECT and I miss that era of songwriting from them, before they started writing/recording at the same time. There hasn’t been a tune like “Voices” since that period, with all that space in the middle.

The whole Mangini era was a snore fest, much like Hellyeah was for me, a marriage of musicians I loved who managed to write the most boring shit together. Making that dude play to a click live just sucked whatever energy that band had right out. I dug the new album with Portnoy quite a bit, actually listening to it more than 5x, but it’s still not 90’s DT.

I totally agree about playing to a click blows . I don’t think eberrging need to be so perfect ALL the time . Need that push and pull for certain riffs to where they dead with a click . After all this perfect quahtized metal today I’m hoping for a new rawness to come back in vogue

 

[JTyson]

I totally agree about playing to a click blows . I don’t think eberrging need to be so perfect ALL the time . Need that push and pull for certain riffs to where they dead with a click . After all this perfect quahtized metal today I’m hoping for a new rawness to come back in vogue

Well, in all fairness, I can totally understand them needing a click when doing the stuff their doing. I don’t like clicks at all, but the complexity of a lot of their stuff almost demands it. 1 person falls off and the train derails live in front of everyone and some dumbass would put it all over the internet.
Aside from Labray’s forced (as of late) mean guy vocals, I can honestly say that musically they are as close to perfect as I have seen live. Nobody wants to screw up a song live on stage and (sadly) tons of bands are using clicks live on far lesser degrees of complex shit compared to DT.
It is what it is.

I always secretly hoped they would somehow end up with Dio as their vocalist, but that never panned out

 

[rsm]

Given his age, and the range needed for their songs, I always cut LaBrie a lot of slack the last few years.

I've watched many vids of their last tour from Europe, and the recent Ernie Ball live studio, etc., and he's been sounding very good.

I'm guessing this is going to be the final lineup until they call it quits, or someone retires and they decide to keep going (like Deep Purple when Jon Lord retired for health issues).

 

[DrewJD82]

Well, in all fairness, I can totally understand them needing a click when doing the stuff their doing. I don’t like clicks at all, but the complexity of a lot of their stuff almost demands it. 1 person falls off and the train derails live in front of everyone and some dumbass would put it all over the internet.
Aside from Labray’s forced (as of late) mean guy vocals, I can honestly say that musically they are as close to perfect as I have seen live. Nobody wants to screw up a song live on stage and (sadly) tons of bands are using clicks live on far lesser degrees of complex shit compared to DT.
It is what it is.

I always secretly hoped they would somehow end up with Dio as their vocalist, but that never panned out

Yeah but what made DT fucking AWESOME live back in the day (and now again that Portnoy is back) was the energy in their live sets. We already know Petrucci can play perfect sweeps and 32nd notes over nonstop time sig changes, I love hearing him on the edge of his seat, barely able to hang on. That and the lack of running the show on rails left them open to toss in the occasional improv jam mid-song, or throw in a cover out of the blue, the stuff that made the shows memorable.

You can pick any show from the Mangini era and then compare it to every night on that tour, it’ll sound exactly the same night to night with the exception of LaBrie.

 

[JTyson]

Yeah but what made DT fucking AWESOME live back in the day (and now again that Portnoy is back) was the energy in their live sets. We already know Petrucci can play perfect sweeps and 32nd notes over nonstop time sig changes, I love hearing him on the edge of his seat, barely able to hang on. That and the lack of running the show on rails left them open to toss in the occasional improv jam mid-song, or throw in a cover out of the blue, the stuff that made the shows memorable.

You can pick any show from the Mangini era and then compare it to every night on that tour, it’ll sound exactly the same night to night with the exception of LaBrie.

Oh I would agree with that completely, I didn’t see every tour but I saw a lot of them.

 

[Techdeth]

Well, in all fairness, I can totally understand them needing a click when doing the stuff their doing. I don’t like clicks at all, but the complexity of a lot of their stuff almost demands it. 1 person falls off and the train derails live in front of everyone and some dumbass would put it all over the internet.
Aside from Labray’s forced (as of late) mean guy vocals, I can honestly say that musically they are as close to perfect as I have seen live. Nobody wants to screw up a song live on stage and (sadly) tons of bands are using clicks live on far lesser degrees of complex shit compared to DT.
It is what it is.

I always secretly hoped they would somehow end up with Dio as their vocalist, but that never panned out

I’ll never use a click live . I understand why people do . For me whej I play music with a group I don’t even want anything digital involved while we play . The drummer uses a trigger so his kick drum is tighter sometimes but other than I’ve become to anti the way bands are doing it now .EVERY fucking young drummer thst comes to my house : we write a song . As soon as they are done they just type out their parts in a drum machine and tell me to do my guitars . I’m like you’re never going to play on the recording ?No it sounds better this way . So now after we right a sweet song I’m supposed to play to a drum program . I just can’t . I HATE it . I’d rather hear a band play fr on a rougher recording than a soothes fake one . Sorry about the long letter . But this shit affects my life badly lol

 

[thegame]

I’ll never use a click live . I understand why people do . For me whej I play music with a group I don’t even want anything digital involved while we play . The drummer uses a trigger so his kick drum is tighter sometimes but other than I’ve become to anti the way bands are doing it now .EVERY fucking young drummer thst comes to my house : we write a song . As soon as they are done they just type out their parts in a drum machine and tell me to do my guitars . I’m like you’re never going to play on the recording ?No it sounds better this way . So now after we right a sweet song I’m supposed to play to a drum program . I just can’t . I HATE it . I’d rather hear a band play fr on a rougher recording than a soothes fake one . Sorry about the long letter . But this shit affects my life badly lol

Divine Intriggervention

 

[JTyson]

I’ll never use a click live . I understand why people do . For me whej I play music with a group I don’t even want anything digital involved while we play . The drummer uses a trigger so his kick drum is tighter sometimes but other than I’ve become to anti the way bands are doing it now .EVERY fucking young drummer thst comes to my house : we write a song . As soon as they are done they just type out their parts in a drum machine and tell me to do my guitars . I’m like you’re never going to play on the recording ?No it sounds better this way . So now after we right a sweet song I’m supposed to play to a drum program . I just can’t . I HATE it . I’d rather hear a band play fr on a rougher recording than a soothes fake one . Sorry about the long letter . But this shit affects my life badly lol

Oh I get it, I said I hate clicks too, we don’t use them either, but I can see how those guys would with the level of complexity they are playing. I’m certainly not trying to sell anyone on them.

 

[MetalGOD84]

Awake was the album that made me pickup an Ibanez 7 string guitar to play Lie and The Mirror.

 

[lester]

I'm thinking Octavarium is their best sounding record with Portnoy.
As far as work though, as much as I like Jordan, I prefer the Kevin Moore era.