Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt.2 Encore [Prog-Rock]

Submitted by ethanhunt_08 t3_11vgwr1 in Music

Dream Theater most definitely has a learning curve to listen to their complex masterpieces

Hear me out. I was introduced to DT back in 2008 or 2009 and i was at my peak emo-punk phase. I didn't enjoy DT as much then and over the years as I started to listen to more post-rock and progressive rock/metal music, the complexity built up. Now I genuinely enjoy listening to DT at any give time and it gives me chills up my spine....EVERY. DAMN. TIME!

It's kind of an epiphany i had recently of how i came about listening to DT without complaining in my head about Jordan Rudess' symphonic synth

Exhibit to support my claim

What's your DT story?

edit: formatting

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apheix t1_jcteb8g wrote

The more you listen to DT the more you begin hearing all the complex layers. I started listening right after the release of Train of Thought. I made an assumption that all of DT was like that album. Upon listening to the entire library what I thought was the best it could be was that album I found out the variety and how I cannot fairly compare the albums. The Moore era is different than the Rudess era, the Portnoy era different than the Manjini era. DT is rich with variety and depth in how the albums or individual songs are composed. The first song I heard by them was As I Am and in that moment I knew this was something different than anything else while presenting something similar to what I'm familiar with like Metallica or Iron Maiden. I guess my point is that I had that galaxy brain moment that DT was what they are upon first listening and falling in love with a band on a level that I didn't know possible. Edit: I saw them play the entirety of Scenes live on the Distance Over Time tour a few years ago. It was fucking incredible.

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groggyMPLS t1_jctye2l wrote

I’ve gone through the entire life cycle of DT fandom. As a drummer, was drawn in by Portnoy’s virtuosity, despite how goofy LaBrie was on vocals. Then I recognized how each player in the band was equally talented at their craft. I bought portnoys instructional dvds. I found the side projects. I saw DT live on the Train of Thought tour. I eagerly awaited Octavarium. It was okay. And then I started to realize that I really just liked their heavier songs so much more than the pure instrumental show-off stuff, and the keyboard element really started to become a turnoff for me, in particular, along with my waning amusement with LaBrie’s ridiculous operatic contributions.

Eventually, I realized I was really just into hardcore metal. I still give the old albums a listen once in a while, and I really believe that a few songs are truly prog metal greats — Home, Dance of Eternity, Pull me Under, Blind faith, As I Am — but I’ve totally lost interest in the band in terms of what they’re releasing lately.

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ethanhunt_08 OP t1_jcuav75 wrote

I kinda agree with you on the keyboard element. Rudess is a great artist but when the keyboard shines in a song, it's really in a very different tone that what, maybe, Petrucci is playing which is mostly on the heavier side. That being said, it has started to grow on me and I'm less annoyed nowadays with the keyboard and rather enjoy the riffs or the percussion shenanigans (in both, Portnoy's and Mangini's era)

Totally fucking agree with LaBrie's vocals. They kinda suck, specially in live versions, but the instrumentals are equally better in live versions too. Everytime I just wish to skip LaBrie's part if I'm listening to live recordings lol

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No_Rip_4667 t1_jcu2i9u wrote

My first DT song was Octavarium, which blew me away. I listened to The Count of Tuscany next and from there, my love for Dream Theater was solidified. I love their epics most, I think, but songs like Pull Me Under, A Rite Of Passage, and As I Am really hit the spot for me as well. I love Petrucci's guitar work and just a few months ago, I started playing guitar because of him.

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ethanhunt_08 OP t1_jcubgkw wrote

My first DT song was the low and slow Wither. It is still one of my most played songs by DT probably because how easy it is to listen and to relate to.

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plartoo t1_jcu5pz9 wrote

“Where do we come from?”

DT has really good songs. I was introduced to them by my college roommate and I still listen to some of their songs (not all of their songs are my type but I respect them for making very elaborate music that kind of reminds me of good old rock days when I was young) these days.

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jr12345 t1_jcuhpxf wrote

I discovered them back in the early 2000s, I want to say some dude I was friends with brought them up and I hadn’t heard of them yet. My introduction was “Images and Words” and I’ve gotta say, I still prefer that album to all their others. Maybe it’s the early 90s prog aesthetic, I dunno. This isn’t to say I don’t enjoy their other stuff - I do.

I will say since getting Mangini I haven’t been the biggest fan. He’s a phenomenal drummer - better technically than Portnoy - but there’s something about Portnoys style that brings me back to his drumming.

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Paragon8384 t1_jcuko57 wrote

Like a lot of people, DT got me into prog. I was starting college at the time (2014) when I began exploring their discography after hearing Panic Attack for the first time. DT were my gateway band to so many other fantastic prog bands & artists, my current top 10 favorites being Haken, Leprous, Between the Buried and Me, Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson, Thank You Scientist, Gojira, Vulkan, Caligula's Horse, David Maxim Micic, and TesseracT. My only regret is not getting into prog sooner.

I may not be as into DT's music as much as I was when I first started listening to them, but I still have a handful of their albums in my catalog that I occasionally come back to. Octavarium remains one of my all-time favorite songs too.

So op, if you like Dream Theater that much, I'm sure you've already listened to Haken, but in case you haven't, check out their 2013 album The Mountain. Their music is out of this world. They also just released a new album a couple weeks ago called Fauna and it is now my most favorite album from them. Band name is pronounced "Hay-ken."

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Dazzling-Astronaut88 t1_jcul8ee wrote

I just can’t like this band. It’s just too “music school” nerd for me and I particularly find the keyboards ridiculous. I did watch and very much enjoy the YouTuber series on the drummer audition process and they all seem like genuinely nice, approachable and cool guys. I can also respect the fact that a band like this has built such a fervent fan base. But, musically, no.

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Dazzling-Astronaut88 t1_jcul9ox wrote

I just can’t like this band. It’s just too “music school” nerd for me and I particularly find the keyboards ridiculous. I did watch and very much enjoy the YouTuber series on the drummer audition process and they all seem like genuinely nice, approachable and cool guys. I can also respect the fact that a band like this has built such a fervent fan base. But, musically, no.

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