Will DT11 be a huge breakthrough into the mainstream?

[TheMadgician]

If I knew how to actually use my Twitter, I'd do it. i don't know how to like, tag people and shit. I don't know the ins and outs of Twitter. If someone could give me a crash course, I'd be in. We'd need plenty of people though.

[tartarus250]

just put @ then type thier user name direcly after 

[ariich]

No, never. DT aren't suddenly going to start writing short radio hits.

These Walls, Forsaken, Wither, and many others would like a word with you.

Sure they've written one or two per album, I meant they won't write a whole album of them.

[jamhet]

Not necessarily.  Look how unconventional Tool and SOAD are and they got TONS of mainstream media exposure.

That's a good point.

But it's not really surprising SOAD has made it to mainstream when you look at it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUzd9KyIDrM
"Everybody's goin to the party... have a real good time" hmm :-)
That's obviously only the part of who they are - the other part being the angry, rebelious rock part.
And I think that's the element Dream Theater has always been missing and it hindered them at making that leap forward. They are a rock/metal band, but miss the rebelious element that would appeal to a wider mainstream rock audience.

Both SOAD and Tool (as well as the other metal bands that got into the mainstream in the last decade like Korn, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold and Limp Bizkit) filled the void in the mainstream music that there will always be for rock bands in general. They answered the demand for angry, raging or somewhat dark and introspective rock music that appeals to legions of young people, who are the largest consumer group in popular music.
This requires ballsy music and usually also a charismatic leader (or the whole general outfit of the band being very "to the point").

In that respect, and in comparison to the aformentioned, DT to a large extent look like your dad's favourite rock band from the 80s.

The other niche for rock bands is that occupied by bands like Bon Jovi, Nickelback and the likes - corny rockers specializing in sweet ballads and romantic songs. Musically, it'd be no problem for DT to pull that off with a single. But this could always potentially do more harm to their core fanbase that obtain large amounts of new fans, because obviously the album would contain music vastly different from what such single would indicate...

[lucky7]

I don't know if their new album will be more mainstream I suppose the buiggest thing it depends on is track length!  

It was a long time before DT toured Australia, and that was back in 2008 with SC, and I would say that would be the most mainstream of late.

I think the drummer auditions have had so many views from DT fans watching it again and again   and drummers from all over the world wanting to watch some great drummers palying some different stuff....the audition videos were genies on DT's part and I bet it has won them some new fans.

I suppose time will tell really, if we have to wait for fall (Is that September in America?) by then a lot of hype over the auditions will have wound down.  

[Nighthawkwill7]

I just tweeted a link of Metropolis Pt.1 to Conan.
Anyone who wants join me in helping bring the band to his attention, Feel free.

I can't do it alone but as a community, we can do this! 

[skydivingninja]

Jamhet, I'm not the biggest SOAD fan, but I know enough to know that specific line from BYOB means nothing about "partying" in the traditional sense.    But I do agree that bands with a more rebellious edge definitely get them in the mainstream.  Besides the whole Twilight thing, I think that's definitely a factor in Muse's recent success in the US (and their success in Europe since 2002).

[ResultsMayVary]

I just tweeted a link of Metropolis Pt.1 to Conan.
Anyone who wants join me in helping bring the band to his attention, Feel free.

I can't do it alone but as a community, we can do this! 

I have a twitter account and will help as well. Let's also try to get #DT11 to trend!

[pain of occupation]

i'm sure the band isnt against the "platform" of live TV...infact, i thought they were nearly book'd to play a televised show circa SDOIT-era. not sure what happened, but its entirely possibly they just couldnt fit mike's kit into the studio.

as for getting to be as big as megadave...i thought they were already bigger than megadave & the dethboyz.

[jsem]

Ugh. If DT turns too mainstream.. I'll probably go into rage mode more than a few times over nublet fans fails about the band.

Ultimate hipster crap from me, I know lol.

[Ħ]

Second, they've got one of the most talented drummers in the world

Because they didn't have one with Portnoy?
One doesn't conquer mainstream media with great drummers, but with radio hit songs with simple, memorable choruses.

But seriously - Who fucking cares for the mainstream?
The mainstream music lies in opposition to ambitious music, and DT is the latter.

Not necessarily.  Look how unconventional Tool and SOAD are and they got TONS of mainstream media exposure.

As for the topic of whether DT11 could be their second big break into the mainstream, I think that if it hits number 1 on Billboard (of course, it depends on what else comes out that week and assumes that no famous controversial pop singer dies) then they'll get plenty of press, but unless they have a really successful single I don't see it happening. 

Though speaking of successful singles the first time I heard a DT song in an outside environment was in a Best Buy when the store was playing it on the radio.  I thought that was pretty cool.  So I agree with Rob that they're on their way already to a FNM/Megadeth kind of popularity (except I think DT played a bigger venue in Asheville compared to the one Megadeth played for their RiP 20th anniversary tour). 

I really like this post.

I don't think becoming mainstream means that they have to fit into the mold of the current mainstream.  Lots of bands have sort of defined the mainstream, even though they didn't compromise their sound (like the Beatles, and Tool, and Metallica).

[ricky]

if by mainstream, you mean embraced by pop culture, then no.

[TL]

It's as I said earlier. Largely thanks to a combination of the internet, and metal fan loyalty, there's a third category now between mainstream and obscure, where you can be quite successful without being a mainstream act. Dream Theater are a prime example. It's a great place to be, because you can have success without compromising to fit mainstream expectations.

[razorsedge]

dream theater is mainstream enough to get hated on by hipsters. i think that's about as popular as they'll get.   

[TheMadgician]

I just tweeted a link of Metropolis Pt.1 to Conan.
Anyone who wants join me in helping bring the band to his attention, Feel free.

I can't do it alone but as a community, we can do this! 

We'd be better of sending him tweets saying something about how they've recently gone though a big line up change, they have a new album releasing fairly soon and it's going to be huge, he should have them on, etc. Not something that comes off too fanboy. But has some real excitement to it. I'm about to head to bed, but I'll start a thread in the morning to try to kinda orgnize something.

[tgstk2]

Not necessarily.  Look how unconventional Tool and SOAD are and they got TONS of mainstream media exposure.

Both SOAD and Tool (as well as the other metal bands that got into the mainstream in the last decade like Korn, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold and Limp Bizkit)

i stopped reading your post saying that AX7 and limp bizkit are metal bands.....
a distorted guitar doesn't autom. mean your metal.....

[jamhet]

Not necessarily.  Look how unconventional Tool and SOAD are and they got TONS of mainstream media exposure.

Both SOAD and Tool (as well as the other metal bands that got into the mainstream in the last decade like Korn, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold and Limp Bizkit)

i stopped reading your post saying that AX7 and limp bizkit are metal bands.....
a distorted guitar doesn't autom. mean your metal.....

Having short hair and not adhering to the silly tr00 metal \m/ ethos (including dress code) doesn't mean you're not metal.

Try to get out of these silly ideological constraints for a moment, because the point of this classification is that in the general public's perception, those bands unquestionably go beyond what is commonly perceived as rock music. Which effectively is pretty much pop music played on guitars.

The aggressivity, heaviness, violent or dark lyrical themes, high appreciation for the technical skills of the instrumentalists and this peculiar element of "danger" are qualities shared by all of those bands, qualities that historically have always differentiated rock and metal bands.

Have this and calm down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2F5piurv-0

[tgstk2]

Not necessarily.  Look how unconventional Tool and SOAD are and they got TONS of mainstream media exposure.

Both SOAD and Tool (as well as the other metal bands that got into the mainstream in the last decade like Korn, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold and Limp Bizkit)

i stopped reading your post saying that AX7 and limp bizkit are metal bands.....
a distorted guitar doesn't autom. mean your metal.....

Having short hair and not adhering to the silly tr00 metal \m/ ethos (including dress code) doesn't mean you're not metal.

Try to get out of these silly ideological constraints for a moment, because the point of this classification is that in the general public's perception, those bands unquestionably go beyond what is commonly perceived as rock music. Which effectively is pretty much pop music played on guitars.

The aggressivity, heaviness, violent or dark lyrical themes, high appreciation for the technical skills of the instrumentalists and this peculiar element of "danger" are qualities shared by all of those bands, qualities that historically have always differentiated rock and metal bands.

Have this and calm down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2F5piurv-0

lol i'm 35 i have got of rid  my long hair ages ago, got rid of all my earrings and never been inthat whole true metal shit in the first place. i didn't only wore black clothes for 20 years and not listen to only to metal because you must do so....

your right, those bands are considred metal by people who dont know shit about msuusic.... the justin bieber people of whatever..... it just from a rock/metal point of view. those bands anbe condsidered rock, heavy metal maybe, rap metal? even...but not metal.let me echeck your  youtube :-)

i hate it than when you type more than the actual frame that  the frame starts blinking when you type....so i have to type blind which i can ...but sometimes... i mess up...

[tgstk2]

ohmy god... LB playing metallica.....

[RaiseTheKnife]

Clarification:  two million youtube views of the documentry = the fifty of us watching it 40,000 times.


FYI.

[jamhet]

Clarification:  two million youtube views of the documentry = the fifty of us watching it 40,000 times.

This is true.

My estimation on how many times I've watched each of the episodes:
I - 25
II - 40
III - 20

[tgstk2]

Clarification:  two million youtube views of the documentry = the fifty of us watching it 40,000 times.

This is true.

My estimation on how many times I've watched each of the episodes:
I - 25
II - 40
III - 20

wow i have checked all epsisodes 3 times which i thought was much.... what do you see during your 20th view which you didn't see during your 6th view?

[jamhet]

what do you see during your 20th view which you didn't see during your 6th view?

Nothing.
I wasn't even neccessarily paying much that attention to the video (as I had them on repeat mode). I just played them to listen to the music the drummers played.

[blackngold29]

How would they show up to any late night TV show and play an 8 minute song?

And if they did explode in popularity, I would hope MP would get something out of it. I can see more people hearing about them, but it's tough to get people to actually listen to them when they aren't force fed them on the radio, tv, etc.

I mean, Slipknot had a #1 album on the Billboards, but are they 'popular in the mainstream'? I would say no.

[tgstk2]

what do you see during your 20th view which you didn't see during your 6th view?

Nothing.
I wasn't even neccessarily paying much that attention to the video (as I had them on repeat mode). I just played them to listen to the music the drummers played.

well that's why i checked it a couple of times to...but the actual time you see/hear a drummer play is just a couple of minutes in total.... its just snippets of a fill, an intro, a jam...even the ok here's the odd time riff... you see more of how they approced it (reading the riff, writing the nrs) instead of actually hearing them play.....


welll one thing i did notice what i havent read here...

when aquiles started his audtion...in a couplle of seconds you see marco minneman behind him..in teh same room...now that's odd to me having gthe 2 drummers in the same room....?? shouldn't they first have said goodbye to marco, and than got quiles in?? well i seemed a little strange to mee..

[CrimsonSunrise]

Mainstream?  I don't think so.  That would mean radio, and we all know that DT probably won't do a record geared towards that...they semi-tried it once with FII, and look how most fans welcomed that...

[Mladen]

I mean, Slipknot had a #1 album on the Billboards, but are they 'popular in the mainstream'? I would say no.

Yeah, but that's different, Slipknot is just too awesome.     

[tgstk2]

I mean, Slipknot had a #1 album on the Billboards, but are they 'popular in the mainstream'? I would say no.

Yeah, but that's different, Slipknot is just too awesome.     

QFT, slipknot just kills it. they are awesome live the whole gimmick is great and well thought through.
slipknot became mainstream..really??..when.....aggressive music is beter accepted these days, but it's certainly not maintstream.
20 years ago, GnR and fucking john bon jovi where considered metal/hard rock by the mainstream.

[skydivingninja]

Hate to tell you this tgstk2, but A7X and Linkin Park are metal.  Whether they're good or not is up for debate.   I'd also call Slipknot fairly mainstream.  They're definitely one of the most prolific modern metal bands (though I wonder if they'll still go on after their bassist died). 

GNR is/was still hard rock.  Bon Jovi isn't really close anymore.

[blackngold29]

Not to get too far off topic, but Slipknot has a show planned but aren't sure beyond that point. One of their very early members who left before they started with their 9 will fill in on bass.

[CrimsonE]

Given the nature of their sound, to achieve true mainstream success, they'd have to do what Genesis did in the 80's, which was to shift more towards more catchy singles, with only a handful of truly progressive songs on each album.  I don't see DT doing that.

However, I can easily see them fitting in the mode of Tool, continuing to write more prog oriented material, yet getting more attention from doing that.  Actually, DT has had some radio friendly material from the past.  If they had released a song like Wither in the early 90's, it might really have been a major hit.  If their new album continues the path that they've been going, they'll continue to become a bigger metal band, perhaps even getting to headline bigger venues.  But I certainly don't see them rising to the level of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest or especially Metallica.  

To get to that level, they would have to get a killer tour that could attract new fans.  The big problem would be the type of tour as I'm not certain there are too many bands at a higher level than DT that could really be compatible enough with them for such a tour to work.  To a certain extent, I think touring with Maiden has helped (as that is probably the closest).  Opening for Metallica could also break doors down, although Metallica fans had been extremely harsh to bands they didn't like (such as the Cult). 

[unspoken]

If they have a featuring with Justin Bieber or Rebecca Black I think they will!!

Now, seriously. I do believe that DT11 will debut at one of the top 3 spots at Billboard.  I think that they didn't reach #1 with BCSL because Michael Jackson died and suddenly everyone thought it would be a great idea to purchase all of MJs previous recordings?

However, if you define "mainstream" as having MTV lovers actually know DT and follow their careers, my answer would be no.

[ZirconBlue]

A lot of you seem to be operating under the misconception that the music will determine their mainstream success.  That, unfortunately is not how it works the vast majority of the time.  At this point in their career, radio program managers already have a preconceived notion of what "Dream Theater" means, and, even if they put out an album of accessible, pop-friendly songs, those program managers aren't going to put those songs in the rotation.  Once a band has an established career, it's not about the new music, anymore, it's about the old music.  If BC&SL had been the debut album of a new band, maybe it would have gotten airplay.  But with the "Dream Theater" name on the cover, it probably didn't even get listened to by a lot of these guys.

Now, the wild card here is internet buzz.  If they have a video go viral, or something, such that the song was pre-sold to the audience, then the radio might decide to pick it up.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Good point Zircon about the radio programmers and pre-concieved ideas about DT.  In my first response here I mentioned mainstream meaning "Radio exposure"  But the more I think about it.....that's not really the case anymore.  I don't know about other big cities in the US, but LA really doesn't have a hard rock/metal station anymore.  KNAC died in the early 90's I think, they're pretty big online last time I looked.  So I guess mainstream exposure would translate to video I guess.  Although...they do get some airplay on sirius and subscription radio.... but is that enough?

[D_Halco]

I could see DT maybe doing a bit of what happened to Rush in the 90's and 00's where each new album debuts consistently high on the billboard charts but fall off fairly quickly (starting of debuting at #2-#10 or so then remaining on the charts for maybe three months before dropping off, I don't see them ever having a #1 album, but it could happen!).

The interesting thing about their longevity is that, like Rush, they have never been insanely popular, so the ups and downs of the music biz since the late 90's and changing tastes have not really affected them much, their sales are consistent (though their live audiences have certainly grown), and I don't really see that changing any time soon.