Hypothetical Dream Theater / Haken Question

[Stewie]

I've really been getting into Haken lately, especially The Mountain and Affinity. Dream Theater is an obvious big influence for them, and is certainly the first/main one that comes to mind when I listen to their music.

So, I was wondering, if "The Mountain" were a Dream Theater album, same music, same everything (but with James singing) - how do you think it would be received by DT fans? Obviously a lot of Haken fans love the album (and with good reason!), but it got me to thinking - if this were hypothetically a Dream Theater album, would DT fans praise it or condemn it? Remember, the rules of the game are it's the same exact album, same compositions, arrangements - only difference is James on vocals.

So, for example, do you think the consensus would be it's "DT by numbers" or it's "unique and original"?

[jakepriest]

Cockroach King would probably be the worst song ever made if you put James on vocals.

It's bad enougha as it is but I don't really see James pulling acapella stuff like that off.

[gzarruk]

The Mountain is a masterpiece!
to answer the question, I do think fans will accept it, since it would be a very fresh album for Dt, considering it has lots of elements they've never done before (vocal counterpoint, 8 string guitars, etc), even though it wouldn't really sound too much like a DT release.
The most DT-ish Haken album is Visions, not TM.

[Stewie]

The Mountain is a masterpiece!
to answer the question, I do think fans will accept it, since it would be a very fresh album for Dt, considering it has lots of elements they've never done before (vocal counterpoint, 8 string guitars, etc), even though it wouldn't really sound too much like a DT release.
The most DT-ish Haken album is Visions, not TM.

I agree, Visions is probably their most DT-ish album - the reason why I picked The Mountain is because of how different it is from most DT. While there's still plenty of DT influence, there's also plenty of other things (which is what make Haken unique).

So, would those things be accepted by most DT fans, as in "wow, this is awesome, they're being experimental again!" or... do you think it would be more of a "man, this just isn't DT..." reaction?

Also, I agree, The Mountain is totally a prog masterpiece!

[gzarruk]

The Mountain is a masterpiece!
to answer the question, I do think fans will accept it, since it would be a very fresh album for Dt, considering it has lots of elements they've never done before (vocal counterpoint, 8 string guitars, etc), even though it wouldn't really sound too much like a DT release.
The most DT-ish Haken album is Visions, not TM.

So, would those things be accepted by most DT fans, as in "wow, this is awesome, they're being experimental again!" or... do you think it would be more of a "man, this just isn't DT..." reaction?

Well, if TA has taught us something, is that it's impossible to please all DT fans with a single release. Some will love it, some will be indiferent, some will hate it, it's just the way it is when you have a big fanbase that comes from people who like different styles of music (some proggier, some heavier, etc.). I love TA and it's currently number 3 on my DT list, but some other people here just can't stand it, so I can't really speak for most DT fans anyway.

As for my take on it: I would love it! Even though SFAM is my DT favorite, I think SDOIT is their best album. It's very experimental and still has a fresh sound to it. Same would be the case with The Mountain.