Which DT do you prefer?

[JediKnight1969]

Personally, I love the "old" DT because of the songwriting: all memorable songs with immortal melodies.

[pogoowner]

20th century, no doubt. Everything about their music was fresher, more groundbreaking, more creative, more memorable.

[Jamesman42]

Tough. I am inclined to agree with pancake bunny, but at the same time, 3 of my top 5 DT songs are in the latter century (8VM, TGP, TCOT), but my top favorite is Metropolis. However, the former has WDADU and SFAM, so 21st century edges it out.

[mittinagus]

20th century, hands down...

Tin

[Super Dude]

No contest.

[The Degenerate]

20th. Only stuff I really care for from the 21st is 6DOIT (a masterpiece) and a few scattered songs from ToT and BC&SL.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

To me, the two worst albums in DT history are WDADU and FII, and while the 21st century output hasn't been consistent song-to-song, there haven't been any real album-level clunkers for me. There's always an ITNOG, Octavarium (the song), TMOLS, ITPOE, TBOT, TCOT, etc. that makes each release have something that really sticks with me. I & W and SFAM were great, and Awake was quite good as well, but there isn't a whole lot of 1994-98 DT that really sticks with me as being truly great music that never gets old.

It is close, though, for me. The big advantage I see in the 20th century DT is that it encompasses JLB's prime, which resulted in some truly stunning live performances (most notably TKH). But it just wasn't quite enough to get it over the 21st for me.

On a more generalized note, it's interesting to me that Rudess tends to beat out Moore in the recent keyboard player polls here, but this is overwhelmingly slanted toward people preferring the Moore/Sherinian music better. Funny how that is--I actually prefer KM's work with DT over JR's.

[dongringo]

6DOIT, Octavarium and BC&SL are my favorite albums so 21st century for me.

[j]

No contest.

That.

To me, the two worst albums in DT history are WDADU and FII, and while the 21st century output hasn't been consistent song-to-song, there haven't been any real album-level clunkers for me.

I love both of those albums, but I understand why a lot of people don't.  They definitely each have some weaknesses.

But IMO, every post-SDOIT album could be considered a "clunker" with just one or two redeeming tracks.

There's always an ITNOG, Octavarium (the song), TMOLS, ITPOE, TBOT, TCOT, etc. that makes each release have something that really sticks with me.

Trial of Tears doesn't stick with you?!  You are now my sworn frenemy.

-J

[robwebster]

21st century, muthafucka.

Images and Words is a stellar album, and Falling Into Infinity has a lot to give, but the 20th century is when the band was finding its feet. The bombastic stuff that punches you in the gut is absolutely what they're strongest at writing, and they didn't really identify that niche until Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which is the first album where they truly played to their strengths.

Anything before that, however good (and they've yet to record a truly bad song, so "very good" is the answer to that), is a little primordial. I'd possibly give the edge to IAW as their strongest album, but SDOIT onwards is their most consistent era, and their strongest era by far.

[Adami]

20th century. Sorry.

[The Presence of Frenemies]

There's always an ITNOG, Octavarium (the song), TMOLS, ITPOE, TBOT, TCOT, etc. that makes each release have something that really sticks with me.

Trial of Tears doesn't stick with you?!  You are now my sworn frenemy.

-J
[/quote]


Eh, I don't remember being particularly impressed with it, but I've only given it a couple of plays, and it's been awhile. Maybe I'll give it another look.

[ReaperKK]

I think 20th Century was the most consistent in terms of quality but the 21st century contains the best and worst DT IMO.

I voted for 21st.

[ScioPath]

20th. Only stuff I really care for from the 21st is 6DOIT (a masterpiece) and a few scattered songs from ToT and BC&SL.

[lucky7]

I only came on board with Train of Thought, and as I love their heavier side I prefer the later albums.
Now I own them all, there are great tracks off heaps of the earlier albums but I still lean to the heavier side. 

[rumborak]

20th. Only stuff I really care for from the 21st is 6DOIT (a masterpiece) and a few scattered songs from ToT and BC&SL.

Exactly this. Several 21st century albums were only saved by the epic on it.

rumborak

[Hal Incandenza]

20th by a wide margin.

If it were two totally separate bands responsible for the output, the 20th century stuff would make that band one of my favorite bands of all time.  The 21st century stuff would make them a band I liked, and not all that much more.

[Super Dude]

21st century, muthafucka.

Images and Words is a stellar album, and Falling Into Infinity has a lot to give, but the 20th century is when the band was finding its feet. The bombastic stuff that punches you in the gut is absolutely what they're strongest at writing, and they didn't really identify that niche until Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which is the first album where they truly played to their strengths.

Anything before that, however good (and they've yet to record a truly bad song, so "very good" is the answer to that), is a little primordial. I'd possibly give the edge to IAW as their strongest album, but SDOIT onwards is their most consistent era, and their strongest era by far.

I would say the opposite for similar reasons: I consider the 20th century stuff better precisely because they hadn't found their feet yet, because they still had to struggle.  In fact, Awake is probably my all-time DT favorite, at a time when KM's relationship with the rest of the band was getting pretty tenuous, and it showed in the music.  In some sense, I'd say that what made the 21st century stuff not as good in my eyes is the fact that finding their ground gave way to complacency; they didn't have to prove themselves to anyone anymore so they stopped trying to.

It is for this reason that I'm very optimistic about this coming album: they have something to prove again, and they're going to have to work for it.

[Ħ]

While the best material is from the 20th century stuff, I think that the 21st century stuff is more consistent and overall stronger...probably cause it's more album-oriented.

[Obfuscation]

I am definitely going with 21st century.

[FretMuppet]

Its quite a tricky choice

[?]

20th of course, although 21st isn't bad either.

[Bertielee]

20th, here. While SDoIT and ToT are awesome albums in my book, things have taken a turn for the worst since Octavarium (even if some tracks are really good).

B.Lee

[JayOctavarium]

oh god...

why isnt there a 50/50 option?

[Lowdz]

Both for me. I can't seperate the two eras in terms of the enjoyment they've given me, though the band now and the band then are different.
I'm just a 43 year old fan boy.

[kiwiclapton]

because she's a 20th century fox.

[lonestar]

20th century. Sorry.

No need to apologize, like I told my daughter a while back, musical taste are like religion, people can't tell you how to feel, you just feel it.  20th century for me too, BTW.

[Jirpo]

20th century for me, but very close. I love the 21st century albums.

[ariich]

However, the former has WDADU and SFAM, so 21st century edges it out.

That.

But it was close.

[Zydar]

20th Century. Images / Awake / SFAM

[wolfking]

20th, without question.

[yorost]

20th, but it's close enough that if Scenes were in the 21st I would have changed my vote. 

Here's my rankings by century of release without A Change of Seasons, which is up with my top 3.

1: 20th, 20th, 21st
4: 21st
5: 20th, 21st
7: 21st
8: 20th, 20th
10: 21st

[Global Laziness]

My album rankings:
1   Awake
2   Images and Words
3   Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
4   Black Clouds & Silver Linings
5   Scenes from a Memory
6   Train of Thought
7   When Dream and Day Unite
8   Systematic Chaos
9   Octavarium
10   Falling into Infinity

Average ranking for 20th century albums: 5th
Average ranking for 21st century albums: 6th

So, 20th century.

[hefdaddy42]

20th, easy.

[Dtman513]

Excluding Falling Into Infinity.....Everything 20th century and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence....