Do you prefer old or new DT?

[Jamesman42]

Voted newer. I love me some IaW and Awake with some FII and a tiny bit of SFAM, but SDOIT/TOT/8VM is perfect.

[j]

old by a long shot.

That.  They've made some cool stuff in both eras though.

-J

[Progmetty]

I can make one CD that contains all pre-SFAM songs I like. I'll need six CDs to do that for post-SFAM. The DT I love was founded when Rudess blessed the band with his existence.

[BlobVanDam]

I love them both a lot, but went with new.
Old for me has IaW, FII and SFAM, which are all perfect, although as people know, I don't care much for Awake. Even without that though, that is an amazing collection of albums. And while some of the newer albums aren't as strong as a whole, going by individual songs I feel they've got more. So the hit percentage might be lower, but that's more than offset by the output. SDOIT is my favourite DT album, and 90 minutes of eargasm, and every album after that has at least 2 top DT songs for me (yes, even SC).

But if I was stuck with either one, I wouldn't complain. There's no DT era I dislike.

[DJay32]

I'm the sort who likes to analyze what makes classic songs "classic" and then figure out how to view a more recent song as "classic." With this in mind, I tend to appreciate newer songs a lot more than older ones, though I can definitely see the appeal to the older stuff.

But the fact is, the older stuff was the older stuff. Dream Theater hasn't exactly declined in musicianship since then. They've fine-tuned their skills, found what works for them, and provided us with several fantastic albums since the release of Metropolis, pt. 2. Their older stuff didn't have the band at the best of their abilities.

Most importantly, in my opinion, there's the amount of not-so-good songs. First, the older not-so-good pieces: "Status Seeker," "Light Fuse and Get Away," "Only a Matter of Time," "Caught in a Web," "Innocence Faded" (barring the excellent outro), "The Silent Man," "Lie," "Lifting Shadows off a Dream," "Take Away My Pain," "Just Let Me Breathe," "Strange Deja Vu," a lot of "Beyond This Life," "Through Her Eyes," and *shudder* "The Spirit Carries On?" That's a lot of songs, guys.

Let's look at my not-so-favourites in the latter works: "I Walk Beside You," arguably "Sacrificed Sons," "Forsaken," "The Ministry of Lost Souls," and arguably "Wither."

Yeah, no, I'm going with their latter years.

[Flacracker]

What if ADTOE ends up being a lot more like old DT like it seems it will?

[robwebster]

What if ADTOE ends up being a lot more like old DT like it seems it will?

I don't know if it does. I think it might tread a lot of the ground that old DT used to tread, but I get the impression that, more than anything, it's going to be its own album. I don't think it'll be any more comparable to old DT than it is to new DT. On the Backs of Angels certainly isn't.

It'll just be the latest new facet of the new style.

[Nekov]

I like everything up till 6 Degrees, everything after is.........ok, not great.

[ghostnotes]

Most importantly, in my opinion, there's the amount of not-so-good songs. First, the older not-so-good pieces: "Status Seeker," "Light Fuse and Get Away," "Only a Matter of Time," "Caught in a Web," "Innocence Faded" (barring the excellent outro), "The Silent Man," "Lie," "Lifting Shadows off a Dream," "Take Away My Pain," "Just Let Me Breathe," "Strange Deja Vu," a lot of "Beyond This Life," "Through Her Eyes," and *shudder* "The Spirit Carries On?" That's a lot of songs, guys.

[IdoSC]

My list of favorite albums (and songs) is way too mixed to decide something like that. I can't decide, but I can mention a few facts that might eventually help me to make a decision:
1. I love all the albums up to SFAM without an exception.
2. SC and BCSL are the only DT albums that I consider "okay" or worse.
3. I like SDOIT and 8V as much as I love old DT albums or better.
4. SFAM is my favorite album.
5. I like TOT almost as much as I like SDOIT, 8V and old DT albums (the difference is really minor).

So yeah, under those circumstances, one might say I like old DT better, but I really can't make a definite decision.

[ZirconBlue]

What if ADTOE ends up being a lot more like old DT like it seems it will?

I don't know if it does. I think it might tread a lot of the ground that old DT used to tread, but I get the impression that, more than anything, it's going to be its own album. I don't think it'll be any more comparable to old DT than it is to new DT. On the Backs of Angels certainly isn't.

It'll just be the latest new facet of the new style.

In 10 years we'll be choosing between "old" "new" and "new new" DT.

[SjundeInseglet]

"Old" DT for me all the way. I got into the band circa 1996 (via I&W, though the first DT record I ever bought was "Awake") and I listened to the first three records intensely back in the day (and associate the music on the records to a lot of events in my own life). I was also one of FII's most adamant defenders when that record first came out in the old alt.music.dream-theater usenet newsgroup (there was a widespread dislike of it there). On top of that, SDOIT was the last DT record I really, really enjoyed. So yeah, I'm siding with the "old" DT fans on this one. I'm really looking forward to ADToE though (the most pumped for a DT album I've been in many years).

[Ryzee]

Anyway, if I was forced to give up one era of music and never listen to it again, I think it would probably have to be the new. I couldn't live without Metropolis and Learning to Live! 

If I had to live with one era, I'd pick the new, because idk about you guys, but New DT sounds much more, down to earth, and accessible. Old DT was more like Art-Metal. I would have gotten sick of it after awhile if I could only listen to that. New DT would keep me a little more sane.

I know, that's what I liked about them!

[ScioPath]

Old.

[bosk1]

...And the moment I said the word "Panic Attack" is the moment my argument has become a little too ambitious for me to supplement, at the moment, with the room spinning, but I stand by it. Or rather, I will in the morning, when I'm sober. Probably. If I'm not hanging my head in shame. (The forum effect! Wouldn't've gone that far sober! That bloke was right!)

I mostly agree with your bigger points about new vs. old, although I disagree with some of your specifics.  (ANTR being structurally flawed?    Really?  )

This probably more accurately reflects my view:

I love them both a lot, but went with new.
Old for me has IaW, FII and SFAM, which are all perfect, although as people know, I don't care much for Awake. Even without that though, that is an amazing collection of albums. And while some of the newer albums aren't as strong as a whole, going by individual songs I feel they've got more. So the hit percentage might be lower, but that's more than offset by the output. SDOIT is my favourite DT album, and 90 minutes of eargasm, and every album after that has at least 2 top DT songs for me (yes, even SC).

But if I was stuck with either one, I wouldn't complain. There's no DT era I dislike.

[ariich]

He split it between the JR era and the Pre JR era.

Well after thinking about it, I agree with Rich. That was kind of arbitrary. SFAM seems to fit more with the older albums.

Oops, I should have explained myself better. I don't think there is any appropriate cut-off. The band have somewhat evolved their sound and style from album to album, and I don't consider "old DT" or "new DT" to have any real meaning or significance.

[King Postwhore]

I wish there was a mid DT vote as my favorite.  I still love both new and old.

[robwebster]

He split it between the JR era and the Pre JR era.

Well after thinking about it, I agree with Rich. That was kind of arbitrary. SFAM seems to fit more with the older albums.

Oops, I should have explained myself better. I don't think there is any appropriate cut-off. The band have somewhat evolved their sound and style from album to album, and I don't consider "old DT" or "new DT" to have any real meaning or significance.

This, essentially. I think that while you can definitely identify tonal clusters, it's becoming far less "now and then" and more "this era and that era and that era and this one." Back when they had seven albums? Sure. But nowadays the differences between Scenes and BCSL are just as pronounced as those between Scenes and, say, Images and Words.

[robwebster]

...And the moment I said the word "Panic Attack" is the moment my argument has become a little too ambitious for me to supplement, at the moment, with the room spinning, but I stand by it. Or rather, I will in the morning, when I'm sober. Probably. If I'm not hanging my head in shame. (The forum effect! Wouldn't've gone that far sober! That bloke was right!)

Yeah, more or less.

I mostly agree with your bigger points about new vs. old, although I disagree with some of your specifics.  (ANTR being structurally flawed?    Really?  )

Aye, I'd say so. The third act is about as long as the first two put together, which I'd describe as far too drawn out for a climax. I'd say that's a bigger problem than anything Scarred's got, but Nightmare to Remember's the one I love and Scarred is the one that I'm bitterly apathetic towards.

[Mr. Beale]

For me I usually think of DT's middle era (SFAM and 6DOIT) as being their best with equal love for early and later styles. Although to be honest I probably enjoy later more due to the fact I never want to listen to WDADU anymore and find most of FII boring.