New to Draem Theatre-few Q

[ori.elias5]

Hey guys!!

I just discovered DT and i'm amazeddd

I love music- especially rock music: Iron Maiden, Savatage, Ozzy, Tesla, Pearl Jam, AIC, Pink Floyd, Rush etc..... few weeks ago i found in my dad's collection "Awake", and decided to give it a chance (never heard anything by DT).

After few listens i realized that its a great album and decided to explore DT . gotta say that i was blown away by " A Mind beside itself".

i couldn't wait, and went to the closest store and got ADTOE. so far after few listens its growing on me more and more but not the same level as awake (which i expected after the little reserch i made).

Anyway, when i find a new band, i have a special method to listen to their albums: i like to start from the low-mediocre albums and finish up strong leaving the best to the end. this way i have smt to wait for, to expect- if i'm blown away by the avarage stuff-i will be in heaven when i hear the better stuff. i know, some of you will disagree with me and say just get I&W or whatever is top notch and then if u like buy the rest, but this is the way i like doing it.

so................... i would like to know what is your recomandations for me after hearing just AWAKE and ADTOE( by my special way), and if u can, please list the top 3 songs )

thanks guys, it will really help me....good to be here   

[Zydar]

Hi and welcome!

Well if you are going to start with the low-mediocre albums I won't recommend my favourites (Images, Six Degrees, and Scenes) so go with the debut instead and maybe Systematic Chaos or Black Clouds.

[Outcrier]

I would say Octavarium then, not the best neither the worst.
Top songs? See this: www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=3364.0

My personal top 3 songs is: Octavarium, A Change Of Seasons and Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence.

[Tom Bombadil]

Welcome to the forums! Unfortunately you kind of screwed up your strategy of listening to weaker albums first. Awake is an absolute masterpiece and probably my favorite album of all time. No place to go but down now

But not including Awake and ADTOE, my list from worst to best (and their best songs);

Systematic Chaos- The Ministry of Lost Souls
When Dream and Day Unite- Ytse Jam, A Fortune in Lies
Black Clouds- The Count of Tuscany
DT12- The Bigger Picture, The Looking Glass
Octavarium- Octavarium
Scenes From a Memory- The Spirit Carries On, Overture1928
Train of Thought- In the Name of God, Endless Sacrifice
Falling Into Infinity- Lines in the Sand, Trial of Tears, Hells Kitchen
Six Degrees- Misunderstood, Blind Faith, Disappear
Images & Words- Everything

[GasparXR]

It's hard to tell you which are the best and worst because there's so many different opinions on DT albums. Generally speaking, Images and Words, Awake, Scenes From a Memory, and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence are among the favourites, and When Dream and Day Unite, Systematic Chaos, and Black Clouds & Silver Linings are among the least favourite, but the self-titled album has found it's way to the top of many album rankings as well. This is mine for reference, not to turn this into another ranking thread.

1) Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
2) Dream Theater (2013)
3) Octavarium (2005)

4) Awake (1994)
5) Images and Words (1992)
6) Falling Into Infinity (1997)

7) A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
8) Scenes from a Memory (1999)
9) Train of Thought (2003)
10) When Dream and Day Unite (1989)

11) Systematic Chaos (2007)
12) Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

Each group of albums I find are very similar in quality. Don't forget to check out the EP A Change of Seasons as well! I would probably rank it with albums 7-10.

[Lucien]

Worst to best:

Systematic Chaos
Black Clouds and Silver Linings
When Dream and Day Unite
Train of Thought
Falling Into Infinity
Awake
Scenes From a Memory
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
Dream Theater
A Dramatic Turn of Events
Images and Words
Octavarium

[jakepriest]

You will probably get a lot of mixed lists on this site because people here have very different tastes.
Stuff that is universally liked and should be left for last for your system is: Awake, Images and Words, Scenes From A Memory + Train Of Thought(if you really enjoy heavier stuff)

For my personal ranking, from best to worst:

1. Scenes From A Memory
2. Train of Thought
3. Awake
4. Images And Words
5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
6. A Dramatic Turn of Events
7. Dream Theater
8. Systematic Chaos
9. Octavarium
10. Black Clouds and Silver Linings
11. Falling Into Infinity
12. WDADU

[Buddyhunter1]

The general consensus around here seems to be that the worst albums, in no particular order, are WDADU, Systematic Chaos, BC&SL, and maybe Falling Into Infinity.

[Crow]

Well, you started with Awake so yeah. Good luck finding something better 

BC&SL is a good place to start if you want a very "meh" album, as is their Self-Titled or Systematic Chaos. Ignore the people recommending FII or 8VM because those albums both have lots of great songs that blow most of the stuff on the three I listed out of the water.

[Destiny Of Chaos]

Your going to get a lot of different opinions as to what albums are better than others, but if can make some suggestions....

Listen to Images & Words before you listen to Metropolis pt 2: Scenes From a Memory. This is simply because Metropolis pt 1: The Miracle & The Sleeper is a song from Images & Words, and you most likely will like the latter more if you're familiar with the former. Also, if I were you, I'd make Images & Words and Scenes From a Memory the last two albums that you listen to. Those two, along with Awake are three of the most praised DT works. Finally, when you listen to Scenes From a Memory, consider listening to it with a good pair of headphones, with the lyric book in your hand (it's a concept album, so it's fun to follow along). This is the way that I first listened to it. That was back in 1999 and it is to this day my favorite album ever. 

Please also check out the music discussion forum. When I first discovered DT, I listened to more mainstream rock like Metallica, Ozzy & others. Now there are many bands that I listen to that I never would have stumbled across without first learning of DT. The music discussion forum mentions many bands worth checking out.

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on discovering this incredible band.

[jakepriest]

if you want a very "meh" album, as is their Self-Titled or Systematic Chaos.

Apparently we will never get along. 

[Outcrier]

Well, you started with Awake so yeah. Good luck finding something better 

BC&SL is a good place to start if you want a very "meh" album, as is their Self-Titled or Systematic Chaos. Ignore the people recommending FII or 8VM because those albums both have lots of great songs that blow most of the stuff on the three I listed out of the water.

That's exactly why i recommended 8varium (lot of great songs), what's the point of listening to Black Clouds or Systematic Chaos after Awake  (don't take this seriously)

[ori.elias5]

Wow! what a great welcome!!

I appreciate all of your thoughts, and it is also very helpful.

nice to know that there are great ppl here that i can discuss about DT anytime about anything...

Thanks a lot guys you are awesome, and obviously i would be happy to hear more thoughts!

[Sacul]

Dream Theater has metal and rock stuff.

Meh albums

Rock:
When Dream and day unite (Another singer, a lot of Rush influence)
Falling Into infinity (A bit commercial)
Octavarium (Muse and U2 influences)
Dream Theater (Self-titled)
A Dramatic Turn of Events

Metal:
Systematic Chaos (Has some death metal things)
Black Clouds & Silver Linnings (Very long songs, a bit boring)

Heaven albums

Rock:
Images & Words (One of the best progressive albums ever)
Scenes from a Memory (Musical perfection)
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (Near perfection)
A Change of Seasons (It's an EP with a long song, their firt epic masterpiece)

Metal:
Awake
Train of Thought (DT's heaviest album)

That's the general opinion among the fans, but it can vary a lot. Don't worry, sooner or later you'll learn the entire discography. Plus, as many people, I don't regret of discovering Dream Theater and the progressive genre.

[KevShmev]

Lots of good recommendations already!

Like has been said, you've already started off with two of their best, but if you are intent on going from the least best to the best, start off with the debut, Systematic Chaos, & Octavarium, and save I&W and Scenes till the end.

Enjoy the ride!!

[senecadawg2]

Interesting way you're approaching this, I hope it works out well for you and you aren't too turned off by the less stellar albums 

I'd suggest starting with the more recent albums+FII and WDADU and saving SFAM, I&W, and SDOIT for later

I'd rank them like this...

FII
ToT
BC&SL
WDADU
DT12
8VARIUM
SC

[The Stray Seed]

Follow your own path. Listen carefully and without prejudice. Anything is good to go, as long as you've got time and a good pair of headphones. And always remember that your first impression will not necessarily be your last, especially with music this complex and layered. The mood is also very important, as some songs/albums will click just when you hear them in the right spirit or attitude. Listen to everyone in this forum cause the place is packed full with precious informations, but when it comes to what music is good or bad, trust noone but yourself.

[yeshaberto]

welcome!

I can only dream of being in the position of DT being new and the excitement of hearing an entire discography of new stuff

Enjoy!

[Cable]

Welcome, love your strategy! Glad you got hooked in too, because if you started with the worst you may not be here!

The album thing is already covered adequately, but not your top 3 song request it seems. There are at least weekly threads of the top songs, and I wish we could aggregate those. I will give the basic favourites of the bottom albums (not necessarily my personal favs on the albums) already mentioned.

Octavarium [epic], Panic Attack
OAMOT (WDADU)
TCOT [epic] (BC&SL)
ITPOE [epic], TMOLS (SC)
Trial of Tears ( FII)

[425]

Since you've heard only Awake and ADTOE:

The weaker DT album most similar to Awake is Falling Into Infinity. It shares the style of compact songs with only a couple of epics. The epics on FII, Lines In the Sand and Trial of Tears, are pretty much on par with the epics from Awake, but some of the compact songs are weaker (most people aren't big fans of You Not Me, Take Away My Pain, Burning My Soul or Just Let Me Breathe). There's still a lot of good stuff on the album though. In the category of weaker albums similar to Awake, you might also want to look to the debut, When Dream and Day Unite. It has a different singer, Charlie Dominici, which can be weird (his voice sounds at times like he's trying to emulate Geddy Lee, but he actually has his own style. But some of the melodies are somewhat weak). There are good songs and it's interesting to hear kind of the very beginnings of the band, but it's still a weaker album with some of what are generally considered their worst songs in Light Fuse and Get Away and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun.

Looking more at "similar to ADTOE," the weaker albums would be Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds & Silver Linings. BCSL is a lot like a darker, more self-indulgent ADTOE and has good stuff, particularly The Count of Tuscany, but a lot of the album has a mixed reception due to the prevalence of Mike Portnoy doing some gruff vocals. I'm not sure how receptive to that stuff you are or not, but this is the album in their collection with the most of that type of singing. In A Nightmare to Remember he does a whole section of gruff singing that a lot of people dislike and he does that style of singing as a backing vocalist in all the songs except Wither and The Best of Times. The same type of singing is also prominent on SC, though that one is not as similar as an album to ADTOE, it has more of a loose, "let's have fun with it and do over-the-top stuff particularly with the lyrics" feel. Somewhat like 80s Iron Maiden except really really prog. Just to give you more of a rundown on where there is gruff singing from Mike, he does co-lead vocals on Constant Motion and The Dark Eternal Night, does a whole passage on Prophets of War, backs on In the Presence of Enemies, and sings one line clean in Repentance.

I do want to say, despite what Sacul said, nothing on SC can be called death metal. The Dark Eternal Night is an aggressive song with some section of distorted vocals over very heavy riffs, but there is nothing on that album (or any other DT record) that comes close to being death metal. Probably as close as it gets is the Mike Portnoy vocal section on A Nightmare to Remember or perhaps parts of Honor Thy Father on the album Train of Thought, but DT has never done death metal. I don't like death metal, but I do like every song DT has done.

Anyway, those four are really all the albums that people find to be weaker. I'll give you a quick rundown of the rest in order of weakest to strongest in popular opinion with a brief description:

• Train of Thought - Their heaviest album. Aside from Vacant and the beginning of Endless Sacrifice, pretty much a nonstop onslaught of heavy metal.
  
• Octavarium - A couple long songs including the absolute classic of a title track, with a lot of shorter songs, some of which could even be considered poppy (The Answer Lies Within, I Walk Beside You). Generally one of their less-heavy albums.
  
• Dream Theater - Similar to Awake in the respect of having a lot of shorter songs, but heavier in a way and less atmospheric, particularly regarding keyboard playing.
  
• Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Super experimental for them and on the heavier side. This isn't one of my personal favorites but a lot of people seem to really love it.
  
• Scenes From a Memory - DT's only concept album. Somewhat similar to ADTOE in style. You may or may not want to do this one after Images because this whole album is a sequel to one of the songs on that album.
  
• Images and Words - A masterpiece. Sort of similar to ADTOE but not as heavy and with more jazz influence.
  

Hope this helps!

[Lucien]

There are good songs and it's interesting to hear kind of the very beginnings of the band, but it's still a weaker album with some of what are generally considered their worst songs in Light Fuse and Get Away and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun.

I haven't heard that many complaints about TOWHTSTS. It's an awesome song.

[Cable]

There are good songs and it's interesting to hear kind of the very beginnings of the band, but it's still a weaker album with some of what are generally considered their worst songs in Light Fuse and Get Away and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun.

I haven't heard that many complaints about TOWHTSTS. It's an awesome song.

Prob my least favourite on the album! 

[425]

I haven't heard that many complaints about TOWHTSTS. It's an awesome song.

My impression has always been that it had a few serious fans but most people didn't think much of it. Personally I don't think much of it, though it has its good parts. To my ear, the chorus has never quite lived up to its potential. I have this idea in my head of what I want the chorus to sound like, and neither Charlie on the album nor James on WDADRU quite get there (though Charlie is closer). If I could hear it with my non-existent idealized version of the chorus, it would improve a lot in my view though I think it would still be somewhat close to the bottom of the DT barrel (which is of course a very high quality barrel, but still).

[JonnyM93]

Welcome! Congrats on finding one of the greatest bands ever! All the suggestions here are great, but just remember, just because someone says one album is weaker than another doesn't mean it's bad by a long shot. All DT albums have their strong points. Don't let anyone's opinion influence yours, listen with an open mind. And make sure you Take The Time to listen to each one, you don't want to judge too quickly! Other than that enjoy your musical journey!

[ori.elias5]

Follow your own path. Listen carefully and without prejudice. Anything is good to go, as long as you've got time and a good pair of headphones. And always remember that your first impression will not necessarily be your last, especially with music this complex and layered. The mood is also very important, as some songs/albums will click just when you hear them in the right spirit or attitude. Listen to everyone in this forum cause the place is packed full with precious informations, but when it comes to what music is good or bad, trust noone but yourself.

amen to that!!

Welcome! Congrats on finding one of the greatest bands ever! All the suggestions here are great, but just remember, just because someone says one album is weaker than another doesn't mean it's bad by a long shot. All DT albums have their strong points. Don't let anyone's opinion influence yours, listen with an open mind. And make sure you Take The Time to listen to each one, you don't want to judge too quickly! Other than that enjoy your musical journey!

totally agree with u

Since you've heard only Awake and ADTOE:

The weaker DT album most similar to Awake is Falling Into Infinity. It shares the style of compact songs with only a couple of epics. The epics on FII, Lines In the Sand and Trial of Tears, are pretty much on par with the epics from Awake, but some of the compact songs are weaker (most people aren't big fans of You Not Me, Take Away My Pain, Burning My Soul or Just Let Me Breathe). There's still a lot of good stuff on the album though. In the category of weaker albums similar to Awake, you might also want to look to the debut, When Dream and Day Unite. It has a different singer, Charlie Dominici, which can be weird (his voice sounds at times like he's trying to emulate Geddy Lee, but he actually has his own style. But some of the melodies are somewhat weak). There are good songs and it's interesting to hear kind of the very beginnings of the band, but it's still a weaker album with some of what are generally considered their worst songs in Light Fuse and Get Away and The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun.

Looking more at "similar to ADTOE," the weaker albums would be Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds & Silver Linings. BCSL is a lot like a darker, more self-indulgent ADTOE and has good stuff, particularly The Count of Tuscany, but a lot of the album has a mixed reception due to the prevalence of Mike Portnoy doing some gruff vocals. I'm not sure how receptive to that stuff you are or not, but this is the album in their collection with the most of that type of singing. In A Nightmare to Remember he does a whole section of gruff singing that a lot of people dislike and he does that style of singing as a backing vocalist in all the songs except Wither and The Best of Times. The same type of singing is also prominent on SC, though that one is not as similar as an album to ADTOE, it has more of a loose, "let's have fun with it and do over-the-top stuff particularly with the lyrics" feel. Somewhat like 80s Iron Maiden except really really prog. Just to give you more of a rundown on where there is gruff singing from Mike, he does co-lead vocals on Constant Motion and The Dark Eternal Night, does a whole passage on Prophets of War, backs on In the Presence of Enemies, and sings one line clean in Repentance.

I do want to say, despite what Sacul said, nothing on SC can be called death metal. The Dark Eternal Night is an aggressive song with some section of distorted vocals over very heavy riffs, but there is nothing on that album (or any other DT record) that comes close to being death metal. Probably as close as it gets is the Mike Portnoy vocal section on A Nightmare to Remember or perhaps parts of Honor Thy Father on the album Train of Thought, but DT has never done death metal. I don't like death metal, but I do like every song DT has done.

Anyway, those four are really all the albums that people find to be weaker. I'll give you a quick rundown of the rest in order of weakest to strongest in popular opinion with a brief description:

• Train of Thought - Their heaviest album. Aside from Vacant and the beginning of Endless Sacrifice, pretty much a nonstop onslaught of heavy metal.
  
• Octavarium - A couple long songs including the absolute classic of a title track, with a lot of shorter songs, some of which could even be considered poppy (The Answer Lies Within, I Walk Beside You). Generally one of their less-heavy albums.
  
• Dream Theater - Similar to Awake in the respect of having a lot of shorter songs, but heavier in a way and less atmospheric, particularly regarding keyboard playing.
  
• Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Super experimental for them and on the heavier side. This isn't one of my personal favorites but a lot of people seem to really love it.
  
• Scenes From a Memory - DT's only concept album. Somewhat similar to ADTOE in style. You may or may not want to do this one after Images because this whole album is a sequel to one of the songs on that album.
  
• Images and Words - A masterpiece. Sort of similar to ADTOE but not as heavy and with more jazz influence.
  

Hope this helps!

thank u!!

[425]

No problem! You have a fantastic journey ahead of you!

[Ħ]

I can't for the life of me figure out the meaning of the topic title.

[425]

It means that (s)he is new to Dream Theater and has a few questions.

[Zook]

I love me some Draem Theatre.

[Nearmyth]

Oh man, this thread...

Listen to whatever you find, journey through Dream Theater by your own path. Discover and find what you enjoy most and enjoy least about Dream Theater, go through their discography at your own pace. That is the best way to experience Dream Theater.

[d-tailer]

I agree that just randomly exploring the variety of musical styles in DT's archives of albums & concerts is a real treat for newbies - with the aid of suggestions on the forum.

As previously posted, here's a Wiki of their complete (A>Y) songs list that's useful (in conjunction with Letter M's albums & songs index thread) 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_recorded_by_Dream_Theater

Also this discography includes tracklists of the live albums: https://www.listal.com/list/dream-theater-discography

Enjoy the journey through Dream Theater's extensive collection.

[puppyonacid]

I'd agree with the the general feeling of which albums to go through in a "worst to best" order. Cool idea!

Just to muddy the waters a bit...........I would suggest perhaps throwing in Liquid Tension Experiment II and giving that a spin before you listen to Scenes From a Memory. That was the last album that JP and MP recorded before Scenes and it was the catalyst for getting Jordan Rudess on board for the Scenes album.

Note - just so you're not massively confused - Liquid Tension Experiment was a side project featuring Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess and Tony Levin. Well worth a spin and certainly puts some of DTs recordings in some sort of context with regards to songwriting when you consider what came after.