Where does Dream Theater rank for you all-time?

[JediKnight1969]

1- THE BEATLES


2- Pink Floyd

3- Dream Theater

4- Deep Purple / Rainbow
5- Iron Maiden

In no particular order:

Yes
Kansas
Black Sabbath
Led Zeppelin
Whitesnake

[CrimsonSunrise]

I'd have to say they are my all time favorite.  I've actively listened to and been attending their shows for the last 21 years.  Next for me would Be Led Zeppelin, who I was raised with.

Top 10

1. DT
2. Led Zeppelin
3. Rush
4. Rainbow/Dio
5. Pink Floyd
6. Iron Maiden
7. Queensryche
8. Black Sabbath (especially the Dio years)
9. Deep Purple
10.  Nightwish  (New to them but think they're pretty awesome)

[ariich]

Dunno, I don't really rank bands that precisely. And there are a hell of a lot of bands I like. Definitely not top 3, but probably top 10.

[Fritzinger]

I'd say, Dream Theater would be sharing No. 1 with Genesis for me. But Genesis has put out some pretty bad stuff after Duke, while DT has never even released one single song I can't stand. I like some more than others, but I don't think they have one bad song. So that brings DT on number one.
The rest of my top ten is hard to say. They always vary, though there are some steady bands like Led Zep, Beatles, Yes (also released some baaad stuff though) or Mark Knopler (not a band I know).

[phospheneSOI]

Huh this was REALLY hard to get my head around, but top 10 seems about fair.

[Madman Shepherd]

Impossible to say.  I went with 3rd favorite even though I don't have an official ranking system. 

I often refer to Black Sabbath as my favorite band and King Diamond is up there, too.  I chose 3rd even though as of now, DT are more or less at #1.  I visit this board every day and I rarely visit Sabbath or KD boards.  I also love Deep Purple and Uriah Heep and would probably put them in my top 5 but Dream Theater produces more new music and tours more so it is just easier to have them be my favorite. 

Still, I chose 3rd because Sabbath and King were my obsessions from my early teen years. 

[wolven74]

I ranked them as my favorite band. I'd buy their albums site unseen or unheard, no matter what. There are other bands I'd do this with, but not for as long as I have with DT. It's kinda sad, really. I know there are songs of theirs that, over time, the more I listen to them the less I like them, therefore I'm able to skip. But, each album of DT brings with it a particular anticipation that no other band has ever been able to reach with me.

[KevShmev]

3rd
RUSH #1
Steven Wilson /Porcupine Tree  #2

Ya know, if I combined SW's solo stuff and PT, they'd probably be number 1 on my list...ahead of Rush.  Yeah, I said it.

[Rodni Demental]

I wanna say top 5, but they've certainly been up and down as my favourite band a few times too. I don't know if I could say all time favourite but they're certainly consistent for me. I don't think there are many bands where I've grown to like every single one of their albums, so that's something.

In any case, I assume most of us a here because they're one of our favourite bands, but I guess that goes without saying. 

[425]

I'm going to go ahead and say they're probably still #1.

I have kind of my elite three, and then a few others that are very close, and then a collection of bands that I like or like a lot but don't qualify for the top spots.

My elite three are Dream Theater, Nightwish and Coldplay. And honestly, I think all things considered, DT still comes out #1 out of those three (Coldplay second, Nightwish third? I think?). The difference-makers are the great epic songs they've made over the years, the volume of output and the pure strength of my all-time favorite album, Images and Words.

[Nearmyth]

Top 10. It's hard for me to compare and list bands especially with such disparity between certain genres. Every band satisfies one aspect of my musical interest or another. I imagine a lot of people are the same way too. Though I will say Dream Theater will always be my favorite progressive metal band.

[Setlist Scotty]

They've been my favorite band since around '99 and I don't see them ever falling out of the top spot.

Pretty much the same.  Knocked Rush off the top rung where they had been for 20 years.

These two posts pretty much sum it up for me, altho it was 1998 for me, so roughly about 17 years that Rush had been #1 in my book. But they still are a close second, followed by Riverside. Other bands that would also be in my top 10 include Queensryche, Porcupine Tree and Jolly.

[Prog Snob]

Since others are adding their other favorites, I'll join in.

Dream Theater are at the top, followed by:
Pink Floyd
Rush
Marillion
Porcupine Tree/Steven Wilson
Neal Morse
Yes
Savatage
Fates Warning

[Cool Chris]

I'd put them as my number one, even if they aren't the artist I listen to the most. They have very little material I flat out don't care for, and I appreciate the quality and frequency of work they release. I like the live DVDs, and the special offerings like the official bootleg releases. They seem very humble and don't take their fans for granted.

I think of the material I enjoy of Pink Floyd, I'd rank them #1, but there is much of their material I do not care for, and am not old enough to have been able to experience their time as a band in real time.

[fadetoblackdude7]

2nd only to Metallica for me.

[erwinrafael]

For me, only behind The Beatles and Queen.

[jsbru]

• Dream Theater
• Yes
• Genesis
• Pink Floyd
• Radiohead

After that, it's hard to rank them.  Honorable mention in no particular order: Megadeth, early Metallica, Phish, Grateful Dead, Chroma Key, King's X, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, SRV, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood/Traffic, Queensryche.

It's funny, most of the other bands I like really aren't classified as progressive metal despite DT being #1.  Could never really get into Opeth, Fate's Warning, Symphony X, Meshuggah, Periphery, etc.  I occasionally give Porcupine Tree a listen, but although I like their overall tone, I feel like they get boring kind of fast.

[tristl]

1. no contest dream theater
and then in always changing order
metallica
iron maiden
thin lizzy
ufo
nevermore
machine head
rush
ansthema
opeth
porcupine tree(were much higher once)
deep purple(with david coverdale)
whitesnake(as long as david coverdale could sing)

[mikeyd23]

I'd say consistently over the years they have probably remained my #1.

[emtee]

I'm not really sure. Top 10 I'd guess. But what I do know is there is/was no band that I felt more connected to or where I felt this
need to spread the word and to go see shows. This dynamic is unique to DT for me. I never felt that way with any other band
and the only reason I can think of is because Portnoy kept reaching out to me (not personally) and offering more than other
bands so I felt this unique kinship. From the period of I&W through SDoiT (with a WTF period following FII and subsequently
realizing it was a great album) DT was #1 for sure.

[hefdaddy42]

Still # 1

[bosk1]

They've been my favorite band since around '99 and I don't see them ever falling out of the top spot.

Pretty much the same.  Knocked Rush off the top rung where they had been for 20 years.

Change Rush to Queensryche, and that's me.  There was a stretch where Neal Morse (solo) almost bumped them, just because the music was right up there with DT (even though I generally prefer metal over rock) and the lyrics were much more personal and relatable to me.  But then Neal kinda lost me for awhile.  Transatlantic also came close.

[Zydar]

They've been my favorite band since around '99 and I don't see them ever falling out of the top spot.

Pretty much the same.  Knocked Rush off the top rung where they had been for 20 years.

Change Rush to Queensryche, and that's me.  There was a stretch where Neal Morse (solo) almost bumped them, just because the music was right up there with DT (even though I generally prefer metal over rock) and the lyrics were much more personal and relatable to me.  But then Neal kinda lost me for awhile.  Transatlantic also came close.

Out of curiosty, where would you rank Maiden?

[r3d86]

1 for sure - DT Always will be DT

[bosk1]

They've been my favorite band since around '99 and I don't see them ever falling out of the top spot.

Pretty much the same.  Knocked Rush off the top rung where they had been for 20 years.

Change Rush to Queensryche, and that's me.  There was a stretch where Neal Morse (solo) almost bumped them, just because the music was right up there with DT (even though I generally prefer metal over rock) and the lyrics were much more personal and relatable to me.  But then Neal kinda lost me for awhile.  Transatlantic also came close.

Out of curiosty, where would you rank Maiden?

Hard to say.  Remember that I was not a Maiden fan growing up, and only got into them in VERY recent years.  I like them, but they aren't a top 10 band for me (or maybe low in the top 10).  It is really hard for me to rank bands nowadays.  Some of the ones up at the top for me are DT, Queensryche, Redemption, Transatlantic, and Neal Morse (solo).  Beyond those up at the top, my list is ever-changing.  But I guess the next tier down after those top bands would include a large pool of bands like Metallica (haven't done anything I have liked much in a long time, but still get respect for the amazing run of Ride through the Black album), Megadeth, Epica, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Stryper, Y&T, Symphony X, and Maiden, among others.

[MirrorMask]

Well, titles of "favorite bands" for me are honorary - it's 20 years that I listen to metal, my first metal band was Iron Maiden and they always will be my "favorite band", even though I don't listen to them anymore. Sure, each time a new album comes out I dive fully into it and then listen to it a lot, and then move on to something newer, as I discover more and more bands and my tastes evolve and develop. I listen to songs like The Trooper and The Number of the Beast only at concerts, I'm actually even tired of Fear of the Dark when they play it live and I can't remember the last time I ever felt the need to listen to the studio version of it.

I know Dream Theater since 1999 so they're an "old band" enough for me to never feel the need to listen to Pull Me Under for the gazillionth time, when a new album rolls out I listen to it, maybe I feel thrown into DT mode and make compilations to listen to when I go to work, and then that's it, save for the occasional desire to listen to this or that album.

Having said all of this... if Iron Maiden symbolically is my favorite band, Dream Theater comes second. I actually really like them very much. That's why I bothered to register here in the first place, the still high interest I have in the band, even though listening to all the albums up and included to DT12 is a very rare occasion and not a weekly or even monthly event 

[Mark Levinson Jr.]

Number 1 - and here's why.....

I find their music to be really positive and motivating. Really uplifting and inspiring. I like plenty of bands that are a bit dark and/or cynical, and there are times when I have an attitude or a tough time at work and that music is a good fit for me that day. But Dream Theater has been so consistently positive, they're like an antidote for all the unpleasant things in the world that I have to know about.

If I take the entire body of work from Dream Theater, the music, the videos, the lyrics and the artwork.... it all adds up to this one big "thought" that they've placed in my head over the years. And that big idea, which is the sum total of their combined effort, fits in my head like the missing puzzle piece that I've always needed. In fact, I'm so lucky to have it!

Sometimes late at night, when I'm listening to Dream Theater and drifting off to sleep, I can't even tell if they are "heavy" and distorted, or anything like metal. I can no longer compare them on that scale. It just sounds like pure music, right music. What music, or even sound, should just sound like.

Lots of bands can make you feel like you are "in" on the big secret, or that you "get" some inside joke... but it's more than that. Dream Theater helps me, soothes me, entertains me, educates me, and is a bright spot in life that I always have with me. They make me want to do my best. That is why they are number one in my book!

[Dublagent66]

Top 10 (but not top 5)  10 years ago would've been more like top 3.  There's been a bit of a drop off...

[kirksnosehair]

   
• Iron Maiden
• Dream Theater
• Tie between: Neal Morse, Transatlantic, Spock's Beard

[MirrorMask]

   
• Iron Maiden
• Dream Theater

Ha, so I'm not the only one!

[kirksnosehair]

Top 10 (but not top 5)  10 years ago would've been more like top 3.  There's been a bit of a drop off...

They were my #1 for the second half of the 90's and well into the 00's.  I think it peaked in 2002 (at least I think it was '02) when they toured in support of "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence."  What an amazing concert that was!       I'd even go so far as to say it was Astonishing   

[kirksnosehair]

   
• Iron Maiden
• Dream Theater

Ha, so I'm not the only one!

Workout shirt from this morning:





                                         

[chaossystem]

Top 50. I like DT, but there are so many other artists who recorded much better stuff.

There aren't even 50 good bands on Earth.

Do you mean currently in existence, or throughout the entire history of rock?

[Jaffa]

I'm not really sure.  Definitely top three. 

[Architeuthis]

Tied for 1st place with Rush..
Followed closely by Iron Maiden, Yes, Boston, Symphony X, Scorpions, VH..