Your top 3 DT albums (other than the regular top 4)

[TAC]

I love how the OP has WildRanger style suppositions to the Top 4 albums.

They're not suppositions.

I suppose. 

[KevShmev]

Regardless of personal opinions, I would think anyone who has been around here long enough would agree that Scenes, Images, Awake and Six Degrees are the four most popular DT albums, at least with the online community, so this is a good poll.

[Northern Lion]

Regardless of personal opinions, I would think anyone who has been around here long enough would agree that Scenes, Images, Awake and Six Degrees are the four most popular DT albums, at least with the online community, so this is a good poll.

Thanks!

TAC, I'm not quite sure what you mean, but in case anyone missed it, or if i wasn't very clear, the only reason I did this new poll was because it was suggested by a few people in the last one. It sounded like a good idea to me, so here it is.

[TAC]

Regardless of personal opinions, I would think anyone who has been around here long enough would agree that Scenes, Images, Awake and Six Degrees are the four most popular DT albums, at least with the online community, so this is a good poll.

Thanks!

TAC, I'm quite sure what you mean, but in case anyone missed it, or if i wasn't very clear, the only reason I did this new poll was because it was suggested by a few people in the last one. It sounded like a good idea to me, so here it is. 😊

I was just joshing. WildRanger is famous for starting polls with suppositions as facts in his OP's. I just thought it was funny.


My opinion is that 6 D's doesn't sniff my Top 4, never mind my Top 7.

[Madman Shepherd]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

[Cool Chris]

SC is the hardest for me to rank. Out of all their albums, it has some of the highest highs, and the lowest lows.

[NoFred]

Regardless of personal opinions, I would think anyone who has been around here long enough would agree that Scenes, Images, Awake and Six Degrees are the four most popular DT albums, at least with the online community, so this is a good poll.

Thanks!

TAC, I'm quite sure what you mean, but in case anyone missed it, or if i wasn't very clear, the only reason I did this new poll was because it was suggested by a few people in the last one. It sounded like a good idea to me, so here it is. 😊

The other poll definitely separated the big four from the others. Interestingly it also showed the big four are really split top 2 and bottom 2 as well.

This poll allowed SC to get some votes, so it's got that going for it 

[Northern Lion]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

I agree, I've never understood why so many here on DTF generally rank it so low. The only real stinker for me is repentance. And ITPoE is my favorite DT song.

[Northern Lion]

Regardless of personal opinions, I would think anyone who has been around here long enough would agree that Scenes, Images, Awake and Six Degrees are the four most popular DT albums, at least with the online community, so this is a good poll.

Thanks!

TAC, I'm quite sure what you mean, but in case anyone missed it, or if i wasn't very clear, the only reason I did this new poll was because it was suggested by a few people in the last one. It sounded like a good idea to me, so here it is. 😊

I was just joshing. WildRanger is famous for starting polls with suppositions as facts in his OP's. I just thought it was funny.


My opinion is that 6 D's doesn't sniff my Top 4, never mind my Top 7.

No worries.    So, are you referring to the poll title itself?

[pg1067]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

I agree, I've never understood why so many here on DTF generally rank it so low. The only real stinker for me is repentance. And ITPoE is my favorite DT song.

For me, SC is quite comfortably at the bottom of my DT rankings.

CM is a very, very good song.

TDEN is good, and Forsaken is somewhat less than good.  I have zero interest in the rest of the album, and Repentance is the single worst song in DT's catalog.

[Revenge319]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

I agree, I've never understood why so many here on DTF generally rank it so low. The only real stinker for me is repentance. And ITPoE is my favorite DT song.

I think Systematic Chaos is a lot better than people give it credit for. The only song I don't really listen to on it is Forsaken, but even then I still think Forsaken is a pretty good song. Honestly, I'd say it's a better album than Images and Words; on that album, there are two songs that I never go back to unless I'm listening to the album from start-to-finish. (Those two songs in question being Take the Time and Under A Glass Moon.)

[Evermind]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

I agree, I've never understood why so many here on DTF generally rank it so low. The only real stinker for me is repentance. And ITPoE is my favorite DT song.

For me, SC is quite comfortably at the bottom of my DT rankings.

CM is a very, very good song.

TDEN is good, and Forsaken is somewhat less than good.  I have zero interest in the rest of the album, and Repentance is the single worst song in DT's catalog.

It's amazing how different tastes are sometimes. I think SC is great except for two songs I absolutely can't stand: CM and TDEN.

Voted 8vm, SC and TOT. ADTOE and DoT just missed the cut.

[ChuckSteak]

FII
Octavarium
Black Clouds

[bosk1]

I think SC is great except for two songs I absolutely can't stand: CM and TDEN.

I know all the many abbreviations can be confusing sometimes, so let me help since you spelled those wrong:
-"Prophets of War" is generally abbreviated "PoW" or "POW."
-"The Ministry of Lost Souls" is generally abbreviated "TMOLS."

Hope that helps! 

[Revenge319]

I think SC is great except for two songs I absolutely can't stand: CM and TDEN.

I know all the many abbreviations can be confusing sometimes, so let me help since you spelled those wrong:
-"Prophets of War" is generally abbreviated "PoW" or "POW."
-"The Ministry of Lost Souls" is generally abbreviated "TMOLS."

Hope that helps! 

Both of you are way off. The album is generally abbreviated as "ToT" and the song is generally abbreviated as "HTF".

[lovethedrake]

This is a pretty interesting idea. The decision for me was easy since ADTOE & DoT didn't make the initial cut.

Interesting that my sole vote for SC is now joined by half a dozen votes. You other five may not have thought SC was top 4 material, but at least we can all agree that it's better than mediocre!

I agree, I've never understood why so many here on DTF generally rank it so low. The only real stinker for me is repentance. And ITPoE is my favorite DT song.

Personally, the production is stale and Labrie's vocals are thin.     The production of the album and the vocals are very "metal".   They are not warm and proggy.

ITPOE Pt 1 is AWESOME live.  I don't love it on the record.   

Repentence also feels underwritten and CM and DEN are generic.

Despite this... the album has actually grown on me over the years but its still a bottom tier DT album for me.

Take that for what it's worth though.... I love the proggy side of DT.   The "Big 4" are my top 4 with the top 3 being their masterpieces.

SFAM
I&W
6DOIT

Awake

[Cool Chris]

I think SC is great except for two songs I absolutely can't stand: CM and TDEN.

That's where I am at.

[Volante99]

I think SC is great except for two songs I absolutely can't stand: CM and TDEN.

That's where I am at.

SC is just kind of average in every way. Even the best song ITPoE seems a bit uninspired. I'm most likely waaay off base on this but it sounds like one of those "contractually obligated" albums where a band is putting together something because they have to, not necessary because they want to.

It's probably the DT album I listen to the least. It doesn't help that it suffers from a compression/loudness problem. I'd love to hear a remaster of this album with some breathing room.

CM is aight. I rather like that drum/guitar break bridge where Portnoy is grooving all over the kit. Good solo by JP too.

TDEN, on the other hand I have NO time for.

TDEN

[TAC]

Systematic Chaos sounds like a band having fun. I've always said that.

I believe Dream Theater reached a pinnacle in their career with Score. SC feels to me that they basically showed up to create SC with really nothing to shoot for. Perhaps to some, that is clear in the quality of the songs. Personally, I disagree that there's a lack of quality. I really enjoy SC for what it is. It's not serious, and has a calming looseness about it.

[KevShmev]

Systematic Chaos sounds like a band having fun. I've always said that.

I believe Dream Theater reached a pinnacle in their career with Score. SC feels to me that they basically showed up to create SC with really nothing to shoot for. Perhaps to some, that is clear in the quality of the songs. Personally, I disagree that there's a lack of quality. I really enjoy SC for what it is. It's not serious, and has a calming looseness about it.

While I think it is one of their two least best albums, I agree with this summation; it's a fun record. 

It's just too bad the songwriting wasn't up to their usual level.  While there are cool parts of each song, Constant Motion and Forsaken are two of their biggest flops ever, and even the best songs on this record don't come close to their best material, IMO.  I haven't done a DT top 50 in forever, but SC is probably the only DT record that would have no chance of having any song make it. 

[hefdaddy42]

For me, Systematic Chaos can be, as stated above, a fun record.  And I think it is in particular a great record to listen to while driving, like on a road trip.

But the pleasure I get from the songs on this album are surface-level only.  They don't have the same depth that most of their other output has.

[Northern Lion]

I believe I remember hearing in an interview once that Mike Portnoy said he usually brings some kind of album concept to the table when the band is about to begin working on a new album.  But he said that in the case of SC he had a concept in mind but decided not to mention it to the other band members.  Thus resulting in the album being written without an underlying musical/thematical/directional concept of any kind.  Perhaps this is the reason it stands out to fans as being "less than".

As for me.  I like the fun aspect of the album.  And ItPoE is my favorite DT song.  I also love the monster themed lyrics JP put on the album.  The only songs I don't really like are CM and R (sorry Mike  )

[Mladen]

To me, the epics on the album are tremendous. TMOLS is one of my all time favorites, and ITPOE and Repentance are pretty much perfect as well. The remaining songs are all good fun, so I love putting on the album every now and then. It's my favorite of the decade right after SDOIT.

[Setlist Scotty]

I believe I remember hearing in an interview once that Mike Portnoy said he usually brings some kind of album concept to the table when the band is about to begin working on a new album.  But he said that in the case of SC he had a concept in mind but decided not to mention it to the other band members.  Thus resulting in the album being written without an underlying musical/thematical/directional concept of any kind.

I think you got things a little mixed up. Musically, they determined to take the heaviness of ToT and combine it with variation of light and mellow found on 8v. I can't remember exactly how MP described it, but I remember him saying something to the effect of it having that variation, but that it still would have balls. BCaSL was a continuation of that musical style, but doing so in a way that those styles were combined into a single song, instead of the songs keeping one basic style throughout, as was the case for most of SC.

What I am guessing you might be thinking of is the fact that the band always had an "inspiration corner" - a selection of CDs from various artists to reference for different elements/styles/whatever that they wanted to incorporate into the album they were working on. It was actually BCaSL that was the first one where they didn't have an "inspiration corner".

[TheCountOfNYC]

Octavarium is already my second favorite Dream Theater album only behind Scenes. A Dramatic Turn of Events is the best Mangini era album. And Distance Over Time is holding strong as my number five. I rank Octavarium above Images and Words and rank all three albums above Awake and Six Degrees.

[NoFred]

As for me.  I like the fun aspect of the album.  And ItPoE is my favorite DT song.  I also love the monster themed lyrics JP put on the album.  The only songs I don't really like are CM and R (sorry Mike  )

I remember at the time thinking that's the closest they got to doing a fantasy themed album, and thought they could have used some power/speed metal title & cover art instead of the theme that only CM really fits.

[romdrums]

Easily D/T, FII and ADTOE for me, with ToT not too far behind that.

[Cool Chris]

I believe I remember hearing in an interview once that Mike Portnoy said he usually brings some kind of album concept to the table when the band is about to begin working on a new album.  But he said that in the case of SC he had a concept in mind but decided not to mention it to the other band members.  Thus resulting in the album being written without an underlying musical/thematical/directional concept of any kind.

In the SC doc, around the 7:00 mark, he says he had some ideas going in but didn't bring them up to the other guys. He wanted to see where the writing went on its own.

[Northern Lion]

I believe I remember hearing in an interview once that Mike Portnoy said he usually brings some kind of album concept to the table when the band is about to begin working on a new album.  But he said that in the case of SC he had a concept in mind but decided not to mention it to the other band members.  Thus resulting in the album being written without an underlying musical/thematical/directional concept of any kind.

In the SC doc, around the 7:00 mark, he says he had some ideas going in but didn't bring them up to the other guys. He wanted to see where the writing went on its own.

Yes, that's it.  Thanks for finding that quote.

[Eldomm]

WDADU
A dramatic turn of events
Train of thought

in that order

[Northern Lion]

WDADU
A dramatic turn of events
Train of thought

in that order

That is an odd, but very interesting selection.

Also ADToE and 8vm are now tied again.  with 32 votes each.  And D/T next with just a one vote advantage over ToT.

[geeeemo]

1. ADToE
2. FII
3. either D/T or TA, chose D/T as I will probably listen to it more often.

just to add, I always enjoy listening to The Astonishing. But it needs a whole
album listen, whereas D/T you can pick a song a rock.

My favorites were decided by
1. head banging 
2. feelies I get (many just by JP's guitar) 
3. and how (if any skips I do when listening) 

[Eldomm]

WDADU
A dramatic turn of events
Train of thought

in that order

That is an odd, but very interesting selection.

Then let me explain..
I knew DT since the start with WDADU, and this has a big place in my heart... Being I&W, Awake and SFAM my other all-time favorites, the other choice is obviuos for me with A Dramatic Turn of Events, which is more similar to the first albums IMHO... And for some reason, the energy of Train of Thought has always appealed to my metal side despite the fact that I am not a fan of In the name of God.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Of the options provided, I chose FII, 8VM, and DOT. I will admit, however, to listening to Dream Theater more of a song-by-song basis than album-by-album basis these days.

[qed]

1.BC&SL [Leon Zervos]

2. ADToE [HDtracks]

3. ADToE [qed]