DT as a metal band more than a prog band

[splent]

With DT opening up for Iron Maiden this summer, it got me to thinking.

Are they starting to consider themselves more of a metal band than a progressive band?  I'm not a fan of maiden, never have been, which is leading me to lean towards not going.  Is this going to be like the way it's going to be more??  I mean I hope not.

[Samsara]

They've always been pretty vocal about being both, honestly. Their albums always reflect both sides to a degree, at least IMO.

[Dream Team]

There aren't any prog bands for them to open for. They opened for Yes in '04 and the great majority of Yes geezers didn't like it. So that leaves Option B: big-time metal bands, since classic rock bands won't touch them either. Oh, and they'd love to open for Rush but it'll probably never happen.

[LudwigVan]

I don't think it means much either way.  I think DT just saw an opportunity to open for/latch onto one of the biggest rock acts in the world as a means of exposing their brand to a wider audience.  Dream Theater has cited Iron Maiden as an influence from the beginning of their career, so the affinity they feel for Maiden's music is really nothing new.   

Besides, the Prognation lineup that DT took out with them last summer was more proggy than not (ZPZ, STS, etc). 

[OsMosis2259]

I think they are still a prog and a metal band.  BC&SL had a little bit of everything.

[Bombardana]

The metal component of their music has certainly gotten heavier. I couldn't see them doing blastbeats or meshuggah-inspired riffage in 1992. That may be as much to do with the evolution of the genre as it is to do with the band themselves. But they are still indisputably progressive.

[Mladen]

There aren't any prog bands for them to open for. They opened for Yes in '04 and the great majority of Yes geezers didn't like it.

Sad but true. I'm sure they would be trilled to open for Rush, but it's not gonna happen. Same with Pink Floyd, although it could be possible if Wright was alive...

[petrucci07]

The metal component of their music has certainly gotten heavier. I couldn't see them doing blastbeats or meshuggah-inspired riffage in 1992. That may be as much to do with the evolution of the genre as it is to do with the band themselves. But they are still indisputably progressive.

How? Sorry to be picky, but what have they done recently (since 2003) that is new and in a different direction, the definition of progressing. Apart from dabbling with extreme metal (see ANTR)?

[LTE]

I can see them opening for bands like Yes if they kept to their older material. I'm sure a lot of classic prog fans would enjoy that.

[Dark Master Of Sin]

They still have their soft spot, and prog spots. They're just an extremely rare band, they're so diverse it's awesome.

[zmazar]

The metal component of their music has certainly gotten heavier. I couldn't see them doing blastbeats or meshuggah-inspired riffage in 1992. That may be as much to do with the evolution of the genre as it is to do with the band themselves. But they are still indisputably progressive.

How? Sorry to be picky, but what have they done recently (since 2003) that is new and in a different direction, the definition of progressing. Apart from dabbling with extreme metal (see ANTR)?

Progressive music doesn't mean that you progress as a band.  One would hope that this happens in all genre's of music.  Songs like Octavarium, Sacrificed Songs, In The Presence of Enemies, The Count of Tuscany, are all indisputably progressive.  They've always had a slightly metal edge to them.  I think they've become heavier over the years, but I don't think it's a bad thing.  Would I love for them to do something like SFAM or I&W.... yes.  But I love the fact that every one of their albums has a distinct sound to it.

[reneranucci]

The metal component of their music has certainly gotten heavier. I couldn't see them doing blastbeats or meshuggah-inspired riffage in 1992. That may be as much to do with the evolution of the genre as it is to do with the band themselves. But they are still indisputably progressive.

How? Sorry to be picky, but what have they done recently (since 2003) that is new and in a different direction, the definition of progressing. Apart from dabbling with extreme metal (see ANTR)?

Not... again... please

[ariich]

They've always been pretty vocal about being both, honestly. Their albums always reflect both sides to a degree, at least IMO.

This.

[Pirate]

As much as I hate to say so, I think DT is progressively moving from one end of the spectrum to the other. I'm not afraid to say that I very much prefer the proggier (for the most part, old) DT than the metal DT, just the way I prefer prog to metal otherwise. I'm sure I'll listen to and enjoy pretty much anything they put out anyway, but I was especially disappointed with their most recent record.

[hefdaddy42]

They have always been (and always will be) a prog-oriented band.  But I think anyone that thinks there isn't more metal in their prog metal equation now than there used to be isn't listening.

[bosk1]

But I think anyone that thinks there isn't more metal in their prog metal equation now than there used to be isn't listening.

Well, yeah, obviously.  I mean, their latest release with that riffage in A Fortune In Lies and Metropolis, and songs like The Mirror, Lie, Home, etc. could NEVER have been written back in the '90s.  They've really only developed that stuff lately.

[hefdaddy42]

But I think anyone that thinks there isn't more metal in their prog metal equation now than there used to be isn't listening.

Well, yeah, obviously.  I mean, their latest release with that riffage in A Fortune In Lies and Metropolis, and songs like The Mirror, Lie, Home, etc. could NEVER have been written back in the '90s.  They've really only developed that stuff lately.

[bosk1]

[orcus116]

They have always been (and always will be) a prog-oriented band.  But I think anyone that thinks there isn't more metal in their prog metal equation now than there used to be isn't listening.

I agree, it's just a shame they're not very good at making metal.

[Perpetual Change]

I think they're great at metal.  Then again, 90% of metal bands sound exactly the same and bore me to death.

[GuineaPig]

I think they're great at metal.  Then again, 90% of metal bands sound exactly the same and bore me to death.

I think they were great at metal when they were less 'modern' and aggressive about it.  Songs like "The Mirror" or "Caught in a Web" sound very heavy without ever seeming that like band are "reaching" for it; it never feels contrived.  It feels organic and a natural extension of their sound.

Whereas, songs like "A Nightmare to Remember," "The Dark Eternal Night," "Honor Thy Father" etc. seem that they're almost trying a bit too hard; 'raps', downtuned guitars, harsh vocals, etc.  You could really see a shift in the way DT approached the metal side of their sound post-TGP.

[SystematicThought]

They definately have more metal elements now, but still maintain that progressive element. I don't see that formula really changing too much, but it may... I really do prefer the older prog sound that they had to the current sound.

Didn't MP say once that they have no choice but to move forward into a heavier sound or else they'll never move forward in their careers

[orcus116]

Possibly. It's kind of sad to see musicians of that caliber believe that that is the reason they need to get heavier. There is no reason why they couldn't go in entirely new directions and styles since they have the abilities.

[contest_sanity]

To me, DT has put out one album heavier than Awake (obviously TOT), so I'm with those emphasizing that heaviness has always been a vital part of the equation for them and that the ratio of heavy to prog (must the 2 be mutually exclusive?) is pretty much the same as it always has been.

[antigoon]

I would LOVE it if they went back to more of a hard-rock edge for the next album.

[Jamesman42]

Their evolution as a band seems natural for the most part. Look at WDADU...the music fits the times. The same could be said for a majority of their stuff, but they seem to take what's currently good and make it way better.

[Sintheros]

I'm just a bit miffed that 8VM, SC, and BCSL are all more or less the same, with no real "progress" per se in between. Everything before that had some transition in between that made that album unique. A LOT of SC could have been 8VM B-sides.

[ariich]

I love that picture.

Anyway I don't think there is a higher proportion of metal in their music, but I think it could be argued that more of their metal moments are heavier than they used to be.

[hefdaddy42]

What's the difference?

[contest_sanity]

Anyway I don't think there is a higher proportion of metal in their music, but I think it could be argued that more of their metal moments are heavier than they used to be.

What's the difference?

I thought about asking this myself: when people are arguing that they are more metal than they used to be, do they mean that (1) while, say, only 50% (just a number to use for the sake of argument) of their music on albums from the 90's was metal, now 80% per album is -- or do they mean that (2), while the percentage still hovers around 50% like it always has, that 50% portion of metal is now heavier metal?  I agree that a case could be made for the second of these, but that's just a sign of the times: not many people were doing growling vocals in 1992.  I think this is a crucial distinction from option one, which I don't agree with at all.

[Tick]

With DT opening up for Iron Maiden this summer, it got me to thinking.

Are they starting to consider themselves more of a metal band than a progressive band?  I'm not a fan of maiden, never have been, which is leading me to lean towards not going.  Is this going to be like the way it's going to be more??  I mean I hope not.

Dream Theater is only playing 50 minutes so if you don't care for Maiden, I would pass if I were you. Its too much money for such a short set. Its half of there prog 09 set, and that was short enough.

[Dream Team]

I think they're great at metal.  Then again, 90% of metal bands sound exactly the same and bore me to death.

I think they were great at metal when they were less 'modern' and aggressive about it.  Songs like "The Mirror" or "Caught in a Web" sound very heavy without ever seeming that like band are "reaching" for it; it never feels contrived.  It feels organic and a natural extension of their sound.

Whereas, songs like "A Nightmare to Remember," "The Dark Eternal Night," "Honor Thy Father" etc. seem that they're almost trying a bit too hard; 'raps', downtuned guitars, harsh vocals, etc.  You could really see a shift in the way DT approached the metal side of their sound post-TGP.

Perfectly worded.

[tri.ad]

To me, DT is one of the bands that manage to unite progressive rock and metal very well, mostly at least. There have been more instances where this kind of fusion didn't work well because of "forcing" the metal part recently, but BCASL showed that they are still able to make it work.

And I agree with TGP being some kind of a turning point for that.

[GuineaPig]

I'd hold up ITPOE pt. 1 as being the best example of them being able to combine progressive rock and metal in equal parts post-TGP.  It was heavy without being down-tuned, technical without being wanky, and featured good melodies and a strong vocal performance.

[Bone_Daddy]

I agree that they have elements of both but are much more formulaic.