Porcupine Tree vs. Dream Theater

[KevShmev]

Given how popular they are on this forum, I am merely curious to see how many actually like them more than Dream Theater.  I did the two DT options for obvious reasons.  Please vote accordingly and accurately.

[Zydar]

I am a huge DT fan, while a very moderate PT fan.

[ariich]

I like both bands a lot, both are probably in my top 10. Very tough call, but I think I slightly prefer DT.

[orcus116]

Nowadays I can't even vote on this.

[sonatafanica]

Porcupine Tree. No question. But I do like DT a lot.

[KevShmev]

If there was some magic calculator that could do the exact math, I am pretty sure that DT and PT would finish 2nd and 3rd on my list of "Bands I have listened to the most in my entire life," with DT being ahead of PT (since I have been listening to them for 11 more years), but PT gets the nod for me now for better band.

[skydivingninja]

PT.  I think they've been my number 2 band for a while behind Rush.  DT is still in my top five though.

[jag66]

No option for PT and dislike of DT 
Went from obsessive DT to obsessive PT (still like DT though  )

[Gorille85]

Porcupine Tree. No question. But I do like DT.

I've been a huge DT fan but not so much anymore. PT on the other hand is my second favorite band behind Unexpect.

[Jarlaxle]

I've only ever heard a few Porcupine Tree songs

[LudwigVan]

Fan of both bands, seen DT in concert six times and PT twice.  Both are excellent live acts and qualify as some of the best shows I've seen in the past decade.


But Dream Theater wins pretty handily. 

[Zantera]

Porcupine Tree easily, they're my favorite band meanwhile DT wouldn't make my top20.

[zerogravityfat]

i'm a fan of both, but dt since the early 90s, i prefer pt better these days due to the darker more original songs.

[TheVoxyn]

Porcupine Tree. No question. But I do like DT a lot.

[Perpetual Change]

I like both bands, but Dream Theater by a long shot. I'm afraid PT will always be a band that I have to be in the right mood to listen to, whereas Dream Theater have several albums I can throw on at anytime.

This is how I decided:

My two favorite Dream Theater albums, Awake and Images and Words, slay my two favorite Porcupine Tree albums, In Absentia and Deadwing, regardless of how you match them up.

My favorite mid-tier Dream Theater album, Black Clouds and Silver Linings, is a little bit better than my favorite mid-tier Porcupine Tree album, Fear of a Blank Planet.

And, finally, the worst of the Dream Theater discography, Systematic Chaos, is still more interesting to me than the worst of the Porcupine Tree discography, The Incident.

So there ya go.

 

[blackngold29]

DT, although I like PT I only have two of their albums. I'm sure I will get more though.

[ShadowWalker]

I would have to go with PT these days. My interest in Dream Theater has been steadily declining in the post-SFAM years, while I am still into listening to the entirety of PT's catalog, sans The Incident.

[Arcaeus]

Honestly, while I find Porcupine Tree to be a tad overrated on this forum, I still find them a better band and gave them the vote.

[antigoon]

DT doesn't really do it for me anymore. Not in the way they used to, anyway. PT.

[King Postwhore]

I love both bands, but of late PT has had the better CD's and thus, the edge.  Both are still can't miss CD and tours for me.

[zxlkho]

This is a good thread. I like the poll options.

I voted PT even though I love both bands to death.

[Quadrochosis]

PT by miles.

[skydivingninja]

I think the biggest edge PT has over DT is that PT really haven't had a Systematic Chaos yet.  They've lost some fans with their changes in musical direction, but they haven't made a bad album since Up the Downstair.

[Silver Tears]

I love Porcupine Tree but Dream Theater comes out on top for me 

[ACID_FOX]

I love Porcupine Tree but Dream Theater comes out on top for me 

[LudwigVan]

I think the biggest edge PT has over DT is that PT really haven't had a Systematic Chaos yet.  They've lost some fans with their changes in musical direction, but they haven't made a bad album since Up the Downstair.

I voted Dream Theater (as a fan of both bands), but Systematic Chaos beats all hell out of The Incident. 

[Perpetual Change]

I think the biggest edge PT has over DT is that PT really haven't had a Systematic Chaos yet.  They've lost some fans with their changes in musical direction, but they haven't made a bad album since Up the Downstair.

I voted Dream Theater (as a fan of both bands), but Systematic Chaos beats all hell out of The Incident.  

Oh my lord, this is so true.

And, while DT doesn't do it for me like they used to, I haven't found the same refuge in PT that so many other disappointed* DT fans have.

*I say disappointed for lack of a better term. I think all DT's records are great, including Systematic Chaos. But their older work was phenomenal. Now, they're just a cool band I still like to listen to.

[KevShmev]

Systematic Chaos beats all hell out of The Incident. 

Goodness gracious no.  SC isn't bad (just average), but The Incident is stellar from start to finish.  It has no weak spots.

[Quadrochosis]

Systematic Chaos beats all hell out of The Incident. 

Goodness gracious no.  SC isn't bad (just average), but The Incident is stellar from start to finish.  It has no weak spots.

This, and I'd probably rank it like 8 or 9 in my PT list. That's how good their output is.

[ScioPath]

Option 2

[ehra]

Outside of one, maybe two, songs nothing I've heard from PT grabs me.

[j]

Can't make the call.  I really like both bands, but they're very different.

I have no data to support this, but I get the feeling that PT are grossly overrated on this forum (maybe these poll results will say otherwise).  I love 'em, but IMO they are just as inconsistent as DT, and neither band has made a great album in several years (although PT did it more recently).

I also might say that DT's best stuff is better than PT's best stuff, but I hesitate to directly compare the two because they make such different music.

-J

[Perpetual Change]

Systematic Chaos beats all hell out of The Incident. 

Goodness gracious no.  SC isn't bad (just average), but The Incident is stellar from start to finish.  It has no weak spots.

The whole thing's a god-damned weak spot. I hope an incident like that never occurs again in the PT discography.

[zxlkho]

wat

[Perpetual Change]

wat

I don't feel like posting out my thoughts on the Incident again, so just read this. Oh, and ignore the bitching at Darkes.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=14921.msg518108#msg518108