Really? You think JR just doubling JP's guitar is a good use of his talent? You liked the idea of MP horning in more and more on the vocals for each album? You think making JLB sing like he did on CM and TDEN is an effective use of his voice? Exactly which of the things on my list were you happy with???
I'll run through the list-
MP lead vocals - He did this how many times? ANTR and PoW are the only ones I can think of. Anything else I'd call a backup vocal roll, and I really liked what MP's voice added to those songs. I loved hearing rich 3 part vocals with the tone of JLB, JP and MP together. And I really like the JLB/MP tradeoffs in songs like TGP and CM. And I liked a lot of MP's spoken vocals underneath JLB's vocals.
Forcing JLB to sound like Hetfield/Bellamy - Again, a total of two songs in a decade of MP having control? CM and Never Enough. Aside from that, this is another one of those things that gets blown out of proportion to me. Yes, there were definitely moments when JLB's vocals were not utilized well, and he was trying to fit something that wasn't suited to him.
CM was not a good use of his voice, but he still did a solid job, and I still love the song, as derivative as it clearly is. TDEN's verses again were admittedly not suited to JLB's vocals, but I love the song, because they experimented and tried something different, and I really enjoy the distorted vocals with MP for a one off song. I hate Never Enough because I felt that was too forced, so I won't defend that one.
And aside from a lot of TCOT, I think JLB's vocals were utilized very well on BCASL, and aside from the few rare examples I've mentioned already, I haven't had any issue with JLB's vocals on any of the self produced albums. I would say that JLB's heavy vocals on ANTR are just as well suited to him as the heavy songs on ADTOE.
I like that they occasionally try to push for something a bit different, even including these occasional times when it's not entirely successful.
Using Jordan to his potential - As a big fan of JR and keyboards, I agree that Jordan hasn't always been utilized well. But even on the songs where he's not using his full potential, such as TDEN and CM, I still feel he manages to add his touch, and I don't feel those particular styles of songs are worse off for lacking keyboards. In fact, I rank these songs very highly.
The only album I feel JR is underutilized overall is SC. He actually does a lot of cool stuff on ToT, although he's too buried in the mix a lot of the time. He totally shines on all of Octavarium, and even most of BCASL is quite good. I think ANTR was a song that utilized JR extremely well for such a heavy song. He added a ton of atmosphere there from beginning to end. Also, I really love the snarling pig doubling sound for those times when he's just riff doubling. I know I'm not entirely alone there either.
So at times his talent was not being put to good use, but to me it wasn't all too often, and I still enjoyed the songs very much. I'm glad he's being put to better use though, because he is responsible for most of my favourite DT songs.
Myung involved again - This one I'll agree with. He adds a lot of groove, and contributes good lyrics. But I enjoy the metal, and I had no problem with him doubling a heavy riff when that was what the music called for. But listening to SDOIT recently, the music is often better when he's doing his own thing. It's also the reason people think he's higher in the mix this album. But he's not. He's just not doubling anymore! He's actually cranked on most of their music.
Improved lyrics - Admittedly, I've never cared too much about lyrics, and I don't mind a lot of the lyrics that bother most people. TCOT's lyrics are unique, and they're fun. And I don't at all mind the fantasy stuff on SC. It was something different. I can understand why people take issue with these, but I didn't consider this a problem. There are lyrics on old albums I find more detrimental to the music. Each to his own.
Great vocal melodies and choruses - I will mostly disagree here. Dream Theater have always had a focus on great melodies and choruses, even on recent albums. I actually miss a lot of the big 3 part choruses DT were doing for choruses on recent albums, which I feel were probably MP's influence. Look at the mid section of ANTR, AROP's chorus, Wither. Great choruses. And say what you want about ITPOE, but go and listen to it and take notice of the vocal melodies and vocal delivery. They're amazing (excluding The Reckoning, which is a let down).
The last two albums definitely have their weaker spots, such as CM, TDEN, and most of TCOT, but aside from that, I found they had some truly amazing melodies. So I'll agree that ADTOE is more consistent here, but DT most certainly never stopped writing great choruses and melodies. I even think some of the stuff on BCASL is better than ADTOE.
No tired solo trade-offs - BCASL had 2/6 songs with back to back guitar/key solos. I already considered it a step in that direction. And there's a solo tradeoff in BITS, and I don't think it's any better than the ones on recent albums. And there's sort of one in LNF, although it's arguably done differently, and better (I quite like the section). The instrumental section in Outcry does nothing for me either, and it doesn't have any trade-offs at all. I either like an instrumental section or I don't, but the exact structure of it doesn't matter much to me.
It's not that I entirely disagree with any of your points, and some of these things have definitely improved on ADTOE, but I think a lot of these things are spoken of as a lot worse than they actually were. Just my opinion.
Topic: *OFFICIAL* A Dramatic Turn Of Events discussion thread -- **SPOILER ALERT!!!** (Read 159130 times)