Oh yeah, Rock In Rio was absolutely stellar. And you're right, it does depend on what you prefer from a singer, but you also have to look at the different styles for what they are. Yes, Iron Maiden has some very progressive and complex passages, and yes, they were a major influence on Dream Theater, but still, in essence, they're two very different bands. Iron Maiden comes from an era, and caters to an audience of headbangers, so in their case, the priority IS to put more feeling and more attitude into the performances, and to just give the audience a really awesome rock show.
And while DT has its awesome rockers, being as progressive as it is, it's really a lot more akin to classical music in that people (generally) want to hear precision and see that skill from the members. In the case of most of the musicians, it's the dexterity of everything they do. In the case of JLB, it's his amazing range. Even during his worst period, his range was pretty damn impressive.
Agreed. Honestly I don't get much out of seeing perfection at concerts as opposed to the human element. This goes for any genre, not just Metal. It's impressive yes, but I want to hear some personality in the performance too. This is something I think Portnoy really struck a balance on in 2010, his performance was technically very impressive but also had lots of personality and character. And I'll use this moment to address 425's point here:
But I disagree with the proposition that James is not emotive. A lot of DT's most emotional songs have been punctuated by JLB's presence adding to the feeling. Scarred, for example? Or The Spirit Carries On? He shines on these songs by bringing the right emotional touch to them. Plus it helps that he's absolutely one of the most diverse singers I've ever heard (I mean, there's Ĺkerfeldt, but James has more diversity than Mikael when you look just at singing and not growling). James is capable of fitting in well on a very heavy metal song, like This Dying Soul, while also sounding just amazing on a ballad like Wither. Actually, just the song Octavarium on its own shows what I would call very impressive diversity on James's part.
Didn't mean to say that James isn't emotive at all. He is very emotive, but I think that comes out the most when he's singing softer and in a more limited range. See the middle section of Scarred, Spirit Carries On, The Bigger Picture, Disappeared, Illumination Theory. Octavarium is good too. It's when he goes into operatic mode that I find he gets less emotive. Songs like Outcry, parts of Take the Time, In the Name Of God. In a live setting I feel his performance on these songs is lacking. Not to say he doesn't have his moments, Octavarium (live and in studio) is stellar. I also don't have
any qualms about his performance on DT12. Even live he pulls those songs off. I think he's better than ever right now.
However I can't say I agree that he fits in too well in a very metal setting. With the exception of
Awake and some other songs here and there, I don't think his voice fits as well when DT starts to get really heavy.
I'm fairly confident that if JLB was born into an earlier era, when prog rock and early Metal was revered and recognized by masses, he'd be considered one of its legends, right along with Dickinson, Dio and Plant.
Not sure about that. DT had a spot in the limelight for some time and while maybe not necessarily considered legends, JP and (especially) MP have been quite recognized for their talents since then. So it's not like JLB's era is preventing him from certain praises. Of course this isn't any objective statement on quality, but just a general observation.
I saw the one in Toronto. And even afterwards, I was thinking, "Was JLB really that amazing, or was I just blinded by fanboy goggles?" But I looked up some of the footage, and yeah, his performance was absolutely dead on.
I'll have to check that out later then. I also looked up some footage from Denver of both Maiden and DT and my thoughts still stand.
Well, I'm glad. Because as a singer, I think Plant is a bit overrated. Again, I can appreciate his range and skill, but I don't think he's all that.
Yea I think so too. I love Zeppelin but Plant was the weak link. His voice also deteriorated very quickly, you can hear him struggling live already on Song Remains the Same and even in studio on later albums.
Another good comparison would be Russell Allen, before he decided to become a one dimensional singer. I think it's more fair to compare those two, coming from a similar time period and style. Both have an operatic style, are diverse, and sing in progressive acts.
Topic: Your Controversial Opinions on DT (Read 990769 times)
