I'll have a go too -
1. The greatest era of DT was from 99 - 07
2. This band is terrible at writing ballads - lyrically - (except wait for sleep), and for some reason likes to include way too many.
3. Kevin Moore was the only good lyricist in the band, everyone else has been mediocre with occasional moments of greatness.
4. Derek Sherinian and Mike Portnoy brought a lot of personality balance to the band. That "Rock and Roll swagger" infamously mentioned in the Sons of Apollo teasers. I may still think Derek is a douche, but he was right. Todays DT feels like a band of dorks.
5. I hate that DT became famous for their technicallity, seems like they have been shoehorned into a circus act as a result
6. The albums are too damn long. There are always sections of filler that should have been omitted. DT would be better served with 30 - 45 minute albums.
7. Petrucci and Portnoy were never good with production, and without Portnoy it has gotten worse.
1. This is like asking who was the best James Bond or the best Doctor Who. The answer is the one you grew up with. For me, the best era was Images & Words through to SFAM. Yes, even FII. I've loved everything the band have done to various degrees, right up to The Astonishing, which was first and only DT that disappointed me.
2. The band can write brilliant ballads. They can also write pretty shoddy ones, and I agree, there's too many of the latter. Lyrically? That brings us on to...
3. KevMo was the best lyricist the band have had, agreed. However, I don't listen to DT for the lyrics, and I wouldn't say any of their lyrics are that strong.
4. Derek certainly brought a rock n' roll style to the band, that's true. I quite liked it, and much as I love Jordan, I do wish he'd play a little more like Derek at times. MP was so much the public face of the band that I feel they've lost a lot of what made them special without him - the current line-up don't seem quite as able or willing to connect with the fans as MP was.
5. I disagree, but I know what you mean. The retrospective setlists and all-seater venues, increased ticket prices and VIP packages do make the band seem like a nostalgia legacy band. It's only a matter of time before they're supporting The Eagles...
6. Some of their albums could use a little trimming. Most CD players have a programme feature that lets you programme out the tracks you may not be in the mood to listen to. Other playback technology is available.
7. I have no complaints with the production other than this need for everything to be louder than everything else, but that's a general trend in modern music and not restricted to DT. I'd like to see them work with an outside producer, purely because I'd like to see a bit of variety in there, but I understand they had bad experiences with outside producers, so I get why they don't. It's their decision, and I've no real problems with the sound JP is getting out of them.