Is Dream Theater generally a polarizing band?

[WildRanger]

What do you think?
Would you call them polarizing among rock, prog and metal fans? And if they are, what makes them polarizing?
I personally know there are many people from internet music boards and facebook rock/metal fan groups who can't stand/have a distaste for Dream Theater.

For example, on RateYourMusic their highest rated album is Images & Words, being ranked #987 (average score is 3.67 out of  8 950 ratings), so it seems they are polarizing there.

[erwinrafael]

I don't think generally they are a polarizing band. James LaBrie, though, is a polarizing vocalist.

[Max Kuehnau]

Apparently so, yes. MM and MP probably are and were polarising in their own ways too (look at the ongoing debates about them and we're nine years "post-wartime" already)

[The Walrus]

In the larger world of metal? I think so. Go to any metal website, look for Dream Theater, if there's comments or discussion you'll find a massive range of opinions. James especially seems to be the make-or-break for a lot of people. I would say they're polarizing, but maybe not in the same way as, say, Nickelback.

[WildRanger]

I would say they're polarizing, but maybe not in the same way as, say, Nickelback.

Nickelback is not a polarizing band, because they are one of the most hated bands ever. They have a way more haters than hardcore fans, and also casual listeners than hardcore fans.

[SeRoX]

I don't think generally they are a polarizing band. James LaBrie, though, is a polarizing vocalist.

Not quite, imo. The thing is even the "haters" say, "X vocalist do it better and James sucks but he fits DT anyway..." Musically not polarizing but personal choices polarize the fan base for sure.

[TheGreatPretender]

Not quite, imo. The thing is even the "haters" say, "X vocalist do it better and James sucks but he fits DT anyway..." Musically not polarizing but personal choices polarize the fan base for sure.

I've never heard that, but I have heard stuff like, "Ayreon is the only one who can make James LaBrie sound good."

In any case, he's an easy target because of his unique voice and style, but I highly doubt people who dislike DT would be big fans of the band with any other vocalist. I've heard plenty of DT fans say they're not fans of LaBrie, but they still stick it out because they love the music. People who just plain don't like the band and say that LaBrie is the reason, chances are, they weren't blown away by the music.

[Volante99]

They are SUPER polarizing in and out of the metal world.

People either love or hate them. I don’t know many people who just “sort of like” DT. You either get them or you don’t. Most metal fans will laugh out loud when I tell them DT is one of my favorite bands, but every so often you’ll meet a fellow fan and it will make all that ridicule worth it because you know you’ve made a friend haha

[WildRanger]

In any case, he's an easy target because of his unique voice and style, but I highly doubt people who dislike DT would be big fans of the band with any other vocalist. I've heard plenty of DT fans say they're not fans of LaBrie, but they still stick it out because they love the music. People who just plain don't like the band and say that LaBrie is the reason, chances are, they weren't blown away by the music.

This could be also said for Rush.

[TheGreatPretender]

In any case, he's an easy target because of his unique voice and style, but I highly doubt people who dislike DT would be big fans of the band with any other vocalist. I've heard plenty of DT fans say they're not fans of LaBrie, but they still stick it out because they love the music. People who just plain don't like the band and say that LaBrie is the reason, chances are, they weren't blown away by the music.

This could be also said for Rush.

I agree. Rush generally gets a more universal praise though, probably because they came out in the 70s, when Prog music thrived, and people weren't afraid of unique, experimental stuff, including unique sounding singers. And because of that, in the long run, saw far more mainstream success throughout their career.

[lovethedrake]

Dream Theater IMO is one of the most polarizing bands on the planet.    The amount of people I know who consider them one of the best bands ever and also one of the worst bands ever is quite high.

Dream Theater is my #2 band of all time behind The Kinks but my brother (who got me into DT but because he knew I would love them absolutely despises them). 

Generally here are the reasons:

Labrie Labrie Labrie
The lyrics are sappy
The band takes themselves too seriously
The songwriting is bad
The guitar is way too clean... emotionless
The mellow parts are cheesy and sound like adult contemporary
He said TSCO sounds like Christian rock (that pissed me off)

Etc... haha.     I have forced him to attend 4 DT concerts though!

He hates metal though...  loves Genesis, Kinks, Bowie, Floyd, Yes, ELO, etc.

[Max Kuehnau]

well some of the chord progressions in Spirit could be used in a gospel context and that would actually work well I think. JP emotionless? Not IMHO (he is too emotional for me to handle actually)

[lovethedrake]

Yeah JP is an amazingly emotional player.... my favorite guitarist ever.   I'm just relaying the insults of my brother.  We generally agree on music but he just hates neo prog and prog metal. 

DT is amazing, but they are not for everyone.     

When I first played a friend of mine a keyboard solo from Images and Words... he said "ugh thats awful, sounds like nintendo music".

My first reaction when I heard that same solo was "whoah, this is amazing, it sounds like nintendo music!" 

That sums it up well haha.
 

[TheAtliator]

ABSOLUTELY NOT

[TheAtliator]

ABSOLUTELY NOT

WTF you talking about, of course they are, like crazy

[gm5k]

When I first played a friend of mine a keyboard solo from Images and Words... he said "ugh thats awful, sounds like nintendo music".

My first reaction when I heard that same solo was "whoah, this is amazing, it sounds like nintendo music!" 

That sums it up well haha.
 

  this is so accurate.  As if sounding like Nobuo Uematsu is a bad thing (which it unfortunately is to many people)  but oh well we can still love the hell out of it 

[Max Kuehnau]

yes

[Peter Mc]

I think they are a band that has a reputation for overplaying, for long songs and maybe for putting technical prowess over songwriting. They are therefore  thrown into reviews or conversation as something to avoid. For example, I remember Andy Cairns from the band Therapy? talking about auditioning new drummers and he said some guys would turn up with these huge drum kits and he said something along the lines of you’d think they were auditioning for Dream Theater. This was not meant as a compliment.

I’ve also seen reviews and comments on other bands where it says the band is in danger of going into Dream Theater territory and, again, it is not meant as a compliment but as something that should be avoided. The band name has almost become a byword for musical excess and pretentiousness and is lazily thrown around by metal writers and reviewers. The weird thing is though that when these same publications actually review Dream Theater albums, they usually get a decent review. I also find that when you actually corner a metal fan into actually listening to DT, most people actually are pleasantly surprised at how good they are. I do think the occasional crazy Metropolis style instrumental sections are a bit of a turn off for some (often called circus music I find) but mostly people like the band and are particularly blown away when they see them live.

So yeah, I think there is a negative perception of DT which could be classed as them being polarising but most people I play the band to are pretty impressed.

[Herrick]

People who just plain don't like the band and say that LaBrie is the reason, chances are, they weren't blown away by the music.

I've seen comments from people saying the music is really good but they don't like the singing. I'm one of those people who won't listen to a band with awesome music but a singer I can't stand.

[SeRoX]

People who just plain don't like the band and say that LaBrie is the reason, chances are, they weren't blown away by the music.

I've seen comments from people saying the music is really good but they don't like the singing. I'm one of those people who won't listen to a band with awesome music but a singer I can't stand.

Rush for me. I can't stand Geddy Lee, even back his prime days.

[The Walrus]

I would say they're polarizing, but maybe not in the same way as, say, Nickelback.

Nickelback is not a polarizing band, because they are one of the most hated bands ever. They have a way more haters than hardcore fans, and also casual listeners than hardcore fans.

Nickelback IS a polarizing band, because they are quite successful, have lots of fans, but in the world of metal and the Internet, they get nothing but crap. If that's not the definition of polarizing, I'm not sure what is. Did you see the reactions to Chad Kroeger being included on Devin Townsend's new album? You have such a predictable way of speaking in absolutes, it's puzzling.

[TheGreatPretender]

I've seen comments from people saying the music is really good but they don't like the singing. I'm one of those people who won't listen to a band with awesome music but a singer I can't stand.

Well, it takes all kinds, I suppose.

The worst thing about liking a polarizing band is that we live in an age of social media, where everyone thinks that people actually care about their opinions, and that we want to hear what they have to say, even if nobody is talking to them directly. So if you bring something up, i.e. Dream Theater, and there's someone who heard one or two songs and doesn't like them, they'll make it their mission to pipe in and comment on how they suck.
People just can't live and let live these days.

[Dedalus]

Yeah JP is an amazingly emotional player.... my favorite guitarist ever.   I'm just relaying the insults of my brother.  We generally agree on music but he just hates neo prog and prog metal. 

A prog snob!

For decades I've been a part of classic prog rock fan groups and this has always been a common standard. In the early 2000s, people in these groups really hated DT and especially DT fans. 

DT was always a easy target.

What I find funny is that DT has long been a symbol of the boredom and self-indulgence of the complexity of progressive music, especially among many metal fans. Today this group has become more accustomed to this type of music (and thanks to DT), and we have popular bands like Animals as Leaders or Periphery, but at the same time DT is seen as surpassed by some people.

[Herrick]

I've seen comments from people saying the music is really good but they don't like the singing. I'm one of those people who won't listen to a band with awesome music but a singer I can't stand.

Well, it takes all kinds, I suppose.

The worst thing about liking a polarizing band is that we live in an age of social media, where everyone thinks that people actually care about their opinions, and that we want to hear what they have to say, even if nobody is talking to them directly. So if you bring something up, i.e. Dream Theater, and there's someone who heard one or two songs and doesn't like them, they'll make it their mission to pipe in and comment on how they suck.
People just can't live and let live these days.

It doesn't really bother me if someone doesn't like the music I like & feels the need to say so *shrug*

[DragonAttack]

EVERY band is (or was) polarizing

[Fritzinger]

Not sure about the metal world as the only metal I really listen to is Prog Metal and Metallica.

I studied Jazz guitar in Dresden though and I can say that among Jazz musicians, they are indeed polarizing. Many people don't like the lack of improvisation and difficult ("jazzy") harmonies and consider the music robotic and not spontaneous. Many other love them. Almost ALL of them, however, KNOW them and admire their technical abilities. I felt like every time I asked a colleague of mine "what do you think about Dream Theater", they instantly knew what to say and had an opinion on them, as if they'd already put some though into the band. At least that's how I perceived it.

[MoraWintersoul]

In the metal world it really depends. Loads of metalheads won't even touch them, but then loads will respect them for their playing ability, and loads of people will have their tunes on their playlists or like a few of the biggest albums even if they don't listen to prog metal. Generally, after discovering metal, metalheads will start sampling the biggest bands in most subgenres and Dream Theater definitely makes that list, so you'll meet a lot of people who like them casually. On this forum we have this hypothesis that either you're a big fan or you hate them, but it's not like that in the offline world.

[TheGreatPretender]

It doesn't really bother me if someone doesn't like the music I like & feels the need to say so *shrug*

Meh, I'm just generally tired of unsolicited opinion that doesn't contribute anything to a given conversation.


In any case. To be honest, I feel like a lot of the 'constructive' criticisms that I hear about DT are very misinformed. Stuff like whether JP's playing is too mechanical, or that they're too self-indulgent, sounds like it's based on one or two songs. Objectively speaking, it doesn't describe all of their music across the board. Usually when I'm thinking about introducing DT to someone, I choose something that I think might appeal to them, and usually I'm right, and I generally say that no matter what one's musical tastes are, there's at least one song by DT that they will like. Now, for some people, LaBrie's voice is a clear barrier, unfortunate as that is, but outside of that, generally there's a song that appeals to everyone's tastes.


The funny thing is, I have a friend who quite openly expresses her dislike for Dream Theater, and from what I've heard, it's mainly due to LaBrie's voice. But a part of it has pretty much become a matter of stubbornness. I was once having a house party and Through Her Eyes was on my playlist. And she was like, "This song is nice. It sounds kind of romantic, who is this?" I told her, and she said, "Oh, I hate it!"

[Architeuthis]

It doesn't really bother me if someone doesn't like the music I like & feels the need to say so *shrug*

Meh, I'm just generally tired of unsolicited opinion that doesn't contribute anything to a given conversation.


In any case. To be honest, I feel like a lot of the 'constructive' criticisms that I hear about DT are very misinformed. Stuff like whether JP's playing is too mechanical, or that they're too self-indulgent, sounds like it's based on one or two songs.


The funny thing is, I have a friend who quite openly expresses her dislike for Dream Theater, and from what I've heard, it's mainly due to LaBrie's voice. But a part of it has pretty much become a matter of stubbornness. I was once having a house party and Through Her Eyes was on my playlist. And she was like, "This song is nice. It sounds kind of romantic, who is this?" I told her, and she said, "Oh, I hate it!"

This is all too common with their pre-conceived ideas. It always baffles me how people are unwilling to give something a chance. Perhaps they're afraid they might like it if they do, but they would rather stay in their comfort zone of familiarity.  Also many like to boost their own egos by being a critic, instead of opening their heart and mind to something new.
 " living in the pools they soon forget about the sea "  🎶

[Pettor]

Yeah I think they are. The discussions about DT sometimes reminds me of the ending of Lost, people usually haven't seen it but still hates it

Some stuff I have heard when talking about them:
Singer sounds weird.
Emotionless playing.
Can only play quick.
No groove.
Doing complex for complex sake.
Only one kick drum ( )
U2 is better.

[TheGreatPretender]

U2 is better.

 

[KevShmev]

U2 is better.

 

Why is that funny?

[JustDefyYou]

U2 is better.

 

Why is that funny?

I once played U2 for a friend and told them it was Dream Theater and they said they absolutely hated it. I told him it was a trick and that we were really listening to Garth Brooks.

[ThatOneGuy2112]

In the wider world of different music communities, I would definitely say so. Prog in general is very divisive, and for many music listeners it's a "you either like it or you don't" kind of thing.

JLB is also a pretty polarizing vocalist. As fans we are used to his voice, but for a non-fan looking to dip their toes in the water, his voice is usually the deciding factor I see as to why some people don't like the band as a whole.

[JayOctavarium]

"I am Polarized!"

-JLB