Favorite Mangini Albums

[Xaves]

I have a quick question

What would you guys say is the best Mangini era album. I've listened to all of the Portnoy era albums, (Hes my favorite) and have wanted to get into their newer stuff but I don't know where to start.

[Stadler]

I have a quick question

What would you guys say is the best Mangini era album. I've listened to all of the Portnoy era albums, (Hes my favorite) and have wanted to get into their newer stuff but I don't know where to start.

Go in order; it's usually the best option to get a feel for the evolution of the band. 

(Though my favorite is probably the self-titled.)

[Dream Team]

Agreed with Stadler. Plenty of variety too, they don't all sound the same.

[Zydar]

My favourite is probably A Dramatic Turn Of Events. It feels the most like "classic DT" to me (maybe because of the comparisons to I&W).

And yeah, go chronologically.

[Adami]

I enjoy a majority of ADTOE.

I enjoy small snippets of some of the other albums, but none of them have done much for me at all.

And, oddly, none of it has to do with the drumming.

[Xaves]

Thanks, I am  a fellow drummer myself so my mind kind of drifts to the drums. I have listened to Distance Over Time and its not to shabby so I believe that the others will be as great as all of their other albums.

[WilliamMunny]

My favourite is probably A Dramatic Turn Of Events. It feels the most like "classic DT" to me (maybe because of the comparisons to I&W).

And yeah, go chronologically.

This.

[PixelDream]

A Dramatic Turn of Events
Distance Over Time

[Mosh]

DT12 is a great album that stands up against any of their 00s work. ADTOE is really solid and comes close, exists somewhere in their mid tier (BCSL, FII, etc). The other ones are closer to the bottom for me.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

it depends...

A Dramatic Turn of Events is the era's best album in my view but I am also an Images and Words fanatic. The two albums have a lot of similarities in song type and structure.

Once DT12 hit you heard a very clear evolution in songwriting in favor of more concise songs. It's tough to describe how it's different but it just is. You also heard Mangini get more of a spotlight on songs like Enemy Inside or Looking Glass.

Astonishing is not representative of the difference between MM era DT and MP era DT. It's a pretty unique experiment. Not my cup of tea, as MP would say, but some people here really like it. I think it makes sense to say listen to it but don't start with it.

I think Distance and View are really good albums/good places to start. Either would be a good representation of the sound the band pursued after ADTOE. I view them as stylistically similar to DT12 but with more input from from Mangini.

I guess what I am saying is put the Astonishing aside for a moment. You can't go wrong with any of the other 4 albums. They're leaps and bounds above anything the band could muster with Mike Portnoy since Six Degrees, in my opinion. Dare I say: a lot of the MM material is better and more mature than the vast majority of music they made after Images.

[Sausage]

The Astonishing, by far.

[Max Kuehnau]

View, DT12 and Dramatic turn in no order (add in The Astonishing if you fancy listening to a concept album)

[geeeemo]

They are all great albums. My favorite of these is ADoTE. It has no skips.
Of course, as with all DT music, it takes time to get into and love some. It is different for everyone.

I personally love The Astonishing, but I didn't at first. But when TA first came out, that is when I was
first getting into DT, and my initial reason for looking for more bands was, I wanted more "metal". Little
did I know, that my itch wasn't purely metal, but only what DT has.

Anyway. Get the lyrics. Learn the story. There is actually a novel that was written that expands the story. There is so much
fabulous music that one misses if they skip the song, because it sounds... whatever.. at the beginning. James sounds amazing
and it is incredible how he sings the different parts. Once I learned the music, I could actually hear the different nuances for
each one.

[JLa]

It's a tough call. I believe ADTOE is the superior album, although the drum sound on it seems somewhat lacking. Among the others, I've given DOT the most listens, so that's probably my top pick.

[Setlist Scotty]

Xaves, this thread would be good for you to look at that discusses opinions, feelings and rankings of the MM-era albums:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=58729.0

[Architeuthis]

It's a tough question. All five Mangini era albums are excellent in their own way. I like how they are all so different from one to the next.
I've gotten a lot of mileage out of all of them. 💫

[nikatapi]

A tie between ADTOE and AVFTTOW for me.

[Xaves]

Just finished ADTOE and I have to say, My God what an album. I have definitely slept on it. And you guys were right the drumming didn't really matter as all of these songs were absolute bangers to me. Thanks for that. I am going to listen to the self titled next. Hope its as good as ADTOE.

[Setlist Scotty]

Just finished ADTOE and I have to say, My God what an album. I have definitely slept on it. And you guys were right the drumming didn't really matter as all of these songs were absolute bangers to me. Thanks for that. I am going to listen to the self titled next. Hope its as good as ADTOE.

Many will say ADToE was the best of the MM-era, although for me, it's in fourth place. I prefer the s/t album over it personally and I know I'm not alone although we are in the relative minority.