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Favorite Mangini Albums

Started by Xaves, May 21, 2024, 06:52:20 AM

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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

Quote from: Xaves on May 21, 2024, 06:52:20 AM
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.
www. fanticide.bandcamp . com

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

Quote from: Zydar on May 21, 2024, 06:56:20 AM
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.
Disclaimer: All opinions stated are my own unless otherwise specified. I do not personally know any present or former members of DT. From time to time where the context is or should be obvious, I may decline to explicitly label my words as opinion. I cannot predict the future.

Sausage


Max Kuehnau

View, DT12 and Dramatic turn in no order (add in The Astonishing if you fancy listening to a concept album)
All my natural instincts are begging me to stop
But somehow I carry on, heading for the top
A physical absurdity, a tremendous mental game
Helping me understand exactly who I am

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
Quote from: BlobVanDam on November 13, 2015, 07:37:14 PMAs a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.
Quote from: TAC on July 10, 2024, 08:26:41 AMPOW is awesome! :P

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. 💫 :coolio

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

Quote from: Xaves on May 23, 2024, 09:37:33 AM
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.
Quote from: BlobVanDam on November 13, 2015, 07:37:14 PMAs a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.
Quote from: TAC on July 10, 2024, 08:26:41 AMPOW is awesome! :P