Discography Review: Dream Theater

For my first post on this Entertainment Review Blog, I thought that I would do a Discography Review of Dream Theater's body of work. I've done this with a few other bands (and I'll post this here as well), and it ends up being a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Now, I am by no means a music expert. Nor am I an overly smart man. Because of this, you will find mistakes. But I'm okay with that. I do this for me. And if someone out there enjoys my words, then that is cool as well. These reviews go in order from least favorite in the discography, to my most favorite. Just remember, "least favorite" does not mean that I don't like the album, it just means that it's the one that I go to less often.

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Rob's Discography Review: Dream Theater

When Dream And Day Unite: 

The first Dream Theater album sits at the bottom of my list because, though I love Charlie Dominicci's vocals, James LaBrie is Dream Theater's singer. Still, this is a fantastic disc, and has many of the progressive rock elements that Dream Theater would spend their career shaping, and molding it into their own sound. There are so many great moments on this disc that foreshadow where the band are going, while standing very strongly on its own, as a debut release. And while this one wouldn't be the band's breakthrough album, it's a necessity in any Dream Theater collection.

My Top Three: Only A Matter of Time, A Fortune In Lies, The Ones Who Help To Set the Sun

Images & Words: 

I know that the placement of this album in my list will shock, and sicken many Dream Theater fans. But to me, this just isn't as flawless as many of the band's albums are. That's not to say that I don't still love it. Hell, "Learning To Live" is one of my very favorite Dream Theater songs. There's just something about this album that always sort of forces it into the back-seat for me. Maybe it's the fact that it's always considered to be the best of the band, or maybe it's just that I don't think that they had fully developed that classic Dream Theater sound quite yet. Whatever the reason, "Images & Words" finishes just above the bottom of the list for me.

My Top Three: Learning To Live, Metropolis, Surrounded

Systematic Chaos: 

I knew that the follow-up to "Octavarium" was going to have to be damn near perfect for me, as I love "Octavarium" so much. And while "Systematic Chaos" is a fantastic album, it doesn't seem to have that lasting fire that some of their other albums have had. This album has perhaps one of the band's best epic tunes, but because Portnoy didn't want the track to open, or close the album, he chose to split it in two (like Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond), and for me, that sort of does this amazing track a grave injustice. Most of the other songs on the album, while all fantastic tracks, just don't seem to me as essential DT as many of the band's other tracks. I wouldn't put this album at the bottom, but definitely not at the top. Again, it's not that I don't love this album, I guess I was just sort of hoping for more after the juggernaut that was "Octavarium".

My Top Three: In the Presence of Enemies, The Ministry of Lost Souls, Prophets of War

Awake: 

This was my introduction to Dream Theater. I remember reading from Rush fans on AOL that if I liked Rush, I would like Dream Theater. I'll admit that this album took a while to grow on me. I kept trying to find little ways to get into the album. The first track that really began to pull me in was "Innocence Faded". After a while, "Voices" started to grow on me. I wasn't until after I got the "Falling Into Infinity" album, that this album really started to hit me. And while it doesn't finish towards the top of my list, I think that it's a fantastic album.

My Top Three: Innocence Faded, Voices, Scarred

A Dramatic Turn of Events: 

This was the first album that the band wrote, and recorded without Mike Portnoy. And it shows. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, as I really enjoy this album, it's just easy to tell that the writing dynamics had changed in the band. The first time I heard it, I knew that it was going to have to grow on me. Thankfully, that did not take very long, as the band wrote a really good set of songs here. The drums are clearly not played by Portnoy, but new drummer, Mike Mangini, handled the job very well. And while much of this disc won't go down as classic for many DT fans, I really found myself loving it more than I thought that I would in the beginning.
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My Top Three: Breaking All Illusions, Bridges In the Sky, Beneath the Surface

Train of Thought: 

This is by far Dream Theater's heaviest album. Maybe they were trying to distance themselves from the overly proggy results of "6DoIT", or maybe they just wanted to see if they could push the metal envelope. Whatever the reason, I like it. There are some very Metallica moments on this album, as they go all out, and just turn in some of the heaviest tracks of their career. The prog isn't completely gone, as many of these songs are quite long, and feature moments of prog-metal, but overall "Train of Thought" is all about the crunch. 

My Top Three: In the Name of God, Vacant, Endless Sacrifice

Falling Into Infinity (Demos): 

The first Dream Theater album that I really fell in love with was "Falling Into Infinity". I played the hell out of this album. It's very proggy, but it was also very polished. At the time, I did not know that what was officially released was not the album that the band had really wanted. So when the demo version came out through the "Ytse Jam Official Bootleg" store, I quickly purchased the two CD version of the album. I was not disappointed. The way the band initially saw the album was damn near perfect for a prog fan like me. The demos are done without the label sticking their nose in it, and it shows. There are songs that got left on the cutting room floor, there are full sections that were cut out of songs, there was so much heart and soul that fans may have never heard. These days, I rarely go back to the original release. This "Official Bootleg" is all the "Falling Into Infinity" that I really need. 

My Top Three: Where Are You Now?, Raise the Knife, Trial of Tears

Black Clouds & Silver Linings: 

Sadly, this would be the last album to feature founding member, and drummer, Mike Portnoy as part of the band. He left due to differences in opinion over a break for the band. But before all of that, the band delivered to us a fantastic disc of music. To me, this one was the perfect marriage between the progressive powerhouse of "Octavarium", and the heavy metal of "Train of Thought". Out of the six songs on the main disc, only one of them come in at under eight minutes. If MP had to leave the band, at least he did it on a very high point. "Black Clouds" is a fantastic album, from start to finish. 

My Top Three: The Count of Tuscany, The Best of Times, The Shattered Fortress

Dream Theater: 

Finally, Dream Theater decide to release a self-titled album. There are a lot of fantastic moments on this album. The opening track was written to give DT a fantastic stage intro song, and it really works. The final song is an epic piece of prog greatness. The stuff in the middle is all very well written, and a nice addition to the bands catalog. And while the album is certainly not my favorite, I liked it from the very first listen. They had proven themselves capable as a band without MP with "A Dramatic Turn of Events", so with the self-titled album, they needed only to have fun, and do what they've always done best: write good music!

My Top Three: Illumination Theory, False Awakening Suite, Along For the Ride

The Astonishing: 

This album takes a lot of crap from fans. It's labeled as boring, and too melodic. To me, it being really melodic makes it a really great album for me. As far as the story, it's a bit to overdone (a future where music is evil... it's been done), but I really enjoy the music, and the vocals. And though the songs don't really flow, and the album doesn't necessarily have the feel of a concept album, I do really enjoy "The Astonishing". Is it the band's best work? No. But it's one that I can still put on and listen to all of the way through, and find no trouble enjoying it.

My Top Three: When Your Time Has Comes, Hymn of A Thousand Voices, Our New World

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence: 

After the mind blowing results of DT's first album with Jordan Rudess ("SFAM"), it had to be hard for the band to top that. But that doesn't mean that they didn't try. "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" is a two disc set, with only six tracks. The first disc is made up of five "short" songs, and the second disc contains Dream Theater's longest song to date, the 42 minute title track. The first disc has some pretty experimental moments for the band, and for some, the experiments were easily forgotten. But I think that there are some great tracks on that disc. Tracks like "The Great Debate", "Misunderstood", and "Disappear" contain some very different moments for the band, but I love it when they step into new areas, and try on different writing hats. I've always loved this album. It's heavy, melodic, and still sounds good to my ears, all of these years later. 

My Top Three: Disappear, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Misunderstood

Distance Over Time: 

Initially, this album took me a few listens for it to really click  (that seems to be a pattern with a few of Dream Theater's album... I really don't know why). Once it did, however, I was hooked. This is the band's best album in a while. All of the classic DT elements are featured here: fantastic melodies, virtuosic playing, and the most remarkable ability to write an amazingly pleasing progressive rock song. The more I play this album, the more depth, and beauty I find in the tracks. It's still relatively new, but I find this to be my favorite post Mike Portnoy album. 

My Top Three: Fall Into the Light, Barstool Warrior, At Wit's End

Octavarium: 

This album comes in second, only to "Scenes From A Memory". There are times when I even say that this album is my favorite. It's such a classic prog album for me. It has everything I look for in a good album: melodic rock, hard rock, symphonic rock... this album is all of the best of Dream Theater, all rolled up into one. From the opening piano notes of "The Root of All Evil", the the closing notes of the  opening notes of "The Root of All Evil" (say what?!), this album is a musical feast. And at the center of it all, closing the album in quite a roundabout fashion, the title track, in all of its nearly 24 minutes of glory. "Octavarium" is now, and always has been, a feast to my ears.

My Top Three: Octavarium, The Root of All Evil, I Walk Beside You

Metropolis, pt. 2 - Scenes From A Memory: 

This is my favorite Dream Theater album. Though I go back and forth between this, and "Octavarium", in the end, I always come back to this one as my favorite. This was Dream Theater's first concept album, and I think it is an absolute masterpiece. The music was well written, and definitely flows better than their second concept album ("The Astonishing"). And while it's not as good of a concept album as Neal Morse could write (sorry, DT!), I think they crafted something really special, and magical here. Plus, and this is important for a concept album: The story is pretty damned good. A lot of fans have thought it would be cool to see a "Metropolis, pt. 3", but to me, I don't think that the band could ever top this one, and it's probably best to just let this story stand as a two-parter. 

My Top Three: The Spirit Carries On, Through Her Eyes, Home

Extras: 

Over the years, Dream Theater have released a lot of songs that didn't really find a home on their full-length, studio releases. I thought that I would mention some of the most notable here. Leading the list is, of course, "A Change of Seasons". This track was released as an EP (with some extra added live tracks, from their Ronnie Soctt's gig), and, at just over 23 minutes, it is an absolutely essential DT song. "Raw Dog" was written for the soundtrack to a "God of War" game. It's an absoltuely killer instrumental track, and the last studio track to feature Mike Portnoy on the drums. "Eve" is a beautiful instrumental track, and I believe the final to feature Kevin Moore on the keys. "To Live Forever" eventually found a home on the "Greatest Hit..." compilation, and remains one of my favorite Dream Theater songs. "Don't Look Past Me" was a song written before James LaBrie joined the band, and while it exists as a vocal audition version for John Hendricks, the James LaBrie version is absolutely fantastic.

Official Bootlegs: 

I should also mention the treausre trove of tracks that exist because of the Dream Theater Official Bootleg series. This series died when Mike Portnoy left the band. There were 20 releases in all, ranging from the "Cover Series" (live releases of albums that DT had covered: "Master of Puppets", "The Dark Side of the Moon", "Made In Japan", and "The Number of the Beast"), the "Live Series" (several live albums from the "FII" tour, "Octavarium" tour, and the "6DoIT" tour), and perhaps the most interesting series, the "Demo Series". These albums are not to be missed by Dream Theater fans. It is my sincere hope that someday the band resume these releases.

And that is my list. Is it the same as yours? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, "not a chance in hell". But this is my list. Maybe I have a few in common with others, but let's face it, my list is one that many fans will strongly disagree with. Still, it's my opinion, and I think most of Dream Theater's fans can respect that.

Until the next one, thanks for reading!
-Rob