Freelance Flaneur: Ranking the Dream Theater albums

15. The Astonishing (2016)

There might be enough nice passages scattered across these two hours to shift this up a place or two, but that would require sitting through The Astonishing again, so I'll just leave it here. I can only tolerate cheesetastic metal operas when there are thick European accents creating the illusion that they might actually be telling a great story if not for the translation barrier. This is borderline embarrassing.

Fave: Our New World

14. Systematic Chaos (2007)

Dream Theater signed to a metal label and the notion of a commercial single shifted from rousing 'I Walk Beside You' singalongs to dull Metallica tributes. 'Repentance' lets down the AA suite too, the album within the albums that was on course to be their best of the decade. Did they think they had a 'Shine On' on their hands with those bookends? I was always down on this one, but there's even less to redeem it than I remembered.

Fave: The Ministry of Lost Souls

13. Distance over Time (2019)

I'm not very familiar with the new one yet, but that's not likely to change. Seemingly keen to reassert their masculinity after the flamboyant opera, this is riff-based like Train of Thought, but less intimidating in the heaviness and song lengths. Not much has stood out even after a couple of listens, which was never the case before with this band, but that could just be me.

Fave: At Wit's End

12. Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

This is what a rut sounds like. My expectations were suitably low by this point, so I was contented with the bits I enjoyed along the way and just ignored the cringeworthy narratives and customary theft/homage, but it fell out of rotation before long. The keyboard whale song interlude of 'The Count of Tuscany' is one of the best things they've done, like how the bass intro to 'Damage, Inc.' is better than the song. Why don't I just listen to New Age then?

Fave: The Count of Tuscany

11. Train of Thought (2003)

I was always a bit of a wussy metal fan, needing melodic twin guitars with my death metal or vintage production keeping things from being too oppressive. Dream Theater's thrash album has plenty of good riffs and a decent instrumental, but I don't find it a pleasant listen on the whole and can't remember most of what happened afterwards. This is sounding a bit rapey.

Fave: This Dying Soul

10. Dream Theater (2013)

Dream Theater's arrogantly self-titled release proved to be far from definitive, sounding more like a hopeful debut (even going back to the Rush source) than genre pioneers consolidating after twelve albums and almost three decades. Nothing special, but more listenable than the latter Portnoy years.

Fave: Along for the Ride

9. When Dream and Day Unite (1989)

There isn't a lot of continuity from this debut to what most people probably consider their "real" first album, making this more of a de facto demo, but it's great to hear where they came from and I like the otherworldly '80s production. Each band member's impressive, but the parts are greater than the whole, especially since Charlie Dominici channelling Geddy Lee threatens to reduce the whole thing to heavy metal Rush.

Fave: Afterlife

8. Octavarium (2005)

Dialling back the aggression from the last album, this is a lot more palatable, though goes a bit too far in the other direction when we get the Disney ballad. I never found the title track interesting enough to justify the runtime, but there's lots to enjoy earlier on in the shorter, catchy ones. I'm not Dream Theatering properly, am I?

Fave: These Walls

7. A Change of Seasons (1995)

I've barely listened to the covers side, but the 23-minute title suite is a pillar of their '90s catalogue and was what first convinced me to take the band seriously (even if it was no 'The Divine Wings of Tragedy'). If they'd stuck this on an earlier album as planned, we wouldn't need to mess around like this.

Fave: A Change of Seasons, obviously

6. Awake (1994)

Their 'heavy' album, before that became the default setting, grim titles like 'Lie' and 'Scarred' and vague memories of scratchy riffs tend to put me off diving in, but once I'm submerged I remember how it's sweetened by melody and Kevin Moore's ethereal keys. Train of Thought could have taken lessons.

Fave: Voices

5. Falling into Infinity (1997)

It's got some skippers, but Dream Theater's short-lived trad prog era has a special charm and unique sound, with Derek Sherinian's spacey keys and the totally excellent '90s rock production. It might even be the one I come back to the most, as happens with albums you didn't overplay in your youth. It'd be more highly regarded if they'd finished 'Metropolis II' in time, or been allowed to include it or whatever, but that worked out for the best in the long run.

Fave: Hell's Kitchen

4. A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)

I don't think I was aware that this was the start of a new era when I came across the MP3s and excitedly downloaded them ready for a road trip, but it was their first new release to win me over since I came on board. I can take or leave the "shorter" ones (eight minutes? Pathetic!), but those excessively long jams are just ace. Dang, this takes me back.

Fave: Breaking All Illusions

3. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)

Of course you're going to do a double album next. The title suite is fairly cheesy and uneven, in no way a worthy follow-up to Metropolis in its own right, but that's just a supplement to the first disc that's solid enough to stand alone, introducing the longer, harder DT that was nice at first, but would progressively wilt as the decade wore on.

Fave: Blind Faith

2. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)

This is what happens when you stifle a prog band's creative expression for a couple of albums in a row. They expand a self-referential song that was too challenging to go on the previous album into an album-length "movie," and it surprisingly turns out fucking great. If you were in Dream Theater, it'd be hard not to feel like you'd peaked. There wasn't anywhere left to go but get fixated on maths and homage.

Fave: Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy

1. Images and Words (1992)

Arriving via the (even) nerdier prog metal of Ayreon and Symphony X, I didn't love what I still have to remind myself isn't Dream Theater's debut album right away. But by the time I headed off to university, this was my favourite album to listen to while getting economically pissed by myself before a night out. Those high notes, man. Good times. I think.

Fave: Metropolis—Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper'

Saturday 25 April 2020

Ranking the Dream Theater albums