What is the definitive DT album?

[LudwigVan]

I&W easily.  That album was the foundation for everything the band has become.

[cookienut]

Scenes - perfection?...yes, DT's best?....yes, Encapsulates the best from all era's of DT?...yes.

I rest my case.

[King Postwhore]

Do you notice how diverse peoples picks are.  This is why DT is so great.  Never staying on one style while still being DT.  This is why I love this band.

[hefdaddy42]

Do you notice how diverse peoples picks are. 

Yeah, they are so diverse that four albums haven't gotten a single vote yet.   

[King Postwhore]

Do you notice how diverse peoples picks are. 

Yeah, they are so diverse that four albums haven't gotten a single vote yet.   

Ha!!    Only one album deserves a vote hef and that's FII.  The other's speak for themselves.  They are not bad but compared to the other albums.......

[hefdaddy42]

 

[kirbywelch92]

Images and Words

Really though, it is the album that started DT, it will forever be a part of their setlists and a part of their story.

[setrataeso]

I think the most diverse and best representing of DT's sound is Octavarium.
However, if we are talking which album will go down in history as THE Dream Theater album, it would be Images and Words.

[Mladen]

I&W is just as much metal as SFAM, relatively speaking; not as much so as ToT, but the balance of metal and prog is about equal on I&W and SFAM, if you ask me.  I&W might have "Surrounded," "Wait for Sleep" and "Another Day," but SFAM has "Through Her Eyes," "One Last Time" and "The Spirit Carries On."  And both CDs end with an epic that ranges from fairly mellow to rocking (but never really metal). 

I thought Beyond this life and Home are much more metal than Pull me under or Under a glass moon. I&W is still not quite representative in terms of the metal side of Dream Theater in my opinion. And that's an important side.

[hefdaddy42]

I&W is just as much metal as SFAM, relatively speaking; not as much so as ToT, but the balance of metal and prog is about equal on I&W and SFAM, if you ask me.  I&W might have "Surrounded," "Wait for Sleep" and "Another Day," but SFAM has "Through Her Eyes," "One Last Time" and "The Spirit Carries On."  And both CDs end with an epic that ranges from fairly mellow to rocking (but never really metal). 

I thought Beyond this life and Home are much more metal than Pull me under or Under a glass moon. I&W is still not quite representative in terms of the metal side of Dream Theater in my opinion. And that's an important side.

But their metal side is only at the forefront on a relatively low number of songs.  I&W is very representative of DT's overall sound.

[KevShmev]

I&W is just as much metal as SFAM, relatively speaking; not as much so as ToT, but the balance of metal and prog is about equal on I&W and SFAM, if you ask me.  I&W might have "Surrounded," "Wait for Sleep" and "Another Day," but SFAM has "Through Her Eyes," "One Last Time" and "The Spirit Carries On."  And both CDs end with an epic that ranges from fairly mellow to rocking (but never really metal).  

I thought Beyond this life and Home are much more metal than Pull me under or Under a glass moon. I&W is still not quite representative in terms of the metal side of Dream Theater in my opinion. And that's an important side.

But their metal side is only at the forefront on a relatively low number of songs.  I&W is very representative of DT's overall sound.

That's a bingo!

Oh, and while OV might be diverse in that the band did different types of songs, I don't see anyway it is DT's definitive album.  Not only is the songwriting too inconsistent (my opinion, I know), but it is far too low on the wankery scale.  Like it or not, wanking is a big part of their sound, and OV is by far the album with the least amount of wanking, so given that, it seems crazy to call it possibly their definitive album.  It would be like calling Damnation Opeth's definitive CD.

[hefdaddy42]

Oh, and while OV might be diverse in that the band did different types of songs, I don't see anyway it is DT's definitive album.  Not only is the songwriting too inconsistent (my opinion, I know), but it is far too low on the wankery scale.  Like it or not, wanking is a big part of their sound, and OV is by far the album with the least amount of wanking, so given that, it seems crazy to call it possibly their definitive album.

I definitely agree with this.

[Plasmastrike]

Images And Words is the definitive Dream Theater album.

[robwebster]

Oh, and while OV might be diverse in that the band did different types of songs, I don't see anyway it is DT's definitive album.  Not only is the songwriting too inconsistent (my opinion, I know), but it is far too low on the wankery scale.  Like it or not, wanking is a big part of their sound, and OV is by far the album with the least amount of wanking, so given that, it seems crazy to call it possibly their definitive album.

I definitely agree with this.

Aye. Plus all the styles are in extreme. There's no middle ground. It's not "average Dream Theater," it's Dream Theater at the ends of the spectrum.

[Ultimetalhead]

Definitely either SDOIT or SFAM. Both of those albums are the perfect blend of heaviness, proginess, strong melodic songwriting, quirkiness, and flashiness balanced with tastefulness. And I feel they're the perfect middle ground between "old" DT and "new" DT.
If I had to pick one album to show someone what DT is about, nothing can top these two.

This guy. He knows what's up.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I&W is just as much metal as SFAM, relatively speaking; not as much so as ToT, but the balance of metal and prog is about equal on I&W and SFAM, if you ask me.  I&W might have "Surrounded," "Wait for Sleep" and "Another Day," but SFAM has "Through Her Eyes," "One Last Time" and "The Spirit Carries On."  And both CDs end with an epic that ranges from fairly mellow to rocking (but never really metal).  

I thought Beyond this life and Home are much more metal than Pull me under or Under a glass moon. I&W is still not quite representative in terms of the metal side of Dream Theater in my opinion. And that's an important side.

But their metal side is only at the forefront on a relatively low number of songs.  I&W is very representative of DT's overall sound.

That's a bingo!

Oh, and while OV might be diverse in that the band did different types of songs, I don't see anyway it is DT's definitive album.  Not only is the songwriting too inconsistent (my opinion, I know), but it is far too low on the wankery scale.  Like it or not, wanking is a big part of their sound, and OV is by far the album with the least amount of wanking, so given that, it seems crazy to call it possibly their definitive album.  It would be like calling Damnation Opeth's definitive CD.

I was told by someone somewhere, that men go gay for KevShmev. Just too much wisdom 

[KevShmev]

I was told by someone somewhere, that men go gay for KevShmev. Just too much wisdom 

  Not only that, but women swoon! 

[ReaPsTA]

How is Scenes not winning this poll?

[glaurung]

I'm not surprised that I&W is winning but I am surprised that Awake doesn't have more votes.

[orcus116]

Personally Images for all the reasons Kev said. I can see the argument for Scenes though. Blob does raise an interesting point with Six Degrees but I see that album more as the true potential this current lineup has than the Dream Theater album.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

How is Scenes not winning this poll?

I&W makes sense too.

[Dr. DTVT]

I&W - perfection?...yes, DT's best?....yes, Encapsulates the best from all era's of DT?...yes.

I rest my case.

Fixed.

When someone asks me "Who and what is Dream Theater", I always point them towards I&W.  6DoIT isn't their second best, but it would be my second choice as does start to incorporate some of their heavier stuff, yet retains the signature DT sound from the I&W/Awake albums.

[hefdaddy42]

How is Scenes not winning this poll?

Because it isn't the definitive DT album.

[BlobVanDam]

SFAM is much more representative of DT than IaW is. That's not to say that IaW isn't amazing of course (it's my 2nd favourite, and I rank it slightly above SFAM), but it doesn't have the diversity that SFAM has that much better demonstrates all aspects of their sound.

[The Letter M]

SFAM is much more representative of DT than IaW is. That's not to say that IaW isn't amazing of course (it's my 2nd favourite, and I rank it slightly above SFAM), but it doesn't have the diversity that SFAM has that much better demonstrates all aspects of their sound.

Hmmm... what if you look at it this way...

Pull Me Under vs. Overture 1928 / Strange Déjà Vu
Another Day vs. Through Her Eyes
Take The Time vs. Beyond This Life
Surrounded vs. Through My Words / Fatal Tragedy
Metropolis vs. Home
Under A Glass Moon vs. The Dance Of Eternity / One Last Time
Wait For Sleep vs. The Spirit Carries On
Learning To Live vs. Finally Free

Some of the match-ups aren't very close, but a lot of them are.... oddly enough, those match-ups are pretty even, IMO... both albums are pretty good, and do share a good range of the band's sounds, but only of that period. IAW is THE sound that DT had from the early-to-mid 90's... but SFAM is THE sound that DT has been exploring since Jordan joined the band... a sound that they were moving from and improving as they grew. Granted, SFAM has some great songs and a good diversity, IMO, but so does IAW... just... in a different way.

-Marc.

[BlobVanDam]

SFAM is much more representative of DT than IaW is. That's not to say that IaW isn't amazing of course (it's my 2nd favourite, and I rank it slightly above SFAM), but it doesn't have the diversity that SFAM has that much better demonstrates all aspects of their sound.

Hmmm... what if you look at it this way...

Pull Me Under vs. Overture 1928 / Strange Déjà Vu
Another Day vs. Through Her Eyes
Take The Time vs. Beyond This Life
Surrounded vs. Through My Words / Fatal Tragedy
Metropolis vs. Home
Under A Glass Moon vs. The Dance Of Eternity / One Last Time
Wait For Sleep vs. The Spirit Carries On
Learning To Live vs. Finally Free

Some of the match-ups aren't very close, but a lot of them are.... oddly enough, those match-ups are pretty even, IMO... both albums are pretty good, and do share a good range of the band's sounds, but only of that period. IAW is THE sound that DT had from the early-to-mid 90's... but SFAM is THE sound that DT has been exploring since Jordan joined the band... a sound that they were moving from and improving as they grew. Granted, SFAM has some great songs and a good diversity, IMO, but so does IAW... just... in a different way.

-Marc.

But to me IaW only represents a smaller era of DT. I can't listen to IaW and say it represents the last decade of their career. SFAM sits right in the middle, and I feel it is a good mix of what came before it, and what came after it.
That's not to say that IaW isn't a worse album or less diverse at all, but if I had to pick one album that feels like it most represents the sound of every other album, SFAM feels like the least biased towards any particular sound, while IaW has a more distinctive sound that separates it a bit more from their other albums compared to SFAM.

[reneranucci]

I&W is just as much metal as SFAM, relatively speaking; not as much so as ToT, but the balance of metal and prog is about equal on I&W and SFAM, if you ask me.  I&W might have "Surrounded," "Wait for Sleep" and "Another Day," but SFAM has "Through Her Eyes," "One Last Time" and "The Spirit Carries On."  And both CDs end with an epic that ranges from fairly mellow to rocking (but never really metal). 

I thought Beyond this life and Home are much more metal than Pull me under or Under a glass moon. I&W is still not quite representative in terms of the metal side of Dream Theater in my opinion. And that's an important side.

I fully agree with what you said.

[The Letter M]

But to me IaW only represents a smaller era of DT. I can't listen to IaW and say it represents the last decade of their career. SFAM sits right in the middle, and I feel it is a good mix of what came before it, and what came after it.
That's not to say that IaW isn't a worse album or less diverse at all, but if I had to pick one album that feels like it most represents the sound of every other album, SFAM feels like the least biased towards any particular sound, while IaW has a more distinctive sound that separates it a bit more from their other albums compared to SFAM.

Oh of course, I totally agree! I was just saying that it's got a different kind of diversity, for it's time period. But I do agree with you, SFAM does present the sound they are coming from, and heading toward, and is pretty representative of their sound (especially being right in the middle of their career!).

-Marc.

[hefdaddy42]

SFAM isn't representative because it's the only concept album they've done.  When you've done something only once, it can't be representative of your career.  In much the same way, there is no way that Train of Thought could be representative of their career.

There are examples of all of their facets on Images & Words (other than certain negative ones that may have crept up in some of their latter albums), and by and large these facets occur in some of the best songs they've ever done.

But whatever.

[skydivingninja]

Just because Scenes is a rock opera doesn't really mean its disqualified from being called the "definitive" DT album.  I guess we could also disqualify WDADU, Images, Awake, Falling Into Infinity, and 6DoiT too because their lyrics aren't representative of DT's overall writing anymore.  But lyrics have never been the greatest strength, so it would be better to look at the music.  In my opinion, the technical, heavy, and melodic side of DT's music are all contained in this one album, never leaning more towards one direction.  Its pretty much the perfect album to present to someone who wants to know what DT sound like.

[j]

I chose I&W because it encompasses the aspects of DT that I personally favor, but I think you could make a case for just about any of their albums.  With the possible exceptions of SC, ToT, and FII (although I love FII).

-J

[BlobVanDam]

Yeah hef, I don't see how being a concept album disqualifies it. The lyrical style is still representative of their music, and they have similar, although obviously not as strong, musical connections on other albums too, like Awake and Octavarium. I think the fact it's a concept album is what makes it so diverse though, with a variety of short and longer songs, and I still think it's a lot more representative of their music than IaW. I can listen to SFAM and hear elements of IaW (for obvious reason lol) and I can hear elements of newer albums. When I listen to IaW, it doesn't sound like anything they've done since. Obviously all of the elements of DT's music are there, but they're executed in a unique way that I don't feel represents DT as a whole.

[orcus116]

Let's just admit it, the original question is too damn hard to answer.

[Perpetual Change]

Let's just admit it, the original question is too damn hard to answer.

Maybe, but narrowing it down to 2 isn't too shabby.

[Dublagent66]

It doesn't surprise me that SFAM is a close 2nd to I&W.  They represent DT's career very well and it's fitting since both are considered to be a new beginning and a pivotal turning point during some adverse times.