Quote:
Originally Posted by boo boo
That's a pretty good description, though I love Rush, they're an obvious inlfluence on Dream Theater. But overall DT do remind me more of Kansas and Toto with a metal twist. 
I don't consider Toto to be much of a prog band actually. In the late 70s you had arena rock bands like Journey and Toto embracing some prog influences but when these bands get lumped into the same category it's quite embarassing.
I think of bands like Kansas and Styx as being lite prog or commercial prog, a combination of prog and arena rock. And yes, DT reminds me a lot more of Kansas and Styx than they do King Crimson and Yes. And the saddest part is...
Kansas and Styx are still way better. |
Being from the UK I was always more fascinated by US bands than UK ones especially in the late 70`s and 80`s and here you have named 4 favs Toto and Journey (Soft-Hard Rock) Styx and Kansas (Prog/Rock)
I think the defining feature in prog rock especially of that era, is that the British animal is very different to the north American one and Rush certainly followed the British animal, whereas Kansas and Styx are good evidence of the Amercian animal. Therefore, its no surprise that DT are far more like either Kansas and Toto than they are like either KC or Yes.
In fact, the only prog type stuff Journey ever did was in their Greg Rolie era and as for Toto their second album "Hydra" had some elements but that is as about as far as it goes.
Whereas the 3 Kansas albums "Masque" "Left Overture" and "Point of no Return" along with the 2 Styx albums "the Grand Illusion" and "Pieces of Eight" for me are 5 of the greatest prog albums ever released.
DT in some aspects, are actually more set up like a rock band than a true prog group. They are set up in the way that both Toto or Journey were, for example, they have a dominant lead singer with a great voice in LaBrie very similiar to either Kimball and Perry in quality (even though I think Kimball and Perry have the edge) Showman guitarist in Petrucci similiar to either Lukather and Schon and a consumate sticksman in Portnoy again similiar to J.Pocaro or Smith and like these groups designed for arena rock, they then added on the progressive metal influences.