'M' pattern bands

[Andir]

I was just listening to Threshold. I have all eight of their albums (from Wounded Land to Dead Reckoning), was listening to them in album order and it made me wonder if there were other bands with an output pattern (to my tastes) like Threshold.

What I mean is this: If you were graph the quality of each album to your ears – what would it look like? There are plenty of bands with a straight line – consistently great, average, or crappy. Most are some kind of a bell curve - average to good at first, then improve until they peak, then they are never able to reach that peak again.

..and there are the ‘M’ pattern bands. I REALLY like every third Threshold album. For me, Psychedelicatessen (album 2), Hypothetical (album 5), and Dead Reckoning (album 8) are absolutely amazing albums. I look up from my work when many of the songs on these albums come on and just listen. Whereas, albums 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7, though good overall, just lack something to my ears.

Any other ‘M’ pattern bands?

 

[templeofmax]

I am very partial to both Critical Mass and Subterfuge!!!!! Waiting patiently for the new one! .

I find Vanden Plas albums to have a wave-like shape. While I enjoy Seraphic Clockwork and Christ O, I think their album quality peaked with Beyond Daylight, with Color Temple being up there, declining a bit with the God thing and up again with the immense Far Off Grace!!!

 

[sh0kr0k]

OOOOK now THIS is an interesting thread idea! I'll have to give this some thought though. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure if I have any M pattern bands. Hmmmm....

 

[kingdomgone86]

 

[kingdomgone86]

In the spirit of nerdy prog lovin', I made a chart to express the levels of the band Dream Theater. lol.

 

[dtguitarfan]

In the spirit of nerdy prog lovin', I made a chart to express the levels of the band Dream Theater. lol.

I would disagree with this chart on the basis that I believe Metropolis Pt. 2 is their best album, and Train of Thought SUCKS. I think ToT is actually their worst album, mainly because I think they were trying to be different than who they are - they wanted to make a great metal album, and so they didn't stay true to their progressive side. Also, while Systematic Chaos isn't the greatest album overall, In the Presence of Enemies is one of their greatest compositions ever, and so I believe that alone should bump up the score of that album.

 

[kingdomgone86]

I'd definitely be willing to switch out the scores for TOT and Scenes from a Memory.

 

[farren]

I'm more used to progressive bands peaking on album two or three, then descending... Most progressive bands stop progressing after that point, or dramatically change directions making "progress" in a way I rarely appreciate.

Vanden Plas looks more like a saw wave to me... Great (Colour Temple), good (The God Thing), okay (Far off Grace). Great (Beyond Daylight), good (Christ 0), okay (Seraphic Clockwork). If you include AcCult, it still works. This means 2014-15 will be a great year

 

[jaimek]

There's usually a bell curve with the bands I like - the first couple albums are okay, the mid 2-3 albums are great, and the last couple go from okay to blah.

I hated Psychedelicatessen when people were talking about it back in the #ytsejam days. It turned me off Threshold for more than ten years. I got Ravages of Time a couple years ago, and lo and behold, I actually do like Threshold! But I *still* hate Psychedelicatessen.

 

[MelbCro]

In the spirit of nerdy prog lovin', I made a chart to express the levels of the band Dream Theater. lol.

Six Degrees is as far as I'm concerned DT's best album. How on earth can you rate it so poorly?

 

[TwizstedJesus]

I agree with the above comment. Six Degrees is, on par with if not above most DT discs. I would rank them as follows...
Awake
Images and Words
SFAM II; Metropolis
Six Degrees ...
A Dramatic Turn of Events
When Dream & Day Unite
Systematic Chaos
Train of Thought
Octovarium
Black Clouds
Falling Into Obscurity

 

[dtguitarfan]

I agree with the above comment. Six Degrees is, on par with if not above most DT discs. I would rank them as follows...
Awake
Images and Words
SFAM II; Metropolis
Six Degrees ...
A Dramatic Turn of Events
When Dream & Day Unite
Systematic Chaos
Train of Thought
Octovarium
Black Clouds
Falling Into Obscurity

I find it hard to rank any DT album low...but to me Train of Thought and Falling into Infinity are the two lowest. Why didn't you like Black Clouds? Nightmare to Remember and Count of Tuscany are pretty awesome tracks IMO.

Agree that Six Degrees needs a better score...the title track alone is one of the best masterpieces in the Progressive Metal genre.

 

[kingdomgone86]

http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Dream_Theater/Six_Degrees_of_Inner_Turbulence/127/epicandrew

There's my review of the album.

 

[farren]

I've got Six Degrees down there with Falling Into Infinity as well. I find that whole chart pretty agreeable, except I'd drop Octavarium to 45-50 and raise SFAM to 90ish, and I'd include ACoS just because the title track is my favorite song

 

[MelbCro]

http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Dream_Theater/Six_Degrees_of_Inner_Turbulence/127/epicandrew

There's my review of the album.

Read it, and disagree. particuarly your view of disc 1, "as if they were so depressed from being so out of ideas they wrote this". really? Disc 1 is DT at its most creative and experimental. The band has never been more progressive than that, and thats progressive in its truest meaning. Also there is nothing nu metal about it, I'm really not hearing what you are. Its funny how varied alot of the opinions are on DT's albums, very little consensus outside the big 3 of I&W, Awake, SFAM.

 

[MelbCro]

Alot of hate here for Falling into Infinity which isn't surprising I guess. But I really like that album despite its flaws, its grown on me immensly over the years. It has some of their tightest and most tasteful compositions. And the production on that album has never been bettered by the band. So many great songs on it, songs that i rate as some of the best they've ever done: New Millennium, Hell's Kitchen, Lines in the Sand and Trial of Tears.

My rating on their albums is:
1. Six Degrees
2. Images and Words
3. Awake
4. When Dream and Day Unite
5. Scenes From A Memory
6. Train Of Thought
7. A Dramatic Turn of Events
8. Falling Into Infinity
9. Octavarium
10. Black Clouds
11. Systematic Chaos

Of those albums I enjoy all of them except for Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds

 

[dtguitarfan]

Read it, and disagree. particuarly your view of disc 1, "as if they were so depressed from being so out of ideas they wrote this". really? Disc 1 is DT at its most creative and experimental. The band has never been more progressive than that, and thats progressive in its truest meaning. Also there is nothing nu metal about it, I'm really not hearing what you are. Its funny how varied alot of the opinions are on DT's albums, very little consensus outside the big 3 of I&W, Awake, SFAM.

While I agree that SDOIT is a great album, partly because of the varied styles of disc 1 and partly because the title track is a MASTERPIECE (!!!!), I HATE it when people use the musical term "Progressive" like that. The literal english definition of "Progressive" is not the same as when it's used to describe music. Disagree? Think about this - let's say I start a band. Our first album, we play Polka. Our second album, we play Bluegrass. Our third album, we play Rock. Hey, we must be a Progressive Rock band, right? Because....we...progressed...right? WRONG!

Also, I love how this thread has completely become a discussion of Dream Theater.

 

[farren]

dream theatre sux

 

[MelbCro]

While I agree that SDOIT is a great album, partly because of the varied styles of disc 1 and partly because the title track is a MASTERPIECE (!!!!), I HATE it when people use the musical term "Progressive" like that. The literal english definition of "Progressive" is not the same as when it's used to describe music. Disagree? Think about this - let's say I start a band. Our first album, we play Polka. Our second album, we play Bluegrass. Our third album, we play Rock. Hey, we must be a Progressive Rock band, right? Because....we...progressed...right? WRONG!

Also, I love how this thread has completely become a discussion of Dream Theater.

I don't really understand man. I'm saying it is progressive because its an album where DT created its most experimental music.

 

[dtguitarfan]

I don't really understand man. I'm saying it is progressive because its an album where DT created its most experimental music.

I'm just saying that I believe Progressive (music genre) is different than progressive (literal english translation), and that Progressive (music genre) is not merely a genre where people try to be different than...something. Or experimental. I believe that there are common musical characteristics that define the Progressive Rock/Metal genre just like any other genre.