Best New Music of 2018

Hammerfall - Built to Last
Yawn. I've heard this all before from Hammerfall. The riffs, the cheesey lyrics (how many times do they need to use "hammer", "warrior", "dragon", "steel" and "fire"?) and the songs are all things we've heard before. On 'Built to Last' they're singing about "Templars of Steel" again - come on guys, that's so 2000. Hammerfall are not the sort of band we're supposed to take seriously of course, but there's only so much of their formula I can be bothered with. I loved Hammerfall when I was a teenager but I've moved on since then, unfortunately Hammerfall haven't. 'Built to Last' is probably much better if you've never listened to Hammerfall before, but after ten albums the novelty has worn out for me. I still enjoy their older albums and would probably see them again, but 'Built to Last' does nothing for me. Rating: 4/10. Highlight: none.

Epica - The Holographic Principle
2016 has definitely been a year of female-fronted Metal for me. I saw Nightwish at Download and enjoyed them more than I expected, and I've listened to 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful' a lot since then. In the wake of that I've started listening to Delain, Within Temptation and, of course, Epica. I saw that Epica are playing in London at the start of February so I decided to check out their new album to see whether or not I'd like to go. They've got a somewhat over-the-top combination of Simone Simons gorgeous voice, Mark Jansen's not-so-gorgeous voice, some choral singing, Metal riffs, keyboards and some orchestral music. Probably the kitchen sink too. There's a lot going on at times - sometimes too much - but they've pulled it all off really well. Rating: 7/10. Highlight: The Cosmic Algorithm.

Hatebreed - The Concrete Confessional
I'm only listening to this for the first time as I type this. It's much the same as I've heard from Hatebreed before - some angry men (who are nearly 40 now) shouting about things they're pissed off about. It's a short album at only thirty-three minutes and the longest song doesn't reach four minutes. Hatebreed like to keep it short and sweet. They make their point and don't mess around - 'Looking Down the Barrel of Today' ends particularly abruptly before they launch into 'Seven Enemies' where Jamey Jasta seems to be pissed off at just about everyone: "Today I wish a motherfucker would try, To see this fucked up world through my eyes... Seven enemies to vanquish one by one, Hatred blisters the surface of my tongue". It's actually quite hard to tell one song from another but in spite of the repetitiveness of Hatebreed's style I like it. This music is what it is and if you're in the right mood for it then it's probably awesome. Next time I'm pissed off about something I'll put this album on and go beat the crap out of someone. Rating: 7/10. Highlight: From Grace We've Fallen

Metallica - Hardwired...To Self-Destruct
This was probably the most anticipated album of the year, which fair enough as it is Metallica and they are the biggest Metal band. I had quite low expectations for it though. 'Death Magnetic' was boring and an over-compensation for the mess that was 'St. Anger' - much of the acclaim it received was probably due it not being 'St. Anger'. If 'Death Magnetic' was released after '...And Justice For All' then the reaction would have been "What's this shit?" So I didn't get my hopes up when the new album was announced and the first couple of songs were made available. Neither of them sounded anything different to what 'Death Magnetic' offered. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by 'Hardwired...To Self Destruct'. There are some cool riffs on the album and some genuinely great parts of songs, such as the final couple of minutes of 'Halo On Fire'. Only great parts though, no great songs. 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' feels unfinished, much like 'St. Anger', with some good ideas which could have been expanded on. 'ManUNkind' would fit nicely into 'Load' or 'Reload' and most of the songwriting looks like words thrown together without any proper thought about how to makes the lyrics flow together. Despite my criticisms of 'Hardwired...To Self-Destruct' I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, mostly due to my low expectations leading up to it. If anything, it's nice of Metallica to write some new songs for a change. It's just a shame they don't bother to write many good ones. Rating: 5/10. Highlight. Halo on Fire.
 
Alright, here's my 2016 top ten albums and top 5 eps. I'll break this into 5 installments. As I previously mentioned, not a whole lot from this year really stuck with me. I only really loved my top three albums, the rest are closer to 7/10. So there will be some negative aspects to the reviews.

10. Xiu Xiu - Xiu Xiu Plays the Music of Twin Peaks
This is one that just barely snuck into my top ten, as I only heard it for the first time last week. Had I heard it earlier, it might be even higher, but I found it top ten worthy right away. I love the Twin Peaks music, it is some of the best TV music ever. I also like weird electronic music and experimental rock. So I was very eager to check this out. These renditions capture both the creepy/unsettling vibes of the original versions while also giving the music a new twist. It's almost more unsettling at times. Exactly what I want a cover to be: Faithful to the intentions of the original, but still having the signature of the artist performing it. It's also has the right amount of dissonance. It's not totally out there, weird enough that it raises a few eyebrows but you can still pick out the melodies.

I recommend this to anyone who likes Twin Peaks and/or creepy atmospheric music.

Favorite songs: Laura Palmer's Theme, Audrey's Dance, Falling

9. Haken - Affinity
It is probably known around here at this point that I love Haken. I think they are the new Dream Theater. Not necessarily saying they're better than DT, but they are furthering the genre the same way DT did in the 90s. In many ways, they picked up the torch in 2010 when DT had dropped it and have been carrying it ever since. Every album they have released since has been better and more innovative than whatever the latest DT album was. The Mountain was my album of the year in 2013 and at this point I can confidently say it is the greatest progressive metal album to be released this decade. Probably won't be topped.
So having the followup album come in at #9 is a significant drop. I'll get the negative stuff out of the way first to explain why Affinity isn't higher: Up until this point, each Haken album has been a significant evolution for the band's sound. Part of what made The Mountain so incredible was that it felt like 10 leaps ahead of their previous albums, which I already considered near perfect albums. The Mountain set the bar higher than I anticipated. So Affinity was already disadvantaged from the start. But it doesn't feel like that much of an evolution for them. It feels more like the band is beginning to settle into their sound. This is fine, but it would be unfortunate if they didn't continue to innovate. There are moments of it here, but not at the level of their previous work. There are also a couple weaker moments. I like to listen to this album on vinyl and I actually think this album would be near perfect if it was only one vinyl disc (about 45 minutes). Just replace the song Initiate with The Endless Knot on disc 2. That's not to say the second half of the album is bad, but it doesn't wow me.

Now for the good stuff. Like I said, the first half of the album is near perfect. 1985 is one of the coolest songs I've heard all year. It has a lot of 80's styled "throwback" moments but it's all juxtaposed with modern Metal. It shouldn't gel together, but Haken makes it work. Then there's the album's centerpiece: The King Crimson inspired Architect. So many great proggy riffs and melodies on this and I love the vocal melodies. The atmospheric middle section has a "been there, done that" vibe to it if you've been following Haken already, but I do like the way it builds up. Also the bass solo during that part is great. The growled vocals from the Leporous singer is the icing on the cake. Great song. So there's still a lot of incredible stuff on the album. Even the songs I'm not crazy about have their moments.

Favorite songs: 1985. The Architect, Lapse, Endless Knot

Top 5 EP's:

5. MONO/POLY - Cryptic
Really high quality instrumental Hip Hop. Love the sounds and beats they came up with here. It's impossible to listen to this without getting pumped. If you're into hip hop or electronic music you're going to want to check this out. Also good if you like the instrumental side of hip hop but dislike rapping.

Favorite songs: Shapeshift, Raw Power Moves, Nocturne
 
After having reviewed every album I can remember listening to this year (apart from the new In Flames album, the less said about that the better...) I can now reveal my top 5 albums of the year. The moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for with bated breath. I've also included my favourite songs from each album, in spoiler tags though. I'm not SixesAllTheWay.

1. Anthrax - For All Kings

2. Killswitch Engage - Incarnate

3. Alter Bridge - The Last Hero

4. Delain - Moonbathers

5. Avantasia - Ghostlights

I said back in April when I was listening to 'For All Kings' that 'Breathing Lightning' was the song of the year - that hasn't changed.
 
8. Sia - This Is Acting
I like pop music but generally pop albums don't make my top ten since there's often so much filler, not the case with this album. This Is Acting is made up of songs that Sia wrote for other pop artists but were rejected. I find this ironic as many of these songs are better than most of what is currently on the radio. In particular, the songs Bird Set Free and Cheap Thrills were written for Adele and Rihanna respectively and they are better than anything either of those two artists have done recently (with the exception of Hello). Cheap Thrills was also a pretty big hit over the summer. On top of being a skilled song writer, Sia has a great voice with a lot of personality. Some songs on this album that I might not give second thoughts are enhanced by her performances. This is yet another thing that sets her apart, as many pop songs work in spite of the singer (Taylor Swift being the greatest example of a mediocre uncharismatic singer with great songs). Sia has great songs and a great voice. There's not a single song on here that I dislike or can't recall the melody offhand. Several songs on here are among the best pop I've heard all year.

I usually don't recommend full pop albums, but this isn't one to pass up. Very impressed with this album. Lot of variety in the songs too.

Favorite songs: Bird Set Free, Alive, One Million Bullets, Sweet Design

7. Farmhouse Odyssey - Rise of the Waterfowl
This is one that I just happened to come across on progarchives.com and what a great find that was. This is some of the most inspired and forward thinking prog rock I've heard in some time. The prog cliches are at a minimum and it feels more like a collection of great songs that just happen to be on the complex side. The influences aren't blatant the way many other prog albums tend to be these days. Lots of jazzy rhythms and unique chord progressions that make otherwise bland songs more interesting. The vocal parts are OK but what really sold me on this album was the skill of the players. Everybody is playing something interesting at any given moment, but no instrument overpowers the other. Everything works in tandem and it doesn't feel like they're overplaying. This is actually an example of an album I would've liked more instrumental. But the vocals aren't bad. It's also very mellow music. It's very relaxing, despite the music being complicated. It's somehow still catchy and accessible. Definitely check this out if you like jazz tinged prog rock and you're tired of all the Dream Theater clones.

Favorite songs: Daybreak, Slumberless Sun, Calligraphy, Speedbump Catalyst

EP's:

4. Steven Wilson - 4.5
Coming off of the success of Hand Cannot Erase, Steven Wilson was quick to followup with what is essentially a small collection of leftovers from his last couple albums. The exception being the closing track, Don't Hate Me, which is a reworking of an old Porcupine Tree tune. I normally only passively enjoy Stevie's work, he has some hits with me but also some big misses. Normally this would be something I skip, but Hand Cannot Erase was such a good album that I was at least curious to check out the "outtakes". I'm glad I did because it's a solid EP. It doesn't feel like leftovers. The opening song, Book of Regrets, is actually on par if not better than much of the HCE material. Awesome chorus, guitar riffs, and keyboard/guitar duel. Songs like this give me the strength to carry on with the so-far unimpressive early Porcupine Tree catalog. Happiness III is also a catchy tune that I suspect was left off the album more because it doesn't really fit the vibe of the other tracks.

The rest of the EP is made of more experimental/atmospheric instrumental tracks. Similar to the psychedelic tinged stuff on the early Porcupine Tree albums. Although the stuff on this EP is more enjoyable and actually has a nice creepy vibe. There are even some hints of a Metal influence, especially on Vermillioncore. In fact, a lot of these instrumentals remind me of Opeth's creepier moments on the recent albums. Overall much better than the similar material on early Porcupine Tree, but still nothing I'm ever going to listen to outside of the EP. The three vocal tracks make this worth the price of admission regardless.

Favorite songs: Book of Regrets, Don't Hate Me, Happiness III,
 
6. Submotion Orchestra - Colour Theory
This band was one of my favorite finds of the year. They're electronic music but with heavy roots in Jazz and they even use horns and real percussion in addition to the electronics. It's a great sound that is really unlike anything else I've heard. Also a great female vocalist. Colour Theory is heavier on the electronic side than their earlier work, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. The major focus is creating a mood with each song and a large sound. There are moments of bombast combined with more laid back sections, but it is all supported by a wall of (mostly) electronic sound. The horns are still there, but they don't always take the lead. This is good electronic music with vocals for anybody who likes a mix of atmosphere and catchy music.

Favorite songs: In Gold, Red Dress, Kimono

5. Devin Townsend - Transcendence
I never know how to temper my expectations when it comes to Devin Townsend. His albums are so varied and have had a pretty wide range of quality lately. Some really good stuff and some disappointing stuff. Transcendence feels like the most business as usual album Devin has done at least since 2009, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Albums like Z2 and Casualties of Cool were so tethered to their themes that several individual songs were pointless outside of the context. Transcendence still has a theme, but it's subtle and doesn't overpower any particular song. For the first time since Addicted, here's a Devin Townsend album where every song can be listened to and enjoyed without needing to listen to the rest of the album.

Musically it does feel like "typical" Devin. Loud in your face Metal with huge choruses and the signature wall of sound production. It's not bland, but listeners who appreciate Devin mostly for his eccentricity might be disappointed. But 20+ years and who knows how many albums later, I'd say he deserves to make an album that's just him doing his thing. I think it actually works in the album's favor in the end. The main focus was clearly the songs and as a result we've got some of the best individual songs he's written in some time. This album took some time for me to get into, but it didn't take long for it to click. Many of the songs are dense, but they still maintain Devin's knack for hooks.

Favorite songs: Secret Sciences, Stormbending, Failure, Offer Your Light

4. Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner Vol. 2
Snarky Puppy are arguably the best Jazz group out there right now. They are prolific and have been releasing great album after great album consistently for quite a few years now. Last year's Sylva was among my favorite albums of the year and still gets regular play from me. This year they released two albums. The second, Culcha Vulcha is more in their traditional style, with original songs recorded in the studio. I haven't spent much time with it, otherwise it could possibly also be on this list. Family Dinner Vol. 2 was released earlier and is a live recording that the band made with special guests on each track. The songs performed are written by each respective guest, with a range of musical styles from folk to Afro-Peruvian to Electronic to even pseudo-Metal. This is what makes the album so appealing to me. Each song is vastly different from the last, with Snarky Puppy acting more as a backing band to whichever guest is being featured. But the arrangements are fantastic and elevate each performance. This is just a really fun recording.

Favorite songs: I Remember, One Hope, I Asked, Molino Molero, Liquid Love, Somebody Home

3. Headspace - All You Fear Is Gone
These guys only have two albums, but they are already making a big splash in the progressive Metal world. Headspace features Rick Wakeman's son on keyboards (a great player in his own right) and one of the genre's finest vocalists: Damien Wilson. What I like about their music is that it has the technicality of Dream Theater, but it's very heavy. Lots of chugging riffs mixed with sweeping epic choruses. It all flows together really well too. Their songs aren't disjointed and they don't stay in one place too long. It's like Dream Theater but with better vocals and heavier riffs. The keyboards are also great. This guy is not like his dad at all. It's not "showy" playing, but more atmospheric. There are plenty of moments of technical brilliance though.

This album creeped up my rankings. I only gave it a 7/10 but it is very close to an 8. There is some filler in the middle, but the best parts are so good and the album flows so amazingly well that I keep coming back to it. The finest prog metal I've heard all year, without a doubt. Skip The Astonishing and go for this.

EPs:
3. Sheer Mag - III
Sheer Mag are a 70s style punk rock band from Philly. The best way I can describe them is Thin Lizzy meets The Clash. These songs are melodic and catchy with great riffs and guitar harmonies. They're heavy as hell but never feel noisy or atonal. Only four songs on this totaling out to 12 minutes. No fat, just great music.

Favorite songs: CAN'T STOP FIGHTING, NOBODY'S BABY

2. Kendrick Lamar - Untitled. Unmastered.
I wasn't sure how to classify this. It's only a half hour in length and is made up largely of leftover material, yet it still stands as its own project. I'm mostly counting it as an EP because I didn't have many EPs and I wanted an extra space in the top ten albums. :p To Pimp a Butterfly was my favorite album last year, so I was very excited when this album was released without any prior warning. The songs on this album were performed live on various late night talk shows and awards performances before the release of the EP, which was unique in itself. Usually artists will come on performing their latest singles, instead Kendrick premiered untitled songs that nobody had ever heard before. Not only was this artistically bold, but it ended up working in his favor by keeping his name in the headlines of various music blogs long after the hype for TPAB started to die down.

A lot of comparisons on the internet have been drawn between this release and Amnesiac by Radiohead. Both were released quickly after widely acclaimed albums that marked a turning point for the respective artists and both are made up of leftover material from those albums. I think it's probably a fair comparison, Untitled Unmastered is also very raw compared to TPAB. It shows how diverse Kendrick, and the hip hop genre in general, can be. The songs are more aggressive, less reliant on funky grooves or hooks (for the most part), and rely more on raw energy than atmosphere. You can tell it's cut from the same cloth, but it doesn't feel like Kendrick is retreading the same ground. This album/EP/whatever you want to call it is awesome, anyone remotely interested in hip hop needs to be following Kendrick.

Favorite songs: 01, 02, 07, 08
 
Hey @Mosh , with you being a proghead and all, what do you think of The Art of Loss by Redemption and Havoc by Circus Maximus? I try to find out whether to pick the Headspace album or one of these two in the Best 2016 album thread and I can't decide. I didn't expected it in the slightest, but I loved the Who cover. :D

BTW Affinity is great, but it really doesn't help it came out only after The Mountain. That "disappointment" factor might be affecting that a little, I admit. I put the word disappointment in quotes, because Affinity is anything but, but it still pales a bit next to its predecessor, if you know what I mean.
 
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Funny, I was planning on listening to Havoc tonight. I heard bad things about it so I held off, but I found a bunch of prog CDs including Havoc and the Redemption album at a store closing sale a few months ago for less than a dollar each so I picked them up. I listened to The Art of Loss already and I enjoyed it. Not really anything I'll ever come back to, but if you are into prog metal with a lot of DT and Fates Warning influence then it is pretty good. I'll probably revisit that one actually.

Overall though I find those bands to be lesser clones of DT. Only Circus Maximus song I ever really liked is Architect of Fortune.

I totally agree on Affinity. Definitely not a disappointment, it was just impossible to top The Mountain. I would say it'll probably end up being my least favorite Haken album so far, but the first three are so strong that it was only a matter of time before they released something not as good.
 
First two songs and After the Fire on Havoc were good, the rest was boring and bland. I just think Circus Maximus is one of the biggest one trick ponies in the prog metal scene. And that one trick isn't even that good.
 
Thank you for your honest opinion. Thing is, I keep reading about how these bands (Circus Maximus in particular, but I have read that about almost any band that plays prog metal and didn't start out in the 90's or earlier) are DT clones etc. And I don't really hear it. Actually (major blasphemy alert), despite the neoclassical influences and whatever, I find Symph X much closer to DT in sound and approach than CM, Riverside or Redemption (keyboards, especially - comparing Pinnella and JorDerek). I agree that the influence is there, but even if it actually were more prominent (as it is with CM's first record, for example, which is still my favourite release by them anyway), I wouldn't mind, because - just like with the discussion about DT's influences and their "ripping off" and direct quotes from other works - I honestly don't believe they sat down and said "hey, let's sound like Dream Theater. Instant profit!" Or I give them the benefit of a doubt, at least. Maybe it's because I realise that - if I were able to actually practise and play any instrument with any degree of profficiency and join/start a band - the music coming out of me might have been also considered to be ripping off other bands, I don't know, but I'm actually quite benevolent in that regard, because while I value originality (yes, if you start a genre, you're really cool and get plus points), it's only one of the aspects (and it has its trappings too - it's not as if all the innovative, original, constantly changing bands were always consistent, otherwise enjoyable or even coherent - Fripp? Are you reading this?).

And by the way - I'm not much of a CM fan (so this is not a butthurt "poor them" reaction :D ), it's more about the fact I just don't think they're such a mindless DT clone as they are usually depicted. I just don't hear it. With CM (and Havoc especially) I definitely hear more of a Coheed and Cambria influence (who themselves are more or less a Mars Volta rip-off, so that's neither here nor there) than DT. Havoc not only sounds rather different to DT, but to their previous albums and those already toned down the DT influence, IMHO. For what it's worth, my wife likes the band much more than me and she doesn't hear DT there at all (apart from the general stylistic similarities). And it's not like Headspace (or, well Damian Wilson, let's throw in Threshold, too) were really that different in that regard.

Redemption sound more like FW than DT to me (with Ray Alder there that's surprising, indeed :cool: ), but then again, I've yet to hear an album by them I wouldn't love, so I don't really care.

Havoc - Like you said, the first two tracks are good, After the Fire is excellent (and in fact, the opening track of the Headspace album reminds me of it at times), but I actually like the album as a whole (and as I've mentioned above, I find it quite different to their previous albums). Remember, for example, while having an undisputable pop/radio influence, is actually quite far from anything on Octavarium and reminds me more of Asia, in fact. The title track sounds like a Coheed take on Blur's Parklife [song], doesn't it? :D However, I still haven't heard it enough to really say.

But anyway, it's cool you try. I will definitely try out Farmhouse Odyssey, you surely got me interested.
 
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Also, I completely forgotten about the new Devy album. In fact, I'm kind of tired of him currently, which probably influenced my listening experience. From my completely and utterly biased point of view, it's actually rather easy to get tired of his output in general, though it's not as bad as with Mastodon, for example.
 
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JudasMyGuide said:
Thank you for your honest opinion. Thing is, I keep reading about how these bands (Circus Maximus in particular, but I have read that about almost any band that plays prog metal and didn't start out in the 90's or earlier) are DT clones etc. And I don't really hear it. Actually (major blasphemy alert), despite the neoclassical influences and whatever, I find Symph X much closer to DT in sound and approach than CM, Riverside or Redemption (keyboards, especially - comparing Pinnella and JorDerek). I agree that the influence is there, but even if it actually were more prominent (as it is with CM's first record, for example, which is still my favourite release by them anyway), I wouldn't mind, because - just like with the discussion about DT's influences and their "ripping off" and direct quotes from other works - I honestly don't believe they sat down and said "hey, let's sound like Dream Theater. Instant profit!" Or I give them the benefit of a doubt, at least. Maybe it's because I realise that - if I were able to actually practise and play any instrument with any degree of profficiency and join/start a band - the music coming out of me might have been also considered to be ripping off other bands, I don't know, but I'm actually quite benevolent in that regard, because while I value originality (yes, if you start a genre, you're really cool and get plus points), it's only one of the aspects (and it has its trappings too - it's not as if all the innovative, original, constantly changing bands were always consistent, otherwise enjoyable or even coherent - Fripp? Are you reading this?).

And by the way - I'm not much of a CM fan (so this is not a butthurt "poor them" reaction :D ), it's more about the fact I just don't think they're such a mindless DT clone as they are usually depicted. I just don't hear it. With CM (and Havoc especially) I definitely hear more of a Coheed and Cambria influence (who themselves are more or less a Mars Volta rip-off, so that's neither here nor there) than DT. Havoc not only sounds rather different to DT, but to their previous albums and those already toned down the DT influence, IMHO. For what it's worth, my wife likes the band much more than me and she doesn't hear DT there at all (apart from the general stylistic similarities). And it's not like Headspace (or, well Damian Wilson, let's throw in Threshold, too) were really that different in that regard.
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I generally agree that originality is something people put way too much stock in (I'd say only a small handful of prominent artists are truly original), if the music works for me then that's all that matters. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Headspace is pretty heavily DT influence but they've spun it in a way that works. I don't think Circus Maximus have done the same. The problem I find with many of these bands is that they're heavily inspired by DT but they don't have the same range and variety of collective musical knowledge that the members of DT have. I'm not talking about technical proficiency here, I'm talking about all the different artists that the members of DT listen to. They draw inspiration everywhere from Iron Maiden to Aphex Twin to Periphery to Tchaikovsky. I think a lot of young prog metal bands kinda miss that point when drawing inspiration from DT. They can do the technical instrumental sections, the syncopated riffs, and the epic choruses but that's pretty much it. There's no sense of variety or adventure in their music because it's only really trying to do one thing. Now if you like that one thing, then they'll work for you, but I find the vast majority of these bands uninspired. That's also one reason why Haken are the cream of the current prog crop. There's heavy DT influence but they also take influence from Jazz and Gentle Giant and Djent and even Vince DiCola. There's just a much wider musical palette there. Same thing with those Iron Maiden clones that have been popping up lately by the way. You're not going to find any Metal band today who aren't influenced by Maiden, but with those bands it's like all they've ever listened to is Maiden.

I do agree that Circus Maximus has been moving away from the DT influence a little, but it's still the biggest aspect of their sound to me.

As for Symphony X, I don't think they sound anything like DT. They are much more riff driven and the songs are shorter. Also heavier. The neoclassical influence is also much stronger with them. DT has that too but there's a larger influence from musicals and disney movies and generally more contemporary stuff. Symphony X sound like they're firmly stuck in the 1700s.

Don't listen to the Devin if you're not in the mood for his music. I've had several albums ruined in the past because I forced myself to listen to them. You have to be in the right mood to appreciate Devin's music, more than almost any other artist IMO.
 
Other than the fact that they are both progressive metal bands, I hear no similarities between Symphony X and Dream Theater. I would say that of all the prog metal bands I listen to, they sound the least like DT. I can hear DT in almost everyone else - Opeth, Seventh Wonder, Circus Maximus, Redemption, Fates Warning (or vice versa, I suppose), etc., but as Mosh said, SX's neoclassical and more riff-driven, power/symphonic approach to things puts them in an entirely different sound bracket. Not to mention, there's not a single moment of Russell Allen's vocals that I could even slightly compare to a James LaBrie performance/melody.

But these are things for a different thread as SX has not (unfortunately) released any new music in 2016.
 
Oh yea the power metal influence is a big one I forgot. Listen to chorus of Set the World On Fire, DT would never write something like that. Yet that sort of thing is found on countless SX songs.
 
I know, I know. I know what you mean. You are all mostly right. Truth is, I really don't hear much similarities between the progmetal lot (or at least not as much as others do) and I don't know why, DT and SX have always felt closer to each other than the rest for some reason. Yet the things you say are right, individually. I admit I don't know what to say and I feel stupid, I hope I'll find out why is that so. But maybe it's something inexplicable and personal. Like these two bands have made me wish I was actually a drummer, which never has happened before. But I digress.

MrKnickerbocker said:
But these are things for a different thread as SX has not (unfortunately) released any new music in 2016.
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DT have. So we can compare and say that the last Symph X album blows the last DT album out of the water. :D

Mosh said:
Symphony X sound like they're firmly stuck in the 1700s.
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:okok:
 
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JudasMyGuide said:
I know, I know. I know what you mean. You are all mostly right. Truth is, I really don't hear much similarities between the progmetal lot (or at least not as much as others do) and I don't know why, DT and SX have always felt closer to each other than the rest for some reason. Yet the things you say are right, individually. I admit I don't know what to say and I feel stupid, I hope I'll find out why is that so. But maybe it's something inexplicable and personal. Like these two bands have made me wish I was actually a drummer, which never has happened before. But I digress.
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Hey, now! No need to get down on yourself. I can see some similarities between the two, just not so much in obvious sonic qualities. They are probably the most successful progressive bands to never incorporate death/extreme/thrash metal into their main mix of sounds, so that is certainly something they share. DT and SX are certainly both melodic, dramatic, and epic, as well as being progressive and they are both dominated by virtuoso guitar players - so another similarity. They're also both East Coast bands. Also, lots of dudes named Mike in both bands :D

JudasMyGuide said:
DT have. So we can compare and say that the last Symph X album blows the last DT album out of the water.
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That is a fact. :okok:
 
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