Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonI don't know if I would go so far as to call them great. They are a good band, but very little other than Petrucci's playing is what I would call excellent. The vocals are good, but they're not David Bowie or anything. The piano is amazing, but great? I think Thelonius Monk, Vince Guaraldi, or Ray Charles when I think of piano greats. Mike Portnoy is definitely above average, but Keith Moon he is not. Great bands are pretty rare, and usually they're great because they either A. Invented something new (Pink Floyd), or B. Wrote songs in their genre clearly above and beyond the others (Bach).

I can't agree with that. Dream Theater is great. Every member of DT is a master of their instrument. I'm not much on the vocals, but James has some pipes. As for the piano/keyboards, Jordan Rudess attended Juliard at the age of 9 (or was it age 11?), anyway, he's a prodigy with keys. Have you really listened to DT? or have you just heard the few select songs they play on the radio, like Peruvian Skies? Check out Metropolis Pt. 1, Under A Glass Moon, The Dance Of Eternity, A Change Of Seasons, Erotomania, and the entire Metropolis Pt. 2 album. These guys are in a league of their own.