MP's Decade's End Album Poll

ToT, Duh-liv-er-ence, Deadwing (I've actually debated the PT one for years), Remedy Lane.

Can't comment on the Neal Morse solo efforts.

DREAM THEATER:
-- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)

OPETH:
-- Damnation (2003)

PORCUPINE TREE:
-- In Absentia (2002)

Not an easy choice but Six Degrees gets the nod from DT. 

DREAM THEATER:
-- Train Of Thought (2003)

NEAL MORSE:
-- ? (2005)


OPETH: )
-- Watershed (2008)


PORCUPINE TREE:
-- In Absentia (2002)



PAIN OF SALVATION:
-- The Perfect Element Pt 1 (2000)

6 Degrees

One

Remedy Lane

In Absentia

But I just can't bring myself to pick out the best Opeth album.  It's like choosing between my kids.  Well, the kids that I have absolutely no connection to.  I'm just gonna stop typing now.

DREAM THEATER:
-- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)

OPETH:
-- Ghost Reveries (2005)

PORCUPINE TREE:
-- Deadwing (2005)

DT - Train of Thought
NM - One
POS - The perfect element - part 1
Opeth - Deliverence
PT - Fear of a blank planet

Dream Theater - Black Clouds and Silver Linings

Neal Morse - Testimony

Opeth - I can't pick because I've never really been able to get into them.

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, because this is the one that got me into them.

PoS - None. Never have liked anything I've heard from them for some reason.

DREAM THEATER:
-- Systematic Chaos (2007)- I love all DT's albums... but SC is the closest in some ways to the band I first got into with Awake.   Six degrees is a very close 2nd here.


NEAL MORSE:
-- One (2004


OPETH:
-- Ghost Reveries (2005)



PORCUPINE TREE:
-- In Absentia (2002)



PAIN OF SALVATION:
-- Be (2004)

Hmmm.... fun topic.... It's also interesting to look back and realize just how many albums have come out from a single band in this decade! I mean, i knew DT was busy, but I never sat down and thought about the fact that it had been 5 albums this decade! Crazy!

Dream Theater - BC & SL
Neal Morse - One
Opeth - Blackwater Park (although Ghost Reveries is a VERY close second!)
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane

DT - 6DOIT
PT - Fear of a Blank Planet
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane

DREAM THEATER:
-- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)

NEAL MORSE:
-- Sola Scriptura (2007)

OPETH:
-- Watershed (2008)

PORCUPINE TREE:
-- Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)

PAIN OF SALVATION:
-- Remedy Lane (2002)

In my opinion, Six Degrees is the best prog-rock album ever and Systematic Chaos is a close second!  I can't comment on the other bands because I'm not really into their work.  

For DT it probably depends on the day of the week for me.  Today is Wednesday, so I'll vote for 6DOIT.

Neal Morse = One
PT = In Absentia.  Mostly because that's the album that got me into them.

Train of Thought
Blackwater Park
Sola Scriptura
Deadwing
The Perfect Element Pt.1

It IS a hard choice, but all are fantastic albums in their own right.
 
But my choices are:
 
Dream Theater: Train Of Thought
The songs on this album are all really strong. There are also snippets of this CD that pop up in other DT albums post ToT. Yes, all part of the AA Suite, but I do like the way that DT incorporated this CD in their later releases.
Jordan also had some great Keyboard sounds on this. he really took the Guitar sounds made by a keyboard to a new level. WOW
Also, As I Am is one of my all-time DT faves.....hearing it live...first time on the Live At Budokan DVD and then here in Melbourne just exemplified that.
 
Neil Morse: Testimony ( 3 CD edition)
What a monumental and collaborative effort. Although not Christian myself, there is strong reasoning for having faith on this CD. Sometimes the disc is a bit laboured, but a really grand effort and worthy of the vote
 
Opeth: Ghost Reveries
It just is. it's always my first choice when I stick on an Opeth Opus :)
 
Porcupine Tree: In Absentia/Out Absentia/Futile EP
This was a catalyst for all future PT records. Who can go past Trains or Blackest Eyes?? This record sounds great and is more timeless than the other records. The attention to detail in the songs by Steven Wilson is amazing and Gavin harrison just added that extra oomph. The EP's attached with this are a great accompanyment.
 
Out of all of these though, Dream Theater are my band of the decade and I can't wait for Monday and Tuesday next week.
 
Looking forward to the shows with much excitement.
 
Cheers
 

I was bored...


Totals up to now:

DREAM THEATER:
90 -- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)
25 -- Train Of Thought (2003)
25 -- Octavarium (2005)
23 -- Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)
3 -- Systematic Chaos (2007)

NEAL MORSE:
34 -- Sola Scriptura (2007)
28 -- ? (2005)
26 -- One (2004)
19 -- Testimony (2003)
1 -- Lifeline (2008)

OPETH:
54 -- Ghost Reveries (2005)
35 -- Blackwater Park (2001)
26 -- Watershed (2008)
10 -- Damnation (2003)
7 -- Deliverance (2002

PORCUPINE TREE:
57 -- In Absentia (2002)
41 -- Deadwing (2005)
24 -- Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)
7 -- The Incident (2009)
6 -- Lightbulb Sun (2000)

PAIN OF SALVATION:
42 -- Be (2004)
37 -- Remedy Lane (2002)
26 -- The Perfect Element Pt 1 (2000)
3 -- Scarsick (2007)

Dream Theater - Octavarium
Neal Morse - ?
Opeth - Blackwater Park
Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet
Pain of Salvation - The Perfect Element, Part I

It is massively difficult to chose... but... yeah.

Close battle between Watershed and Six Degrees.

DTFan93


Mikey, Mikey... not to bust your balls too much, but you've fallen victim to the old "Not knowing what year the decade ends" trick... this is a common mistake that people make though- assuming that the decade runs from 0-9, when it's actually 1-10. Although by its very definition, a decade is any period of 10 years- the current decade for your purposes actually runs from 2001-2010, not 2000-2009. So, shall we reconvene this time next year to make this list? :)

Fail.  Decades don't work like centuries.  Centuries start at XXX1 because of the lack of a year 0 on the Gregorian Calendar.  Decades, on the other hand are generally considered to have started on year XXXX0.  You could make an abstract argument that since there was no year 1 the first decade had to have ended on year 10, but the reality is that we didn't start using decades as a cultural measure until the 20th century anyway.

Think of it this way.  You could correctly say that both 1901 and 2000 were in the twentieth century, formally speaking.  But you would not say that 2000 was in the 1900s.  Same thing. 

If you'd like a (non-wiki) reference, here you go.  Scroll down to the Thesaurus section where it lists related words/

DT- Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
PT- In Absentia
Opeth- Blackwater Park
Neal Morse- One

Scars Unseen

DTFan93


Mikey, Mikey... not to bust your balls too much, but you've fallen victim to the old "Not knowing what year the decade ends" trick... this is a common mistake that people make though- assuming that the decade runs from 0-9, when it's actually 1-10. Although by its very definition, a decade is any period of 10 years- the current decade for your purposes actually runs from 2001-2010, not 2000-2009. So, shall we reconvene this time next year to make this list? :)

Fail.  Decades don't work like centuries.  Centuries start at XXX1 because of the lack of a year 0 on the Gregorian Calendar.  Decades, on the other hand are generally considered to have started on year XXXX0.  You could make an abstract argument that since there was no year 1 the first decade had to have ended on year 10, but the reality is that we didn't start using decades as a cultural measure until the 20th century anyway.

Think of it this way.  You could correctly say that both 1901 and 2000 were in the twentieth century, formally speaking.  But you would not say that 2000 was in the 1900s.  Same thing. 

If you'd like a (non-wiki) reference, here you go.  Scroll down to the Thesaurus section where it lists related words/

Hahahahahaha!

Win.

DT
Six Degrees
 
NM
Sola Scriptura
 
Opeth
Watershed
 
PT
Deadwing
 
PoS
BE
 
Damn Mike, that was tough. 
 
I love all of Neal's solo work and was a tough pick between SS and Lifeline.  They both flow so good. 
 
PT was easy, I picked the album that got me into them.

DT - Six Degrees

Opeth - Blackwater Park

Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura

Porcupine Tree - In Absentia

... not into PoS.

Oh my God! This is so difficult.


DREAM THEATER: 
-- Octavarium (2005): All the Albums are excellent, except for SC, but Octavarium is so amazing, the concept, the music, the song Octavarium…

NEAL MORSE:
- Sola Scriptura (2007): He tried with a heavier style and he did so great! But it’s difficult between this and Question Mark. Both of them have great concepts, lyrics and, of course, music. All NM albums are really impressive, except for Lifeline. I hope the next will be better.

PORCUPINE TREE: 
-- In Absentia (2002): Excellent! The presence of Gavin Harrison in the band is obvious, really.

PAIN OF SALVATION: 
-- Be (2004): Great concept and use of the prog elements. And the orchestra arrangements are so cool too.

DREAM THEATER - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

NEAL MORSE - ________ (*- haven't listened to any Neal Morse, sorry Mike, me bad)

OPETH - Blackwater Park

PORCUPINE TREE - Deadwing

PAIN OF SALVATION - Remedy Lane

DREAM THEATER:
-- Train Of Thought (2003)

NEAL MORSE:
-- Sola Scriptura (2007)

OPETH:
-- Damnation (2003)

PORCUPINE TREE:
-- Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)

I can't choose from POS because its almost impossible to get hold of their albums from my usual sources and I refuse to listen to downloads with crappy low bitrates.  I haven't been following much music in the last 10 years or so, but since taking up drumming earlier in the year (about 6 months ago) I've acquired 84 new albums, mostly of prog. rock goodness.  It is impossible to listen to it all as much as I would like.  I didn't realise I had so many in such a short time!  And here's me wondering where all of my school teacher salary goes!

Black clouds nearly got the nod from me because of hearing DT live on the Black Clouds Tour in Auckland two days ago - its so much better live - but Train of Thought is what I listen to if I'm out running, stuck inside marking, having trouble sleeping (not that it puts me to sleep, but I can enjoy being awake much more), or just needing to chill out.

[edit: I forgot to say it but, these albums remind me the most strongly of not following the crowd for the sake of an easy life and easy, but shallow, happiness]

Nasser


NEAL MORSE:
-- ? (2005)

Quite obvious ;)

(I see now that this has been addressed. Sorry. Maybe multiple posts on the issue will drive it home! ;)

Not to be pedantic (or bring up Y2K arguments ;), but it's *not the end of the decade yet*! The first year (as we count years in the west) was year 1, not year 0. That means the end of the first decade was year 10, not year 9. This decade started in 2001 and ends in 2010.

Sorry, but it had to be said. ;)

Donnie

DT - sdoit
NM - ?

I'll throw my hat into the ring:

Dream Theater:

Tough choice between Six Degrees and Black Clouds... but I think Black Clouds and Silver Linings just barely edges out the win on this one. Wither, The Best of Times, and The Count Of Tuscany were worth the price of admission for me.

Neal Morse:

Testimony... no contest. I've always been a sucker for albums that detail a musician's personal stories and struggles, and this album is no exception. It's the only post-SB NM solo record I still listen to on a regular basis. A wonderfully candid and moving album.

Opeth:

Can't really pick a winner from this one, as I still have yet to hear Deliverance and Damnation in their entirety... but will say this: Blackwater Park, Ghost Reveries, and Watershed are all FUCKING AMAZING. If those albums are any indication, I have a feeling this will be a VERY hard choice after I've heard them all...

Porcupine Tree:

In Absentia is going to take the win for PT album of the decade, simply because it was the first (and still the best) Porcupine Tree album I ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I will never forget the day I picked up the CD at Virgin Megastore on sale for $8.99 back in '02, and the long ride back home on the city bus listening to the entire thing... by the time "Trains" was halfway through I'd already known I'd discovered a new favorite band. :-)

Pain Of Salvation:

Remedy Lane, no question about it... I could just go into a long-winded explanation about why, but I'll just keep it succinct and say it just does it for me like none of the other POS albums do.

DT- Octavarium
 
NM- Sola Scriptura
Opeth- Deliverance OR Ghost Reveries (I don't know which I like more)
 
Porcupine Tree- Fear Of A Blank Planet
 
Pain Of Salvation- BE
 
 

DREAM THEATER:

- Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)


PORCUPINE TREE:

- Deadwing (2005) / In Absentia (2002)


OPETH:

- Deliverance (2002) / Damnation (2003)

One album from MP's list is the best prog album of the 2000's...and that album is:

TRAIN OF THOUGHT!

That cd kicks ass from start to finish. 

Dream Theater: Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
Neal Morse: One
Porcupine Tree: Deadwing
Opeth: Ghost Reveries
Pain Of Salvation: Remedy Lane

DT: 6DOIT
NM: ?
Opeth: Blackwater Park
PT: Deadwing
POS: The Perfect Element

soccerdad


(I see now that this has been addressed. Sorry. Maybe multiple posts on the issue will drive it home! ;)

Not to be pedantic (or bring up Y2K arguments ;), but it's *not the end of the decade yet*! The first year (as we count years in the west) was year 1, not year 0. That means the end of the first decade was year 10, not year 9. This decade started in 2001 and ends in 2010.

Sorry, but it had to be said. ;)

Donnie

By this logic, 1970 was in the 60's.

DREAM THEATER:
-- Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)

NEAL MORSE:
-- ? (2005)

OPETH:
-- Blackwater Park (2001)

PORCUPINE TREE:
-- Fear Of A Blank Planet (2007)

PAIN OF SALVATION:
-- Be (2004)--

Frunobulax

soccerdad


(I see now that this has been addressed. Sorry. Maybe multiple posts on the issue will drive it home! ;)

Not to be pedantic (or bring up Y2K arguments ;), but it's *not the end of the decade yet*! The first year (as we count years in the west) was year 1, not year 0. That means the end of the first decade was year 10, not year 9. This decade started in 2001 and ends in 2010.

Sorry, but it had to be said. ;)

Donnie

By this logic, 1970 was in the 60's.

for that matter, just look at Mike's Other Lists. Would King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" album originally released in 1969, belong in the "From the 70's" list? of course not.

the only reason the decade argument has any validity from a counting standpoint is the fact when they started using the BC/AD calendar system, they never had a YEAR 0, which in fact they should have since Jesus Christ, like anything, was not 1 year old when he came out of the womb. He was 0 (or less than 1/ x number of days/weeks/months old until his birthday when he turned 1).

But based on that, the year right now would in fact still be 2008, not 2009. But we use the current year as 2009 of course and the 10th year, since the start of a 10-number cycle in the one's place.