Dream Theater
by 
AAL2014 
One of the bands I've been into for a very long time. Mike Portnoy influenced me as a drummer more than just about anyone. I fell in love by hearing Scenes From a Memory after plucking it out of my dad's album collection. My friends in my first band turned me on to Octavarium and we would listen to it all the way through. I discovered the rest of the catalog soon after.
For anyone unsure of this band, just give them a well deserved listen. Prog or prog metal may not be your cup of tea, but these guys have great songwriting abilities to accompany their instrumental prowess. Dream Theater will always have one of my favorite back catalogs and I will always consider them an influence, but they are starting to lose me with their last couple albums. The Astonishing is anything but. I hope to always be a fan of this band be it Mike Portnoy or Mike Mangini.. Dream Theater is one of the greats.
- Chart updated: 02/07/2025 06:45
- (Created: 06/18/2016 21:46).
- Chart size: 21 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and this chart has not been rated yet. Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show non live albums. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
The Crown Jewel: One of the greatest albums of all time, and the album that WAS my all time #1 for a very long time. The instrumentation is of course top notch, but on this album, Dream Theater was at an all time creative peak in terms of songwriting. There are melodies here that constantly blow my mind. Please give this album a listen.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,267
Rank in 1999:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Deserving Runner Up: A classic in the discography and now in the genre of prog rock. Octavarium is the album that ultimately hooked me on the band. Much of the time you will hear high praise for the title track (and rightly so) but this album is much more than those roughly 24 minutes. So much good material here, only slowed down by that 9/11 song.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Year of Release:
2005
Appears in:
Rank Score:
668
Rank in 2005:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Worthy Bronze: Arguably the heaviest album in the catalog with so much good and inspired songwriting. DT has many songs and albums that are heavy because they like heavy music, but this album is different because there was no other way of making it.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Dream Theater's first album with longtime frontman, James LaBrie, was one that got them the fame they wanted without having to compromise anything musically. I don't love everything about it (especially the production on the keys and drums... ughh) but there's no doubt this is a deserving prog rock classic. Under a Glass Moon is hard to top.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,042
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Side 1 has some incredible songs (almost all of them really) and side 2 is a masterpiece that is worth the patience of listening to the 45 minutes of the song.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Year of Release:
2002
Appears in:
Rank Score:
620
Rank in 2002:
Rank in 2000s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A very underrated album. Breaking All Illusions is everything I love about Mangini-era Dream Theater. The first album with Mike Mangini on drums showed me Dream Theater was going to be just fine without Mike Portnoy.... for the time being anyway.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
All that needs to be said in defense of the good this album has to offer is In the Presence of Enemies Parts 1 and 2. Holy jumpin fuckin shit balls. One of the best songs in the discography.
It’s a little hit or miss from there though. While the guitar solo section of Constant Motion is one of the coolest things the band ever did, the song also provides some painfully bad MP backing vocals and the worst of their Metallica influence. Prophets of War and Repentance are too long, the former borrows heavily from Muse and the latter gives very much the vibe of Pink Floyd. Dream Theater was never very shy about giving nods to their heroes and influences, however, Sys Chaos shows the band at their least clever with those nods. I liked this album way more as a kid and maybe that’s a reason why. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
It’s a little hit or miss from there though. While the guitar solo section of Constant Motion is one of the coolest things the band ever did, the song also provides some painfully bad MP backing vocals and the worst of their Metallica influence. Prophets of War and Repentance are too long, the former borrows heavily from Muse and the latter gives very much the vibe of Pink Floyd. Dream Theater was never very shy about giving nods to their heroes and influences, however, Sys Chaos shows the band at their least clever with those nods. I liked this album way more as a kid and maybe that’s a reason why. [First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
When I first heard this album around the time of its release, I was really pleasantly surprised. It was easily the album I liked the most on first listen since Dramatic Turn and they finally sounded locked in with Mike Mangini and the sound/mix of his drums is better here than on most, if not all, of the previous efforts.
Definitely not a perfect record but I think it’s a decent effort in DT keeping their head above the water in the rolling sea of prog in the 2020’s. [First added to this chart: 02/04/2024]
Definitely not a perfect record but I think it’s a decent effort in DT keeping their head above the water in the rolling sea of prog in the 2020’s. [First added to this chart: 02/04/2024]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
A classic and fan favorite, the only reason it isn't higher is because I am not as familiar with it. Through all of that, the drums on this album are incredible and Awake is probably James LaBrie's finest vocal hour.
[First added to this chart: 03/22/2019]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
432
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Total albums: 17. Page 1 of 2
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Dream Theater composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1980s | 1 | 5% | |
| 1990s | 5 | 24% | |
| 2000s | 8 | 38% | |
| 2010s | 5 | 24% | |
| 2020s | 2 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Dream Theater | 21 | 100% |
Dream Theater chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 11th to 12th Live Scenes From New York by Dream Theater |
| Down 1 from 12th to 13th Black Clouds & Silver Linings by Dream Theater |
| Down 1 from 13th to 14th A Change Of Seasons by Dream Theater |
| New entries |
|---|
| Parasomnia by Dream Theater |
Dream Theater similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 13 Greatest Music Albums | SamirCAJorge | Overall chart | 2017 |  |
| My Favorite Mike Portnoy Albums | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| Top 20 Music Albums of the 2000s |  AlexSVK | 2000s decade chart | 2023 |  |
| Top 20 Greatest Music Albums | Qwal | Overall chart | 2010 | |
| Top 20 Music Albums of the 1990s | AlexSVK | 1990s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 20 Music Albums of the 1990s | Nykeaula | 1990s decade chart | 2013 |  |
| Best Metal Albums |  srogers900 | Custom chart | 2022 | |
| Top 18 Greatest Music Albums | vans | Overall chart | 2015 | |
| Top 20 Greatest Music Albums | Kluuz | Overall chart | 2021 | |
| Top 20 Greatest Music Albums | FridgeFraser | Overall chart | 2010 | |
Dream Theater similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by AAL2014
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beatles | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2024 | |
| Rush - The Studio Albums | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| MetallicA | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2023 | |
| Best Ever Debut Albums | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2023 | |
| Tool | AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2021 | |
AAL2014 has created 341 other custom charts - click here to explore them all.
Dream Theater ratings
Not enough data Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Dream Theater comments
Showing all 2 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From AAL2014 02/27/2017 19:18 | #186486
AAL2014 02/27/2017 19:18 | #186486
Hey LedZep. Thanks for your interest in my charts, very honored to hear that from a member like yourself who has great taste and wonderful charts as well. Many of my charts are incomplete, others are just always going to be works in progress.
As for this chart, The Astonishing does nothing for me. There are a lot of people who love it and many who were floored by the live show of it. I attended their Detroit show fully aware of what I was getting. I had listened to disc 1 previously, bored to death telling myself I'll get to disc 2 at some point before the show comes. Well, I didn't. At the show, the lights which corresponded with the technical rhythms were impeccable and the stage looked very unique however live, the music came out as lifeless as it did on my CD. Aaaaand my friends and I took off at intermission. Still haven't heard disc 2 and I don't give a shit enough at the moment to do so. I'm sure I will at some point, but man it's a bummer of a record. Ambitious, yes, but perhaps a bit too much.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
LedZep 01/29/2017 01:40 | #184467
LedZep 01/29/2017 01:40 | #184467
Astonishing is really THAT bad? I've been browsing your charts today and I like your taste very much and I haven't listened to Astonishing yet...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Dream Theater
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
