jamesg1213
Amazing musicians, flawless playing, inventive arrangements, superb productions...and yet I find them unlistenable. I keep trying though.

You're not alone!! I have this same issue! And for the life of me, I don't know what it is. At first I thought maybe jealousy....then part of me said "no, some of this isn't really even musical to me, it sounds like repetition and years of theory and mathematical formulas."
 
Then the real answer came to me....I put on their first two albums and realized the band that won me over initially didn't really exist anymore. I'm a sucker for a hook and though they shoot you a few here and there today, it's more wankage than I can handle....and this coming from me, a wanker guitarist! I think James voice is shot and they should hire Tony Harnell from TNT.....and maybe go for more of that "Images and Words" sound.
 
I know....they hated that album, but in my defense as a fan, that's what won me over. They had the perfect mix of hooks, song content, musical wankage, prog, and I really liked James' voice on that album. That other one was cool too....the one with 6 o'clock....can't remember the name at the moment....ah, Awake I think it was?
 
But I felt the band has gotten further and further away from what made me a fan originally. When a band sells me on something, I guess I expect to hear that sound for a while. I'm not saying put out the same record every year and don't grow....but there is something to be said about the bands that did that if we go back in history. Led Zep, Van Halen, Def Lep, Bad Company etc...they all put out same sounding albums for a while and I sincerely feel maintaining your sound is an important key to longevity. That doesn't mean stagnate and rehash your old stuff....but it's nice to like a band and hope you get some of what got you interested in the first place, ya know? Instead, I've always felt let down by DT for this reason. Again, I absolutely love and respect them for their greatness. They just got too far away from what sold me as a fan.
 
Then again, they don't need me as a fan and hats off to them for doing what they believe in and making an honest living while doing it. It's not easy to survive doing that style of music. Those guys never take breaks and I can't fathom the work and time they've put in over the years. They deserve success. I just wish I could listen to more than 2 songs. Maybe I'm just getting old...this is coming from a dude that teared up watching Demi Lovato sing Lionel Richie's "Hello". Anyone see that at the Grammy's? She floored me! Yes...I am old, disregard this message.
 
-Danny