Dream Theater is one of the group's most prominent progressive metal band in the world today. Founded by Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci and John Myung, they have released eight studio albums, four live recordings and one short album (EP). Their first album, When Dream And Day Unite recorded with Charlie Dominici on vocals and keyboards Kevin Moore as a player. Dominici was much older than the other members and wanted to play other music, so he was then out of the group. They then search for the ideal replacement for two years until he met with James LaBrie, the vocalist from Canada through an audition.
Together they recorded LaBrie Images And Words that catapulted their name into the international ranks with the hit "Pull Me Under" and "Another Day". Awake is their last album with Moore who was then replaced by Derek Sherinian album Falling Into Infinity. Sherinian also eventually be replaced by Jordan Rudess, and this formation still survive to this day. They have launched a concept album Metropolis 2: Scenes From A Memory and a double album Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. In 2003 they decided to record a non-concept album Train Of Thought is very influenced by thrash metal groups like Metallica.
Their latest album titled Octavarium issued on June 7, 2005, and in addition is the eighth studio album also contains eight songs.
After the Dream Theater released their album Live in commemoration of 20 years was formed, entitled Dream Theater Score recorded on April 1, 2006 at Radio City Music Hall, U.S.. They re getting ready to launch their ninth album with new record label brought flag that is Roadrunner Records, they have completed the Systematic Chaos album that contains 8 songs and will be launched on June 5, 2007 in the U.S..
History
Dream Theater was formed in September 1985, when guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung decided to form a band to fill their spare time while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. They then found a drummer, Mike Portnoy, at one rehearsal space at Berklee, and after two days of negotiations, they managed to take Mike Portnoy to join. After that, they all want to fill the two vacant places in the band, and Petrucci asked the band's friend, Kevin Moore, for a keyboard player. He agreed, and when Chris Collins invited to become a vocalist, the band was complete.
With five members, they decided to name the band by the name Majesty. According to the documentation DVD Score, five of them are queuing up tickets for the Rush concert at Berklee Performance Center while listening to Rush with a boom box. Portnoy said that the endings of the song (Bastille Day) sounds very "Majestic". That's when they decided Majesty is a good name for a band, and remained good until now.
At the time - that time, Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung is still struggling with their studies, also by working part time and teaching. They become a tight schedule tips so they must decide between pursuing a career in music or terminate the band Majesty. But finally Majesty win and they all came out of Berklee to concentrate on music career. Petrucci commented about it on the documentation DVD Score, said that while it is very difficult to ask the parents to go to music school. Longer and more difficult to convince her parents that she should drop out of school.
Moore was also eventually dropped out of school, SUNY Fredonia, to concentrate with the band.
Characteristics of songwriting
Starting with the Train of Thought, Dream Theater have started to enter the elements - small and hidden elements in their music, and includes these elements to the more fanatical enthusiasts. Characteristics of the most famous (the so-called "nugget") hidden in the "In The Name of God", which is a morse code of "eat my ass and balls" (eat my ass and my dick), which is the word - the famous words of Mike Portnoy . Since then, many enthusiasts - enthusiasts Dream Theater began trying to find things - small things that usually do not appeal to ordinary enthusiasts.
Some of them are well-known techniques include:
- The sound of the phonograph in the suffix of "Finally Free" on the album Scenes from a Memory is the same sound at the prefix "The Glass Prison" on the next album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. And the last key in the suffix "As I Am" together with the key used on the next album, Train of Thought. Also, note the piano which was played in the suffix "In The Name of God" in the 'Train of Thought is not the same with the opening of "The Root of All Evil" on the next album, Octavarium.
- Three sections of "The Glass Prison" on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, two parts of "This Dying Soul" at the Train of Thought and the two parts of "The Root of All Evil" on Octavarium shows the first seven points of the twelve points - points in the program Alcoholics Anonymous by Bill Wilson, in which the program was followed by Mike Portnoy. He also said that he would make a song - another song which includes five other programs, which will be addressed to Wilson
- Dream Theater song writing sometimes use the technique in which part - part of a song is developed each time they played. For example, the song "6:00" from Awake. After leading a song, they almost play the chorus, but to repeat the song from the prefix again (at minute 1:33). And when the chorus was supposed to be played at the next moment, they repeat again from the prefix, at minute 2:11. This technique can also be found in "Peruvian Skies", "Blind Faith" and "Endless Sacrifice"
Using a repeated notations - also re-used, which are well known from the songs - songs of Charles Ives, for example:
o The theme song "Wait for Sleep" appeared in "Learning to Live" (8:11 minutes) and also appeared twice on "Just Let Me Breath" (3:39 and 5:21 minutes)
o The theme song "Learning to Live" appeared in "Another Day" (2:53 minutes)
o The theme song "Space-Dye Vest" is used several times in the album Awake.
o The theme of the opening of "erotomania" used in "Voices" in Awake (4:51 minutes).
o One of melody - a melody in "Metropolis Pt 1 (The Miracle and the Sleeper)" is repeated in the second chorus in "Home" from Metropolis Pt 2 (Scenes From A Memory), by just changing one word. Some lyrics from "Metropolis Pt 1" just used in the "Home". Basically, the whole album, "Scenes From A Memory" is full of musical / lyrical / conceptual variations of elements - the musical elements of "Metropolis Pt 1" and "The Dance of Eternity" is actually constructed of variation - variation of musical elements in his songs - songs in album.
- Part - baguan of each song on the album "Octavarium" has been used in section five of the same titled song, "Octavarium".
- Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, their sixth studio album, contains six songs and have character - the character of the six numbers in the title - the title song. Train of Thought, their seventh studio album, includes seven songs. Octavarium, their eighth studio album includes eight songs and the album title is taken from the word octo, which is a Latin word that means eight, meaning an octave of musical terms, which is the distance from one note to another note are the eight notes in the diatonic scale . The title of this CD is longer than 24 minutes, a multiple of 8. Front page of the album also includes characters - characters that relate to 5 and 8. For example, a set of boxes - white boxes and boxes - black boxes, have the meanings an octave of the piano.
- The song "Octavarium" used to want to end with a flute that is similar to the prefix echo song. But replaced with the same piano notes from the album Octavarium prefix. Mike Portnoy has said that the series prefix - suffix album will stop here, for the upcoming ninth album will not be preceded by the suffix "Octavarium"
- A detailed analysis of the "nuggets" in "Octavarium" (called by Mike Portnoy as "a giant nugget") has been published in an independent site
Dream Theater Discography
- When Dream and Day Unite(1989)
- Images and Words(1992)
- Live at Marquee(1993)
- Awake(1994)
- A Change of Season(1995)
- Falling into Infinity(1997)
- Once in a Live Time(1998)
- Scene from Memory(1999)
- Live Scene from New York(2001)
- Six Degree of Inner Turbulance(2002)
- Train of Thought(2003)
- Live at Budokan(2004)
- Octavarium(2005)
- Score(2006)
- Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009)
