Biography Dream Theater

James LaBrie

John Myung

John Petrucci

Mike Portnoy

It isn’t just that nobody else sounds like Dream Theater....no one else can. The band’s seamless and completely elastic approach to songwriting often finds them teetering dangerously close to the edge of musical chaos, yet they somehow always manage to weave their patchwork of abstract parts into crisp, rock solid arrangements. Few bands would, or could for that matter, attempt to pull off anything that bold. Dream Theater’s genre-smashing approach to progressive hard rock has resulted in a provocative style of hard music based on artsy crunch. And that sound is Dream Theater’s and Dream Theater’s alone.

The band made their mark on the scene back in 1992 with their critically acclaimed debut Images and Words, an ambitious album that took them out of their little basement rehearsal room on Long Island, NY and thrust them into the international limelight. The catchy chorus of the breakthrough single “Pull Me Under” became a mainstream mantra, with everyone from the casual MTV watcher to the most ardent heavy metal fan singing both the song and the band’s praises. The record offered itself as a musical life preserver to those listeners left drowning helplessly in a sea of grunge. Those listeners hung on for dear life, cheering the band on for their ability to win, to flush the fashion and put a fresher, more daring style of melodic imagination in its place. All of a sudden, Dream Theater’s musical gender-bending became the alternative to “the alternative,”

Two years later, the band has returned with their new album Awake. Unpredictable and full of invigorating surprises, the album, produced by Duane Baron and John Purdell (Ozzy Osbourne, Heart), is 75 minutes long – the maximum amount of time available on compact disc. We had written a lot of material,” explains guitarist John Petrucci, “And we didn’t want to have to sacrifice any of it. We felt that all of the songs were strong enough to go on the album, so we had no choice but to go for the full max and put them all on.” It’s here that Dream Theater’s sophisticated arrangements, that are as exhilarating as they are disorienting, are peeled back to reveal a soul that’s become as dark as it has aware.

“We’ve been riding an emotional rollercoaster for the past three and a half years” says frontman James LaBrie. “Between getting signed, then making Images and Words, and then going out on the road for a year and a half, life has been really crazy for us. We had all these feelings of pain, anger, frustration and awareness that we had to get out of us. Making this album was therapeutic because it allowed us to release all these emotions and capture them on record.” That musical exorcism brings us to Awake’s eminent surprise – its sonic density. The album is thicker and heavier than its predecessor, featuring songs that are pure knucklebusters, complete with sledgehammer riffs, amps turned to 11 and bruising, rhythmic surges. Awake combines that dense sound with dark lyrics that vent anger over the bittersweet pain of betrayal (“Mirror”) and deceit (“Lie”), agonize over the frustration of uncertainty (“6:00pm”) and rage against conformity (“Caught In A Web”). The two elements collide, ultimately creating a tension that enthralls the listener, rather than just pounding away with a mindless, numbing beat. That’s not to say the entire album is a brutal rant session. Dream Theater’s shapeshifter style of play allows them to sprint through a variety of styles and moods, whether it be the sweeping grace of “Lifting Shadows Off A Dream,” the luxuriant warmth of “Space Dye Vest,” or the big chorus, pop-savvy “Innocence Faded.” The album’s emotional centerpiece is a mini-marathon entitled “A Mind Besides Itself.” This 20 minute/3 song trilogy features a manic instrumental “Erotomania,” a gripping middle section “Voices,” and a soft acoustic closing passage “The Silent Man.”

“Awake is the perfect word to describe the common thread that runs throughout the album’s lyrics,” says LaBrie. “What we’re basically talking about is the awareness of your existence - becoming closer and more in touch with yourself and ultimately discovering what works best for you as an individual as you try to get through life.”

One change that took place with the completion of A wake was the parting of ways between the band and longtime keyboardist Kevin Moore. “Kevin decided to leave so that he could pursue a new musical direction - one which would not have been possible for him to explore within Dream Theater,” says LaBrie. “We really love Kevin and though we’ll miss him, we wish him the best. He will always be a part of our family.”

Awake is deeper both musically and emotionally; its passion and sincerity connect strongly as Dream Theater expand their already diverse sonic palette. “This record is another step forward for us,” says LaBrie. “We’ve all grown musically and individually, and this record is better and more powerful because of that. Each time you sit down and listen to this record, you’ll hear something new, something that will hit you different from the last time.” Sure, the band realize that they’re not making things easy to digest; by breaking down the rigid and traditional structures set up by metal standards, they’re shaking things up a bit, encouraging both fans and peers alike to re-evaluate their stance on what hard music should be.

“I like to challenge the listener,” admits Petrucci, “Because I like to be challenged by the music I listen to. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with making people think a little.”