Originally published in Loudmouth magazine · November 1997
Listen And Learn
ArticleMike Portnoy4 min read
Article by Sparky
Dream Theater are an enigma. Their breakthrough album in 1992, Images And Words, introduced the world to a band that was not just another progressive metal band but an act who, throughout their five year history, has built a devoted fan base by staying true to their original musical style and not getting involved in passing trends. Their music may not be immediate but has a depth that attests to their proficiency. Their new album, Falling Into Infinity is more of the same; long, multi-layered songs that are both metal and rock, from Yes to Nine Inch Nails. I spoke to founding member, drummer Mark Portnoy about the latest Dream Theater venture.
“Falling Into Infinity was a year and a half in the making in terms of the writing process. We had two and a half hours of music leading into the studio so we had lots of material to choose from. I thought it was going to be a big fight over what songs to leave out but everyone seemed pretty unanimous. We chose 10 or 11 that created a balance because we didn’t want too many heavy ones or progressive ones.”
While the album is straight up Dream Theater, it feels a lot more accessible in 1997.
“It was slightly unconscious but of course it was in the back of our heads that we wanted to be more focussed, which I think is a better word, rather than getting sidetracked. We wanted to keep some songs long and technical but with certain songs we wanted to keep them more digestible or accessible, so in a way it was a conscious effort but we did it in a way so it still sounds totally like us. We try to make albums as compared to songs. It’s almost as if you’re watching a movie, it takes you on a journey. We make albums where most bands today make singles.”
Dream Theater also used a wide variety of instruments on the album. “What we did this time out with Kevin [Shirley, album producer] was record every song separately from top to bottom and then choose the appropriate instruments and then mix it separately. That way every song has personality and it was there that we could use different instruments such as a slide guitar or a 12 string or a bellatron [a type of guitar, apparently], which enabled us to get a little experimental in that respect.
“To be perfectly honest with you,” Mark continues, “a lot of current music I don’t like because it’s so blatantly commercial.”
You could never accuse Dream Theater of such a thing. They are very much their own entity.
“You have to be. The minute you try to fit a trend it’s going to change and you’re going to be left in the dust. If you just do what you do that’s where you create your own sound and that’s the kind of stuff that’s timeless.”
So there’s no baggy pants or tracky dakks there matey? “Ha! Let me tell you something. I actually cut my hair but I waited until all my pictures for the album were done beause I didn’t want anyone to judge the album by a haircut. Whereas most bands would cut their hair to get an audience, I actually cut my hair so I wouldn’t alienate our audience. And I only wear baggy pants for comfort.”
Mark is always honest when it’s put to him that on first listen Dream Theater’s music won’t have you diving off the furniture. In fact, for the uninitiated, that first listen could be a bit much.
“The first thing I would have to say is that you have to listen to the whole album to understand what we are about. You can’t define what kind of band we are from one particular song. You hear something like ‘Anna Lee’ and you would think we sound like Nine Inch Nails or Ozzy or whatever. My point is that every song is different and in order to fully understand what the band is about you really need to hear the balance of the record, hear all the different styles. If not it’s kind of pointless.
“That’s why I’ve always been against singles or videos,” Mark explains. “You can’t get the whole picture from one song. It’s not like we’re a certain style that’s definable in five minutes. We want to avoid doing videos for this album unless we have to - because to be honest with you MTV and other shows are absolutely horrible. It really doesn’t have anything to do with music any more, so why spend $100,000 on a video that’s not going to get played? For us, it’s better to use that money in a way that will benefit the band, such as a bigger stage show or an EP or whatever. We are an album band and that’s how we would like people to discover us. By buying the album.”