Dream Theater In A Dreamlike State

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Now think of thoughts that stir emotions within you. Think deeper. What causes these thoughts to arise? A solid vision of happiness? Perhaps sadness? Dreams are meant to last as impressions of our mind, a script of uncertainty that might mean a whole lot, but to mankind’s philosophy mean nothing more than a jab at trying to uncover the truth.

Look no further than the impressive and complex new album from progressive metal heavies Dream Theater, ‘Scenes of A Memory,’ to tackle the obstacle of trying to clarify a dream. To bring to center stage a understanding of a dream. To sit back and unravel a mystery of a dreamlike sequence. This is their take on what we think up and why we do certain things.

On the phone from his home in Southern Ontario, Dream Theater singer James LaBrie is rather pleased with the ways thinks shaped up for the band’s new opus. Stronger song writing (maybe their best?) and a definite hard hitting sound and inspiration helps fuel the ingeniousness within. LaBrie is pleased on how the turn of events over the last few years has made them stronger.

“When I did work on Mullmuzzler (his side project) and all the other guys in the band went off to do their side projects (Liquid Tension Experiment among others) I think people really thought we lost a thirst of what Dream Theater is about,” says LaBrie. “I think people thought it was going to interrupt the flow of DT or take focus away from the band. I think it did the exact opposite. I think because we were all creating new music for side projects and going into the studio on our own time to discover new grounds of music, I think it kept us in shape creatively and technically.”

“When it came time to write the new Dream Theater album we were all in top form,” he adds. “Also with Jordan Rudess (touring keyboard player for side project LTE; replacing Derek Sherinian) being the new keyboardist for the band, it brought new blood into our band. We were pumped to start up again. We went in with a very positive attitude and I think we were all eager to get going. Our side projects brought in a lot of inspiration for this album. We had been talking about doing this concept-like album for a while now and it seemed like the right time. While ‘Falling Into Infinity’ (their last outing) was Dream Theater sounding, it had a lot of accessible qualities to it like technical guitar work what have you. It seemed as though it was the epitome of what Dream Theater should be doing. We wanted to get away from that with the new disc and I think it worked.”

Along with talented musicians - guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist John Myung - LaBrie is still truly confident with the song writing process DT takes upon themselves. They are also happy with their personal lives as well. “We are very family oriented guys. We’re all married and have kids so we know how hard that is upon us a musicians. It’s demanding to keep that strong in your life. It’s very important for us to also know when it is time to do music for DT that we can go off and do it, putting 100 per cent into it. There are times when you feel burnt out and need to get away from it all, to just find yourself. I think we have been doing this so long and grown with it that we can just know when it is time to take time off. We have been able to find that balance in our lives and it is rewarding to know it can exist.”

Getting into depth about the ideas behind the concept aspect of ‘Scenes From A Memory,’ LaBrie states, “First thing, I think the album tells it all. It’s obviously a concept record. And as for the title, it could have been called ‘Scenes’ I guess, but we have always aimed, I dunno it’s funny, I guess it just a means for us to be a bit more pompous or what have you. We have always been more into being a bit more elaborate and trying to tell more with a title, rather than just going the normal route and making it stand out so firmly. It comes off as poetic I guess. It’s important for us because we play to an audience who has come to accept our music and ideas for what they are. They believe in us and we have come to see that. Sure with the way business is today people assume that labels are just saying through it out to the masses and the morons will buy into it. We don’t want that. We realize that we are part of a genre or sound and our fans are very passionate about what we do. We are hitting these people with music that is very inspirational and thought provoking at times. We like to sustain that within our music and let people know that we are firm with our ideas.”

I ask LaBrie to explain some of the themes and ideas running through ‘Scenes of A Memory.’ He asks me what I think they are. I respond, “I think it someone’s life going through the turns of trying to find something. Digging deep into one’s soul and coming to terms with something.”

Am I right?

He says, “Well, actually... it is about reincarnation and that how our spirit carries on. The story, in a simple fashion of storytelling, goes like this: Nicholas, the character in the songs, comes across some information through psychotherapy about a girl named Victoria who was murdered in another lifetime. And through a weird twist of events he discovers that he was Victoria in his past life, so he ends up trying to solve his own murder.”

Okay... I was a little off the mark.

He continues, “It basically goes to show that we are all actually who we are today ‘cause of yesterday. That’s basically it in a simple way. I don’t want to give away too much. That basically touches upon it.”

“We are all very passionate about this music and that’s what keep us going,” acknowledges LaBrie about the dedication the band puts into each and every album. “Music is something that we all grew up with and were impressioned by. We all aim to be strong players with the instruments that we bring to the band. Mine obviously being organic and the rest of the band members using instruments as an extension to their inner passion of playing. That makes us what we are and for the last few years doing this, that has grown much more stronger. It has created a powerful synergy within us, a strong chemistry that shows we are special. It’s great to feel so good about this band, and now matter what side projects we do, or what great musicians we play with, you do realize that when we come back into the format of Dream Theater you can just sense the greatness of what this is all about.”

He finishes, “I don’t want to come across sounding conceded. I don’t want that, I just want people to understand how important Dream Theater is to all of us and our fans.”