Messianic, Complex: Progressive-Metal Icon Dream Theater

The Long Island-based progressive metal band got a big break in 1992, when a track called “Pull Me Under” from the band’s second album became a surprise radio and MTV hit.

Unfortunately, Dream Theater failed to follow up the surprise success with another big single, and as grunge became the dominant hard-rock style of the moment, Dream Theater’s more grandiose style became a low priority for its record company.

The band had always sailed along under the mainstream radar with its unprecedented blend of progressive rock and heavy metal, bringing together a wide range of influences from artists such as Pink Floyd, Rush and Metallica. Without much promotional support from its record company, Dream Theater gradually built up a large cult following through word of mouth and touring.

In June, Dream Theater’s 10th full-length studio album, “Black Clouds and Silver Linings,” debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. That’s an especially impressive feat in this age of diminished attention spans, particularly for a record sporting the (already thorny) band’s densest material and consisting of six songs – four of which are longer than 12 minutes.

It must be nice, but weird, for the hardworking musicians to spot their rock oddity in the Top 10 along with recordings by Hannah Montana, the Black Eyed Peas, the Jonas Brothers and Lady Gaga.

This is an understatement. “Black Clouds and Silver Linings” is, both musically and lyrically, startlingly dense and dark. The album’s opening track, “A Nightmare to Remember,” begins with the sound of thunder and a soft, morose piano melody, which quickly gives way to a combination of distorted guitar chords, gothic keyboards and blast-beat drumming that would sound at home on a Dimmu Borgir album. And the song’s lyrics, which deal with a near-fatal car accident, are as heavy as the sludge of sound. From there, the album continues along with tuned-down, chugging riffs and virtuosic solos. But as always with Dream Theater – and as the title of the album suggests – there are mellow, melodic moments scattered throughout.

One standout song, “The Shattered Fortress,” is the final part in what has come to be known as the “Twelve-Step Suite.” The suite is a series of five songs spanning seven years with lyrics written by Portnoy relating to his experience with alcoholism and the Alcoholics (not-so-)Anonymous 12-step program.

“[‘The Twelve-Steps Suite’] is something I’m really proud of, and it’s definitely been therapeutic for me,” says Portnoy. “[2001’s] ‘Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence‘ was the first album we did since I was sober, and my recovery was something I was dealing with in my personal life at the time.

“I had never heard of anyone doing anything like it before, and I just thought it would be a really cool and creative concept to write music about. ... The 12 steps ended up just being way too massive to fit all into one song. I never imagined it would take me seven years to complete.”

Dream Theater will headline this Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion as part of Progressive Nation, a traveling progressive music festival Portnoy created.

“It’s something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time,” says Portnoy. There have been a number of touring festivals since the ’90s, like Lollapalooza or Ozzfest, and I thought, ‘Why not have a touring festival that’s all about musicianship and progressive bands?’... I’ve always prided myself on choosing opening bands that I think are underrated, bands that I think our audience might appreciate.”

Dream Theater will be joined at Progressive Nation by three acts united only by a high level of musicianship: Zappa Plays Zappa, Dweezil Zappa‘s musical tribute to his legendary father, Frank; BigElf, a psychedelic doom-metal band; and Scale the Summit, an instrumental rock band.

This shouldn’t be a problem for Dream Theater; over the course of its career, the band has played with the likes of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; Dillinger Escape Plan; Yes; Slayer and others.

“You know, in one sense, we never really fit in ... but we have a broad enough catalogue that we can sort of tailor our set list to fit different kinds of crowds. If we’re playing with Megadeth or Iron Maiden, we can concentrate on some of our heavier material, or if we’re playing with a band like Yes, we can focus on the more melodic, progressive side.”