Dime for your Thoughts?

One of my favorite bands is Dream Theater, whose new album Black Clouds and Silver Linings came out a couple of weeks ago. Naturally, I was greatly anticipating another great album from this band and from the moment I popped in the CD and heard the first powerful chord I was hooked. 

Dream Theater is not just another metal band, this band uses their incredible technical ability and vast understanding of musical style to create one of the most exciting rock songs you will ever hear. Tie together some of the best lyrics which will take you on a ride like any great short story would. They are more than just lyrics, they are indeed stories. The band writes their music as if they were classical composers time warped into the 21^st century and writing rock music. Their understanding of musical form and theory is evident in their writing and performance. Their influences include Pink Floyd and Rush which are also evident in their music. Like Rush and Pink Floyd the band also has amazing visual art on their album covers making Dream Theater the complete package for those who enjoy many forms of art, from their lyrics, to the music to the artwork. 

Black Clouds and Silver Linings is the latest and 10^th studio album for the band in a span of 20 years (since When Dream and Day Unite was released in 1989). The album entered the charts as #6 on the overall Billboard Charts and #2 in rock. This album is yet another ingenious album filled with incredible performance and technical skill. Though that is expected in any Dream Theater CD. From the beginning it will grab you with a powerful and mystical chord (with keyboard and choir) setting the mood for the first song:

1. A Nightmare to remember. An 18 minute song which speaks of a traffic accident nearly taking the life of a young man and his experience laying on a table in “beautiful agony”

2. A Rite of Passage takes you into the world of the mystical origination known as the Masons. More mystical chords set the tone along with the back-up vocals in a rough voice echoing the lead singers lyrics.The song features some great rhythm between the bass and drums as well. You can check this one out on their Myspace page

3. Whither slows down a bit. It features some deep harmonies in the chorus and the song speaks of reflecting on oneself and not liking what you see and so becoming depressed and losing self-confidence.

4. The Shattered Fortress picks it up again with more heavy rhythm and the guitar and keyboard join in on the fun. It will soon take you down a ride in memory lane incorporating songs from albums past such as Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Systematic Chaos and Octivarium

5. The Best of Times starts off with a beautiful piano melody, followed by a violin with piano, then a acoustic guitar melody. The song appears to be a soft ballad about youth remembered. It is just a lovely intro which soon turns into a bright anthem with guitar riffs and bright chords from the keyboards. The lyrics hail of great adventure of youth. This one is my favorite of the entire CD, I love the intro, the storyline and the guitar riffs.

6. The Count of Tuscany. As you listen to some soothing guitars (acoustic and electric), prepare yourself for the wild adventure you will soon partake. Soon you meet the the eccentric Count of Tuscany, be prepared to be taken on a riveting ride by both the music and the story. The band members all show the technical ability on this song as well.

 

A little history:

The band was formed in 1985 and was originally called Majesty, but was changed to Dream Theater after another band named Majesty threatened legal action. Four years and a new lead singer later the band released their first album When Dream and Day Unite. Charlie Dominici the lead singer, was fired and the it would be two years until the band found a new singer which is the current singer James LaBrie. In 1992 they released their second album and first with LaBrie Images and Words. The new album set the metal world on fire, especially the single Pull me Under, which rose to the top of the top of charts and left a lot of jaws open with the incredible guitar work. The album was filled with incredible songs and it was clear the entire band was incredibly talented. Kenny G also made an appearance on the album on Another Day. The Album is still the most successful one for the band. It went platinum in Japan and gold in the US.

 

After a tour supporting Images and Words the band returned to the studio in 1994 and released Awake the fall of that year. The album would feature some more psychedelic lyrics and a heaver sound along with some deep keyboard sounds. The album was received with much less fanfare than Images and Words. The next album Change of Seasons would come out a year later and would feature songs from the bands that they liked when they were younger recorded live. Songs from Queen, Journey, Genesis, Deep Purple and others were performed. Along with live covers was the song Change of Seasons which was a life story of an individual going through the seasons of life. As each season changed so did the style of the music—as only Dream Theater can do. The style changed to a jazz style to Spanish guitar solo, to keyboard solo etc. The changing of musical styles, melodies and solos are a wild ride just as life is.

 

The band returned to the studio to record Falling to Infinity and released the album in 1997. The album was a disappointment to critics and some fans though I consider Trial of Tears to be one of their greatest songs. The album featured some great guitar and keyboard solos. Other than Trial of Tears the album seemed a little bit more mainstream than the usual blow your mind incredible technical work. In 1999 the group would release its fifth album of the decade Scenes from a Memory, a story of a ghost of a young child who was murdered and tells “Nicolas” of her story. This album showcased the storytelling of their lyrics with the entire album centered around and progressing with the story. They went out on tour and theatrics were part of the show. The band released a DVD of a show in New York titled “Scenes from New York”.

The Next Album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence was released in 2002. This album was a two CD set. The first CD had five songs and the second CD had one 42 minute song with eight parts to it. The song starts with a grand overture leading into the story of ordinary people who are stricken with mental illness. The CD shows again the incredible ability of the band and ends with a finale that inspires us to rally around those we care for who have been stricken by mental illness rather than be ashamed of them. The first CD features more psychedelic lyrics and typical Dream Theater technique. This album was received much better than some of the previous albums and debuted no. 1 on the online Billboard charts. The band would go on tour to support the CD and record a live CD titled Live at the Budokan at Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo.

 

In 2005 the Band released Octivarium, an album which I consider their greatest. The CD ends with the 9-11 tribute Sacrificed Sons and my favorite song Octivarium, which has an incredible keyboard solo along with some use of flute and ending with the sounds of french horns. The ending of Octivarium is the same as the beginning of the first song on the CD The Root of all Evil, a single C note the lowest note on the piano. The band would next release a 20^th anniversary live album in 2006 then return to the studio after a long tour to produce Systematic Chaos, Which had a Vampire theme to it. Especially on the song Forsaken. The album was released on June 5 2007. This album featured much heavier guitar work, though on Forsaken there is a pretty piano intro and melody. The Band released a greatest hits album in 2008 titled Greatest hit and 21 other pretty cool songs The one hit was Pull Me Under from Images and Words They would also release another live album Chaos in Motion that year.

 

Time for me to Drop a Dime:

Dream Theater has influenced me both musically and as a writer. I often listen listen to music as I write and listened to Images and Words as I wrote one of my latest poems dedicated to another person who influenced me greatly as a musician and writer. Their music has helped me pull emotions that I need to write.

 

If you like quick 2 minute pop songs (nothing wrong with that), then Dream Theater is not for you, their music is complex and they have often been dubbed a band’s band. Their music is deep and very complex most people won’t get them unless you are truly possessed by the love of music. And God help you if you are! I know I am.

 

I’m loving this CD just like every other one of theirs.

 

The five member band includes: John Petrucci (Guitar) Mike Portnoy (drums) Jordan Rudess (keyboards) James LaBrie (Vocals) John Myung (bass)

 

Links

Dream Theater’s website

Dream Theater’s Myspace

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 2:23 pm and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.