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BAND:
DREAM THEATER
COUNTRY:
UNITED STATES
GENRE:
MELODIC METAL, OTHERS, PROGRESSIVE METAL
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SIMILAR BANDS:
UTOPIA, PERIHELLIUM, AZAZELLO, ALKIMYA, BEYOND THE BRIDGE, OCEANS OF TIME, THOUGHT CHAMBER, JORDAN RUDESS, TO-MERA, HAKEN
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Born in 1985, Dream Theater has become one of the most emblematic progressive metal bands over the years.
ADMINISTRATION
- 09.11.2023
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The Dream Theater adventure begins when students John Petrucci and John Myung see Mike Portnoy jamming in a practice room at Boston's Berklee School of Music. Meeting in the cafeteria, the three protagonists realize that they have more than just musical tastes in common, but that they also grew up on Long Island.
During breaks, they practice with keyboardist Kevin Moore and singer Chris Collins. A band name is coined: Majesty. They all decide to leave school and concentrate on the band, while working and giving private music lessons. Shortly afterwards, they record a 4-track album. Already the style is close to rush, complex and progressive.
Majesty is already owned by a jazz band, so a name change is necessary. It is Mike's father who suggests the name Dream Theater, an idea that comes to him from a production company in Montery, California. It also becomes essential to change the singer, as Chris simply don't have the vocal range required for the album. They find only one possible singer at the time: Charlie Dominici, a little older than them but with great potential. However, Charlie is by no means destined to remain in the band, his tastes leaning more towards Billy Joel or the Beatlles.
"When Dream And Day Unite" is recorded in a month in the summer of '88. Despite a limited budget and distribution, the album receives good reviews. However, their young and under-resourced production company could only do so much, and it seemed obvious that Dream Theater would have to start from scratch to achieve their goal. In 1990 Charlie is fired, but recalled to open for Marillion. They open with a new song called "Metropolis".
For the "Images and Words" album, the singer's problem becomes increasingly critical. Most of the compositions are recorded without the vocal parts. A number of singers comes forward, including John Arch from Fates Warning, who finally refuses, or a Geoff Tate clone: Steve Stone. In the end, they settles on Chris Cintron, who seems to be the right man for the job. But that was before they received a tape from Canada...
The man who sent it is Kevin Labrie from Toronto. He is the current lead singer of a band called Winter Rose. Although Chris is about to join the band, it's clear to everyone in the group that the voice is too good to be simply forgotten, so Kevin Moore is sent to give it a try... and Labrie is chosen. And Labrie is chosen. To avoid having two musicians with the same first name (Kevin Moore), Kevin Labrie decides to go by his middle name James.
Images and Words" is released at the end of 1991. It goes gold in Japan. In 1992 James makes his live debut opening for Iron Maiden, and is welcomed with open arms by fans who already know the lyrics of the new album even though it hadn't yet hit record stores.
In the middle of recording their third studio album "Awake", Kevin decides to leave the band. The main reason given was that Dream Theater's musical evolution didn't suit him. He forms his own band, Chroma Key. The split is amicable, and Jordan Rudess replaces him to finish the album in the studio and for a show. Derek Sherinian, a former Berkelee member who plays with Kiss and Alice Cooper, is chosen for the tour. Derek will be announced as an official member after a few shows on the European tour.
Awake is released in 1994 and exceeded all expectations. 43,000 copies are sold in Germany and the record reaches number 32 in the American charts. It goes platinum in Japan.
In April 1995, Dream Theater records their epic track "A Change of Season". The album is released in September. Always evolving, "Falling into infinity" is released in 1997 and is not very well received by fans. The compositions are far too catchy and less complex.
Two years later, Dream Theater parts ways with keyboardist Derek Sherinian, again on friendly terms. Jordan Rudess, with whom Portnoy and Petrucci has already collaborated on Liquid Tension Experiment, took up the torch. This new collaboration resulted in their first concept album and a true masterpiece, 'Scenes From A Memory' in 1999. The latter tells the story of a man who has nightmares, and who uses a hypnotist to return to his subconscious in order to understand them.
2002 see the appearance of '6 Degrees Of Inner Turbulence', a double album that offers a certain dose of novelty on the first CD, combining heavy metal with the experimental, and a much more conventional second CD.
The arrival of "Train Of Thought" in 2003 causes quite a stir among fans. The band experiments with a style not really to everyone's taste, far from what they had been able to offer up to now. From progressive to heavy metal, very close to Metallica. This change has no real impact on the band's record sales, and Dream Theater even has the opportunity to record a live album at Tokyo's famous Budokan the following year, which was released as a double-CD and DVD.
2005 see the long-awaited return of Dream Theater's Progressive sound with the release of "Octavarium", which delighted many of the band's fans, who has been a little disappointed by the overly Metal turn of the last opus... "Octavarium" is varied and pleasant to listen to, and includes a superb 24-minute epic, a real delight for the ears!
A major tour follows to celebrate the band's 20-year career, culminating in the recording of a DVD, "Score", in New York's famous Radio City Music Hall. Dream Theater performs there for the first time with a symphony orchestra on stage, making their songs shine with an unrivalled sound!
Following the success of "Octavarium", Dream Theater releases a new album in 2007. Entitled "Systematic Chaos", it follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, featuring metal, rock, soaring and progressive tracks. In 2009, they release "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", featuring epic songs such as 'A Nightmare to Remember' and 'The Count of Tuscany'.
In 2010, Dream Theater faces a major problem when drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy decides to leave the band. Portnoy has played an essential role in Dream Theater's sonic identity, so it is difficult to replace him. After a rigorous audition that is shared on social networks, Dream Theater selects Mike Mangini, known for his work with Annihilator.
In 2011, Dream Theater releases the album "A Dramatic Turn of Events", marking the beginning of the Mangini era. Taking up the codes of its predecessor, it blends perfectly with the band. "Dream Theater" (2013), "The Astonishing" (2016) and "Distance over Time" (2019) appear, confirming their hegemony over progressive metal by exploring a variety of concepts and themes, from reflections on the human condition to epic, imaginative stories.
Finally, in 2023 Dream Theater announces the surprise return of Mike Portnoy to the line-up, leading to the departure of Mike Mangini.
More informations on http://www.dreamtheater.net
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DERNIERS ARTICLES ASSOCIES
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DERNIERE INTERVIEW
DREAM THEATER ( FEBRUARY 2019)
For the release of "Wired Of Madness", Jordan Rudess' new album, the keyboard player talked with Music Waves about "Distance Over Time" by Dream Theater
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