Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).
This article is about the band. For their self-titled album, see Dream Theater (album). For the Kansas theater, see Dream Theater (Russell, Kansas).
Dream Theater
Majesty (1985–1988)
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
1985–present
- Inside Out
- Roadrunner
- Warner Bros.
- Atlantic
- Elektra
- East West
- Atco
- Mechanic
- YtseJam
Dream Theater was formed under the name Majesty by Petrucci, Myung and Portnoy — all natives of Long Island, New York — while they attended Berklee College of Music. They dropped out to concentrate on the band. Petrucci and Myung have been the only two constant members. Portnoy remained until 2010, when he was replaced by Mike Mangini after deciding to leave to pursue other musical projects before rejoining Dream Theater in October 2023. After a brief stint with Chris Collins, followed by Charlie Dominici (who was dismissed from Dream Theater not long after the release of their first album), LaBrie was hired as the band's singer in 1991. Dream Theater's first keyboardist, Kevin Moore, left the band after three albums and was replaced by Derek Sherinian in 1995 after a period of touring. The band recorded one album with Sherinian, who was replaced by current keyboardist Jordan Rudess in 1999.
To date, Dream Theater has released fifteen studio albums. The band's highest-selling release is their second album Images and Words (1992), which reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200 chart.[1] The albums Awake (1994) and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) also entered the charts at No. 32 and No. 46 respectively, and each received critical acclaim. Their fifth album, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999), was ranked number 95 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time.[2] It was also ranked as the 15th Greatest Concept Album in March 2003 by Classic Rock magazine.[3]
As of 2018, Dream Theater has sold over 12 million records worldwide[4][5] and has received three Grammy Award nominations (including one win in 2022).[6][7] Along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, the band has been referred to as one of the "big three" of the progressive metal genre, responsible for its development and popularization.[8]
History[edit]
Formation (1985–1987)[edit]
Dream Theater (then-Majesty) was formed in Massachusetts in 1985 when guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy decided to form a band while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. Petrucci and Myung were childhood friends from Kings Park, New York, and met Portnoy of Long Beach, New York while at Berklee. The trio started by covering Rush and Iron Maiden songs in the rehearsal rooms at Berklee.
Myung, Petrucci, and Portnoy joined on the name Majesty for their newly formed group. According to The Score So Far... documentary, they were waiting in line for tickets to a Rush concert at the Berklee Performance Center while listening to the band on a boom box. Portnoy commented that the ending of the song "Bastille Day" (from the album Caress of Steel) sounded "majestic". It was then decided that Majesty would be the band's name.[9]
The trio then set out to fill the remaining positions in the group. Petrucci asked his high school bandmate Kevin Moore to play the keyboard. After he accepted the position, another friend from home, Chris Collins, was recruited as lead vocalist after band members heard him sing a cover of "Queen of the Reich" by Queensrÿche.[10] During this time, Portnoy, Petrucci, and Myung's hectic schedules forced them to abandon their studies to concentrate on their music, as they did not feel they could learn more in college. Moore also left his college, SUNY Fredonia, to concentrate on the band.
The beginning months of 1986 were filled with various concert dates in and around the New York City area. During this time, the band recorded a collection of demos, titled The Majesty Demos. The initial run of 1,000 sold out within six months, and dubbed copies of the cassette became popular within the progressive metal scene. The Majesty Demos are still available in their original tape format today, despite being released officially on CD, through Mike Portnoy's YtseJam Records (and on InsideOut in 2022, after YtseJam Records was shut down).
In November 1986, after a few months of writing and performing together, Chris Collins was fired. After a year of trying to find a replacement, Charlie Dominici, who was far older and more experienced than anyone else in the band, successfully auditioned for the group.[11] With the stability that Dominici's appointment brought to Majesty, they began to increase the number of shows played in the New York City area, gaining a considerable amount of exposure.
Shortly after hiring Dominici, a Las Vegas group also named Majesty[12] threatened legal action for intellectual property infringement related to the use of their name, so the band was forced to come up with a new one. Various possibilities were proposed and tested, among them Glasser, Magus, and M1, which were all rejected, though the band did go as Glasser for about a week, with poor reactions from fans. Eventually, Portnoy's father suggested the name Dream Theater, the name of a small theater in Monterey, California, and the name stuck.[13]
When Dream and Day Unite (1988–1990)[edit]
With their new name and band stability, Dream Theater concentrated on writing more material while playing more concerts in New York and in neighboring states. This eventually attracted the attention of Mechanic Records, a division of MCA. Dream Theater signed their first record contract with Mechanic on June 23, 1988[14] and set out to record their debut album. The band recorded the album at Kajem Victory Studios in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. Recording the basic tracks took about ten days, and the entire album was completed in about three weeks.[15]
When Dream and Day Unite was released in 1989 to far less fanfare than the band had anticipated. Mechanic ended up breaking the majority of the financial promises they had made to Dream Theater prior to signing their contract, so the band was restricted to playing around New York City. The promotional tour for the album consisted of just five concerts, all of which were relatively local. Their first show was at Sundance in Bay Shore, New York opening for the classic rock power trio Zebra.[16]
After the fourth show, Charlie Dominici was let go because the band was starting to feel the limitations of his voice based upon the vocal style they wanted. The band was looking for a singer with a style more like Bruce Dickinson or Geoff Tate, and Dominici's stage presence was not what they wanted for a frontman. Shortly after, however, the band Marillion asked Dream Theater to open for them at a gig at the Ritz in New York, so Dominici was given the opportunity to perform one last time.[16] It would be another two years before Dream Theater had a replacement vocalist.
Cover songs[edit]
Dream Theater have covered other artists' work throughout their career. They have performed cover songs live and in studio, with many of those live performances being recorded for official release. A Change of Seasons features Elton John, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Queen, Journey, Dixie Dregs and Genesis live covers. Through YtseJam Records, the band have also released full album live cover performances of Metallica's Master of Puppets, Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, and Deep Purple's Made in Japan.[138] The special edition of Black Clouds & Silver Linings includes a bonus disc with Rainbow, Queen, Dixie Dregs, Zebra, King Crimson, and Iron Maiden covers. Other notable artists covered by Dream Theater include Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Rush, the Who, and Yes.[139][140]
Musical style[edit]
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Dream Theater's music as a "dense blend of progressive rock and post-Halen metal".
The band is well noted for being one of the early progenitors of the progressive metal genre,[147] and they are considered a member of the so-called "big three" of the genre, along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning.[8] The original members, Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci and John Myung, have strong influences from progressive rock bands such as Rush, Yes, and Pink Floyd, heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, various speed metal bands, and even the glam metal of the day.[148] John Petrucci described Dream Theater's musical style as a blend of Rush, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Yes, and Metallica.[149] While Mike Portnoy described Dream Theater's musical style as they're a blend of progressive rock and heavy metal. They encompass the progressive aspect, influenced by Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, and Genesis, alongside the metal aspect influenced by Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. When combined, that's precisely what characterizes Dream Theater. [150] This synthesis created a unique metal that was not traditional of the day: it had distorted guitars and fast riffing, but the music focused more on technical proficiency and precise execution than on heavy metal riffs. The band's music has focused on three main elements: metal, melody, and progressive roots.[151]
In the liner notes for the 2008 Greatest Hit compilation, Mike Portnoy cited artists such as Peter Gabriel, U2, and Journey as inspirations for Dream Theater's softer songs.[152]
Dream Theater's music has also been described as art rock.[153][154]
Dream Theater's 2003 album Train of Thought showcased a heavier sound.[155] This decision was inspired by the positive feedback received from their previous heavier songs on stage.[156]
1999's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was praised for its display of old-fashioned progressive rock,[157] and was influenced by classic conceptual rock records such as the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Final Cut, the Who's Tommy, and Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.[158]
Dream Theater's music usually borrows elements from other musical styles including symphonic rock, symphonic metal, arena rock, soft rock,[159] and classical music.[160]