Dream Theater spilar progressive rock og er ein af síðust hljómsveitunum sem spilar
þannig tónlist, allavega sú eina góða. Þrír af núverandi meðlimum kynntust í Berklee
Music College í Boston, eða þeir Mike Portnoy (trommari), John Petrucci (gítar) og
John Myung (bassi). Þeir byrjuðu með söngvaran Charlie Dominici og hljómborðsleikarann
Kevin Moore.
Fyrsta platan sem þeir gáfu út hét “When Dream & Day Unite” og kom út árið 1989.
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“ You want chops? You want the kind of musicianship that'll have your feisty friends who
read Guitar Player throwing away their U.K. albums? Hail the rebirth of progressive rock:
Dream Theater (formerly Majesty, as if I haven't told you enough times). This stuff ain't
exactly metal (although the instrumental breaks often cross into that territory), but
it takes a lot of the elements that make metal great (soaring vocals, brilliant
instrumental work, solos up the wazoo and a great sense of, er, theater) and combines
them into a soaring sound that's familiar and nostalgic but imaginative and fresh enough
to sound new. Four of the five members are classically trained, and there's a real heavy
prog-rock influence here-Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, and especially Rush-but they play
fast and hard enough to fit any non-thrash hard rock format. Trust me: Dream Theater will
have your listeners (many of whom have probably never heard anything like this) screaming
”WHAT WAS THAT?“ Picks: ”Fortune In Lies,“ ”After Life,“ ”Only A Matter Of Time“
(which appeared on Moshin' CMJ way back when) and especially the single, ”Status Seeker.“ ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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Eftir þessa einu plötu hætti söngvarinn Charlie í DT og þeir fengu í staðinn söngvarann
James LaBrie. Þeir héldu þá áfram, fengu sér stærra útgáfufyrirtæki og gerðu aðra plötu.
“Images and Words” kom út árið 1992 og þar voru klassísk DT lög, eins og “Pull Me Under”
og “ Metropolis Part 1 – ”The Miracle and the Sleeper“ ” en nýjasta plata þeirra er
byggð upp frá þessu lagi.
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“ Just when you thought ”art rock“ was dead (or maybe you only hoped), the curtain rises on
Dream Theater. Although its previous album went virtually unnoticed, a new label and
vocalist have turned it in the proper direction. For an idea of the band's ideology,
blend the free-flowing technical complexity of Rush, the melodic element of Kansas and
plus the rhythmic power of `90s metal. However, elements previously lacking hove now been
pushed to the forefront, with a focused outlook on songwriting, dynamic vocal projection
and polished yet aggressive production from ex-Santana drummer David Prater. What sets this
band apart from other retro-progressive outfits is the ability of the five instruments to
command their own positions while playing as an unseparated whole -from beginning to end.
Every part is quite fluid and tasteful, adding spice to the texture without overplaying.
Managing to avoid the cliched traps some of its contemporaries fall prey to, Dream Theater
may be one of the last great progressives of this century. Songs such as ”Another Day' and
“Wait For Sleep' provide more accessibility, but also check out jaw-droppers such as
”Surrounded (The Longest Night)“ and ”Metropolis Part I…“ ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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Svo 1994 kom “Awake” út og er það sú plata sem hefur komist næst metalnum hjá DT.
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“ With its 1992 debut album, Images And Words, Dream Theater floored the musical world with
its intensely rich, intricate blend of progressive hard rock. Jaws dropped as frontman
James LaBrie's powerful voice soared high above a sea of crunching guitars, elaborate
keyboards and booming drums, and an ever-growing legion of Dream Theater fans was about
to be born. After a year and a half of strenuous touring, the band members released their
pent-up feelings of pain, anger, frustration and awareness in the form of Awake ,
Dream Theater's sophomore effort. ”Awake is the perfect word to describe the common thread
that runs throughout the album's lyrics,“ says LaBrie. Awake, which includes the dark and
angry ”The Mirror,“ the frantically surging ”6:00“ and the thick blasting ”Caught In A Web,“
is much heavier than anything the band has done in the past, but it also includes some
lavish, melodic breaks, like the illustrious 20-minute, three-song trilogy ”A Mind Besides
Itself,“ which begins with the complex instrumental flow of ”Erotomania,“ followed by the
forceful, mind-altering punch of ”Voices“ and the gentle acoustic strums of
”The Silent Man.“ ”Lie“ sounds like the product of a Killing Joke/Queensryche recording
session, with the collision of Middle Eastern melodies, ear-splitting vocals and heavy,
grinding guitars. Also check out ”Innocence Faded,“ ”Lifting Shadows Off A Dream,“
”Scarred“ and ”Space-Dye Vest.“ ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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“A Change of Seasons” kom út árið 1995. Þá var hljómborðsleikarinn Kevin Moore hættur
og í staðinn kom Derek Sherinian. “A Change of Seasons” er uppáhald margra DT aðdáenda
enda 23 mín. meistarastykki. Líka geðveik útgáfa af “Perfect Strangers”, gamla
Deep Purple laginu.
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“ Dream Theater's new release blends the band's familiar sound with a few fresh new twists.
The title track, originally composed in 1989 for inclusion on the Images And Words
collection, is a 23-plus-minute masterpiece showing the band's reverence for a vast
menagerie of sounds. The song has seven parts, three of which are instrumentals. It's
overwhelming to follow the band's progression from quiet, almost orchestral sections to
traditional rock styles. The lyrics speak of a universal fear of death, a force which
offers peace upon acceptance of its inevitability. The second half of the CD pays homage
to some of the bands that Dream Theater grew up listening to. It was recorded live as
Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London this past January and the selection of songs is
surprisingly diverse. They range from Elton John's ”Funeral For A Friend“ and
Deep Purple's ”Perfect Strangers“ to a Zeppelin triple play and ”The Big Medley,“ which
consists of several rock mainstays. Joining forces with Bruce Dickinson, Steve Howe and
Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, among others, Dream Theater has made versions which
completely live up to the original recordings, stamping each song with its own trademark.
The entire CD is delivered with a thunderous vengeance and brilliant guitar work. The band
is currently recording a new album, which won't be out until sometime next year. ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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1997 kom svo snilldin sem heitir “Falling Into Infinity”. Þessi plata var tekin “live” upp
í stúdíói og inniheldur “Peruvian Skies” “Lines In The Sand” og “Trial of Tears”, VÁ!
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“ It's been a long while since we've heard from this party of five experimental metalists,
but for fans it's worth the wait. The Grateful Dead of metal, Dream Theater is known for
pushing limits that drive it towards mesmerizing, but heavy, tangents, and its unmistakable
talents have rendered a fan base nearly as fervent as that of the legendary hippie rockers.
With only two full-lengths on the market, fans urged, and eventually convinced,
Dream Theater's label to release 1995's A Change Of Seasons, featuring a partial live set.
For its fourth release, Falling Into Infinity, the band recorded tracks live in the studio
to avoid sounding overproduced or distorted, bringing to life the magical energy of its
live performances. Labrie's vocals sail flawlessly over Petrucci's heavy, spiraling guitars
and Sherinian's meddling keyboards. ”Burning My Soul“ is the metal radio single and rightly
so, considering its aggressive catchiness. The crossover potential, however, is readily
apparent on the rest of the disc, especially on the Floyd-esque ”Peruvian Skies.“ ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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1999 kom “Scenes from a Memory” út og er það besta platan að mati gagngrýnenda og að mínu
mati. Enn aftur hætti hljómborðsleikarinn Derek og fengu þeir Jordan Ruddes til að fylla
upp í það skarð, en John P. og Mike P. kynntust honum við gerð Liquid Tension Experiment
upptökurnar en hann spilaði á þeim. Jordan er svokallað undrabarn og var hann komin í
Julliard 9 ára. En þetta er concept plata (skrifuð sem eitt 78 mín. lag) og er verið að
bera hana saman við plötur eins og Pink Floyd - “The Wall”, lesiði bara það sem þessi
hérna fyrir neðan hefur að segja um hana. Skrifuð um konu sem endurholdgast í manni.
Ég setsöguna hérna á hugi.is ef einhver vill, sérstaklega ef einhver á plötuna.
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“ Back in 1992, Dream Theater released Images and Words. This album was significant because
it was Dream Theater’s breakout album. For Dream Theater fans, which I proudly am, the
album is important for another reason: ”Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper.“
In numerous interviews the band has indicated that the ”Part 1“ designation after
”Metropolis“ was partially a joke; however, due to an incredible amount fan speculation
and outcry, the band finally decided to write a part two. Even though the story for
”Metropolis Part 1“ is original, it was inspired by the story of two telepathically linked
twins, named Romulus and Remus, from Virgil’s Aeneid. For ”Metropolis Part 2: Scenes
From A Memory“ the band decided to expand on that story and create a 78 minute masterpiece
of love, death, and life.

The songs on this album are some of Dream Theater’s most focused and intense efforts to
date. ”Strange Déjà vu“ is a wonderful piece that really helps set the energy level for
the album and, while not too intense, hints at things to come. After a short musical
interlude, we come to ”Fatal Tragedy“ and the next piece on the album, ”Beyond This Life.“
These songs are the most intense pieces Dream Theater has ever done, filled with riffs
that just defy logic while still maintaining a very melodic, musical approach.

For years, Dream Theater has been known for their technical prowess. If it is technical
skills you want to hear, then ”Home“ and ”Dance of Eternity“ are your cup of tea. These
songs are relentless assaults on the auditory senses. Amazing technical feats abound
everywhere on these two songs: The John Myung Bass solo is wild, and after the nearly
20 minutes of jamming you feel as though you need a rest.

After another small interlude, you come to the highlight of the album ”The Spirit Carries On.“
This song is a masterpiece. From the gospel choir, to the incredible John Petrucci guitar
solo, this song will give you the chills. It's is clearly the emotional high point of the
album. The drum outro on ”Finally Free“ is a perfect example of why Mike Portnoy wins a
lot of drumming awards every time Dream Theater puts out an album.

All of the performances on this album are first rate; however, James LaBrie gives the
standout performance. LaBrie sings four parts, each slightly different than the other,
and you can hear the differences with each part. This is done either through intonation
or voice inflection.

Scenes from A Memory is quite an enjoyable experience. Every time you listen to it,
something new will be learned. This album has been compared to Queensryche’s Operation
Mindcrime, and Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and why shouldn’t it be? It's extremely coherent,
highly enjoyable, and a work of pure genius. This album deserves to be placed among the
greats and should be in every music lover’s collection. ”
(http://www.cdnow.com/)
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Ég mundi versla mér þessa plötu ef þið eigið hana ekki. Meistarastykki!!
En svona hæfileikaríkir tónlistarmenn halda sig ekki bara við eina hljómsveit því að þeir
gera svokölluð “side projects”. Þá fá þeir að velja sér tónlistarmenn til að vinna með.
Mike P., John P. og Jordan R. fengu bassagoðið Tony Levins til að gera tvær instrumental
plötur með sér sem kölluðust Liquid Tension Experiment!
Mike P. fékk svo Neal Morse, Roine Stolt og Pete Trewavas til að gera plötu sem kallaðist
TransAtlantic. Sú plata inniheldur fimm lög. Meðal annars eitt rúmlega 30 mín lag.
Eitt um 17 mín og annað um 16 mín. Góð plata.
Þetta eru tvö frægustu “side projectin”!
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En þetta var bara svona plötusaga DT og dómar um þær. Þeir eru ekki hættir og gefa út aðra
plötu í haust sem ég hlakka til að fá.

YtseJam!!