Hero: Dream Theater
November 30, 2007
Welcome, new visitor! My name is Ari, the man behind Aries9. Here I share my thoughts on music and life, so you can get to know me and my music. Thanks for visiting!
Where have I been?
I’d always say to myself.
I’m never one to be an “early adaptor” in terms of new technology or new music. They have to go and explore the world for a while before they get to me.
But 20 years?
I knew about Dream Theater from the mid 90’s. Never heard any of their music until recently. Thanks to Napster, I did get to try their music.
And I was hooked.
A band of 5 virtuosos — sounds like a recipe for a disaster, but they work well in this team. I am still scratching my head as to how a mighty voice like the lead singer James LaBrie can fit into this band without developing a major ego. His role in this band is much smaller than that of lead singers in most rock bands — he doesn’t even write the majority of lyrics, a role normally reserved for singers. (They often say they can’t sing other people’s lyrics — which is a BS in my opinion, but that’s for another day)
And like virtuosos, they do engage in the macho shred-fest, and sometimes that’s a drag. But not as often as I expected them to. What really impresses me about them is their conceptual side — primarily credited to the drummer/mastermind Mike Portnoy — and their ability to pull off larger scale works.
With prog rock and larger scopes, they often end up sounding corny, pretentious, and self-absorbed. Well, don’t get me wrong — these guys are all that. But most of the time, not annoyingly so. It really indulges the boyhood dreams of grandeour.
And once again, I have to credit Mr. LaBrie for this. A lot of the lyrics are corny and derivative and cliche-filled. With most singers this kind of material would end up being stink-fest, but not so here. James LaBrie walks just the right line between operatic and restraint, with a huge emotional range and a large number of vocal inflections to pull from. Above all, he sounds so sincere, even on corniest of lines. Back him up with a well-conceptualized music, and you have one powerful statement.
Their latest album, Systematic Chaos, falls short in my ear of the standards set by the four previous albums. I think it’s because Chaos is not a concept album — so the operatic gestures seem too big on an album of just a bunch of random songs, even when it includes a 25-minute epic. On the other hand, the previous albums had thematic threads that bound each of them, making songs parts of larger wholes. This justified the big drama moments.
Now that I’m a fan, I’m sure their influences will show up all over my music in the future. I’ll be taking notes on music conceptualization from Mr. Portnoy — yes, you can call it what it is. I’m stealing ideas.