Dream Theater presents ‘Systematic Chaos’

Prog-metal rockers Dream Theater [ tickets ] have a new label, a new record on deck, and a world tour coming up to support it all.

After spending June in Europe, the band will launch a month’s worth of North American dates July 24 in San Diego. The trek is routed from the West Coast to the East Coast with stops in Montreal and Toronto along the way. From there, the group will head back to Europe, and plans are currently underway for tours of Asia, South America and Australia, according to a press release.

North American shows, which are listed below, will feature special guests Redemption and Into Eternity. Overseas dates can be found at Dream Theater’s website.

On June 5, the band will release its ninth album, “Systematic Chaos,” which marks its debut on Roadrunner Records. The set will be available in two formats: a regular CD and a special CD/DVD edition including a 90-minute documentary directed by drummer Mike Portnoy.

“This album’s got all of the elements we’ve become known for,” Portnoy said in a statement. “The focus [is] on musicianship, the skull-crushing riffs, the big progressive epics and the heart-wrenching melodies. We’ve got one of the strongest and most devoted fan bases in the world, and they should certainly be happy with the new material.”

“Systematic Chaos” follows 2005’s “Octavarium” and last year’s live, multiple-CD and DVD sets, “Score,” which capture Dream Theater’s 20th anniversary world tour finale at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.

With its complex arrangements and epic songs, Dream Theater has never gained wide mainstream success, but on the strength of its grassroots following, the band has sold more than 6 million albums and DVDs, and headlined shows across 42 countries in front of audiences 20,000 strong, according to a press release.