Progressive-metal band rocks toward new sound

In a world in which listeners seem to crave easily digested, three-minute MP3 singles, it might be hard to justify a dramatic concept album—let alone a 20-minute-plus opus packed with rolling thunderclaps, extended guitar solos and minor-chord arpeggios.

Jordan Rudess, keyboardist for the progressive-metal outfit Dream Theater, begs to differ.

“We almost stand alone, in a lucky way, that we’re able to survive,” said Rudess, 53, who has been with the 25-year-old ensemble since 1999. “We’ve been pushing for years. We can do things other people won’t or can’t be doing.

“At the same time, we’re keeping our eyes open,” he said.

It might explain why Rudess doesn’t rely solely on a synthesizer. His onstage kit includes an iPad, which he uses for sonic mixing. He plays the keytar and the continuum, a touch-sensitive fingerboard. For large-venue shows, he uses software to project three-dimensional images that appear and react based on musical keystrokes.

Meanwhile, he founded a New York company—MorphWiz—that produces, among other mobile-device software, a spacey, keyboard-inspired application that blends futuristic tones with trippy visuals. It recently topped the sales queue for music-based programs in the iPad online store.

“I wanted to reach out to creative people doing creative things,” Rudess said.

Such renaissance pursuits, he said, are a reflection of the genre.

“To me, truly progressive music is about the latest, greatest technology and totally going for it,” Rudess said.

It’s also a life mantra for the Long Island, N.Y., native who began playing classical piano at age 7. His talent emerged so quickly that his first instructor later offered to give the lessons without charge.

That led to enrollment in a pre-college program at the prestigious Juilliard School, where his studies chugged right along—until the day his teenage friends introduced him to a Moog synthesizer.

Then, almost instantly, it was over.

“I think I turned one of the knobs, and I was like ‘Oh, my God. This is the coolest thing ever!’ “ Rudess said.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer replaced Rachmaninoff. Rudess left Juilliard at 19 for various musical projects, eventually landing his current gig.

As songwriter and band partner, his present role relies on old-school training while infusing a futuristic orchestral vision.

Although various hybrids of prog these days tend to either receive the butt of music-snob jokes—or flourish among a hidden subset of zealous fans—Dream Theater hasn’t languished in obscurity.

Its 10th studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, became its highest-charting release, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

The Washington Post called the “winningly gothic” work “impressive and appealing.”

For the recent buzz, Rudess credits the band’s pioneering nature and unapologetic songwriting.

“Part of what Dream Theater is about is tipping our hat to prior styles,” the musician said. “Nobody had done this mix of metal and prog with the same kind of virtuosity.

“That’s kind of our window. That’s where we want to be.”