Dream On

Headlining this year’s High Voltage festival alongside Judas Priest, Dream Theater, the North American quintet that have defined their genre, cemented their reputation as virtuoso live act par excellence, unveiling both a new drummer in Mike Mangini, and a studio set (their 11th in 25 years) that retains their trademark maelstroms of musical complexity, tempered by a greater amount of space in which the musicians express themselves via their technical, emotive playing. Consequently, Messrs Petrucci, Myung and Rudess have crafted one of their most engaging musical palettes to date, atmospherically redolent of some of their more reflective opuses, such as Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory, with Mangini’s understated percussive foundation and LaBrie’s variegated vocals topping and tailing dazzlingly precise interplay and impressive individual flourishes.

Ever mindful of the collector, their new album is available as a Special Edition with a bonus CD of instrumental versions, and a Collector’s Edition Box Set that adds a 60-minute The Spirit Carries On DVD documenting the band’s drummer auditions (including the likes of Planet X’s Virgil Donati, once in a Dream Theater tribute band), a 180gm LP in gatefold sleeve, a custom turntable slip-mat, lithographic print of Hugh Syme’s eye-catching album sleeve, and 50 Ticket For Life packages inserted randomly into 25 US albums and 25 UK ones, allowing the winners access to all manner of extras. Prior to taking to the stage at London’s Victoria Park, RC accosted singer James LaBrie and asked him what it was like recording their dramatic new turn.

“The four of us wrote the album before Mike [Mangini] came into the studio and we programmed the drums, then threw that at Mike and he’d say, ‘This is what I heard, this is what I feel, this what I think should go down.’ He did that in the studio with John [Petrucci] and Mike was really enthused, wanting everyone to feel that what he was doing was in the right musical direction. All the songs were fresh, though we had a few preconceived ideas and riffs. But in the studio there was a lot of talking about where we thought we needed to take things, and what was different, was not having these big drums. That allowed us to be more patient and allow the music to speak to us. The atmosphere unveiled itself slowly, and it’s a lot more calm, and movements in the chords came out. So the album has a different feel, approach and direction. We wanted the prog and metal we’re known for to complement each other, not having one overshadow the other, which I think we’re a little guilty of on previous albums. We needed to get back to traditional Dream Theater music.”

Are there any outtakes?

No. Just the nine songs. Beneath The Surface wasn’t going to be on the album, but once it took shape, it did make it. John Petrucci said, “I have this song and I think it’d be perfect for this album. It’s whole feel will give it a lift.” We heard it and it was great.

There’s also some Mongolian throat-singing on the album?

Yeah, but that’s not me! That’s Jordan Rudess’ vast library of samples. We were in the studio going through about an hour and half of them, and we go, “Whoaaa! What was that? Go back!” They can do two notes at once, which is a trip, and we added Gregorian vocals for more atmosphere too.

Now Mike Portnoy has left, has anyone taken over as band archivist?

We all have. Now we make all our decisions collectively, so [that the band] is more democratically run, instead of one person deciding pretty much everything for us. I think he did a fabulous job, make no mistake. But now the fans will realise that whenever they see anything from us in a promotional sense [like the Deluxe Edition], or on stage, it’s more unified. A collective unit.

How much input did you have in the new album?

We were all interacting with one another on riffs. ‘I’m hearing this’… But the great thing is that the two main composers are John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, who come up with the riffs, chords and notes all the time. But John Myung stepped up to the plate on this album more than he has in a while, and that was great. Most of Dream Theater’s songs are written where John Petrucci will come in with a riff and present it, or Jordan will play some chords and we all listen and go, “That’s a cool section, let’s take that.” Sometimes it’s a song already written, like Beneath The Surface, but it’s mostly a case of when we get together in the studio, that’s when the ideas are flowing. And when you go back to your hotel room and listen to the stuff that you’ve been working on that day, it’s then that you can let that internalise and go back in the next day and go, “You know what you did there, I think that should stay, that should go.” There’s constant communication, building the blocks.

Do you enjoy playing festivals?

I love festivals, because it’s a way for us to get in front of fans who know of Dream Theater but have never been actually exposed to the music. And they hear it and go, “What?! This is really friggin’ cool! I like this. I gotta do some research and get some of their stuff.”

Do you go to festivals as a punter?

Cheeeeee! No way! Not since I was in my 20s. Because you’re in this environment so often, when I get home I like to be really quiet and recharge my batteries. I listen to jazz stations to get away from it all, or electronica – I really like its rhythmic sense and some of the programming is phenomenal. These guys are thinking on a different frigging level, for sure. Or sometimes I like some mellow music, like Stabilo or The Script. Danny O’Donaghue has great tone to his voice. Then I’ll throw in In Flames when I’m working out or jogging, because I want someone screaming at me: yuuuuuu! So I got the whole gamut.

You had ambitions to train in opera?

That hasn’t really progressed, because I’m so frickin’ busy. I’d still love at some point to get out on stage and do Les Miserables if I could, or even a pop-theatre play like Phantom. I hope there’ll come a time where we take an extended break for six months or a year and I can do that. Or it’ll never happen. And I’d love to do a piano/ vocal album at some point, and Jordan and I are talking about it. Or maybe Matt Guillory. And also an album with acoustic guitar and voice, the more mellow side of my voice – more evocative and to challenge myself to keep it interesting, exciting and dynamic. And what I’d love to see at some point, if everyone agreed, maybe to have on the next DVD, a show with Derek Sherinian, Kevin Moore, everyone playing the old and new. It’d be cool, and we need to discuss it. Will it come to fruition? Shit, who knows? We gotta wait and see.