The Count of Tuscany (Dream Theater, 2009)

This is a magnificent example of Dream Theater's fully progressive songs and comes from the album "Black Clouds & Silver Linings". True, some distorted guitars and high volume passages are there, but never too intrusive and perfectly mixed with the underlying melodic lines. How beautiful this long track is! The vocal harmonies, the guitars, the unpredictable changes... everything is perfect!

"Black Clouds & Silver Linings" was DT's tenth studio work.

Most of all, this is the brainchild of a well organized band, where each member has its own place and no one uselessly shows off his skills. I like the devilish interplays, the heartbreaking openings on wider horizons and, of course, the atmospheric passages. In short, this is prog rock at its best and even the eccentric lyrics about the Count and his brother are fit into the big picture. Enjoy.

A Change of Seasons (Dream Theater, 1995)

This suite is also the title track of the first EP released by Dream Theater. Sure, it sounds strange that an EP should last more that 50 minutes, but after all the track I'm introducing here is the only new composition of the CD, also including four beautiful cover versions ranging from Elton John to Genesis. And Genesis surely are among the main influences of this suite, lining up seven movements and a great deal of changes in mood, tempo and even genre. 

 

"A Change of Seasons" can be considered as one of DT's best records.

As "A Change of Seasons" was the first DT's song featuring Derek Sherinian on keyboards, his contribution is remarkable and somehow singles out this song, even if most of the music was composed long before his joining the band. The classically prog passages are cleverly mixed with metal-prog parts (not too hard, that's to say), atmospheric moments and also some charming acoustic parts. As usual, the melodies are first rate and the lyrics deal with the seasons of life, a reflection inspired to Portnoy by his mother's death. An excellent epic, a higly recommended piece of progressive rock.

A Mind Beside Itself (Dream Theater, 1994)

Dream Theater obviously specialised in hard prog songs, seldom long and intricate ones. But they also know how to write plain, beautiful ballads, and this trilogy - taken from the album "Awake" - includes all their main writing habits. In fact, the first movement, "Erotomania", is a funny instrumental track, introducing the concept of the suite, namely madness and its different faces. "Voices" develops that theme in an up tempo and almost chaotic way, depicting mental illness in  its furious phase. But I better like by far the final  "The Silent Man", also released as a single.

 

 "Awake" was the third Dream Theater's studio album.

As I have a melodic, acoustic soul somewhere inside me, I can't deny I appreciate good melodies and well found chords. This section of the trilogy is about the other face of madness, the one dealing with isolation. It's a heartbreaking song, IMHO, and also an uncanny contrast with the previous movement. In a single suite, you'll meet all the moods of Dream Theater.

Another Day (Dream Theater, 1992)

One of the most famous Dream Theater's songs, taken from their "Images And Words" album. It's a plain song, with a rather traditional structure, but including two wonderful solos (electric guitar and soprano sax, just for the record). I like the melody very much and James LaBrie's vocal performance, strong and neat. The presence of so many acoustic instruments is another winning point of the song: the opening piano, guest Jay Beckenstein's sax, the acoustic guitar. And when the rock instruments come in, they create an emotional peak, leaving the sweet outro to Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra fame.

This song was also released as a single in 1993.

All is fit and carefully set in... a perfect song, if ever there was one, with some proggy features and moving lyrics about life and death. Some say John Petrucci wrote them for his father, then struggling against cancer. I don't know that, but the words are really good and the official video gently suggest a family meaning behind those beautiful lines:

If you're searching for a silent sky

You won't find it here

Look another way

You won't find it here

So die another day.

Through Her Eyes (Dream Theater, 1992)

One of the most known and appreciated songs by Dream Theater, no doubt, nonetheless not one of their typical prog metal ones. This is an excellent ballad, taken from "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from A Memory", the concept album developing the plot of a song , "Metropolis Part. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper", included in "Images and Words" album. I like this track for its good and relaxed melody, and also for its pleasant Western American influence. As I said, this song is part of a concept, so the lyrics deserve some explanations: the main character, Nicholas, discovers he was a woman in its previous life and here he finds out he (or she, more exactly) was innocently killed and sees all this trhough her eyes.

 

This beautiful song was also released as a CD single.

 

The sadness of this story is perfectly represented in the dreamy and almost suspended mood of the track, and most of all in James LaBrie vocal performance, apparently plain but so sensitive and sorrowful, one of his best ones, IMHO. "Through Her Eyes" proves that this band can give strong emotions to the listener even with no technical virtuosities and no intricate arrangements. That's when I best like them.

Octavarium (Dream Theater, 2005)

Many progfans found this suite - the titke track of 2005 Dream Theater album - a little too much derivative song. I think this is a wonderful tribute to progressive rock legacy. The band quote so many different sources and artists it's impossible to list them here, but they succeed in being themselves as usual. It's a much sweeter song than the average DT's production (that's why I like it), but in its 24 minutes many good surprises are waiting for the listener. Here's some of the finest moments: the floydian, atmospheric intro, the flute section, the second LaBrie's vocal theme (really, what a pure and mighty voice this guy has!), followed by Jordan Rudess' Wakeman-esque solo, then here comes a syncopated passage where Myung and Petrucci prove they came across Foxtrot in their youth.

And this music comes with a great cover art...

After this, the best section starts, in which all lnstruments accelerate and the song becomes a fast-forward festival, a ruthless war between guitars, keys, bass guitars, vocals and drums. They all win, of course. The final section seals the peace with a grand, fluid, melodic wall of sound, a flight above the oceans of sound, towards some far progressive sky. Well... something like that, I mean.