Dream Theater Falling Into Infinity (1997)

With demos like these, 'Falling Into Infinity' had the potential to be the greatest Dream Theater album. Sadly, the castrated label-influenced final version simply does not share the glory of it's demos. Dream Theater had been sitting on the fence waiting to record this album for three years, and in this time, they had developed enough songs to fill up two discs! However, the label rejected the idea of releasing a double disc album, and the group had to pick and choose which songs to put on the record. With this official bootleg release, fans could at long last hear the songs as they were meant to be heard. This is without a doubt the best of these releases, because of all the alternate and unreleased songs…

Spanning 2CDs, the original demos from the recording sessions of one of Dream Theater’s most esteemed albums, Falling Into Infinity. These 16 tracks, recorded throughout 1996 and 1997 as demos for what would ultimately become 1997’s Falling Into Infinity studio release, spotlight some of the band’s most highly regarded works from that era. Also featuring rare material never formally released as part of the final studio album including “Raise the Knife”, “Speak to Me”, and “Cover My Eyes", Falling Into Infinity Demos, 1996-1997 is a can’t-miss collection in Dream Theater’s eminent archival series.

Originally released in 2006 on YtseJam Records, "Old Bridge, New Jersey (1996)" contains an entire show from Dream Theater's brief "Escape from the Studio" tour that took place prior to the release of their 1997 album, "Falling Into Infinity". Featuring early versions of tracks that would end up on that album, including "Peruvian Skies", "Lines in the Sand" & "Burning My Soul", as well as several selections from the "A Change Of Seasons" suite.

A brand-new addition to Dream Theater’s extensive ‘Lost Not Forgotten Archives’ project, ‘Live in Berlin - 2019’ documents one of the band's first live European appearances supporting the critically acclaimed ‘Distance Over Time’ album, also released that year. Featuring some of the most popular tracks from that record including ‘Barstool Warrior’ and ‘Pale Blue Dot’, as well as long-standing entries from Dream Theater’s esteemed catalogue including ‘The Dance Of Eternity’, ‘Peruvian Skies' and ‘Lie’. This release represents the most recently recorded entry into the series to date, and is once again an exhilarating insight into one of the latest chapters of the band's career.

Coming a year after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, it's great to hear that Dream Theater hadn't lost their überheavy edge. John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess, and bassist John Myung effectively peeled back the pretentious excesses of Six Degrees, turned them in on themselves, and came up with a leaner, meaner but no less ambitious outing. The centerpiece track, despite the fact that it is second on the disc, is "This Dying Soul: IV. Reflections of Reality (Revisited)." A tome about alcoholism and recovery, it's strident riff opens out onto vast sonic panoramas where pianos and rhythm section offer Petrucci the space he needs to take his guitar playing into overdrive. Also, lyrically this is an evolutionary track on the set; it opens doors for the rest of the narratives here…

Progressive metal titans Dream Theater perform their distinctive rendition of ‘Made in Japan’, the quintessential live record from British heavy metal icons, Deep Purple. Recorded live in 2006 at NHK Hall in Osaka, Japan, the 7-track recording memorializes this one-of-a-kind performance from the New York quintet, honoring the original and historic 1972 classic. Re-mastered and re-released for the first time on vinyl, ‘Made in Japan’ marks the next can’t-miss release in Dream Theater’s growing Lost Not Forgotten Archives collection.

A brand-new, unreleased entry in the Lost Not Forgotten Archives, "Live at Madison Square Garden (2010)" sees Dream Theater supporting the legends, Iron Maiden, performing to a hometown New York audience in one of the world’s most iconic venues.

Originally released in 2005 on Ytsejam Records, ‘Images And Words Demos (1989-1991)’ documents a special period for the band as they prepared for the release of their landmark ‘Images and Words’ album. This collection includes instrumental versions of Dream Theater classics like ‘Take The Time’ & ‘Learning to Live’. As well as showcasing rare early renditions of some of the band’s most well-known entries such as ‘Oliver’s Twist’, which would later become the fan-favorite, ‘Pull Me Under'. It also features the original audition takes that would see Dream Theater appoint James LaBrie as their new vocalist. Remastered and available on vinyl for the very first time, this is a fascinating look at the band’s earliest days together.

Originally released on Dream Theater’s YtseJam Records in 2005, this one-of-a-kind performance sees Dream Theater again paying tribute to some of their historic musical icons. "The Number of the Beast" is Dream Theater’s rendition of the classic album from legendary British heavy metallers, Iron Maiden. This unique 2002 performance in front of a French audience at La Mutualite in Paris, France is the only available recording of this one-off historic event, forever preserved in the YtseJam collection. A much-revered performance from Dream Theater's catalog, "The Number of the Beast", performed in its entirety, is a can’t-miss live release in the growing Lost Not Forgotten Archives series.

A brand-new, unreleased addition to Dream Theater's extensive "Lost Not Forgotten Archives" project, Live at Wacken (2015) sees the band playing the world-famous German festival during their Summer European tour where they celebrated their 30th anniversary as a band. Includes material from throughout the bands career up until that point, including "Burning My Soul", "Panic Attack" & "Bridges in the Sky".