Dream Theater

Though Dream Theater recruited drummer Mike Mangini to replace Mike Portnoy on 2011's A Dramatic Turn of Events, his drum parts had all been scripted before the change, leading to the rather stilted feeling of the album. This self-titled offering, the band's 12th album overall, marks the first time Mangini was involved in the writing and creative decision making from the jump and it shows. Produced by guitarist John Petrucci and recorded and mixed by Richard Chycki, this is one of the more dynamic, far-reaching albums in DT's catalog. Opener "False Awakening Suite" is a brief but cinematic near-instrumental with twinned guitars and keyboards riffs from Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, all underscored by a string section and layered choral vocals by James LaBrie…

Filmed at Tokyo s famous Budokan Hall in April 2004, this Blu-ray captures Dream Theater on the tour in support of their 2003 album Train Of Thought . Most of the tracks from that album are included along with songs from right across their career. Dream Theater s musical virtuosity is renowned and their live performances are legendary and this show from Japan is undoubtedly one of their finest…

Of course, everyone knows Dream Theater. Through the years, they have had a pretty typical history of players coming and going. But one thing holds mostly the same through the years, and that is the high quality Progressive Metal sound. They have had a huge influence on progressive metal and continue to do so. However, lately, it seems that the music never changes much and that is everyone's biggest complaint…

After finally running out their 13-year, seven-plus album deal with a poisonously indifferent Atlantic Records via 2005's workmanlike Octavarium, progressive metal standard bearers Dream Theater took advantage of their well earned free agent status to enjoy a heated courtship from several interested labels, before eventually settling on the artistically simpatico Roadrunner. But, ironically, Dream Theater's first album for the label that heavy metal built, 2007's Systematic Chaos, was relatively accessible by the group's standards, complementing every epic and complex composition with a comparatively concise and hooky song, thus leaving it to its 2009 successor, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, to really flex the band's progressive metal muscles to their maximum girth…

Dream Theater’s John Petrucci commented on the special event saying, “In many ways, this was a huge homecoming for the band given the history of Dream Theater’s origins and ties with Berklee. With John and I both being alumni and Mike having been a professor at the college for 10 years, we saw the opportunity to perform together with the students of Berklee as a tremendous thrill and honor. We are extremely grateful for everyone's hard work in making this special event a reality and to all who participated.

This is a live recording featuring songs from When Dream and Day Unite and Images and Words. There really isn't that much going on here that can't be heard on the studio records. "A Fortune in Lies" is treated with more aggression than the original and remains one of their gems from the past…

This two-DVD set is jam-packed with over three hours of footage consisting of live performances along with six music videos and memorable behind-the-scenes interviews. With their progressive metal style and exceptional musicianship, Dream Theater grew to prominence with their MTV hit "Pull Me Under" (available for the first time on DVD here) in 1992. During that time, Dream Theater developed a rabid fan base that remains with them today.

Symphonic Theater Of Dreams is a tribute to Dream Theater. A band highly acclaimed in the progressive metal scene for more than two decades, Dream Theater has a huge following all across the globe. Michal Mierzejewski, a dedicated Dream Theater fan, had the idea in summer 2010 that he wanted to arrange Dream Theater songs in a 'classical' environment that had never been done before. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!