Dream Theater: The Summit’s Viewfinder

What gets conjured in the mind palace when the name DREAM THEATER is mentioned? Aside from prog rock, of course. Massive soundscapes which teleport us to another world in an instant. Music with so many moving parts that it’s impossible to pick up on everything within the first handful of listens. 20 or 30 minute epics where each movement sounds more grandiose than the last to avoid becoming stale. It’s all of those and much more which make up the lofty expectations fans and critics alike have when it comes to DREAM THEATER.

We settle in with keyboardist Jordan Rudess a few days before DREAM THEATER’s album, A View From The Top Of The World is scheduled to release. With a staggering 15 studio albums under the band’s belt, we’re keen to discover whether those expectations come into play. “Certainly at this level, there’s pressure because you’ve got to deliver the goods,” Jordan comments. “When we’re creating, we’re not too worried about that. It’s too busy with us just doing our thing.”

A band just doing their thing has resulted in an album with a hefty 70 minute run-time. Keen to leave behind the idea of concept records for this cycle, A View From The Top Of The World consists of just seven self-contained songs. In a time where album format thinking could be becoming a thing of the past, it’s something DREAM THEATER never want to shy away from. “We try to create an experience,” Jordan tells us when we ask about that impressive run-time. A View From The Top Of The World may not be a concept album but there is still an over arcing story of exploration, overcoming adversity, and battling invisible monsters. “Maybe one could almost consider it old school because a lot of people don’t make an album form any more,” Jordan muses. “We still do, because our fans still want to go for that album ride. So there’s a lot of care going into it; into the order of the songs, how the songs flow, we’re very considerate of that. We want our fans to get through it and enjoy it as much as we do.”

It’s this way of thinking which drives certain creative decisions. Drawing influences from other progressive rock groups such as YES and their album Close To The Edge (1972), the ethos of DREAM THEATER has always been to make music which gives the audience their value for money. Not just for the fans, but for themselves as well. “When something has the ability to kind of like grow on you – when it’s so deep and intricate that it can’t be a one time listen – I think it’s more value there for us as listeners,” Jordan says. While certainly not exclusive to DREAM THEATER, Jordan is more than aware the “nature of the beast” of progressive music is for it to grow on their listeners rather than to have instantaneous appreciation. “The orchestrations can be dense, that can be a lot of sonic material happening. You try to grab what you can on one listen through, but certainly on the next listen, there’s going to be a lot more,” he then adds, “DREAM THEATER music quite often has that approach where there is always something new with every listen.”

For any band with a career spanning almost four decades, there’s a risk of becoming stagnant. “I think about some of the groups that have been around for a really long time,” Jordan starts. “Sometimes you listen to some of them and it feels like they’re slowing down a little bit, but I don’t feel that way with our group. I feel like DREAM THEATER is still really vital and really strong and energised.” Known for their high-energy concerts becoming somewhat of a spectacle, those dreaded expectations are never far behind. “It really is a challenge,” Jordan tells us when we ask how the band’s evaded predictability. “People don’t want to turn on a DREAM THEATER record and have it sound like RADIOHEAD. They want to turn on a DREAM THEATER album and have it sound like DREAM THEATER.”

Without making several carnations of Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes Of A Memory (1992) or Images And Words (1992), this band has continuously had to evolve. This constant motion comes in many forms and many opportunities for growth. “We’re the kind of guys who’re very interested to make a step up each time, how ever we can. We learned from the last experience [Distance Over Time, 2019), we looked at it and questioned whether we could do it differently or better,” he comments. While making sonic upgrades in terms of what equipment was used to capture drums or vocals, this wasn’t the only development.

The band also constructed and moved into the DREAM THEATER Head Quarters; a creative hub which houses a rehearsal space, recording studio, conference room, and a hell of a lot more. This compound meant the band could be a lot freer with their ideas and their experimentation. Perhaps the most interesting step up for DREAM THEATER comes from the humble iPad. “Everything that’s not a guitar, bass, drum or vocals is my responsibility,” Jordan explains. A product of his company, Wizdom, Jordan used the GeoShred app to create massive orchestral patches and big brass sections. The quiet, melodic interlude in the album’s title track at first listen sounds as if it’s the product of a small army of musicians. Yet Jordan tells us the beautiful cello sounds which accompany John Petrucci’s guitar come from an iOS app. “It’s crazy what I can do now as a keyboardist and synthesist,” he laughs. “It’s expanded so much and the possibilities are massive!”

It’s no secret DREAM THEATER is one of the biggest bands in the progressive music genre. Being able to sustain an illustrious career for 36 years is no easy feat. More so when we seem to be in a time where longevity is fairly hard to come by. So what is the secret ingredient to the DREAM THEATER sauce? “DREAM THEATER is always very aware of the heart factor. Emotions,” Jordan answers. “We’re musicians who enjoy going into our craft The bigger picture though? We want to make music that people really feel. We’ll pace this big like chorus and everybody can just feel it – maybe it’s even more of a relief or enjoyable because it’s coming from whatever emotion it’s coming from.”

Showing no signs of slowing down, DREAM THEATER are as strong as ever. A View From The Top Of The World is another example of why this band is creative tour de force. Time will tell whether DREAM THEATER will continue to defy the expectations of their fans and peers within the community. For now, however, they can take comfort in the knowledge that their mind palaces are still gargantuan with ambition and the prowess to back it up.

A View From The Top Of The World is out now via InsideOut Music.

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