Dream Theater

I don't remember exactly how I got so much into this band, to be honest. I'll be a liar if I told you that I was ''Oh my god Oh my god What an amazing band'' since day one. To be honest, I didn't liked what I heard at first, 'cause progressive rock didn't make much sense to me, odd meters and all that? Were insanity for me, but anyway I got used to it later on.

Maybe it was their instrumental ''Ytse Jam'' that caught me. I think that was the reason, 'cause that particular tune was really, really cool. It has a lot of flamenco elements in it, mixed with shredding guitar, go figure.

Anyway, Dream Theater, I was 19 -almost 20- while I heard that band, I mean heard it seriously. As I was used to, I started to dig all their material, and there were two particular albums that interested me a lot: A Change of Seasons, with the 23-min. song of the same name *One of the best they've come up with* and Scenes from a Memory... a concept album.

Later on, I got in my hands the ''Octavarium'' album. It was really cool, and the last piece, which was quite long also, was really cool as well. It was a weird mix of Frank Zappa-meets-Pink Floyd. In fact, the intro reminisces a lot from ''Shine on You Crazy Diamond'' from Pink Floyd... but the tune was really cool anyway.

This guys aren't regular rock and roll guys. In fact, they're the reason a lot of people are going to study in the infamous Berklee College of Music, because everyone wants to be as good as Petrucci, Myung, and Portnoy -The three of 'em met there while being students-. So, not surprise to hear a lot of Dream-Theater replicas a lot this days, not to say there aren't other kind of replicas as well 'round the world.



- This is what I mean with ''While they want, they do play'' -

It's kinda cool, that one band could influence people in such a way, but kinda sad at the same time, because they influenced a lot of people to ''want to be like them''. As I said on an early post, one thing is to be ''as good as like'' or even, ''better than'' your musical heroes... But who am I to say anything, after all.

I was among the countless guitar players studying guitar riffs from John Petrucci, I even watched his hands while he played so I could play as good as he did, but later on I realised that music isn't bout that at all...

So I started to distance myself from the ''fastuous'' progressive rock acts, like this particular one... but I still hear 'em from time to time, I cannot deny where I come from folks, as I used to do 'till a few months ago.

But one thing is for sure. This guys are technically proficient, and while they want, they're proficient songwriters as well.

What can I say? Thanks, well... maybe for showing me that a lot of perseverance in the road is finally paid off. Yes, that one. I've seen all of the documentals they've made, and they tell you such an amazing story. They started like zero, like everyone, and with patience and all that... they become who they are right now. One of the most influential bands of this time.