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Dear Dream Theater
I am writing to you because i would like to ask one question. Before i explain what it is, and why I came to this conclusion I need to say a few things.
I am a musician. My father is a contemporary composer. I have been playing piano since I was 4, violin since I was 8 and I play bass in a death metal band. before I begin my pretentious esoteric rant, i need to say that it is impossible for me to express how highly I regard Dream Theater as a band. Systematic chaos, train of thought, metropolis, and Octavarium in particular have opened me up to world of popular music that I didn’t believe existed. The concept of a band that both has philosophical integrity and a musical caliber of such a high quality seemed unfathomable. I listened to Opeth and there was the musical caliber. I listened to Pain of salvation and there was the philosophical integrity (not to say that Pain of Salvation are not brilliant musicians as well) but then I listened to Dream Theater and it was a whole new level of depth. This is why I would like to commend all of you on the work you have done, and the influence you have had on modern popular music, and a s well the impact on many individuals who can read into the depths of Octavarium both musically, and philosophically.
I am telling you this because I feel it is important to emphasis this before I say what I want to say. Of course I understand you receive hundreds of e mails every day and this is just one among many. No matter what you write there will always be unhappy fans. Once people become entranced by your music, in some ways we can become greedy and dependant. If we don’t like an album we sulk because its not what we wanted. For a lot of people some thing are Never Enough. This email isn’t a complaint. It isn’t even a criticism. Im not saying what I wanted out of “Black clouds & silver linings,” im just making a musical (hopefully) comment about it.
Having said that I am very curious about one thing, and my question is:
Have you sold out to commercialism?
I read in an interview with Mike Portnoy that after the success of Metropolis, the record company completely left you to do as you wanted. Falling into infinity almost broke up the band because you were being forced to do something commercial, and that you as a band didn’t want to. The shortest most traditional (in format) songs that you write are generally received worst by fans mike said.
So, you wrote train of thought. And it was the best album ever made. EVER. Then you wrote Octavarium that was not only musically brilliant, but reached another depth lyrically. When I first read it with the lyrics, I actually almost pissed myself. I was so amazed and worried that I’d forget what I’d discovered, I wrote a 20 page long analysis of the whole album, which I later showed to my friends who expressed equal amazement over it’s implications.
Then I thought it was impossible for it to get any better and you wrote systematic chaos. It was fucking insane. I was proven wrong.
Mike said in the same interview that the day you as a band gave in to commercialism and made music to please the public would be the death of the band. it almost happened with falling into infinity, but you were lucky enough to be left alone by the record company after that.
But this new album seems like a combination between the beginning pop-ish songs from Octavarium, stretched to 15 minutes to please both the fans that want a progressive dream theater, but still easy enough to follow to please the general public. The solos are fast and technical, but to me they seemed to lack musical integrity. ‘The Best of Times’ had cheesy violins at the start, Wither was like the ‘forsaken’ of the album in that it seemed like I was meant to be like the nice gap between all the progressive shit where you could relax for 5 minutes except there was no crazy progressive shit and in forsaken there were some awesome guitar melodies and interesting vocal parts. event the lyrics seemed a little dumbed down, when I saw that A Rite of Passage was about free masonry I thought “ooh another mini octavarium” but it didn’t really say anything about free masonry and sorta just said what we all know about cults/ religions in general. the shattered fortress was just bits of everything pieced together, it was done very well, but it was pieced together in this new popish style which again just didn’t seem like Dream Theater. The only song I don’t criticize is The Count of Tuscany which was fucking epic. I mean it was still in this pop-esque mixed with progressive style, and the key changes seemed to nod towards your older works but sometimes like a bad copy, but over all it was insane.
However I reiterate, I don’t mean to be another fan from “never enough;” im not complaining that this isn’t what I wanted. Im just so curious, and here is the main point I want to make, that in Octavarium (otherwise known as the 21st century “Tao Teh Ching”) you say you never wanted to be someone like Him; the ordinary man, or musician who caries out each day just like the last, writing the same old traditional songs, with the same structure cause that what will make him money and get him through his life, but its nothing more than that, it has no depth. You were sure that this wasn’t for you, and you wanted so much more. So you wrote progressive music, and it was brilliant. And you were just about the furthest thing from Him.
And then this album came out. It just seemed ironic that now you have become someone like him, just like everyone else, at least in my opinion. I mean its still progressive, but its like your trying to please both spheres –the musical listeners, and your average coldplay/greenday/avenged sevenfold (they kinda went commercial after city of evil too) listeners, and that wont work.. I think…
Perhaps I’m wrong, and this is what you want in which case I apologize for wasting your time. You say you have the freedom to write what you want, so maybe this type of music is what you want. Maybe I have it all wrong and your not selling out to commercialism its just that this is the type of music you are content with, in which case the only reason I’m writing this is because I just didn’t like the album, and my argument crumbles apart fairly quickly.
Like I said before, but im going to reiterate in cause there I any doubt, I am not telling you how I think you should write your music. Its not my place, I have no write to do that. I’m not complaining that I didn’t like the new album, even though I didn’t, you must understand this isn’t a complaint. I’m not saying change how you write, im not even saying your unhappy with yourselves for going commercial, for the simple reason that I am not Dream Theater. I don’t know what goes on in that band, I cant possibly say that writing more progressive music is what pleases you all the most. I am only doing one thing, and that is asking the question, because im curious to see if there is a hint of correctness in what I am saying, when I ask the question:
“Have you sold out to commercialism?”
Maybe even subconsciously.. like I said I don’t know what goes on inside the band. You might be reading this now and thinking fuck, this kid has no idea how far off he is from the truth, we just write this music because we love it and we find it interesting.
If that is the case, then im sorry I got it completely wrong. And I also say good for you guys, because the fact is, who gives a fuck if your not pleasing one kid in London whos really up himself. As long as your writing music that you love, then I completely back down and retract my comments about the latest album.
I really hope what I’ve said isn’t really out of place, and if it is I didn’t mean it like that. When I question the nature of this album, its not out of malice, its just sincerity, and curiosity. In the same interview I keep referring to, Mike said that outside opinion only damaged the band which is why im slightly nervous in sending this email but fuck it. This is just how I feel, cant really do any damage…. I hope But whatever, im gonna stop talking now cause the more I talk and read through what I’ve written the more it seems like a load of egocentric bullshit.
Also Dweezil and Zappa fuckin rock
With that said, you guys are still the best fuckin band ever…. HEAVY FUCKIN METAL m/ Good luck in the up coming tours.
Portnoy is the best drummer ever
Matteo Viñao-Carl
London, UK
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