Musicians - Dream Theater

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	Musicians - Dream Theater

Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in the mid-1980s. In the twenty years since their inception, they have become one of the most commercially successful progressive bands since the height of progressive rock in the mid-1970s, despite being relatively unknown in mainstream pop and mainstream rock circles. Their highest selling album, 1992's Images and Words, was awarded a gold record and is consistently named as a seminal progressive metal release, although it only reached #61 on the Billboard 200 charts.

The band is well-known for the technical proficiency of each instrumentalist, winning many awards from music magazines. They are highly respected by many of rock and metal's biggest names, leading to collaborations between Dream Theater members and many other well known musicians. In a famous example, guitarist John Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, following in the foot steps of Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, Yngwie Malmsteen and other influential guitarists.

Dream Theater is also noted for their musical versatility and the many different genres their own music incorporates, which has made it possible for them to perform with a very diverse range of acts. Some of their more notable touring partners include Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, King's X, Marillion, Megadeth, Pain of Salvation, Porcupine Tree, Queensrÿche, Spock's Beard, Fear Factory, Symphony X, and Yes. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth.

Personnel

Current members

James LaBrie - Vocals and percussion (1991 - present)
John Petrucci
- Guitars and backing vocals (1985 - present)
Mike Portnoy
- Drums, percussion and backing vocals (1985 - present)
John Myung
- Bass and Chapman Stick (1985 - present)
Jordan Rudess - keyboards, lap steel guitar, and Continuum (1999 - present)

Former members

Chris Collins - Vocals (1986)
Charlie Dominici - Vocals (1987- 1990)
Kevin Moore - Keyboards (1986-1994)
Derek Sherinian - Keyboards (1995-1999)

Progressive metal pioneers

Dream Theater, along with counterparts Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, are credited with reviving progressive music into critical and commercial success in the late '80s and early 1990s after the genre had spent almost a decade in decline. Heavyweights of prog such as Yes and Genesis had moved toward a straightforward pop-rock sound in the early '80s, and neo-prog acts like Marillion and IQ were popular, but were seen to be less progressive than their '70s counterparts. It was not until Dream Theater and others climbed radio charts in the early '90s that truly progressive music was once again seen as a genuinely popular genre of music.

The progressive rock bands of the '70s and '80s had a profound influence on the compositional structure of Dream Theater's music, but modern acts like Metallica and Iron Maiden had a more pronounced sonic effect, lending Dream Theater their heaviness and wailing vocal style. The unique mix of '70s progressive rock and '80s heavy metal, previously unheard of prior to the formation of Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, was given the name progressive metal. Dream Theater are seen as a major pioneer of that genre despite forming slightly later than both Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, and they are responsible for triggering a sharp incline in the number of progressive metal bands being formed through the 1990s and 2000s, including Pain of Salvation and Symphony X.

Today, they stand as one of the most important and commercially successful progressive metal groups in the genre's existence. While Queensrÿche moved towards straightforward rock after the success of their album Empire (and its hit song "Silent Lucidity"), and Fates Warning struggled to forge a significant commercial following, Dream Theater influenced many modern progressive metal bands while at the same time consistently climbing the rock charts.

History

1985 - 1990

Dream Theater was formed in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Kevin Moore, a high school band-mate of Petrucci's, was recruited to play keyboards and Chris Collins was enlisted as vocalist.

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