Dream Theater

Dream Theater
Dream Theater -- a progressive-metal band formed by three chaps of the Berklee College of Music in 1985, since their origin, have become one of the most commercially successful bands since the height of progressive rock in the mid-70s. Their two top selling albums are Images and Words (1992), which was awarded a gold record although it reached only #61 on the Billboard 200 charts; and Awake (1994) which reached #32 on the Billboard 200. Dream Theater has sold over two million albums in the U.S. and over six million albums and DVDs worldwide.

Formerly named Majesty by Berklee College of Music students namely Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy, and later on, keyboard player Kevin Moore and vocalist Chris Collins were made members. Releasing an eight-tune demo, as Majesty, the group sold 1,000 copies within six months. Collins left 1986 left Majesty. Later, his place was filled in by Charlie Dominici in November 1987. taking inspiration from a Californian movie theater, the band re-named itself to "Dream Theater.? Soon, they signed with Mechanic Records and began working on its first full-length album. Delays caused by label mismanagement limited the group to performing at small clubs and bars. Frustrated by its experiences with the label, Dream Theater finally severed its ties with Mechanic.

After Dominici was fired, the group spent the next couple years without a vocalist. Until 1991 Canadian vocalist James LaBrie, formerly of Winter Rose, was made a band-member. Signing with Atco Atlantic (later as East West), Dream Theater released its second album, Images & Words, in 1992, with "Pull Me Under," becoming an MTV hit. Although Theater showed substantial growth with their 1994 studio album, Awake, the group continued to be held back by personnel changes. Before the album was mixed, keyboardist Moore left the group to focus on his solo career. Derek Sherinian, hired as a temporary replacement for the band's Waking Up the World tour, later became a permanent member. His first recording with Dream Theater was a 23-minute classic, "A Change of Seasons," written in 1989 and released in September 1995 on the album of the same name.

After a mini tour, the members of Dream Theater separated for several months and became involved with a variety of outside projects. Petrucci was the busiest. Apart from, joining Portnoy and keyboard player Jordan Rudess in the Liquid Tension Experiment, Petrucci played guitar with Trent Gardner's Explorers Club and made a guest appearance on Shadow Gallery's Tyranny album. Myung and Sherinian collaborated with King's X vocalist Ty Tabor in the band Platypus. LaBrie worked with Mull Muzzler, a group formed with Matt Guillory and Mike Mangini.

Later, Rudess swapped Sherinian, who was fired in 1999. The band released the progressive rock-heavy Scenes From a Memory that year, a conceptual piece that followed the story of a 1928 murder of a young woman and how a modern man is haunted by the crime. It was followed by Live Scenes From New York in 2001, which suffered from an unintentional bout with controversy when its original cover featuring the city of New York in flames was pulled due to the events of September 11. The group continued in the progressive metal vein in 2002 with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, followed by the leaner Train of Thought in 2003 and Octavarium in 2005.

Petrucci released an eponymously titled solo album in 2003, featuring addition by Dave LaRue of the Dixie Dregs and Boston-based drummer Dave DeCenso.