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DREAM THEATER Launches Its First 360° Interactive App

Manos Spanos
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have announced their first 360° App (iOS). The DreamTheater360° App will offer fans a unique 360° interactive experience into the Grammy-nominated progressive metal titans' performance as captured onstage by Mativision multi-camera 360° video technology at Luna Park in Buenos Aires. The DreamTheater360° App promises to be a thrilling way for fans to interactively experience the band's onstage world. The DreamTheater360° App in its first release will include five interactive songs filmed and produced using the Mativision technology, which virtually transports fans directly onto the Luna Park stage right next to the band members and completely immerses them in a unique experience that they can control in real time. Each fan can direct the show by manipulating Mativision's multi-camera iOS player, and enjoy the concert in any way they want. They can seamlessly choose to switch from among six different cameras while also being able to rotate camera angles by taping and dragging, or by using the device's built-in gyroscope. Fans can even zoom in and out or simply switch to "auto pilot" mode and enjoy the show without interaction. With this groundbreaking app, DREAM THEATER aim to share with fans all the intense moments of a live performance from right beside them on stage, and provide fans with true interactivity to experience the onstage moments with complete freedom. Along with the unique interactive 360° content, the DreamTheater360° App will also include enriched up-to-date band-related content such as a biography, discography, photos, and continuously updated tour information, news, and social media. The first release will be just the start: Mativision will constantly surprise fans with frequent updates, adding more and more amazing and exclusive band content. The DreamTheater360° App is available from the iOS AppStore on January 9, priced at $9.99.
01 min read

DREAM THEATER Releases Free Compilation Of Live Tracks

Manos Spanos
Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have released the following statement: "To our fans all over the world! It is because of all of you that 'A Dramatic Tour Of Events' was such a success. We enjoyed playing to you all each and every night on the road! "As a special 'Thank You,' we are releasing a compilation of live tracks that were not included on 'Live At Luna Park'. With these now being available, you have a complete documentation of all the songs that were played during the tour (with the exception of cover songs.) "Happy Holidays, and we look forward to having you 'Along For The Ride' in 2014." CD1: 01. Under A Glass Moon (Phoenix, AZ 12/4/11) 02. Forsaken (London, UK 7/24/11) 03. Peruvian Skies (London, UK 7/24/11) 04. Endless Sacrifice (Austin, TX 10/26/11) 05. Drum Solo (Austin, TX 10/26/11) 06. YtseJam (Austin, TX 10/26/11) 07. The Great Debate (London, UK 7/24/11) CD2: 08. Another Day (Austin, TX 7/7/12) 09. Through My Words/Fatal Tragedy (Montreal, QB 10/7/11) 10. To Live Forever (Huntington, NY 7/19/12) 11. Learning To Live (Tel Aviv, Israel 7/19/11) 12. The Count Of Tuscany (London, UK 7/24/11) 13. As I Am (Shibuya, Japan 4/24/12) Concept: Rai "Weymolith" Beardsley Produced by John Petrucci Archive management and selection: James LaBrie, John Petrucci Keeper of the archives: Maddi Shieferstein Live sound engineer: Nigel Paul (Tracks 1-3, 7, 11-13) Mixing and mastering: Richard Chycki Artwork: Hugh Syme
02 min read

DREAM THEATER’s JAMES LABRIE To Release ‘I Will Not Break’ Digital EP

Manos Spanos
Following up on the success of his latest studio album, "Impermanent Resonance", singer James LaBrie of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER will release a new digital EP, "I Will Not Break", on January 6 in Europe and January 14 in North America via InsideOut Music. "I Will Not Break" track listing: 01. I Will Not Break (3:52) 02. Unraveling (3:31) 03. Why (3:45) 04. Coming Home (Alternate Mix) (4:23) 05. Jekyll Or Hyde (Demo) (3:48) 06. Just Watch Me (Demo) (4:17) 07. I Tried (Jason Miller Remix) (5:13) 08. Over The Edge (Mutrix Remix) (4:33) 09. Euphoric (NeonGenesis Remix) (4:41) The "I Will Not Break" track can be streamed below. While the opening title track is the album version taken from the "Impermanent Resonance" release, the songs 2 and 3 were previously only released physically as digipak bonus tracks. Song 4 is an alternate mix version and songs 5 as well as 6 are special demo versions, all previously only released physically as bonustracks on the digipak and the Japanese edition for the "Static Impulse" album in 2010. Songs 7, 8 and 9 are special dub step / electronica remixes of "Static Impulse" songs, previously unreleased (Song 7 was only available physically in Japan before). The remixes were done by U.S.-based DJs Jason Miller, Mutrix and NeonGenesis. The cover artwork for the EP was once again designed by Gustavo Sazes of Abstrata.net (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT). Said LaBrie: "Matt, Marco, Peter, Ray and yours truly are very pleased to release this digital EP. It will show some of the songs with alternate mixes as well as letting you hear Matt's exceptional voice with some of the songs in their demo versions. We also had 3 of the songs mixed in dub step stylings to give them a somewhat interesting flavour and twist. "Hope you all enjoy this release, I personally think it is very cool." Most recently, the James LaBrie track "Lost In The Fire" was used by the Swedish sound library company Toontrack Music to promote the launch of one of their new products. "Impermanent Resonance" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 198 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD also registered the following European first-week chart positions:
05 min read

DREAM THEATER Announces ‘Along For The Ride’ Tour

Manos Spanos
Progressive metallers DREAM THEATER has announced new tour dates for a North American headline trek billed as the "Along For The Ride" tour. The coast-to-coast run will pick up on March 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada following the band's European tour and then continues through the end of April where it will eventually wrap up in Guadalajara, Mexico). Presale tickets will be available starting at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, December 18, with general onsale for select dates starting at 10:00 AM ET on Friday, December 20. DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci commented: "We are all really pumped and excited to bring our new live show to North America and to take all of our amazing fans 'Along For The Ride'! "Returning to the 'An Evening With' format will enable us to deliver the best DREAM THEATER live experience yet with time for lots of music, and we can't wait to share it with all of you. "With this tour, our goal is for you to be able to step into the world of DREAM THEATER from the moment you enter the venue. "We hope to create an intense and stimulating night both musically and visually and have prepared some really cool things this time around. "Well be premiering some songs we've never played live before, as well as featured tracks from our latest self-titled release and plenty of classic DREAM THEATER songs for all of our long time and hardcore fans. "We are all looking forward to a great night of music and super-psyched to kick it all off!" "Along For The Ride" tour dates: Mar. 20 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall Mar. 21 - Montreal, QC - Bell Center Mar. 25 - Boston, MA - Opera House Mar. 27 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre Mar. 28 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom Apr. 01 - Washington, DC - Lincoln Theater Apr. 02 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Palace Apr. 04 - Detroit, MI - Fillmore Apr. 05 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre Apr. 06 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater Apr. 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Burnsville Performing Arts Center Apr. 09 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater Apr. 10 - Denver, CO - Paramount Apr. 12 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre Apr. 15 - Salem, OR - Elsinore Theatre Apr. 17 - San Francisco, CA - The Warfield Apr. 18 - Riverside, CA - Fox PAC Apr. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Orpheum Apr. 23 - Mexico City, MX - Arena Ciudad De Mexico Apr. 25 - Monterrey, MX - Arena Monterrey Apr. 26 - Guadalajara, MX - Auditorio Telmex DREAM THEATER's spirit of adventure and fearless musical virtuosity continues to reap dividends for the progressive metal titans who've just earned their second Grammy nomination, this time for "Best Metal Performance" for their single "The Enemy Inside" from their current self-titled album on Roadrunner Records. The band — John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards & continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — received its first-ever Grammy nomination in 2012 for "On The Backs Of Angels" (from their "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" album) in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category. The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
03 min read

BLACK SABBATH, DREAM THEATER, ANTHRAX, VOLBEAT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Among GRAMMY AWARDS Nominees

Manos Spanos
BLACK SABBATH, DREAM THEATER, ANTHRAX, VOLBEAT and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are among the nominees for the 56th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on January 26, 2014 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category are as follows: ANTHRAX - "T.N.T." Track from: "Anthems" Label: Megaforce BLACK SABBATH - "God Is Dead?" Track from: "13" Label: Vertigo/Republic DREAM THEATER - "The Enemy Inside" Track from: "Dream Theater" Label: Roadrunner Records KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "In Due Time" Track from: "Disarm The Descent" Label: Roadrunner Records VOLBEAT feat. King Diamond - "Room 24" Track from: "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" Label: Republic Records BLACK SABBATH's "God Is Dead?" also picked up a nomination in the "Best Rock Song" category. In addition, the band's comeback CD, "13", earned a nod for "Best Rock Album", alongside LED ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day" and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's "…Like Clockwork", among others. METALLICA's "Through The Never" received a nomination for "Best Recording Package" and ALICE IN CHAINS' "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" is up for the "Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical" award. Nominations for the 56th annual Grammy Awards were announced tonight by The Recording Academy and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the sixth year, nominations for the annual Grammy Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The Grammy Nominations Concert Live! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night", a one-hour CBS entertainment special broadcast live from Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. "This year's nominations reflect the talented community of music makers who represent some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry of the year in their respective fields," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy, in a statement. The Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, January 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
02 min read

BOBBY JARZOMBEK: Why I Turned Down DREAM THEATER Drummer Audition

Manos Spanos
U.K. web site Give The Drummer Some! has posted a brand new audio interview with acclaimed drummer Bobby Jarzombek (FATES WARNING, SEBASTIAN BACH, HALFORD). Among other topics, Jarzombek talks about his early influences, being a self-taught drummer, working with JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford and ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach, and, for the first time ever, about his turning down the DREAM THEATER drummer audition in 2010. Speaking about his decision to pass on an opportunity to try out for the slot left vacant by the departure of Mike Portnoy, Jarzombek said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I remember this… It was October 2010. I was on the road with HALFORD, and I remember thinking… I knew [DREAM THEATER] were gonna do that. They were gonna make calls to people. And I told some friends of mine, I said, 'I hope they don't call me for this.' And the reason I said that is because I didn't know what my reaction would be, for one. And I thought it was kind of crazy that Portnoy was out of the band. "I got the call for it. And I initially… Their management called me. And I initially said, 'I'd have to think about it.' And I remember, Frankie Solomon, their manager, said, 'What do you mean you have to think about it?' And I was, like, 'I don't know.' It's a big, sort of, commitment, it's a huge commitment as a person and as a musician, whatever… I mean, all the way… It's just a commitment all the way around. So I thought about it and I said, 'Well, I have to think about it.' And he told me, he said, 'We called seven or eight guys, and you're the only guy so far ahs said that he has to think about it.' "I was on the road with HALFORD, as I mentioned, and I said, 'Well, when are you doing auditions?' And then there was, like, a ten-day window when I was coming home from when we were doing U.S. to Japan, or South America, or whatever. And I said, 'I'm not even home when you're gonna do these auditions.' And he said, 'We would get back together again and reschedule and make a special session if you wanted to do it another time.' And I said, 'Well, I have ten days. Send me the songs.' So then they send me three songs, and it's, like, 28 or 29 minutes' worth of music. And I'm thinking, 'God, that's a lot of music to learn for an audition.' And I totally understand it. Because they need to know. And they need to give the guys as much stuff as possible. "So I checked it out and I was, like, 'I don't even have time to learn this. I'm gonna have ten days when I get home,' and then I would have to have everybody wait for two months for me to get back. And then I thought, 'What's even going on here? Is Mike [Portnoy] out completely?' And I thought to myself, 'Surely he's gonna be back in the band at some point.'
06 min read

DREAM THEATER: ‘On The Backs Of Angels’ Performance Clip From ‘Live At Luna Park’

Manos Spanos
On November 5, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release "Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park"on 2DVD, Blu-ray, visual digital formats and a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition is an 11.5" square 60 page hardback photobook containing the Blu-ray, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs presenting all the key physical formats in one release; the CDs are only available in this deluxe edition. These releases boast the 160 minute main show — accompanied by a wealth of bonus material — and feature many of the band's classic tracks, including "Metropolis Pt. 1", "The Silent Man", "Pull Me Under", "The Root Of All Evil", "The Test That Stumped Them All", "The Spirit Carries On" and the recent "On The Backs Of Angels". DREAM THEATER began their mammoth "A Dramatic Tour Of Events" world trek in July 2011 with the final leg in South America taking place in August 2012. It was here at the Luna Park Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that they decided to film the two nights that make up this DVD release. The "Live At Luna Park" band lineup for this show is James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci(guitar); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); and Mike Mangini (drums). This was DREAM THEATER's first tour and album with their new drummer and all the tracks from that album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", are included in either the main show or the bonus performances. The bonus features offer live versions of six great tracks: "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under". Also on "Live At Luna Park" is a documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "behind-the-scenes" feature and the cartoon intro that ran on big screens prior to the band taking to the stage in Buenos Aires. The Blu-ray additionally features six multi-angle options on "Outcry". The "On The Backs Of Angels" performance clip taken from "Live At Luna Park" can be seen below. Roadrunner Records e-mailed guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to get their thoughts on these special shows. Roadrunner Records: You played four songs with a string quartet over the two nights. Who did the arrangements? Jordan Rudess: All the string parts were written by Eren Basbug, the young and talented Turkish musician that I discovered online through his beautiful orchestrations of DREAM THEATER's music and then his great work orchestrating and conducting the premiere of my own composition, "Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra". For two of the songs we did live with the quartet ("Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven") I had originally arranged and recorded quartet-like string parts from my keyboard, and that is what you hear on "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". Eren was able to take those two songs and really make sure what I wrote worked for real players, as well as add some nice touches! For the other two songs, "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep", he created original quartet arrangements. Roadrunner Records: How much rehearsal time did you have with the quartet? John Petrucci: We played through each song with them a couple of times at soundcheck. We probably spent about an hour in total making sure they were comfortable and that they knew certain cues, etc. Jordan Rudess: We had one rehearsal before the first show. I had sent all the music to coordinator Luis Gorelik (who is a well known conductor in South America) and he helped organize the players. Roadrunner Records: How did their presence alter the way you guys in the band played those songs? Obviously they weren't just sawing away in the background; they were integral to the music, so…in what ways? John Petrucci: Honestly, we played the songs just as we have been and they followed us. On"Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven", they basically played the arrangements that are on the album. Original arrangements were created for "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep".
06 min read

DREAM THEATER: ‘Pull Me Under’ Performance Clip From ‘Live At Luna Park’

Manos Spanos
On November 5, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release "Dream Theater: Live At Luna Park" on 2DVD, Blu-ray, visual digital formats and a deluxe edition. The deluxe edition is an 11.5" square 60 page hardback photobook containing the Blu-ray, 2 DVDs and 3 CDs presenting all the key physical formats in one release; the CDs are only available in this deluxe edition. These releases boast the 160 minute main show — accompanied by a wealth of bonus material — and feature many of the band's classic tracks, including "Metropolis Pt. 1", "The Silent Man", "Pull Me Under", "The Root Of All Evil", "The Test That Stumped Them All", "The Spirit Carries On" and the recent "On The Backs Of Angels". DREAM THEATER began their mammoth "A Dramatic Tour Of Events" world trek in July 2011 with the final leg in South America taking place in August 2012. It was here at the Luna Park Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that they decided to film the two nights that make up this DVD release. The "Live At Luna Park" band lineup for this show is James LaBrie (vocals); John Petrucci (guitar); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass); and Mike Mangini (drums). This was DREAM THEATER's first tour and album with their new drummer and all the tracks from that album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", are included in either the main show or the bonus performances. The bonus features offer live versions of six great tracks: "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under". Also on "Live At Luna Park" is a documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "behind-the-scenes" feature and the cartoon intro that ran on big screens prior to the band taking to the stage in Buenos Aires. The Blu-ray additionally features six multi-angle options on "Outcry". The "Pull Me Under" performance clip taken from "Live At Luna Park" can be seen below. Roadrunner Records e-mailed guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to get their thoughts on these special shows. Roadrunner Records: You played four songs with a string quartet over the two nights. Who did the arrangements? Jordan Rudess: All the string parts were written by Eren Basbug, the young and talented Turkish musician that I discovered online through his beautiful orchestrations of DREAM THEATER's music and then his great work orchestrating and conducting the premiere of my own composition, "Explorations For Keyboard And Orchestra". For two of the songs we did live with the quartet ("Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven") I had originally arranged and recorded quartet-like string parts from my keyboard, and that is what you hear on "A Dramatic Turn Of Events". Eren was able to take those two songs and really make sure what I wrote worked for real players, as well as add some nice touches! For the other two songs, "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep", he created original quartet arrangements. Roadrunner Records: How much rehearsal time did you have with the quartet? John Petrucci: We played through each song with them a couple of times at soundcheck. We probably spent about an hour in total making sure they were comfortable and that they knew certain cues, etc. Jordan Rudess: We had one rehearsal before the first show. I had sent all the music to coordinator Luis Gorelik (who is a well known conductor in South America) and he helped organize the players. Roadrunner Records: How did their presence alter the way you guys in the band played those songs? Obviously they weren't just sawing away in the background; they were integral to the music, so…in what ways? John Petrucci: Honestly, we played the songs just as we have been and they followed us. On "Beneath The Surface" and "Far From Heaven", they basically played the arrangements that are on the album. Original arrangements were created for "The Silent Man" and "Wait For Sleep". Jordan Rudess: In our rehearsal, I was literally conducting them and we all worked quickly to get things into shape and make sure the players really understood the music and what was going to happen in the chain of events on stage. The good thing was that these four songs all really are totally suitable for real strings, so it was an easy conceptual/musical addition to our presentation.
06 min read

DREAM THEATER Keyboardist: ‘We Feel That This Is One Of The Best Albums That We’ve Done’

Manos Spanos
Brian Giffin of Australia's Loud magazine recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Loud: Does releasing a self-titled album mark some sort of new beginning for DREAM THEATER? Rudess: I think it was more that we wanted to put the stamp of a self-titled album here because we felt very strong about it. We felt like we're at this great point where we felt that people should take notice. We've been very clear — we're all getting along so well; musically we're having a great time together in the studio; and we felt that we've made a great album that we want people to know about. If you want to know what DREAM THEATER is about, check this album out, because we feel that this is one of the best albums that we've done. Loud: What was it like reconvening to record this time with [new drummer] Mike Mangini a part of the band? Rudess: He was really well behaved, so it was good. It was a lot of fun to have him there, unlike the previous album where we brought him in for the drum parts after the music was written. For this one, he was there the whole time. Some people know it, some people don't, but Mike Mangini is a very upbeat character. He's very funny, he's got a very good nature, he's lively and in front of the drums, he's a madman. He can play things no one else can play. So him being there personally, with his upbeat personality, and him contributing to the dynamic to the music we were writing really gave the music a real spark. So we enjoyed that quite a lot. With "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", we had a good time writing that, but this time, all being together working on the album as a band was great. We had been on tour with Mike Mangini for a year, we knew that we all got along, we knew that we were a very effective unit with each other playing music. The fans had all voiced their opinions and they all loved our shows. Loud: Tell us something about "Illumination Theory", because that's quite an extensive piece.
04 min read