Dream Theater and Some Such.

My favorite progressive metal band, Dream Theater, will be playing a large venue here in Dallas on August 2nd. I will be there, and if you have any inkling of an interest in highly technical music, or progressive rock at all I recommend you be there too. It is not an event to pass up I'm told.

I am going to quote Wikipedia real quick, because it defines this genre as well as I could hope to.

"Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music which blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock. Some progressive metal bands are also influenced by jazz fusion music. Like progressive rock songs, progressive metal songs are usually much longer than standard rock songs, and songs are often thematically linked in concept albums. As a result, progressive metal is rarely heard on mainstream radio and video programs."

There you have it, Prog Metal. The level of talent these people have not only in playing their respective instruments, but playing together is astounding. It's the entire reason I enjoy this genre of music. I am also a fan of concept albums, as I feel it is a lost art in the musicians of this era. (Making decent music is also lost on most bands of this decade, but that's another topic altogether) Dream Theater's albums "Images and Words" and "Octavarium" are perhaps my two favorite in their collection, and if you have an interest at all I recommend you start there. Their twenty-three minute ballad "Change of Seasons" off an album of the same name is also a musical powerhouse of audio expression.

To criticize them, their lyrics can be rather generic at times, but they flow with the music well enough that I do not care. When it comes to singers in bands, I always find myself enjoying bands who instead of making the lead singer and lyrics less of a focal point in the song, and instead treat it as another instrument. They strive to blend their singing with the melody, and produce a sound that I can lose myself in, without fumbling about seeking some meaning in their lyrics, therefore the generic lyrics do not bother me.

So hopefully if you have not heard of this band and have a vested interest in the heavier side of things, you can be convinced to give them a listen, and maybe even catch a show on their tour.

I guess I feel pretty good tonight. It was a bit of a wash of emotions, but none too fierce to truly toss me astray. It seems as if whatever curveball I get thrown at any given time, a good quiet drive through the city at night can melt away all tensions and unrest, and it has tonight. I'm not really in the proper mood for my usual eloquent inner monologues, I'm lacking inspiration of the sort. I hope this is no indication of emotional instability being a muse, but it wouldn't be terribly surprising given the amount of wonderful literature birthed on the edge of depression. Regardless, I can get back to that another night when I feel like it. This may seem like a pointless update to a reader, but to me I feel good, and that's something I see value in writing down.