Rock your face off Friday: Farewell, Dream Theater (as we've known it)

Not sure how many of you are progressive music geeks as much as I am, but if you're any familiar with the genre AT ALL, then you of likely already know about the shocking departure of Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater (one of the premier modern progressive metal outfits of the last 25 years). Dream Theater is known for almost single-handedly sustaining and recreating progressive music during a time when glam and alternative were ruling the day. They took the progressive rock foundation laid by bands like Yes, Kansas, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Rush, and combined them with the edgy sounds of Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Led Zeppelin. The result was a completely fresh sound at the time, something that combined grandiose composition with traditional rock n' roll sound and attitude, and it became huge. Not huge on the radio - these songs were 7-11 minutes long, and radio edits just didn't make sense - but huge to the ears of music lovers looking to be moved by something completely different.

The rest they say is hard rock history, but needless to say (as this is my blog) I became a huge, HUGE fan of theirs when "Images and Words" was released in 1992 (I was 12), which was their major label debut, and I've been hooked on this band ever since, waiting to hear what they do next. I was floored, and while my comrades were jamming to the sounds of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Smashing Pumpkins, I was getting lost in:

Metropolis

Voices

A Change of Seasons

I'd keep going through Dream Theater's back catalog with my favorites, but it would take FOREVER...look it up - Metropolis 2000, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Train of Thought...and on and on.

Anyhow, Mike Portnoy - the drummer and the heart and soul of the band in the eyes of the fans - is having somewhat of a midlife crisis. He's decided that he's burnt out and needs a break from all things DT. Weird thing is, this "break" is consisting of being the full-time drummer for hard rock outfit Avenged Sevenfold (A7X), which is a giant head-scratcher to DT fans who don't know A7X very well. Their music is a tad more brutal, and their vocalist is a tad more annoying (many people dislike the sound of Dream Theater's James Labrie as well as Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows for different reasons). It feels like Portnoy's "stooping" a bit as the band is nowhere NEAR the calibre of DT (especially live), but he's apparently enjoying the comraderie and youthful exuberance. I'm not a fan of A7X all that much, but he was a very controlling figure within DT creatively and they could stand to benefit from his departure. Life goes on...whatever:

Nightmare - A7X

Dream Theater is soon going to be auditioning for a new drummer, and they plan to hit the studio again in 2011. Lead singer James Labrie just released a solo album called "Static Impulse" which is great if you're a fan of his singing. There's some growl in there from another member of the band which is different, but JLB liked the contrast between the guttural sounds and his soaring vox. Some tracks:

Over the Edge

I Need You

Best of luck to Dream Theater in their new journey. Excited to hear what you do next. ROCK ON MY FRIENDS!