Dream Theater

I never really thought of Dream Theater as a political band but after their latest release, A Dramatic Turn of Events, I am really having a hard time NOT considering them one. Political messages in music is nothing new, but in my opinion it is such a bad marriage. Why can’t we just keep entertainment and politics separate, unless of course that is a main reason for your art – like – Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down or Dead Kennedys. Dream Theater was never that band, instead they focused on musical diversity and virtuosity. That is what drew me to them and I’d guess much of their audience as well. Politics is such a divisive topic these days that I don’t know why anyone would want to intentionally alienate half their fan base halfway through a successful career.

Before going any further I should state that I am huge DT fan of 15 years, have always considered them as one my Top 2 fav bands of all time and have seen them more in concert than any other band.

Dream Theater’s first 6 studio releases included songs that were emotional, personal and many times fictional, story-based lyrics. Then came Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) which featured a song called The Great Debate. The song debated the topic of stem cell research and included various media clips which gave both sides of the argument. I didn’t really find anything wrong with this song because they didn’t really take a side, however, it was the first time they wrote a song commenting on contemporary social issues.

Their next album, 2003′s Train of Thought, included the song In The Name of God. This song was about the 9/11 attacks and violence all done in the name of God. I would guess that there aren’t many who disagree with the sentiment here but you can see the band getting more confident with social topics.

2005′s release, Octavarium, included Sacrificed Sons.

“Channel surfing
frantically
Burning city,
Smoke and fire,
Planes we’re certain faith inspired”

Again, another song about 9/11. There are no surprise to these songs since DT is from New York and were in the city when the attack happened.

Systematic Choas (2007) is nearly entirely fictitious except for one song, Prophets of War. This song is about the American war in Iraq (and possibly Afghanistan). Such a change of pace from the last couple 9/11 songs. Instead of focusing on the horror of the event and the perpetrators, the band now targets America. Anti-war sentiment in this country was pretty loud in the years following 9/11, however, it still teetered on party lines to some degree. Many extreme opposers to the war called our leaders war profiteers, war criminals and such. Look at the title, the word “Prophet” is actually a homonym for ”Profit” in the song.

"Can we clean up this mess?
The loss of loved ones
A perverse request
They continue the same rhetoric
These derelicts that profit

See you sweat
Unexpected, controversial
Get used to it
Things are gonna get personal
Your sympathy
A pitiful display you stutter
Your empathy
Means nothing if there is no honor"

The next album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, did not have any social songs with the exception of A Rite of Passage which was based on freemasonry but no commentary per se.

Dream Theater’s latest single, On the Backs of Angels, again goes back to criticism of the US. Ten years after 9/11, Dream Theater isn’t finished with the topic and it can almost be argued to be a continuation of Prophets of War. I didn’t really notice the lyrics until I saw the video which was released this week. Throughout the video, we are fed images of a fallen Rome, stormy weather (reminiscent of The Matrix), soldiers, US government buildings, gears rolling (machines) and finally the crumbling of skyscrapers which relate back to the beginning = America will fall like Rome.

"Mounting the attack
While heroes carry your weight

We spiral towards disaster
Survival fading faster

Bleeding us to death
The new American dream
You're blinded by your hunger
Beware your days are numbered

Tears fall from the shameless
Selfless are the righteous
Burden me, lead me like a lamb to the slaughter

Blurring lines drawn in between
What is right and what is wrong
Victims on the radar string us along

We're on to your agenda
The dead end road to nowhere"

Please Dream Theater, stop writing like this. I know this is a plea in vain but you are losing some of us. Now I have to ignore songs that have cool music because you have become preachy and radical. Not only that, I have to suspend belief that I don’t agree with you politically. I understand we all have different beliefs, most of my friends don’t have the same political/social beliefs as me but America bashing is just disgusting. Disagreeing with the war is one thing, calling them evil and treating the nation as the criminal is another thing. All I want is to be able to lay back, get lost in lyrics that make my mind drift away and musicianship that challenges my mind

=fb_matt_crouch said:I never really thought of Dream Theater as a political band but after their latest release, A Dramatic Turn of Events, I am really having a hard time NOT considering them one. Political messages in music is nothing new, but in my opinion it is such a bad marriage. Why can’t we just keep entertainment and politics separate, unless of course that is a main reason for your art

Yes, matt_crouch
you're right. Some of their political statements may be viewed as radical. In fact, they're not!
What's radical about ponting out that THERE ARE profiteers in wars and that a small number of American companies is piling up profits like there's no tomorrow thanks to Bush's (and inevitably Obama's) wars? It's just a piece of fact and that a band like DT addresses such issues (even if they're not compliant with mainstream thought of "so-called" American patriotism) is, if something, meritorious for them. Why should a rock, heavy metal, prog-rock or whatever-band always talk about introspective men, languid and beautiful women to be loved, burning desires, bodybuilders' fantasies, conquering ancient lands, germanic mithologies and similar themes that have found coverage in so much rubbish lyrics (see Malmsteen & co.).
Nor I think they could be regarded as being "radical" (knowing what that means in the US). These (few) lyrics you mention just show another face of wars US-Americans deem as "just" and throw light onto the other side of the question, i.e.: having suffered a disgraceful and intolerable attack (9/11) does not justify indiscriminate blood shedding just for the sake of it, to merely earn some kind of vengeance-feeling. Do I need to remind you the lie about the WMD in Iraq the Bush administration spread around, in order to get war-financing companies into business?
All in all more political statements from such a fulfilling band should be warmly welcomed - musical prowess plus critical-poetical lyrics could be such a marvellous thing for the band, who by the way released one of their best and most elegant albums to date with "A Dramatic Turn of Events"!!!
Cheers,
Francesco

Y'know... One of the reasons MANY artists create music, is to share their feelings.

So, if they were thinking about teddy bears and old leather wallets, that's what they would have written the album about. However, being a very prominent topic, politics are in everyone's minds nowadays, so why would they feel restrained about it? Bands need to write and share whatever occupies their heads (and whatever they WANT to share).

To me, this is just a normal situation.

Ill give you that. Artists need to express their ideas. Have you ever heard the old adage, Never talk about religion and politics with friends? There is a reason why that saying has been around for years.

As far as the "truth" about the US wars. We as a country will never agree on the "truth". I don't believe our government acted on some selfish, monetary act. That is ridiculous. We went to Iraq for the oil right? Thats why the oil price is higher than ever, right?

The fact that we will never agree on truths is the reason why a smart individual who makes their livelihood off the support of the masses should be careful what they discuss. This is why ever major organization has gone crazy about PC.

Now, I don't necessarily believe in being PC all the time but I am a patriot first. Some Americans forgot 9/11. Some Americans believe that we blew up the Towers ourselves. Some believe that the Bush government lied.... read past the New York Times headlines, educate yourself, everyone in the world thought Saddam had WMDs, including his subordinates.

Now see, there we go again, can't agree on Politics. Reason again, Dream Theater should go back to their roots... Images and Words, Awake, Change of Seasons, etc..

First of all, I'll admit that the lyrics are the last thing I focus on, so usually I have no idea what a song is actually about until I really look into it, so I could be wrong about this, but it almost seems to me that they're not EVER really picking a side in politics, just bringing up hotly debated issues (The Great Debate). Am I wrong? Are they obviously writing lyrics about one side or another?

A couple of points:

1 - "In the Name of God" has nothing to do with 9/11. It's about religious cults. JP wrote it mostly about 3 specific cult leader's. One of them was the dude from Heaven's Gate. I think one was David Koresh (the guy from Waco, Texas). Forget who the third was.

2 - "Sacrificed Sons" obviously was about 9/11. Note that one was written by JLB, who was in Manhattan only a few blocks from Ground Zero on September 11th. I guess it's sort of political, it seems more to me that it's just about the confusion over what was going on that day and why these attacks happened. I don't really hear any particular political message in it.

3 - "Prophets of War" obviously is a political song. Another JLB lyric. James claims that its more about corruption in government on both sides, and he said it was inspired by some book he read (can't remember the name of it). Although, I believe James is the most left-leaning member of the band, and I guess there is some room for interpreting it that way.

4 - "On the Backs of Angels" is still too new for me to have fully digested, but on first impression, I don't necessarily see it as an "attack on the US". It seems more like a criticism of certain factions of society and maybe government. Being that it was written by JP, who I'm pretty sure is a lot more right-leaning, I'd be a little surprised if it's really a continuation of Prophets of War and is really meant to express the same political opinion as a song written by James LaBrie.

@ZeppelinDT:


Zep, I believe you are right on. JP is in the conservative/libertarian camp and he has stated that Backs of Angels is about the those who coast along in society, contributing nothing, letting the productive members foot the bill.

If you watched the Chaos in Motion DVD, JP comments on Prophets of War with a veiled hint that he didn't agree with the lyrics but that the band is diverse in many aspects and all opinions are welcome.

=AngelBackDTF said:@ZeppelinDT:


Zep, I believe you are right on. JP is in the conservative/libertarian camp and he has stated that Backs of Angels is about the those who coast along in society, contributing nothing, letting the productive members foot the bill.

If you watched the Chaos in Motion DVD, JP comments on Prophets of War with a veiled hint that he didn't agree with the lyrics but that the band is diverse in many aspects and all opinions are welcome.

If you hate bad lyrics, you should be ashamed of urself for criticizing ADTOE. it is miles better than the last two albums. The video WAS groan inducing but honestly not because it doesnt touch the truth. Its bcuz, like most doomsayer perspectives, the video offers no solution for the problematic prophecies it suggests. Personnally i dont think the song lyrics themselves were so bad as the images in the vid. Altho the quality was pretty good the content stank of systematic chaos.

who cares if the songs are political sometimes thats what rock and rolll is about just go with it.

=ryan1562 said:who cares if the songs are political sometimes thats what rock and rolll is about just go with it.