Systematic Chaos
Encyclopedia
Systematic Chaos is the ninth studio album by American progressive metal
band Dream Theater
. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, Systematic Chaos was the band's first release through Roadrunner Records
, which was sold to their previous label Atlantic Records
, through which the band had released their previous studio album Octavarium
(2005). The album was recorded from September 2006 to February 2007 at Avatar Studios
in New York City, after the band's first break from summer touring in ten years. The lyrics of the album were written by John Petrucci
, James LaBrie
, and Mike Portnoy
about fictional, political, and personal topics, respectively.
The album peaked in the top twenty in eight countries' sales charts; in addition, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200
, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States until the release of Black Clouds & Silver Linings
(2009), which debuted at the sixth position. Critical reception of the album was generally positive; Jon Eardley from MetalReview.com called the band, "arguably the most consistent band throughout the entire progressive rock
/metal
industry".
Dream Theater promoted the album on their Chaos in Motion world tour, which lasted a year and spanned thirty-five countries. The album was released in regular and special edition formats; the special edition included a 5.1 surround sound
mix of the album, in addition to a ninety-minute "making of" documentary about the album.
, on April 1, 2006, Dream Theater rested for its first summer in ten years. The band would reconvene at Avatar Studios
, in New York City
, in September 2006. Mike Portnoy stated that the relationship between band members was "the best it's ever been". The band hired Paul Northfield
, who had previously worked with bands that had inspired Dream Theater, including Rush
and Queensrÿche
, to engineer the album. As with previous albums, Dream Theater simultaneously wrote and recorded Systematic Chaos. Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci co-produced the album; Portnoy said that the band hires an engineer and a mixer to act as an "objective outside ear", but the members ultimately "call their own shots". Previous Dream Theater albums shared planned themes throughout, such as Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
(1999) as a concept album
or Train of Thought
(2003) as a heavy, "balls to the wall" album. Though Portnoy had some preconceived ideas for Systematic Chaos, he decided not to tell the rest of the band; leaving them to start with a "completely open palate". However, Portnoy did want to retain a "cutting, aggressive, modern" mood throughout, "It had to have balls," he added, "it had to be cool".
The album was titled Systematic Chaos after Portnoy and Petrucci picked phrases from song lyrics that they felt would be a fitting title, in similar fashion to previous albums like Images and Words
(1992) or Awake
(1994). The pair selected the word "chaos", which appears in "The Dark Eternal Night". Petrucci and Portnoy were also attracted to the phrase "Random thoughts of neat disorder" which appears in "Constant Motion". Inspired by the "duality" of the phrase, opposites of the word "chaos" were discussed, resulting in the word "systematic". Portnoy said that in addition to the album, "systematic chaos" is also a "fitting description of the band in general".
al story through each one.
The story of this song was inspired by a Korean manhwa
named Priest
, as Petrucci explains that not being a manga fan, precisely, "[...] I like it though. This one, I just stumbled upon and I really liked the content. It inspired me to take a different approach lyrically. You have to keep things interesting for yourself when writing new material so I just took this and ran with it. [...] Those types of lyrics are fun to write, you know? The dark subject
matter, the dark master
stuff. It's another way of writing, a fresh one to me."
ss. While the man thinks he is being shown "beautiful things", in reality he is having his blood sucked by the vampiress. An animated music video
of "Forsaken", produced by Gonzo and directed by Yasufumi Soejima
, was released on January 26, 2008. The band allowed Soejima artistic freedom with the design of the video, which was set in a science fiction future instead of the present day. During the production of the album, the working title for this song was "Jet Lag", and it was the sixth song to be written.
Rock Band
. Its working title was "Korma Chameleon", and was the second piece written.
The song was also accompanied by a music video
, with which the band produced its first music video in over a decade. The video clip premiered on July 13, 2007 and was released as a free download, in two different formats, also for a limited time. The band hadn't produced a music video since "Hollow Years" from Falling into Infinity
(1997), citing lack of interest and lack of rotation on music channels for the latter. The video received considerable airplay on MTV2
's Headbangers Ball
and was voted as the second best music video of 2007 by the same; it is arguably Dream Theater's most popular video since "Pull Me Under
" in 1992.
who has returned after dormancy as a monster to haunt a town. The lyrics are heavily influenced by the short story Nyarlathotep
by American horror fiction
writer
H.P. Lovecraft, even borrowing a lot of specific phrases from this story. The song contains an improvised
continuum
solo, performed by Rudess while the drum tracks were being recorded; the band members liked the solo enough to keep in the final recording. In the October 2010 issue of Total Guitar Magazine, its readers voted the main riff of "The Dark Eternal Night" as the fourth greatest riff of the decade.
The sprawling, progressive mid-section was not featured in the song's original edit, but is based around a riff that Rudess came up with in the control room, when listening to the original, more conservative instrumental section. "I was debating whether or not I should even bring it up, but then I got brave and said 'You know, I've got this weird idea.'"
The Dark Eternal Night was the second of two songs released to the general public in advance of the album's release, with an in-studio video being released to YouTube in May 2007.
, a collection of songs from various Dream Theater albums which revolve around his journey
through Alcoholics Anonymous
. The song discusses steps eight and nine of the process, which deal with making a list of people whom one has wronged and, if possible, making direct amends with them. Portnoy, who as of 2007 had been sober for 7½ years, invited friends and fellow musicians Mikael Åkerfeldt
, Jon Anderson
, David Ellefson
, Daniel Gildenlöw
, Steve Hogarth
, Chris Jericho
, Neal Morse
, Joe Satriani
, Corey Taylor
, Steve Vai
, and Steven Wilson
to record spoken apologies, regrets, and sorrows of their own, which were featured throughout the song. Portnoy dedicated "Repentance", "to Bill W.
and all of his friends". This saga is concluded in the band's tenth studio album Black Clouds & Silver Linings
.
's book The Politics of Truth
. The lyrics talk about possible ulterior motives behind the Iraq War, while remaining "middle of the road". The title is a play on words, where the "prophets" of the war, could also be gaining a "profit" from the War. During the recording of the song, Portnoy suggested fans could voice certain lyrical chants. In response to a message posted on the band's website four hundred fans gathered outside the recording studio to record the chanting, however only sixty could fit into the studio.
, Dream Theater became disappointed at the lack of coverage they gave the band. "[...] Our previous label basically relied on our fanbase to do everything. [They would] put the money up for the record and put the CD in the shops," said Portnoy. On February 8, 2007, Dream Theater reached an agreement with Roadrunner Records to release their new album. Systematic Chaos had nearly been written and recorded at the time of the signing. Ironically, Warner purchased Roadrunner Records a week after the band signed with them. According to LaBrie, Roadrunner followed through on all of its promises to the band concerning the promotion of the album.
Portnoy spent a month directing and editing a documentary titled Chaos in Progress: The Making of Systematic Chaos, which was released on the two disc special edition of the album. The bonus disc of the special edition also included 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire album. Dream Theater supported the album by touring on the Chaos In Motion tour from June 3, 2007 to June 4, 2008. The world tour comprised 115 shows throughout thirty-five countries. Multiple concerts were filmed for the band's fifth DVD
, titled Chaos in Motion 2007–2008. The compilation of concerts was released on September 30, 2008.
. Overall, he states "[...] the quintet sticks to the prog metal game plan that they've followed since their inception". Reviewer Chad Bowar of About.com
, wrote that "In the Presence of Enemies - Part I" is "an effective way to set the tone for the rest of the songs". Overall, Bowar gave the album four out of five stars, calling it, "one of the best Dream Theater releases in quite a while".
The album peaked in the top twenty-five in the United Kingdom and Australia, where the band had never previously charted. In the United States, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200
, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States at the time of its release. Overall, Systematic Chaos peaked in the top twenty for album sales in eight countries. In the US
, the album sold 35,689 copies the first week it was released.
Guest spoken word
s on "Repentance
"
Production
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
band Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, Systematic Chaos was the band's first release through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, which was sold to their previous label Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, through which the band had released their previous studio album Octavarium
Octavarium (album)
Octavarium is the eighth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 7, 2005, it was the band's final release with Atlantic Records. Recorded between September 2004 and February 2005, the album holds the distinction of being the last album ever recorded at The...
(2005). The album was recorded from September 2006 to February 2007 at Avatar Studios
Avatar Studios
Avatar Studios, formerly known as The Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City.The building was originally a Consolidated Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal...
in New York City, after the band's first break from summer touring in ten years. The lyrics of the album were written by John Petrucci
John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...
, James LaBrie
James LaBrie
Kevin James LaBrie is a Canadian vocalist who is best known as the lead singer of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater.-Early life:...
, and Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy
Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
about fictional, political, and personal topics, respectively.
The album peaked in the top twenty in eight countries' sales charts; in addition, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States until the release of Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings is the tenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on June 23, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last album to feature drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy before his departure on September 8, 2010. The album was...
(2009), which debuted at the sixth position. Critical reception of the album was generally positive; Jon Eardley from MetalReview.com called the band, "arguably the most consistent band throughout the entire progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
industry".
Dream Theater promoted the album on their Chaos in Motion world tour, which lasted a year and spanned thirty-five countries. The album was released in regular and special edition formats; the special edition included a 5.1 surround sound
Surround sound
Surround sound encompasses a range of techniques such as for enriching the sound reproduction quality of an audio source with audio channels reproduced via additional, discrete speakers. Surround sound is characterized by a listener location or sweet spot where the audio effects work best, and...
mix of the album, in addition to a ninety-minute "making of" documentary about the album.
Background
After recording their twentieth anniversary concert, ScoreScore (album)
-Disc two:-Disc three:-DVD:Tracks 1 through 8 feature Dream Theater alone. Tracks 9 through 14 feature Dream Theater and The Octavarium Orchestra.-Disc one:#"The Root of All Evil" – 9:32#"I Walk Beside You" – 4:10#"Another Won" – 5:40#"Afterlife" – 7:28...
, on April 1, 2006, Dream Theater rested for its first summer in ten years. The band would reconvene at Avatar Studios
Avatar Studios
Avatar Studios, formerly known as The Power Station, is a recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City.The building was originally a Consolidated Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in September 2006. Mike Portnoy stated that the relationship between band members was "the best it's ever been". The band hired Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield
Paul Northfield is a prolific record producer and sound engineer, who has worked on albums by bands like Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, Rush and Suicidal Tendencies.-Selected discography:-External links:* * *...
, who had previously worked with bands that had inspired Dream Theater, including Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
, to engineer the album. As with previous albums, Dream Theater simultaneously wrote and recorded Systematic Chaos. Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci co-produced the album; Portnoy said that the band hires an engineer and a mixer to act as an "objective outside ear", but the members ultimately "call their own shots". Previous Dream Theater albums shared planned themes throughout, such as Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory is the fifth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released in 1999. It is a concept album that deals with the story of a man named Nicholas and the discovery of his past life, which involves love, murder, and infidelity as Victoria Page...
(1999) as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
or Train of Thought
Train of Thought (Dream Theater album)
-Chart performance:* Billboard 200: Train of Thought - #53* Billboard Top Internet Albums: Train of Thought - #53* UK Album Charts: Train of Thought - #146* Norwegian Album Charts: Train of Thought - #9-Personnel:* James LaBrie – lead vocals...
(2003) as a heavy, "balls to the wall" album. Though Portnoy had some preconceived ideas for Systematic Chaos, he decided not to tell the rest of the band; leaving them to start with a "completely open palate". However, Portnoy did want to retain a "cutting, aggressive, modern" mood throughout, "It had to have balls," he added, "it had to be cool".
The album was titled Systematic Chaos after Portnoy and Petrucci picked phrases from song lyrics that they felt would be a fitting title, in similar fashion to previous albums like Images and Words
Images and Words
Images and Words is currently ranked #2 on Digital Dream Door's list of the top 100 progressive metal albums of all time. Music critic Piero Scaruffi includes the album at number 8, just after Fear Factory's Demanufacture and before Sepultura's Roots, in his classification of the best metal albums...
(1992) or Awake
Awake (Dream Theater album)
Awake is the third studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 4, 1994 by East West Records. It was the last Dream Theater album to feature keyboardist Kevin Moore, who announced his decision to leave the band during the recording of the album.Much of the...
(1994). The pair selected the word "chaos", which appears in "The Dark Eternal Night". Petrucci and Portnoy were also attracted to the phrase "Random thoughts of neat disorder" which appears in "Constant Motion". Inspired by the "duality" of the phrase, opposites of the word "chaos" were discussed, resulting in the word "systematic". Portnoy said that in addition to the album, "systematic chaos" is also a "fitting description of the band in general".
Songs
John Petrucci wrote the lyrics for five of the eight songs on the album, telling a fictionFiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al story through each one.
In the Presence of Enemies
The first song recorded, the twenty-five-minute epic "In the Presence of Enemies", was described by Petrucci as the "epitome of a Dream Theater creation". He went on to describe the track as "very progressive, very long"; also noting that it set a good tone for writing and recording the rest of the album. The song was split into two parts for the album, due to its being a good open and close to the album. According to Portnoy, the band felt it was too long to open the album, but did not want to close the album with a long song, as they had with the twenty-four-minute title track of their last album Octavarium (2005). The song is normally played in its entirety in live shows.The story of this song was inspired by a Korean manhwa
Manhwa
Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...
named Priest
Priest (manhwa)
Priest was a manhwa series created by Hyung Min-woo. It fuses the Western genre with supernatural horror and dark fantasy themes and is notable for its unusual, angular art style...
, as Petrucci explains that not being a manga fan, precisely, "[...] I like it though. This one, I just stumbled upon and I really liked the content. It inspired me to take a different approach lyrically. You have to keep things interesting for yourself when writing new material so I just took this and ran with it. [...] Those types of lyrics are fun to write, you know? The dark subject
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
matter, the dark master
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
stuff. It's another way of writing, a fresh one to me."
Forsaken
Petrucci said "Forsaken" is a story told through a "short song structure". The song tells of a person who is visited at night by a vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
ss. While the man thinks he is being shown "beautiful things", in reality he is having his blood sucked by the vampiress. An animated music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of "Forsaken", produced by Gonzo and directed by Yasufumi Soejima
Yasufumi Soejima
Formerly with Japanese anime studio Gonzo, Yasufumi Soejima served from 1999–2007 as its Production Director and 3D CGI Director.Soejima is best known for his animation work on The Second Renaissance - part 2 of the Animatrix anime series spun off from the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix trilogy...
, was released on January 26, 2008. The band allowed Soejima artistic freedom with the design of the video, which was set in a science fiction future instead of the present day. During the production of the album, the working title for this song was "Jet Lag", and it was the sixth song to be written.
Constant Motion
"Constant Motion" was released as the first single from the album on April 27, 2007. It was first made available as a free download the same day by Roadrunner Records; it could be found at Roadrunner Records' Dream Theater sub-website for a limited time. This song was also made available to download for the music video gameMusic video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. Its working title was "Korma Chameleon", and was the second piece written.
The song was also accompanied by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, with which the band produced its first music video in over a decade. The video clip premiered on July 13, 2007 and was released as a free download, in two different formats, also for a limited time. The band hadn't produced a music video since "Hollow Years" from Falling into Infinity
Falling into Infinity
-Personnel:* James LaBrie – vocals* John Myung – bass, Chapman Stick* John Petrucci – guitars, backing vocals* Mike Portnoy – drums, backing vocals* Derek Sherinian – keyboards, backing vocals-Chart performance:Billboard 200:* Falling Into Infinity - #52...
(1997), citing lack of interest and lack of rotation on music channels for the latter. The video received considerable airplay on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
's Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball
Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...
and was voted as the second best music video of 2007 by the same; it is arguably Dream Theater's most popular video since "Pull Me Under
Pull Me Under
-Personnel:*James LaBrie - vocals*John Petrucci - guitar, backing vocals*Kevin Moore - keyboards*John Myung - bass, chapman stick*Mike Portnoy - drums, backing vocals-External links:* http://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/dream_theater/pull_me_under/...
" in 1992.
The Dark Eternal Night
Petrucci wrote the lyrics to "The Dark Eternal Night" about a pharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
who has returned after dormancy as a monster to haunt a town. The lyrics are heavily influenced by the short story Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
by American horror fiction
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
H.P. Lovecraft, even borrowing a lot of specific phrases from this story. The song contains an improvised
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
continuum
Continuum (instrument)
The Continuum Fingerboard or Haken Continuum is a music performance controller developed by Lippold Haken, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois, and sold by Haken Audio, located in Champaign, Illinois....
solo, performed by Rudess while the drum tracks were being recorded; the band members liked the solo enough to keep in the final recording. In the October 2010 issue of Total Guitar Magazine, its readers voted the main riff of "The Dark Eternal Night" as the fourth greatest riff of the decade.
The sprawling, progressive mid-section was not featured in the song's original edit, but is based around a riff that Rudess came up with in the control room, when listening to the original, more conservative instrumental section. "I was debating whether or not I should even bring it up, but then I got brave and said 'You know, I've got this weird idea.'"
The Dark Eternal Night was the second of two songs released to the general public in advance of the album's release, with an in-studio video being released to YouTube in May 2007.
Repentance
Portnoy wrote "Repentance" as the fourth part of his Twelve-step SuiteTwelve-step Suite
The Twelve-step Suite , is a series of five songs by progressive metal band Dream Theater...
, a collection of songs from various Dream Theater albums which revolve around his journey
Twelve-step program
A Twelve-Step Program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems...
through Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
. The song discusses steps eight and nine of the process, which deal with making a list of people whom one has wronged and, if possible, making direct amends with them. Portnoy, who as of 2007 had been sober for 7½ years, invited friends and fellow musicians Mikael Åkerfeldt
Mikael Åkerfeldt
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician who achieved fame as the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth as well as the lead vocalist of death metal band Bloodbath. He was the vocalist and guitarist for the band Sörskogen and the guitarist of the band Steel...
, Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, David Ellefson
David Ellefson
David Warren "Dave" Ellefson is a bassist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He also goes by "Junior." He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona...
, Daniel Gildenlöw
Daniel Gildenlöw
Daniel Gildenlöw is a Swedish musician and songwriter. He is best known as a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Pain of Salvation, a Swedish progressive metal band. In the band, he is the main songwriter, lead guitar player, and the mastermind behind each album's concept...
, Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth
Steve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Neal Morse
Neal Morse
Neal Morse is an American multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock composer based in Nashville, Tennessee.-Background:...
, Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani
Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
, Corey Taylor
Corey Taylor
Corey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
, Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, and Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
to record spoken apologies, regrets, and sorrows of their own, which were featured throughout the song. Portnoy dedicated "Repentance", "to Bill W.
Bill W.
William Griffith Wilson , also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W., was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous , an international mutual aid fellowship with over two million members belonging to 100,800 groups of alcoholics helping other alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety...
and all of his friends". This saga is concluded in the band's tenth studio album Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Black Clouds & Silver Linings is the tenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on June 23, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last album to feature drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy before his departure on September 8, 2010. The album was...
.
Prophets of War
"Prophets of War" was written by James LaBrie, who based the lyrics loosely on Joseph C. WilsonJoseph C. Wilson
Joseph Charles Wilson IV is a former United States diplomat best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium; his New York Times op-ed piece, "What I Didn't Find in Africa"; and the subsequent "outing" of his wife...
's book The Politics of Truth
The Politics of Truth
The Politics of Truth: Inside the Lies that Led to War and Betrayed My Wife's CIA Identity: A Diplomat's Memoir , by former Ambassador Joseph Wilson IV, was first published as a hardcover edition in 2004....
. The lyrics talk about possible ulterior motives behind the Iraq War, while remaining "middle of the road". The title is a play on words, where the "prophets" of the war, could also be gaining a "profit" from the War. During the recording of the song, Portnoy suggested fans could voice certain lyrical chants. In response to a message posted on the band's website four hundred fans gathered outside the recording studio to record the chanting, however only sixty could fit into the studio.
The Ministry of Lost Souls
At just under fifteen minutes in length, "The Ministry of Lost Souls" is the album's second longest track. Throughout the song's lyrics, Petrucci tells of a person who dies in the process of saving a woman from drowning. However, the woman who is saved is filled with "regret and sorrow" until she is able to re-unite with her rescuer.Release and promotion
Both the regular and special editions of Systematic Chaos were released on June 4, 2007 in the UK and June 5, 2007 in the US. Over their seven album relationship with Warner Music GroupWarner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, Dream Theater became disappointed at the lack of coverage they gave the band. "[...] Our previous label basically relied on our fanbase to do everything. [They would] put the money up for the record and put the CD in the shops," said Portnoy. On February 8, 2007, Dream Theater reached an agreement with Roadrunner Records to release their new album. Systematic Chaos had nearly been written and recorded at the time of the signing. Ironically, Warner purchased Roadrunner Records a week after the band signed with them. According to LaBrie, Roadrunner followed through on all of its promises to the band concerning the promotion of the album.
Portnoy spent a month directing and editing a documentary titled Chaos in Progress: The Making of Systematic Chaos, which was released on the two disc special edition of the album. The bonus disc of the special edition also included 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire album. Dream Theater supported the album by touring on the Chaos In Motion tour from June 3, 2007 to June 4, 2008. The world tour comprised 115 shows throughout thirty-five countries. Multiple concerts were filmed for the band's fifth DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, titled Chaos in Motion 2007–2008. The compilation of concerts was released on September 30, 2008.
Reception
Critical reception for Systematic Chaos was generally positive. Writing for MetalReview.com, Jon Eardley called the album, "another solid outing". He complimented Petrucci for "Constant Motion", writing that it contains "some of the best riffs Petrucci has brought to the table". In addition, he called the latter part of "The Dark Eternal Night" "the most brutal part in any [Dream Theater] song to date". Reviewing for Metal Invader, Nikos Patelis called the album, "energetic, sharp – edged, full of beautiful melodies and heavy riffs, long epic compositions". He called Dream Theater's instrumentalists "four masters of music that use their instruments as if they were their limbs", in addition to stating, "James LaBrie sounds more mature than ever". In conclusion, Patelis called Systematic Chaos, "an excellent album that needs many times to be listened in order to be digested". Greg Prato, of Allmusic, wrote "[...] 'Forsaken' proves wrong those who say that Dream Theater is all about instrumental gymnastics and not songwriting". He also compared riffs in "The Dark Eternal Night" to the band PanteraPantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
. Overall, he states "[...] the quintet sticks to the prog metal game plan that they've followed since their inception". Reviewer Chad Bowar of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, wrote that "In the Presence of Enemies - Part I" is "an effective way to set the tone for the rest of the songs". Overall, Bowar gave the album four out of five stars, calling it, "one of the best Dream Theater releases in quite a while".
The album peaked in the top twenty-five in the United Kingdom and Australia, where the band had never previously charted. In the United States, the album peaked at the nineteenth position on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, making it the highest peaking Dream Theater album in the United States at the time of its release. Overall, Systematic Chaos peaked in the top twenty for album sales in eight countries. In the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the album sold 35,689 copies the first week it was released.
Track listing
Chart positions
| Chart (2007) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
19 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
15 |
| ARIA Charts ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
23 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
25 |
| Dutch charts Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
2 |
| Finnish charts Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
3 |
| Norwegian charts Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
3 |
| Swedish charts Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
5 |
| French charts France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
14 |
| Swiss charts Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
14 |
| Austrian charts Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
20 |
| Belgian charts Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
44 |
Personnel
Dream Theater- James LaBrieJames LaBrieKevin James LaBrie is a Canadian vocalist who is best known as the lead singer of the American progressive metal band Dream Theater.-Early life:...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John MyungJohn MyungJohn Ro Myung is an American bassist, Chapman Stick player and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. He is considered a virtuoso player who is widely recognized for his technical proficiency....
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John PetrucciJohn PetrucciJohn Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...
– guitars and backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Mike PortnoyMike PortnoyMichael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and backing vocals (co. lead vocals on "Constant Motion, and The Dark Eternal Night") - Jordan RudessJordan RudessJordan Rudess is an American keyboardist best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.-Biography:...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and continuumContinuum (instrument)The Continuum Fingerboard or Haken Continuum is a music performance controller developed by Lippold Haken, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois, and sold by Haken Audio, located in Champaign, Illinois....
Guest spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
s on "Repentance
Twelve-step Suite
The Twelve-step Suite , is a series of five songs by progressive metal band Dream Theater...
"
- Corey TaylorCorey TaylorCorey Todd Taylor sometimes known by the number 8, is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Slipknot and Stone Sour. Taylor was raised by his single mother. He developed a fond feeling toward classic rock after his grandmother introduced him to it...
- Steve VaiSteve VaiSteven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
- Chris JerichoChris JerichoChristopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
- David EllefsonDavid EllefsonDavid Warren "Dave" Ellefson is a bassist and founding member of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He also goes by "Junior." He currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona...
- Steve HogarthSteve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is the lead vocalist and occasional keyboardist/guitarist with the British rock band Marillion. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist with The Europeans and vocalist with How We Live...
- Joe SatrianiJoe SatrianiJoseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...
- Mikael ÅkerfeldtMikael ÅkerfeldtLars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician who achieved fame as the lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth as well as the lead vocalist of death metal band Bloodbath. He was the vocalist and guitarist for the band Sörskogen and the guitarist of the band Steel...
- Steven WilsonSteven WilsonSteven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
- Jon AndersonJon AndersonJon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
- Neal MorseNeal MorseNeal Morse is an American multi-instrumentalist and progressive rock composer based in Nashville, Tennessee.-Background:...
Production
- John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy – producersRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Paul NorthfieldPaul NorthfieldPaul Northfield is a prolific record producer and sound engineer, who has worked on albums by bands like Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, Rush and Suicidal Tendencies.-Selected discography:-External links:* * *...
– engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, vocal track co-producer - Chad Lupo – assistant engineer
- Hugh SymeHugh SymeHugh Syme is a Canadian Juno Award-winning graphic artist who is best known for his artwork and cover concepts for rock and metal bands. He is also a musician and has appeared in some Rush songs as a keyboard player. Syme is notably responsible for all of Rush's album cover art since 1975's Caress...
– art direction, design, illustration - Daragh McDonagh – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...