Music Video - Dream Theater

Another week is here. Let's start it with some fantastic music, shall we?


I have posted a drawing of their drummer as well as an album cover and a review of their latest album and mentioned many times that they are one of my favorite bands. But finally the time has come to also post a music video with these amazingly talented musicians.

This is a live version of Dream Theater's Surrounded from their most popular album Images and words. And yes, I once had the "da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da..." melody as the signal for my phone. It is taken from a concert in Tokyo back in the early 90's when Kevin Moore was still keyboardist in the band (the current keyboardist is Jordan Rudess, other than that the members are still the same).

Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do:

Music Video - Symphony X Live

A few days ago I posted the trailer for the upcoming movie remake of Clash of The Titans. Let's stay in the realms of gorgons and deadly shores for a while, shall we? Here is one of my favorite songs with one of my favorite progressive metal bands. A great live version of The Eyes of Medusa.

I have seen this band live twice - once with Stratovarius (one of my favorite power metal bands) and once with Dream Theater (one of my favorite bands, all categories). Russell Allen truly has a magnificent voice. One of the best metal singers for sure. And Romeo, Rullo, Pinella and LePond are top notch musicians.

Also want to wish you all a
Happy New Year!


My resolution is to keep running and developing this blog further in 2010. Please tell me what is already great and what could be better about it. Which of the main categories (Movies, Music, Art, Games, Books) should get more focus? I'll do my best to make all our dreams come true. See you next year!

/M

Sketch Of The Day - Dream Theater Cover

Today's sketch is a quick one done with ink pen. It's from the cover to the Dream Theater album Train of Thought:

(Spoiler!) Dream Theater's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" - First impressions

As I've mentioned before, one of my favorite music genres is Progressive Metal. And my favorite progressive metal band is Dream Theater. Therefore, it was with much joy and excitement I received their brand new studio album in the mail today.

After listening to it once, these are my first impressions and reflections (spoiler alert!):

- Beautiful artwork by Hugh Syme. Feels more like "traditional Dream Theater". Less dark and chaotic compared to the previous one ("Systematic Chaos"). Actually has much in common with the "Awake" cover. That blue sky in the opened door resembles the sky in the mirror of their 1994 album. The sand, an eye, planets, clouds, the logotype in the sand. Many things that can be found on the "Awake" cover. Gives a sense of recognition and nostalgy - which fits the albums themes well.

- Great intro with the thunder and rain for first song, "A nightmare to remember". Great double bass drumming throughout this one. Probably the best "drum track" of the record (I'm a drummer myself...)

- Rudess' sometimes use almost too many effects in some solos, almost drowns the virtuosity of his playing (at least for me, not being a keyboardist).

- Don't remember very much from the 2nd one ("A rite onf passage" - believe it was one of the first singles, but the 3rd one "Wither" is another beautiful DT power ballad.

- "The shattered fortress" is about the final steps of Mike Portnoy's "12-step program" suite. Like a medley containing bits from previous parts and a great conclusion of the series.

- Then comes "The best of times", the song that struck me as a lightning bolt. Not for it's insane virtuosity or insane time signature. But because of it's beauty. This may be the most beautiful song DT has written so far. And seeing in the booklet that it is actually a dedication from Mike to his father Howard, who passed away this year, makes it even more powerful. A moving and beautiful statement and the song that made the strongest impression during my first spin of the record.

- The sixth and final, "The count of Tuscany", is a typical great DT epic, making me think of "A change of seasons" as well as "Octavarium", much because of Jordan's wonderful continuum solo.

- And that was it! Six songs and it felt like time just flew by, leaving me longing for more. Which must be a good thing. One last thing I noted was that one song reminded me of the song "Surronded", where it picks up speed after the slow intro. But I'm not quite sure which one it was. Better listen to this great album again. May turn into one of my favorites...

The 10 Best Progressive Metal Albums Ever

Another of my favorite genres that often uses fantastic themes and lyrics (for a power metal top 10 look HERE) is Progressive Metal. Many of my favorite bands and musicians actually belong to that genre - Dream Theater, Symphony X, Shadow Gallery and others.

Fantasytree tip #6: One of the very best progressive metal albums - actually one of the best albums ever made, that I never get tired of and actually listened to this very morning - is Images and Words by Dream Theater. If you haven't heard this album... drop everything you have at hand and head for nearest record store. It's THAT marvellous. Promise me you'll hear it all the way through at least 3 times before deciding what you think of it, though (This album is rated as #16 in the progressive metal chart and as #919 overall at rateyourmusic.com).

These are the 10 highest rated Progressive Metal albums on rateyourmusic.com right now:

1. Opeth - Still Life (1999)

2. Opeth - Blackwater Park (2001)

3. Edge of Sanity - Crimson (1996)

4. Atheist - Unquestionable Presence (1991)

5. Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)

6. Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors (2002)

7. maudlin of the Well - Leaving Your Body Map (2001)

8. Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (1999)

9. Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)

10. Tiamat - Wildhoney (1994)

Of these I have heard and own albums by Opeth (but the only Opeth album I have is "Deliverance", not one of these three), that I find a little too brutal and dark; Queensrÿche and Dream Theater - but I do not really like the concepts of either one of these two, although they are great (Queensrÿche) and brilliant (Dream Theater) musically; Tiamat - the only album I've heard, an old one that I think was entitled "Clouds", was too much towards the black metal genre for my taste.

Number one in my Progressive Metal chart is - as already mentioned in the tip above - "Images and Words" by Dream Theater.

Which Progressive Metal album is the best ever in your opinion?

The Two Kings of Epic Fantasy Metal!

pic fantasy metal, is there really such a musical genre? There sure is. Two of my favorite power metal bands have taken their leaning towards fantasy and epic storytelling one step further. I am thinking about the German band "Blind Guardian" and the Italian band "Rhapsody of fire" (earlier just Rhapsody, but they were forced to change the name due to already registered trademark issues). I will recommend one really good album by each group.

The natural starting point for a fantasy lover, especially if you are also a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, is of course Blind Guardian's "Nightfall in Middle-Earth". A concept album based on Tolkien's "The silmarillion", including breathtaking metal tunes as well as segues where different scenes from what Tolkien regarded as his most important work are depicted through narratives and atmospheric sound effects. The entire record actually starts with the sound of a medieval battle!

On then to Rhapsody's (this was before they changed the name to "Rhapsody of fire") "Symphony of enchanted lands". Taking the word "epic" one step further this marvellous album includes more orchestration, more neo-classical parts, more "Emerald-sword-wielding-hero fighting-immortal-demons-beyond-the-gates-of-infinity" (some would say more cheese, but since I'm such a fantasy geek I actually find it all quite enjoyable). If your looking for a rediscovery of the little Dungeons and dragons-heart pounding somewhere deep within you, you have here the perfect soundtrack for that nostalgic journey. This album is actually just one part in the epic story "The chronicles of Algalord", spread over several albums. Fantasy sweets, don't you think?


Blind Guardian are musically slightly more progressive (and a bit more challenging), while Rhapsody have been described as "Epic Hollywood metal", which sometimes make me think of them more like a concept than an actual band. On their latest album, "Triumph or agony" they have one track that is more than 16 minutes long (!) and features a whole bunch of actors performing spoken narratives among the different musical parts. One of these actors - also present on the album before, "Symphony of enchanted lands II" - is none less than the legendary Christopher Lee ("The man with the golden gun" in the James Bond classic, as well as Saruman in the Lord of the rings trilogy).

Labels and genres apart, I consider these two albums true musical masterpieces, and if you are curious about what "epic fantasy metal" sounds like you just HAVE to check them out. Two wonderful journeys through magnificent lands await you.