Music: Dream Theater

1992 saw a seismic shift in the hard rock/metal world when Dream Theater hit

In 1992, I remember being at the Campbell Tower Records when I heard my first track by Dream Theater. Their debut album has dropped, and Tower was playing the CD. The song was “Pull Me Under” and bloody hell, what the eff was that. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

I ambled my way to the checkout area (that is where the displayed what was playing) to see that it was that I had to buy.

The album is titled “Images and Words”, and it replaced something else that I had in my hand to buy.

I went home and thoroughly wore that CD out¹ over the next few weeks.

Here it was, this was the music I wanted to play, this is the style I desperately wanted to be mine.

That was not to be (because I am a talentless hack), but here was a band that was truly blazing a trail, bringing melodic heavy metal, sweeping vocals, catchy hook-driven tunes, and very tight playing. Whereas much of the Hair-Metal 90’s was a bit looser, raunchier, and — frankly — easier to play².

But Dream Theater broke that and led to a plethora of follow-on bands. Bands like Dragon Force and Avenged Sevenfold trace their roots to Dream Theater and owe them a debt of gratitude.

Today, I have for you a video of Pull Me Under from a Japan tour in 1993. This was when they were young lads, before there was an elaborate light show, before they were headliners, indeed before they made it big (and they DID make it big).

I hope this either is the first time you hear this song and it blows you away, or it reminds you of when you first heard it as it did for me. Regardless, enjoy this:

Audible bliss from a 1993 Japanese tour.

1. Yeah, I know, you don’t wear CDs out, but that fucker was constantly playing

2. I love me my hair metal, but it isn’t the most difficult to get down. The looseness makes it less critical that you hit the timing mark.

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