Dream Theater finally released their first official live album, the double-disc Once in a LIVEtime (recorded June 1998 in Paris). Granted, the 1995 release A Change of Seasons contained a wealth of live material, but they were all cover songs, and 1994's Live at the Marquee was only available as a European import. With material spanning their entire career, the many die-hard Dream Theater fans will love Once in a LIVEtime, but it won't win over disbelievers to their highly technical, sometimes cold style. There's no denying that the band's musicianship is top-notch, but the songs often get repetitious and start sounding similar. But Once in a LIVEtime may be a breath of fresh air if you've had it with smug alterna-wannabes who can hardly play, or if you long for the glory days of Yes or ELP (in other words, the music punk rock tried to annihilate). Highlights include their instrumental tour de force "Ytse Jam," as well as the fan favorites "Pull Me Under," "Lie," "Metropolis," and certain portions of their lengthy "A Change of Seasons" composition. Also released in conjunction with Once in a LIVEtime was the home video Five Years in a LIVEtime.

Dream Theater Long Island, New York's Dream Theater are the globally celebrated standard-bearers for progressive metal in the 21st century. They deliver tight, melodic, musically sophisticated songs and thematic concept recordings encompassing elements of hook-based hard rock, riff-fueled metal, syncopated prog, and refined lyrics. Their second album, 1992's Images and Words, established their sonic signature, while 1994's Awake and 1999's Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory cemented their place in metal's pantheon. For 2016's The Astonishing, a double-length dystopian sci-fi opera, they were accompanied by the Prague Symphony Orchestra and three choirs. In 2021, the band issued A View from the Top of the World. Four years later, Parasomnia, a thematic concept album about sleep disorders, appeared. It marked the return of founding drummer Mike Portnoy after a decade-plus solo career.

‘Live In Tokyo, 2010’ captures the band's show at Summer Sonic in Japan, a performance that would end up being drummer Mike Portnoy’s last appearance with the band till he rejoined in 2023.

An album announcement that is fifteen years in the making, Grammy®-winning, progressive music titans Dream Theater return with their sixteenth studio album. The album marks the first album featuring the iconic lineup of vocalist James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, keyboardist Jordan Rudess and drummer Mike Portnoy since 2009's 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings'.

Easily the best album of their official bootleg cover series. The band seamlessly and almost effortlessly transition from track to track as if they had written the album themselves, and in a live setting no less. The second disc contains bonus Pink Floyd songs performed throughout their career including the song, 'Echoes' in its entirety, 'Hey You,' and an awesome simultaneous performance of 'Comfortably Numb' with Queensryche.

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 recorded between October 2008 and March 2009 at Avatar Studios in New York City, where they previously recorded Falling into Infinity (1997) and Systematic Chaos (2007). Black Clouds & Silver Linings was produced by John Petrucci and Portnoy, and was engineered and mixed by Paul Northfield. Black Clouds & Silver Linings was a major success for Dream Theater, becoming their highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at number six.

Few bands could have conceived of, let alone pulled off, the exercise in excess that Dream Theater have with The Astonishing. In a vast catalog that includes several album-length conceptual statements - Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - this is so extreme that it pushes at what their fans (a fanatical lot) may accept. Guitarist John Petrucci has written a double-disc sci-fi rock opera, set in a dystopian future in an invented country (the package contains maps). In it, music created and/or performed by humans has been outlawed by the state. Only government-sanctioned and programmed machines are entrusted with those functions. A small band of rebels cling to and fight for the vision (and redemption) of human music. Petrucci consciously sought to create as grand a statement as Tommy, The Wall, and Operation: Mindcrime…

Though Dream Theater recruited drummer Mike Mangini to replace Mike Portnoy on 2011's A Dramatic Turn of Events, his drum parts had all been scripted before the change, leading to the rather stilted feeling of the album. This self-titled offering, the band's 12th album overall, marks the first time Mangini was involved in the writing and creative decision making from the jump and it shows. Produced by guitarist John Petrucci and recorded and mixed by Richard Chycki, this is one of the more dynamic, far-reaching albums in DT's catalog. Opener "False Awakening Suite" is a brief but cinematic near-instrumental with twinned guitars and keyboards riffs from Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, all underscored by a string section and layered choral vocals by James LaBrie…

Coming a year after Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, it's great to hear that Dream Theater hadn't lost their überheavy edge. John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess, and bassist John Myung effectively peeled back the pretentious excesses of Six Degrees, turned them in on themselves, and came up with a leaner, meaner but no less ambitious outing. The centerpiece track, despite the fact that it is second on the disc, is "This Dying Soul: IV. Reflections of Reality (Revisited)." A tome about alcoholism and recovery, it's strident riff opens out onto vast sonic panoramas where pianos and rhythm section offer Petrucci the space he needs to take his guitar playing into overdrive. Also, lyrically this is an evolutionary track on the set; it opens doors for the rest of the narratives here…

There are only five tracks on "A Change of Seasons" but with a total time that approaches an hour anyway. The first track, the 23-minute, seven-part epic "A Change of Seasons," is one of the most impressive pieces of music ever written in the progressive metal vein. With the same heavy sound that marked Awake, but with many other styles mixed in, the track features incredible playing, dramatic, complex instrumental arrangements, and soaring vocals. New keyboardist Derek Sherinian (formerly of Kiss and Alice Cooper) adds his own stamp to the Dream Theater sound as if he'd always been with them. The remainder of the tracks are live cover tunes, recorded from the band's "Uncovered" gig at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club; the material varies widely and includes Elton John's "Love Lies Bleeding" and Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers." The final track, "The Big Medley," has to be heard to be believed; Dream Theater shift musical styles on a dime to cover Pink Floyd, Kansas, Queen, Journey, the Dixie Dregs, and Genesis all in ten minutes.

Experience the evolution of progressive metal with Dream Theater’s ultimate 14-CD collection, featuring every studio album from 1992–2016. This deluxe box set brings together the band’s most iconic releases, from Images and Words to The Astonishing, showcasing 25 years of groundbreaking music. THE STUDIO ALBUMS: 1992-2016 collects the complete studio albums from Dream Theater's groundbreaking two-decade-plus career with Warner Music Group, from 1992's RIAA gold-certified classic debut, "IMAGES AND WORDS," to 2016's THE ASTONISHING, the first Dream Theater album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Rock chart.

To celebrate their 40-year career, Dream Theater offers us an exceptional live performance recorded in Paris at the Adidas Arena during their 2024 European tour, the first tour featuring the long-awaited return of Mike Portnoy after a 13-year absence. The band performs a new track from their latest album Parasomnia, alongside classics such as Metropolis Pt.1, Octavarium, and Pull Me Under.
A historic moment for all progressive metal fans!

Dream Theater celebrate their 40th anniversary with a special live release filmed during their 2024 European tour, their first to feature Mike Portnoy back in the band after over 13 years. Recorded in Paris at the Adidas Arena, the tour saw the band debuting a track from their latest studio album ‘Parasomnia’, as well as classic tracks from throughout their career, including ‘Metropolis Pt. 1’, ‘Hollow Years’, ‘Octavarium’, ‘Pull Me Under’ & more.

Dream Theater is referred to as one of the “big three” of the progressive metal genre, responsible for its development and popularization. Their metal music is influenced by a wide range of bands and focuses more on technical proficiency and precise execution than on heavy metal riffs. The band has sold over 12 million records worldwide and has received three Grammy Award nominations, including one win in 2022. Features the Mike Portnoy Drum Clinic, recorded in The Netherlands in 1999.

2CD (includes instrumental versions). Parasomnia is the 16th studio album from progressive metal band Dream Theater, following the release of 2021's A View from the Top of the World. This album is the first in 15 years to feature original drummer and co-founder Mike Portnoy, although he hasn't returned to production duties this time around.