The year has begun with several seminal heavy metal bands taking the road to say goodbye, including Megadeth and Sepultura.
On the flip side of the amps is Dream Theater, who join an increasingly rarefied realm of acts – including Metallica and Iron Maiden – still thriving well into their fourth decade.
The American progressive metal band are marking the milestone with another sprawling world tour that brings them to the Middle East for the first time, including a Dubai show at Coca-Cola Arena on January 27.
For keyboardist Jordan Rudess, 69, that relentless onward march is key to how the band understands its longevity. Speaking to The National, he describes a career that has rarely paused long enough to invite reflection.
The pace, he notes, has a way of compressing time even while the catalogue growth includes 16 albums, including last year’s Parasomnia.
“It’s been quite a ride. I was thinking about it just this morning on my walk. We finished up the US for now, and had a few months off, and now we are back on the road and coming over to you and playing all these different spots across Asia, Australia and India. It’s wild. You really do have to blink your eyes,” he says.
“When you’re involved in something like this, you reach a point where you suddenly realise how long it’s been, and yet it can also feel like a dream you’ve just woken up from.”
Formed in Boston in 1985, Dream Theater's contribution to progressive metal has often been framed in terms of virtuosity, from the dense arrangements and shifting tempos to long-form compositions laced with leitmotifs.
It is the kind of discipline more commonly associated with classical music. But, as Rudess explains, it is less about borrowing its aesthetics than maximising what guitar-based music can do.
“Progressive rock is always a hard term to define, but in general it’s about taking the energy and sensibility of rock and extending it, bringing in additional elements,” he says.
“When you talk about progressive rock or progressive metal, you’re changing the basic format. How do you do that? There are many ways, but the core elements are harmony, rhythm and melody.”
Joining the band as keyboardist in 1999, Rudess continues to play a central role in conjuring Dream Theater's orchestral approach to metal. Where peers use keyboards to provide atmosphere, it is a central pillar of the band, at times carrying the lead, as heard in extended compositions such as the epic 23-minute A Change of Seasons and The Dance of Eternity.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to cut through that wall of sound that comes with the genre” Rudess admits.
“So, it needs to be done with a real awareness to create orchestrated pieces without the guitar filling up the entire space all the time. There are moments where we’ll say, ‘this section is keyboard-focused’, or ‘this is where the keyboard leads’.”
The band’s 40th anniversary shows are designed to reflect the full scope of their catalogue. In Dubai, the performance will stretch across three hours split by an intermission – a first for a major UAE heavy metal concert.
“We do view it as an event and for people to hear what we’re doing now, as well as what we did in the past,” Rudess says.
“On this tour, we are playing the songs from Parasomnia, then taking an intermission before coming back and playing songs from across our catalogue. Songs are not picked based on what we feel like playing, but what makes sense and what creates a good balance for the show.”
That approach has helped the band cultivate a fervent following that has sustained them for decades. Rather than being defined by a single scene or era, Rudess sees Dream Theater's audience as united by curiosity more than identity.
“We have seen how different cultures have different capacities to immerse themselves in music that goes beyond the basic stuff you hear every day,” he says. “There are people all over the world who are drawn to music that is more adventurous and does not make you scared to think a little.”
Dream Theater perform at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, on January 27. Doors open 6.30pm; tickets from Dh225
