In a recent conversation with Belgian Jasper, Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie shared his thoughts on what it means to be a progressive metal band. His insights not only highlight Dream Theater’s philosophy but also shed light on why many newer bands in the genre seem to struggle with forging their own identities.
“When you’re a progressive band, you have the freedom of going anywhere you wanna go musically. There are no constraints. You can bust open whatever the hell you want that will support what you feel is exactly your goal or where you wanna go musically at that particular moment. So there are no barriers when you’re a progressive band. And you’re able to also show this virtuosity that encompasses most progressive bands because there’s a little bit more musicianship going on. And you’re able to be a storyteller in a deeper, more profound sense,” LaBrie explained.
For Dream Theater, the “metal” aspect of their sound is equally important. “We’ve always been — every one of us… If you listen to a band like Rush and all the earlier albums, they had that edge, they had that aggressiveness, but they could still be progressive and amazing storytellers. Or growing up, listening to bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and Iron Maiden and Metallica, well, that’s gonna bring in all these things that are a more aggressive stance and hitting you over the head with something that just really gives you that adrenaline rush, and it’s aggressive and heavy and dark.”
The ability to fuse these elements, LaBrie explained, is what has solidified Dream Theater’s place as one of progressive metal’s most influential acts. “So we encompass all. And that’s who we are. So that’s why we were given this title, the ‘progressive metal giants like Dream Theater’. And it’s, like, ‘Okay.’ So it is true because we do incorporate all of those elements. And it’s a beautiful, I think, marriage because it just allows you to even be that much more expressive musically.”
But while Dream Theater embraces musical freedom, LaBrie acknowledges that many bands within the progressive metal scene struggle with this very concept. Some, he suggests, become too fixated on replicating what came before them rather than allowing their own creativity to take over.
“I think, first of all, it’s flattering when you’re hearing these bands do this, but I think what a lot of bands fall prey to is they overthink it. And it’s really that simple. So they’re going, ‘Well, if we’re gonna be somewhat like that, then, oh, hear what they did here, and this is exactly what we should be doing right now,’ instead of just letting themselves go, ‘Wait a minute. Why do we have to be so specific as to think that this is the way that the song has to be in order for us to be looked upon the same way that Dream Theater or anybody else, for that matter, is looked upon that has been given some credit?’” he mused.
According to LaBrie, overanalyzing leads to music that feels forced rather than authentic. “But in the way that you can give it even more credence of who and what you are, it’s just listen to yourself and don’t worry about where it goes. And if you do have those elements that encompass both progressive and metal, but it’s done sincerely and genuinely, then you know what? It’s gonna resonate that much more or more deeper with the listener because it’s true. There’s no pretentious air to it or there’s no phonyism.”
Ultimately, LaBrie believes that authenticity is what truly connects an artist to their audience. “And then it just makes you more disingenuous, when you start to try because now you’re being scientific. You’re not being just somebody that has — you’re this conduit that’s taking out of yourself something that you felt, something that you heard or whatever, and you’re trying to put it down so that it’s something that will ultimately bring you closer to your fans or listeners, whoever happens to come by it. And I think that’s what it is, is they’re overthinking or overanalyzing where they have to go and they’ve forgotten to listen to themselves as a musician.”
