DREAM THEATER RE-SIGNS WITH ROADRUNNER RECORDS

[Nick]

I'm really impressed when some of you say "RR has nothing to do with the direction...bla bla...". No matter what, like it or not, every label effects the bands in some way.

Yeah, but not in the way you said in your earlier post. As several have said, Systematic Chaos was written before a label was chosen and the label had no say on how that record ended up, nor did they effect the music of the last two records. They could have very well had a say in the packaging and marking of the records, but that is really not what you were getting at. There is a big difference between labels who fight with bands to produce music that they want to hear as opposed to labels that take talent they believe in and take their end result and market it the best way they can. In the case of DT and RR it's 100% the latter case.

[Perpetual Change]

Great news. This pretty much ensures that every DT release for the next few years will include a normal priced version, a bonus deluxe version, and a three-hundred dollar supersized box set!

But seriously, it's good that the band are satisfied with their label. More DT music = a happy PC.

[black_biff_stadler]

How cool would it be if they, once again, unified all of their fans under one flag with another full-album sequel in the Metropolis storyline?

[Elite]

I think that's *very* unlikely.

[Cedar redaC]

How cool would it be if they, once again, unified all of their fans under one flag with another full-album sequel in the Metropolis storyline?

Well, it would be the third and last dance, so it would have to last forever.




Ain't nobody got time for that!

[black_biff_stadler]

Eh...I'm fairly unencumbered these days.

[SeRoX]

I'm really impressed when some of you say "RR has nothing to do with the direction...bla bla...". No matter what, like it or not, every label effects the bands in some way.

Yeah, but not in the way you said in your earlier post. As several have said, Systematic Chaos was written before a label was chosen and the label had no say on how that record ended up, nor did they effect the music of the last two records. They could have very well had a say in the packaging and marking of the records, but that is really not what you were getting at. There is a big difference between labels who fight with bands to produce music that they want to hear as opposed to labels that take talent they believe in and take their end result and market it the best way they can. In the case of DT and RR it's 100% the latter case.

I'm not saying DT has been altered by RR's will. DT is still DT, no doubt that. But there are changes, minor or major but they are there. Writing SC before joining RR does not mean there weren't any changes in the final product. It's about musical arrangements, not the melodies or the lyrics. But I find this changing perfectly natural. Since RR is one of the biggest label you just have to keep in step with, for the bigger marketing, for many people to reach.

But I guess it's just all about personal perspective.  To me, there are some changing in DT's musical direction that bothers me. It's just not about DT I'm complaining about. There are some of my favorite bands, going their musical journey with RR, have also changed. Good or bad, right or wrong, this is just my observation. But what the hell, DT is still my favorite. 

[Lolzeez]

How cool would it be if they, once again, unified all of their fans under one flag with another full-album sequel in the Metropolis storyline?

Well, it would be the third and last dance, so it would have to last forever.




Ain't nobody got time for that!

Or maybe waiting might be the third and last dance,lasting forever. Maybe there wont be a third dance and the wait is the last dance instead? Did you ever think about that sir? EVER THINK ABOUT THAT?

[Cedar redaC]

How cool would it be if they, once again, unified all of their fans under one flag with another full-album sequel in the Metropolis storyline?

Well, it would be the third and last dance, so it would have to last forever.




Ain't nobody got time for that!

Or maybe waiting might be the third and last dance,lasting forever. Maybe there wont be a third dance and the wait is the last dance instead? Did you ever think about that sir? EVER THINK ABOUT THAT?

[TheSilentHam]

... there are some reasons for me not to like....

You are Wile E. Coyote, aren't you?

[SystematicThought]

I remember Cradle of Filth leaving Roadrunner because they wanted them to make music that Roadrunner wanted

[King Postwhore]

I remember Cradle of Filth leaving Roadrunner because they wanted them to make music that Roadrunner wanted

So they wanted them to make listenable music? 


BAZINGA!!

[goo-goo]

Metalblade could have been another good label for DT. They have been around for 30 yrs and still growing. But RR has given the exposure, marketing and tour support they wanted and needed.

Im wondering how the official bootlegs will be affected (or released). The Elektra record deal had some clauses on them IIRC.

Anyways good for them! Cant wait for the next live and studio releases

[SeRoX]

... there are some reasons for me not to like....

You are Wile E. Coyote, aren't you?

Well, yes! but who is not? We are next to the weak and right ones. 

Thanks for reminding me the hatred I feel for Roadrunner.

[SystematicThought]

I remember Cradle of Filth leaving Roadrunner because they wanted them to make music that Roadrunner wanted

So they wanted them to make listenable music? 


BAZINGA!!

I was thinking pretty much the exact same thing

[Sycsa]

But I guess it's just all about personal perspective.  To me, there are some changing in DT's musical direction that bothers me. It's just not about DT I'm complaining about. There are some of my favorite bands, going their musical journey with RR, have also changed. Good or bad, right or wrong, this is just my observation. But what the hell, DT is still my favorite. 

It would come in handy if you pointed out something particular, because, yeah, there obviously are some changes, but I have no idea which are those that bother you. Apparently, you carefully avoid going into specifics, which I don't understand. Not trying to nitpick, just curious.

You are Wile E. Coyote, aren't you?

Touché

[hefdaddy42]

I'm really impressed when some of you say "RR has nothing to do with the direction...bla bla...". No matter what, like it or not, every label effects the bands in some way.

Yeah, but not in the way you said in your earlier post. As several have said, Systematic Chaos was written before a label was chosen and the label had no say on how that record ended up, nor did they effect the music of the last two records. They could have very well had a say in the packaging and marking of the records, but that is really not what you were getting at. There is a big difference between labels who fight with bands to produce music that they want to hear as opposed to labels that take talent they believe in and take their end result and market it the best way they can. In the case of DT and RR it's 100% the latter case.

I'm not saying DT has been altered by RR's will. DT is still DT, no doubt that. But there are changes, minor or major but they are there. Writing SC before joining RR does not mean there weren't any changes in the final product. It's about musical arrangements, not the melodies or the lyrics. But I find this changing perfectly natural. Since RR is one of the biggest label you just have to keep in step with, for the bigger marketing, for many people to reach.

No.

[SeRoX]

Yes, that's because they are mostly personal reasons not to like and I'd like to avoid them generalize. And knowing that majority of people here would be against my thought but my main reason is DT's music has became something else that lost its soul and originality. Even until the Octavarium, I feel the old DT soul in the recording somewhat. But I'm not speaking for the entire album that they've done with RR. For me, it's obvious there are tracks that sound so clichés ridden just like ordinary metal bands which already have big market in music.

The other thing that I'm, again, the one who thinks DT has lost the balance between progressive and metal starting with SC. To be honest, don't know how fair to blame the label for this but all roads lead me to there, right or wrong. But, just to be clear, I find this changes perfectly natural.

[robwebster]

How cool would it be if they, once again, unified all of their fans under one flag with another full-album sequel in the Metropolis storyline?

I don't know if that'd unify fans, though.

I'm... kind of part of the faction that thinks it'd be beating a dead horse. I'm very sceptical of sequels, anyway - and it's worst of all in the music industry, because it often means they're trying to cash in on past successes. Operation Mindcrime 2 comes to mind.

Or, to quote Jordan Rudess...

"Are you telling me that you would like Metropolis part 3? Well that, my friend, would be like a bad movie, don't you think? One that went on and on and on. I'm not saying it's never gonna happen, but it's somewhat doubtful."

[Kotowboy]

Not to mention the fact that Metropolis was only called "...part 1 " as a joke.

[SeRoX]

I don't understand the desire for Metropolis Pt-3. To be honest, even Pt-2 seems forcing and a bit ridiculous considering the story what will come out of it wise enough to write Pt-3?

[Perpetual Change]

SeRoX, you are both right and wrong.

You're right that DT's more modern, contemporary sound developed parallel to the band signing and recording under RR records. However, that happened because that's the direction the band wanted to go in. In several interviews members of DT have expressed recently how important it is to them that the band stay "modern", and they probably see RR as the ideal label to keep them marketed to the right audiences.

That said, consider other bands signed to RR: Porcupine Tree, and Opeth. In both cases, those artists are doing exactly what they want, too. Opeth isn't even playing heavy music anymore!

[Nick]

SeRoX, you're pretty much creating a sad story you want to tell yourself and believing it despite having no evidence to back it up. As Joe pointed out various interviews not only lay out the band's vision for their recent albums, but also talk about how the band has complete freedom from the label in regards to their music. I understand if you don't like the direction DT has decided to take, but lay it on DT, not RR.

[MoraWintersoul]

I understand if you don't like the direction DT has decided to take, but lay it on DT, not RR.

Yup.

Do you really think that a label who wanted DT to reach major audiences would let them get away with the tickle section in LNF, or the fact that the average track length remained somewhere around 8 minutes?

[?]

Not surprising, but good news nonetheless! RR has done a great job promoting DT and helped them get a bigger fanbase - for example, here in Finland the latest 2 albums both topped the charts, which hadn't happened with any DT album before.

I do believe RR give DT a complete creative freedom - they still write the kind of music they want to and RR just puts the releases out and promotes them, plus maybe decides which songs will be released as singles/videos. Opeth and Porcupine Tree haven't gone commercial despite being on RR, either. The reason the previous 2 albums had a more modern metal sound is because that's the direction MP wanted them to go in.

[cyberdrummer]

The other thing that I'm, again, the one who thinks DT has lost the balance between progressive and metal starting with SC.

I would agree with you with regard to SC and BCSL, but ADToE marked a return to the kind of balance we find in Awake, for example (which in itself was a pretty heavy album).

[The Presence of Frenemies]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's no way RR had anything to do with DT's music.

First, we have an entire 90-min documentary of the band recording SC, with no hint of any label intervention at all. And that album had been fully recorded already by the time they signed with RR.

Then you've got BCSL, which is probably the least mainstream DT album in the catalog (perhaps WDADU for production reasons, but that's a different story entirely). The thing has 6 songs! Plus, we know how MP is about label intervention (see FII)--had RR messed with SC or BCSL, don't you think we would've heard about it from MP?

And then you have ADTOE, an album that doesn't even have an obvious single (like BCSL did with Wither and SC had with Forsaken/CM), and again has a bunch of sprawling tracks--and it's also a stylistic retreat from the two preceding albums, showing that the band had the flexibility to explore different sonic textures and feels.

So yeah. The music is all DT's doing, including the arrangements and everything.

[BlobVanDam]

And then you have ADTOE, an album that doesn't even have an obvious single (like BCSL did with Wither and SC had with Forsaken/CM), and again has a bunch of sprawling tracks--and it's also a stylistic retreat from the two preceding albums, showing that the band had the flexibility to explore different sonic textures and feels.

I'd say BMUBMD was a very obvious single. But that's fairly moot, as I get no indication that it's anyone's choice but DT's to write the more accessible songs like that. DT have always covered the spectrum from short standard structure songs to sprawling prog epics, from day 1.
After all that DT went through with their old label, they just wouldn't have signed with anybody that didn't give them that level of creative freedom.

[nikatapi]

Yeah i don't think that the label has anything to do with DT's artistic approach, hell, they even released a full time video for OTBOA.

The change in music since joining RR has more to do with DT finding the kind of music they want to play and at the same time stay modern and appealing to younger audiences. Playing it safe, if you will, and the best example is ADTOE.

[SeRoX]

I had said, many of you would be against my thought. 

But I hope I am not misunderstood about this because I'm not meaning the whole album progress, just a few touches, for instance the singles so far. Hell, I don't even imagine DT is shaped by RR's will overall. And I get what Nick said and yes, he is right. I could fail to blame right one in this matter. Both side have their responsibility. I think it's simply "win-win" policy.

So again, I believe this will be good for DT. It's like we're granted to see another 2-3 albums, live DVD's and a full support for marketing. 

[MoraWintersoul]

I had said, many of you would be against my thought. 

Basically, yeah, but not because your opinion is not favourable towards newer DT albums, but because you're putting the blame at the wrong side

[Jaq]

Every other label people named as being better for DT than Roadrunner?

Ya'lls wrong.

Metal Blade? Sure, they've got BTBAM, but marketing Dream Theater the way RR has? No fuckin way. Inside Out? Christ, that wouldn't be a step backwards, it'd be a LEAP. People like to slag on Roadrunner because they have Slipknot and they have Nickelback and a lot of commercial acts, but there isn't a record label on the planet that I can think of that markets hard rock and heavy metal better than Roadrunner does. Hating on Roadrunner is so early 2000s now. 

[nikatapi]

I hope we learn about how many albums the deal includes. This is what interests me most.

[The Letter M]

I hope we learn about how many albums the deal includes. This is what interests me most.

I'm guessing 5... or 8.

-Marc.

[DebraKadabra]

I'm guessing 5... or 8.