DREAM THEATER Guitarist JOHN PETRUCCI Talks Concept Albums - "Prog Music Is The Perfect Setting To Be Able To Do That Story-Driven Music"
May 10, 2019, 5 years ago
Mike Bax recently spoke with Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci for Pure Grain Audio about the band's new album, Distane Over Time. Check it out below.
Bax: I mentioned that I was attending Dream Theater to a friend yesterday and he said “oh, the concept album band,” and that got me thinking. Are you that? Is that something that you do every time you make an album?
Petrucci: "No. I mean we do have to concept albums, but that’s two out of fourteen. The one that we’re doing now, Scenes From A Memory, it came out 20 years ago. So, it was almost 20 years later when we did The Astonishing, our second one. So, you know, it’s a part of what we do. But obviously there are more standard album features that feel more normal for us, so only two out of fourteen are concept albums."
Bax: Maybe it’s because your songs are so cinematic that people just assume that you’re spewing a concept at them.
Petrucci: "When I was younger, I was really influenced by Iron Maiden, and they always have those long story-driven tracks. 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner' and stuff like that. So, I think that’s probably where that comes from. You can hear that on our very first album that came out in 1989 with a song called 'The Killing Hand'. It’s just like prog music is the perfect setting to be able to do that story-driven music. It’s very dramatic and cinematic and stuff. It’s a lot of fun."
