James LaBrie has named the one song that’s the best introduction for people who are just getting into Dream Theater and (spoiler), it isn’t their huge hit “Pull Me Under,” but it is a song off the same album.
The singer, who is currently on the road with the prog metal legends, alongside Devin Townsend and Animals As Leaders, singled out the Images and Words favorite “Metropolis – Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper” as the ideal entry point for a beginner fan.
The nine-and-a-half-minute cut is one of my standout tracks on the band’s classic 1992 album and, per setlist.fm, is the second-most performed Dream Theater song live.
Reasoning why this, above every other song in the group’s 15-album catalog, is the most fitting introduction to Dream Theater’s music, LaBarie tells Revolver, “You would hear that our sound is not all about just balls-to-the-wall and it’s more about creating an environment where it’s a great ride and it’s intense. It’s exciting, it’s dynamic. It’s something that speaks differently to you, but at the same time, it’s very intriguing.”
Despite playing “Metropolis – Part 1” over 600 times live throughout the last three decades, it’s still a song that gets LaBrie charged up onstage.
“And that’s one song that I still love to do whenever we do pull it out. I just think it’s a great tune. It’s an awesome tune,” he affirms, “So definitely “Metropolis – Part 1,” I think it would sink some people into the band make them go, “Holy shit, what the hell’s going on here?”
READ MORE: Scott Ian Names the Best Song For Someone Just Getting Into Anthrax
“Metropolis – Part 1” was never released as a single, but has remained a fan-favorite to this day, which is a testament to the devotion of prog metal fans, who notoriously dive deep, deep into instrumentation and lyrics.
Originally, the “Part 1” was added to the title as a bit of a ruse, which prompted fans to wonder when a sequel would arrive. The band later delivered, issuing the Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory album in 1999, one of Dream Theater’s biggest records.
Dream Theater, “Metropolis – Part 1”
Artists Name the Best Song to Introduce People to Their Bands
These are the tracks where fandom begins.
PLAYLIST: Early Prog Metal (The ’80s & ’90s)
Over 125 songs! Check it out here.
10 Prog Rock Bands That Went Pop
Plenty of prog-rockers have gone to the pop side. Here is a selection.
10 Best Prog Metal Bands in the Last 10 Years, Chosen By Haken’s Ross Jennings
Haken singer Ross Jennings schools you in the new school of prog rock and metal!
