"On the Backs of Angels" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dream Theater | ||||
from the album A Dramatic Turn of Events | ||||
Released | June 29, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Genre | Progressive metal [1] | |||
Length | 8:43 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | John Petrucci | |||
Dream Theater singles chronology | ||||
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"On the Backs of Angels" is a song by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, featured on their 11th studio album A Dramatic Turn of Events . The song was written by the band's guitarist and producer John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.
"On the Backs of Angels" was released as A Dramatic Turn of Events' lead single via YouTube on June 29, 2011. [2] A music video for the song was released on September 14, 2011. [3] The song was nominated for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance at the 2012 Grammy Awards, eventually losing to "White Limo" by Foo Fighters. [4] [5]
In composing "On the Backs of Angels", on the advice from one of their fans and co-writers, Dream Theater tried to illustrate their signature sound. [6] From the start, the band envisioned the song as an album opener that, according to Petrucci, would make their fans "feel at home". Subsequently, many fans have compared the structure of the song to that of their biggest hit, "Pull Me Under" from 1992's " Images And Words . Clocking in at 8:43 long and with numerous time signature changes, the song is mostly played in 4/4 and 3/4 time. Its introduction features a moody and foreboding arpeggiated guitar pattern that was written by Petrucci and inspired by the music of said fan favorite, Pink Floyd. [7] At 5:51, the song breaks down into a piano passage that was improvised by Rudess.
A music video was released for the song. It features shots of the band playing the song live, along with gears turning, the White House, various American cities, temples, and money. The video ends with the sun rising.
It was made available to download on November 29, 2011, for play in Rock Band 3 'Basic' and 'Pro' mode which utilizes real guitar/bass guitar, and MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits/keyboards in addition to vocals. It is one of the few songs available through the main store that is rated 'Impossible' (the highest difficulty) on 8 out of 10 instruments, and is the hardest song available for Keys and Pro Keys.
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy — all natives of Long Island, New York — while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to concentrate further on the band that would eventually become Dream Theater. Their current lineup consists of Petrucci, Myung, vocalist James LaBrie, keyboardist Jordan Rudess and drummer Mike Mangini.
Liquid Tension Experiment (LTE) is an American instrumental progressive metal supergroup, founded by Mike Portnoy, then Dream Theater's drummer, in 1997. The band has released two albums through Magna Carta Records. An extension of their second regular album, with the absence of John Petrucci was released in 2007 under the name "Liquid Trio Experiment". A live album with the absence of Jordan Rudess (mostly) was released in 2009 under the name "Liquid Trio Experiment 2". Three live albums and two videos were released in 2009 by the complete band.
Jordan Rudess is an American musician, software developer and composer best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive metal supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory is the fifth studio album and first concept album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 26, 1999, through Elektra Records. It was recorded at BearTracks Studios in Suffern, New York, where the band had previously recorded their second studio album, Images and Words (1992), and the EP A Change of Seasons (1995).
Train of Thought is the seventh studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on November 11, 2003 through Elektra Records.
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced all of Dream Theater's albums from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999) to A View from the Top of the World (2021), and has been the sole producer of the band's albums released since A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011). Petrucci has also released two solo albums: Suspended Animation (2005) and Terminal Velocity (2020).
Liquid Tension Experiment 2 is the second studio album by the band Liquid Tension Experiment, released on June 15, 1999 through Magna Carta Records. The album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart and No. 40 on Billboard's Heatseekers. It would take the band another 22 years before they would release their third album.
Systematic Chaos is the ninth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 4, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 5, 2007 in the United States, Systematic Chaos was the band's first release through Roadrunner Records, which was sold to their previous label Atlantic Records, through which the band had released their previous studio album Octavarium (2005). The album was recorded from September 2006 to February 2007 at Avatar Studios in New York City, after the band's first break from summer touring in ten years. The lyrics of the album were written by John Petrucci, James LaBrie, and Mike Portnoy about fictional, political, and personal topics, respectively.
The discography of Dream Theater, an American progressive metal band, consists of fifteen studio albums, one extended play, nine live albums, one compilation album, eight video albums, nine singles, and twenty-one music videos. The band was formed under the name Majesty by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy while the three of them were attending Berklee College of Music in September 1985. The trio added keyboard player Kevin Moore and vocalist Chris Collins in order to complete their lineup. After the band released a demo entitled The Majesty Demos, Collins was replaced by Charlie Dominici in November 1987.
"Octavarium" is a song by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, from the album of the same name.
Wither is a single by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on September 15, 2009. The single contains the album version of the song "Wither", an alternative version of "Wither" with vocals and piano only, a demo of "Wither" with John Petrucci on vocals, and a demo of "The Best of Times" with Mike Portnoy on vocals. It is the band's last official release with Portnoy, who left the band in September 2010. This is the only studio release without the Majesty symbol in its front cover.
A Dramatic Turn of Events is the eleventh studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released worldwide in September 2011 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's first recording to feature drummer Mike Mangini, following the departure of founding member Mike Portnoy in September 2010. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between January and June 2011 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York. It was produced by guitarist John Petrucci and mixed by Andy Wallace. Two singles, "On the Backs of Angels" and "Build Me Up, Break Me Down", were released in promotion of the album.
Solstice Coil is an alternative progressive rock band formed in Israel in 2001. The band's core members are Shir Deutch, Opher Vishnia and Shai Yallin.
Live at Luna Park is the seventh live album and video by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on November 5, 2013, through Eagle Rock Entertainment. The concert film was produced by Over The Edge Productions and directed by Mike Leonard. The album is available as a two-disc DVD, single-disc Blu-ray, 2DVD/3CD, Blu-ray/3CD, and a deluxe edition box set including all three formats with a 40-page book. Both the album and video are also available as digital downloads.
Dream Theater is the twelfth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released worldwide in September 2013, through Roadrunner Records. The album was written, recorded, mixed, and mastered between January and May 2013 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York, the same studio as the band's previous album, A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011). It is the first Dream Theater album to include drummer Mike Mangini in the songwriting process.
"The Enemy Inside" is the first single from progressive metal/rock band Dream Theater's eponymous 12th studio album. It was announced on the band's official Facebook page as the first single on August 3, 2013 and was made available by USA Today for streaming on August 5. A lyric video on YouTube for the song was published on the band's YouTube channel a day later.
"Along for the Ride" is a power ballad by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, and is the second single from their self-titled 12th studio album. It was announced on the band's official Facebook page as the second single on September 6, 2013 and was made available in various locations on September 9. The band's guitarist John Petrucci, talked about the lyrics in an interview in which he said: "the message to that song is very much like you know with all the crazy stuff that happens in the world and all the dangerous events and people out there and things going on... that we don't have a lot of control for that, and then we're just on this big planet, and we're along for the ride". The world tour to promote Dream Theater is named after the song.
"Illumination Theory" is a song by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. The song was released on 23 September 2013, as the closing track of the band's 12th album Dream Theater. It features a string ensemble conducted and arranged by Eren Başbuğ. The song's lyrics, according to the guitarist John Petrucci, are about things for which people will live, die or kill. The song's length is 22:17, making it Dream Theater's fifth longest to date.
The Astonishing is the thirteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on January 29, 2016 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's second concept album, with a story conceived by guitarist John Petrucci and music written by Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Composer David Campbell assisted with orchestrating the album's strings and choirs. The band recorded their parts for the album throughout 2015 at Cove City Sound Studios in Long Island, New York, with the exception of vocals, which were recorded in Canada. Mixing and sound engineering were performed by the band's longtime collaborator, Richard Chycki, with Petrucci producing.
A View from the Top of the World is the fifteenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on October 22, 2021. This is their first album to be recorded at their own studio, DTHQ, as well as their first since Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009) to include fewer than nine tracks, and the first since Dream Theater (2013) both to contain a track of at least ten minutes in length and to end with the longest track.