The Glass Prison Reaction! Dream Theater - 13 minutes of mayhem!
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- čas přidán 12. 04. 2020
- Hey guys what’s up? Tonight I’ll be listening to Dream Theater for the very first time! I’ve been recommended the song ‘The Glass Prison’, so that’s the next one on my list!
What did I think??? Well, it was 13 minutes of mayhem really! I LOVED the music! They are such a bunch of talented people, I’m sad that it’s taken me 32 years to hear them!
I’m pretty sure the song is about alcohol. Firstly this was commented a lot on the back of the Metallica Master of Puppets song, so I wondered whether it was to do with drugs at first. But then listening to the song lyrics, I took that it was probably about alcohol - the glass prison being a bottle. There were references to help groups like AA or NA in there, so tbf it could still be about drugs, it’s just the glass bit got me leaning towards booze.
This is a bit of a long video tonight, so bear with it! Hopefully you will like what you see. Remember to subscribe and keep commenting to tell me what YOU want to hear next!
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You're right, it's about alcoholism, the first 3 steps of the twelve step program of the alcoholics anonymous to be exact.
Drummer Mike Portnoy wrote 5 songs about his experience with alcoholism which are on 5 different albums, known as the "Twelve Steps Suite" or "AA Saga":
The Glass Prison (Steps 1-3), This Dying Soul (Steps 4+5), The Root of all Evil (Steps 6+7), Repentance (Steps 8+9) and The Shattered Fortess (Steps 10-12).
And yes, that was a keyboard :) Jordan Rudess can play it very guitar-like which sometimes fools people into thinking it's a guitar :D
Thanks for letting me know? So there’s a series of songs? Over 5 albums? How far apart were these albums? The story must be one hell of a story!
Yes, the Twelve Steps Suite is a series of 5 songs over the span of 5 subsequent studio albums, from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) up to Black Clouds and Silver Linings (2009), so roughly 1-2 years in between each part. It's a wild journey for sure :)
It would be so cool if you'd react to the other parts of the 12 step saga as well!
OMG yes do the 12 step suite. Doo all the songs and see what the drummer went through as he went through AA
It's also Mike Portnoy's, the drummer's second (lower) voice. Yes, he was singing it live while drumming, believe it or not.
(In a twist of irony, he left the band right after releasing the album with the closing AA-saga song. I guess they've never played it live in its entirety and later Portnoy kind of gathered a supergroup specifically for that occasion.)
You hit the nail on the head when figuring out the literal meaning of "The Glass Prison." Being imprisoned by the bottle, the person who wrote these lyrics (Dream Theater's founding drummer, Mike Portnoy) quit drinking and joined Alcoholics Anonymous in the year 2000, and having gotten clean with their assistance, wrote "The Twelve-step Suite" about his experiences in that program, going through the 12 steps one at a time. _The Glass Prison_ is the opening track of the suite (and also of their 6th studio album, 2002's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence), and probably my favourite song in the suite (comprising steps 1 + 2 + 3). The other songs are:
_This Dying Soul_ (steps 4 + 5; 2nd track on the 2003 album Train of Thought)
_The Root of all Evil_ (steps 6 + 7; 1st track on the 2005 album Octavarium)
_Repentance_ (steps 8+9; 5th track on the 2007 album Systematic Chaos)
_The Shattered Fortress_ (steps 10 + 11 + 12; 4th track on the 2009 album Black Clouds & Silver Linings)
So as you can see, between April 2000 and the recording of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (which started in March 2001), Portnoy had gone through at least most of the program, enough to feel that it was definitely working for him and for him to want to raise awareness of it by writing this suite (clearly his sobriety was the most important thing on his mind at the time). Unfortunately, he left the band about a year after the release of Black Clouds & Silver Linings, before the entire suite could be performed BY Dream Theater in concert. However, Portnoy has performed it with other musicians since.
And for the record, while I personally don't think AA is necessarily the BEST way for someone to reduce or end their dependence on various substances, it certainly works for some people, and it obviously worked for Portnoy. I actually can imagine how hard it is to free oneself from an addiction, and so I respect the Man (and as you'll learn, Portnoy is THE Man) all the more because of both his willingness to be vulnerable and admit that he couldn't take care of this problem by himself, but also because he was able, with AA's help, to beat his addiction. That shows tremendous character.
Part two of this song This Dying Soul is another 12 minutes of lyrical and instrumental mayhem!!
The deeper voice is Mike Portnoy, the former drummer for Dream Theater, he wrote the lyrics for this alcohol-problem rant, his own personal story.
Dream Theater is probably the most technically proficient band to ever record music. Each of these guys is easily top 5 in the world at their respective instruments, and they write music that is supremely technical while still being interesting and, frankly, beautiful. They tackle deep subject matter in their lyrics with sensitivity and respect, and some of their pieces are truly epic in nature. I hope you explore these guys more, they are very rewarding for deep divers. :)
Edit: btw, trying to count or anticipate a Dream Theater song is pretty much an exercise in futility. They use such odd time signatures and change it up so frequently, you just have to trust them and let their music take you on it’s journey.
Thanks taking the time to drop a line here and thanks for watching! Yeah I tried to figure out the time signature at the start but then soon gave up! 😂
@@ThomasJ_Music Should check out their instrumental "The Dance of Eternity". Over 100 time changes. I think it's 108
Brock O'Meles well, you'll definitely know and anticipate every time change by heart when you're really into them 😅 😁 I don't even play any instrument, but I know every little detail of their songs by heart.
@@iulia.bianca.b Oh, same. I can headband perfectly through Dance of Eternity. ;)
@@calibadgerdude6082 That's an amazing skill! 😉😆 Dance of Eternity is insane! Tried doing that back in February when I got to see it live, but failed miserably 😆
Correct me if i'm wrong, but the time signitures in this song should be as follows (I didnt look it up, wouldn't know where to): Intro in 4/4, first heavy riff in 13/8, second part of riff in 14/8, verse in 6/8, reprise of first riff and then second riff but with singing now (both unchanged in timing), reprise of intro including the chorus (unchanged timing), transition (bit with the record scratching) in 6/4, then its a lot of 4/4 with one bar in 5/4 (right before "help me"), more in 4/4 and then 2*( 9/4 + 7/4 ) starting at the words "into the door", more 4/4 and then its 2*(5/4 + 5/4 + 8/4) at the word "believer", more 4/4 and 5/4 at "help me" again, and unless I missed something the rest of the song is unbelievably in 4/4 only with two speed changes, including all transitions except the final one to the final bit of singing that should be one bar of 18/16.
Sorry, just couldnt resist :) Great reaction video!!
You're at the very first step of discovering Dream Theater discography. It's progressive metal, with many influences. It's complex music construction but it's very simple to appreciate. See live sessions to see them on stage, it's crazy. I recommand to listen by allbum. Good job !
Christophe Franchini I’m looking forward to exploring more of this band!
@@ThomasJ_Music start from the beginning to feel the transitions between albums and time
Great reaction man! Dream Theater is considered progressive metal so their songs are usually complex and have a lot of time changes. All of their musicians are very talented and creative. lf you want more chaos and the continuation of "The glass prison" you should react to "This dying soul" which covers some of the next steps in the 12 step program. I would also suggest listening to some of their epics like "The Count of Tuscany", "A change of seasons" and "Octavarium", which are all masterpieces!
Haha! Thanks for commenting Arthur! Funnily enough another guy has just suggested those three songs in the same order as you did! Haha
If you want something that focuses more on instrumentals but still has singing, check out Breaking All Illusions. If you really want to see James LaBrie's vocal range, check out Learning to Live. If you want a pure instrumental that is truly crazy (103 time signature changes!), check out The Dance of Eternity. Either way, you must check out The Count of Tuscany, A Change of Seasons, and Octavarium as these epics will really show you how much you have been missing.
Kyle Wright thanks for taking the time to comment! A few people have asked for a change of seasons so that is on the list to do soon! Thanks for watching!
Dream Theatre time signature could be anything from 17/16 to 2/4 in 3 bars. they did 108 in Dance of Eternity.
Great video man! Dream Theater is the most underrated band in history!!! Keep it going!
Thanks Tim! Much appreciated! I was honestly gobsmacked by how immense they were. I know you should never talk over a solo and there were times last night that I thought I hadn’t spoken for minutes on end, because there was never a good time to speak! 😂
NorthernEar they are such a great band. My absolute favorite. Keep digging in and enjoy the ride 😀
I wouldn’t say underrated so much as unknown. Pretty much everybody who does know of them rates them as one of the best bands on the planet, but because of their non-commercial format and heavy technicality they don’t get a lot of attention out in the mainstream.
I don't think they're underrated at all, I think their appeal is selective due to the vocals and the technicality of the songs. Dream Theater are one of those bands metal fans either love or hate. The most underrated band in the world is my band.
Dream Theater are all musicians at the top of the game. Odd time signatures, lots of time changes, chromaticism, exotic scales. So much variety.
Ted Kord I couldn’t believe it last night after recording that. I’ve never heard so many changes in a song
@@ThomasJ_Music this isn't really that out there for them. The Dance of Eternity has over 100 time signature changes. Octavarium is 22 minutes long with changes throughout.
Dream Theater will fry the synapses of most people...yes, this song is about alcoholism and recovery. Dream Theater is the quintessential progressive metal band, and if you dare to follow this rabbit hole, you will never be the same.
Listening to most DT songs for the first time is daunting. It usually takes several listenings to really appreciate the whole thing.
7 months later and I just watched this video. Really cool!
Talking about the relevance of the voices left and right of the earphone, you should definitely do a video on The Great Debate by Dream Theater as well, same album: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.
YOU: *What time signature is that?*
DREAM THEATER: *YES.*
Wow, you nailed the lyrics. I'd never figure it out on the first go. Much respect, sir.
As a completely non-lyrics suggestion, it would be cool if you react to the band called 65daysofstatic. A very unique sound that melts a bunch of genres, criminally underrated guys. I think you'd like "Aren't We All Running?", "Drove Through Ghosts to Get There", "Monolith", or "Prisms".
'Is it alcohol?' - Your eye movements gave you away my friend but of course it is; and of course the song is made better for that realisation - well done! - love, fellow Northerner
I love watching you react to every change in tempo and instrument. You haven’t heard anything yet
Ned Rini ....‘you haven’t heard anything yet’..... this worries me! 😂 my brain hurt from the last one! I don’t think I can take another! 😂😂
NorthernEar you’ll be fine. I listen to them just about every day
Finally!! Someone reacts to Dream Theater!!
Alan Alanis haha! Are they not a popular reaction subject? *reacts to whole catalog of Dream Theater now* 😂
There haven't been many reactions recently. Looking forward to more from you. Thank you!!
Alan Alanis actually they’re one of the most reacted to bands on CZcams. Which really makes me wonder why this band is not more popular. I’ve always liked them over the years but over the last year and a half I really delved into their other songs and they have become my favorite band
I can see many have explained the meaning behind the track. Interestingly enough, one of the best gigs I've gone to is the Shattered Fortress tour which was Portnoy touring with most of the Haken band (instead to Dream Theater) with the setlist being his musical expression of the 12-step program riddled throughout DT's discography. It was behind brilliant.
"What time signature is that?"
-Yes
Excellent reaction Tommy, as usual. I think that he is referencing the 12 step program and the glass prison is alcohol bottles. Splendid interpretation my young friend. I really enjoy progressive rock. It's never boring.
Thanks Magne! Much appreciated! I loved this last song. A bit like Billie Eilish in that I’m two minds whether to just play all their songs right now in the house, or save myself and react to them! Lol
@@ThomasJ_Music If you must feed your need, you can record yourself listening to several tunes then edit and upload later. That way you have material to work from for future reactions and can enjoy some new songs now. It might make the reactions easier by listening while you are in the mood for an artist. I look forward to your continued reactions Tommy.
There is no MIDI guitar . It is Jordan Rudess who plays the keyboard solos. As you said immense musicians with sick-ass kind of talent.
Why would someone dislike this reaction??? He adds so much compared to others that pause just for copyright purposes.
A Dream Theater song is like an episode of Arrested Development. The first listen, you hear it...cool. The 2nd listen, it's like hearing an entirely different song. Details, themes, rhythms, chord changes come out of the woodwork, that you missed the first time. Then you listen a 3rd time, and much to your dismay, you discover more you didn't hear, the layers are intoxicating. Their music is deep philosophically, and lyrically yes, but MUSICALLY as well. They are a class in music theory unto themselves.
Just started watching your reaction and... Did you really try to dissect the timing of a Dream Theater song? How cute is that? Reminds me of myself when I first heard them.
If you like the time changes look no further than the “Dance of Eternity” off their concept album metropolis Pt. 2 Scenes From a Memory, but don’t try and count them cause that’ll take all day to figure out. 😁 💯➕🎼
I recommend Illumination Theory from their live at the boston opera house dvd. Buckle up and hold on for an epic musical ride.
Great reaction mate. Love the analysis and attention to detail. Catching the small things and figuring out the song's theme was pleasant to watch. Quite an intense first song to start with (arguably one of their musically most intense). For a suitable second reaction, for features on James Labrie's voice, "Scarred" or "Take the Time" are great options. But if you want to continue on the footsteps of The Glass Prison, you can move on to "This Dying Soul", which is the second part in their 12 step suite by their drummer Mike Portnoy; a series of 5 songs unto his experience with alcoholism.
Their magnum opus in my opinion is "A Change of Seasons" which is a 23 minute musical masterpiece with quite an emotional and moving story. Would highly recommend after a few more Dream Theater listens to acclimate the ears.
They are spectacular live! So awesome to see in person.
Saw your video for Steven Wilson's Routine. Ended up here and will watch the rest of the metal videos. Yours may be the only "reaction" channel I end up subscribing too. And you asked "what time signature is that?" It's Dream Theater time! They do all kinds of nutso stuff.
Love this! Thank you! Glad to have you with us
They pull it off live.
Ted Kord I can Imagine!
I could never pull it off live. Prefer to be on my own, hate people watching.
Gordon Heaney Guitarologist and Flatulist 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Honor thy Father de Dream Theater es una obra oscura e impresionante! Te lo recomiendo, excelente reacción
gracias por ponerse en contacto! ¡Lo haré en la lista, Cecilia! mantenerse a salvo y seguir mirando!
Great song, you should check more of them, what a great band, check voices from the awake álbum
Ho boy, wait til you get around to The Dance of Eternity (and Home from that album -- actually, just listen to all of Metropolis Pt. 2) and Octavarium (2005 live version is highly recommended) if you haven't already. You're in for a massive treat 😉
it is satisfying the sounds they put together
If this is your first foray into modern progressive rock, you picked a good piece. One cannot get complacent listening to this type of music. I recommend that you check out "2112" or "Hemispheres" by Rush for a more classic experience. Welcome to the club.
Thanks Paul, I’ve stuck 2112 on the list! Is Rush the band whose guitarist has recently passed away? When I happened I saw a lot of people saying this band were/are one of the greats. I’ll be sure to check them out!
@@ThomasJ_Music Neil Peart, their drummer passed. The band was composed of 3 musicians who sounded like 6 or 8 performers and were good live and in studio. I think you will really enjoy them.
Awesome Reaction! You got one more sub! Try the live version!
This is the first song in the 12 step suite. The other parts are one song from each album following this one.
Great song that means so much more today to me.
More Dream Theater? Alright, top of my head, go for As I Am from the Train of Thought album. The song where they give the standards of the music industry the finger and say "This is who we are and this is how we're staying". It's also the first track on the album so, great way to intro you to the album.
What a splendid reaction. I saw a lot of recommendations here so Ill just say this : If you wanna listen to A Change of Seasons (my request) do the live version from 2000. You will definitely enjoy every minute of it. Subscribed!
noted! it is on my list so ill make sure its from that concert when i do! thanks
I have another suggestion/request. Change of Seasons by Dream theater is one of the most epic songs I have ever heard and would live to hear what you think of it.
4/4 at the start, the crashes come in on the 2nd bar of the beat. Classic DT, rhythms that throw you off 😅
Te haz ganado un nuevo subscriptor, ojalá reacciones a las otras 4 canciones de esta maravillosa saga y después escuches octavarium, six degrees of inner turbulence Y change of seasons, me gustó mucho tu reacción y la atención a los detalles, saludos desde México!!
For your next progressive metal band you should listen to Periphery. One of the guitar player's uncle is the lead guitar player in Dream Theater. Spencer, the singer, has one of the greatest vocal ranges out there. You think it is 2 singers but really only him.
You just gained a new subscriber. Now that I know you’re going to be doing dream theater. This is the first song of a five song package called the 12 step suite. Of course it’s about alcoholism. The second song is this dying soul off of the train of thought album. Third one is the root of all evil on the Octavarium album. The fourth one is repentance off of systematic chaos. Fifth one is a shattered fortress on black clouds and silver linings. If you listen to all five you realize that there are callbacks of melodies and every song
Ned Rini thanks for taking the time to comment! I knew there were five songs all related to the same subject, which intrigued me, but I didn’t know there were acknowledgments to each other melodically too! I can’t wait to do the next one now!
NorthernEar i cant either
pls get to react to Symphony X as well. The only ones that can get even close to Dream Theater. Their style is more towards power metal and neoclassical but you'll find a lot of prog elements in it. Walls of Babylon is the best song to get your aquiantence with them.
Thanks for the recommendation! I have added it to the list of songs to do! :)
The serenity prayer
If you thing the ending of this song was abrubt, you should check out Pull Me Under.
Haha love your video dream theater is a wonderful band without a doubt it is my favorite you should listen to them you will not regret (where are you from? I love your accent xd
Haha thanks! The accent is Manchester! Not many people say they like the Mancuncian accent! 😂
Great band and song! Wow!
Rtrooper W aren’t they just! I wasn’t expecting that!!
NorthernEar Try “As I Am”.
The parts you thought were midi guitars are keyboards, by Jordan Rudess, regarded as one of the best anywhere. You should really watch a live performance next. Watching them is an entirely different experience. Anything from the "Breaking the Fourth Wall" DVD would blow you away.
Yeah I thought they sounded like keys, but the way they were being played made me think maybe it was a midi guitar. They’re all immense! I’m so glad I heard them
Top tier:
Old stuff: Take the time, Scarred
Mid stuff?: Home
Newer stuff: Pale Blue Dot
Technical prowess e heaviness: Train of thought album
Ultimate mindblowing: Octavarium, Change of seasons, Metropolis pt. II whole album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence whole second disk
It may not be police.. Being the subject alcoholism, its probably an ambulance.
(It took me decades to get it. And I feel proud!)
Octavarium is theyr masterpiece
Dream Theater is Progressive Metal. Metallica is more like thrash metal, especially in the early days. You should definitely check out more Dream Theater, like Metropolis Part 1, 6:00, Lie, Octavarium... And other progressive metal bands like Opeth
Listen to the DT repertoire and you will know music.
AA Creed
First listen to Dream Theater; "I know it's gonna be a long video: 13 minutes." After years of listening to them; lolololol. That's a short one, bruh!
Fair comment! 😂
Prog Rock - Progressive Rock - Many Changes
According to mr Portnoy himself, they wrote this whole album in just 3 weeks... Would take me 5 years to learn how to play one song.
a glass prison man, is no much hard to figured out, a bottle, a glass, alcoholism
they are excellent and I have seen them live, but at times I can not listen to them because the arrangements are so complex and they switch so much that I can not concentrate.
Yeah I can see how that would happen. Fair comment
The Drummer Wrote This Song And He Is The Deep Voice & The Lead Singer Is The Other Voice
Could you please react to the Dream Theater's song : honor thy father ?? 🙏🙏🙏
Hey bro. Dream Theater in presence of enemies part I and II live version
Michael Richard Hernandez Araya ol noted! Thank you! And would you definitely suggest the live version before hearing the studio version?
@@ThomasJ_Music This live version is great, you can enjoy the music and the virtuosity of the guys, give it all the power and enjoy it
What's the very very last thing you heard at the end? Glass shattering, as if he threw his glass prison to the ground.
Also you're no the right track. You could say that if you were to put Rush + Metallica + Yes in a blender(as your main ingredients), the end result would be Dream Theater.
Hmmm, I'm not sure if you should listen to Metropolis Pt 1 or Panic Attack next....
Panic Attack is an absolutely fantastic song to hear for the first time. Very brutal like this one, but can't go wrong with Metropolis 1 or PA!
Should have started with something more generic like Take the time or Pull me under. If you're not a musician this must sound like a dumpster fire. I've seen these guys 4 times with Mike and they crushed it every time.
I wonder what would you say if you reacted to dragonforce..
See, it’s questions like this that make me want to go and find out!! Haha
They are both insane musicians. Dream Theater is occasionally fast, where Dragonforce is just... fast :D
Before I forget, maybe it's better to drop a link
czcams.com/video/BxF7pfW7sqI/video.html
He talk about alcool dependance
It's a metaphor for alcoholism.
They are actually called snares lol
Be carefull. Dream theater can't be reduce at only a super technical band. Try the others aspects... Musical freedom, storytelling, strong thematics. A nightmare to remember, octavarium, voices etc etc.... Enjoy!
I came for 9:52
😂
This Song Is About The Dummer's Addiction To Alcohol...
Did he say 8 /4. Lol.
that's actually a thing, different from 4/4.
To me Dream Theater are 10 steps over Metallica