Maps of Music

Train of Thought (2003)

Where the lyrics of Train of Thought take you, and where it was really made.

The seventh Dream Theater album was written in just three weeks, and a hidden message sat undetected in one track for over a year and a half.

Key places

Recording at Cove City Sound Studios (2003)

Recording site Cove City Sound Studios — Discogs lists Cove City Sound Studios as a place where the album was recorded. The point marks the New York City studio area. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing at The Hit Factory (2003)

Recording site The Hit Factory — Discogs lists The Hit Factory as the place where the album was mixed. The point marks the New York City area. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Train of Thought is the seventh studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater
• Released November 11, 2003 through Elektra Records
• The album was written in three weeks, from March 10 to April 3
• Engineered by Doug Oberkircher and mixed by Kevin Shirley
• Most of the album was played in concert for the Live at Budokan DVD
• All songs from the album have been played live to date

Background

• Inspired by the audience response to the band's heavier songs on tour
• In the Chaos in Progress documentary, Portnoy says the band wanted a heavier, darker album
• The aim was to expose the band to a number of new metal fans

Recording

• The band cooped themselves in a rehearsal studio in New York to write
• Recording began with the drum tracks and ended with the vocals
• Discogs lists Cove City Sound Studios and Pie Studios as recording sites, and Beat Street Studios in New York
• Mixing took place at The Hit Factory

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Petrucci, Myung and Portnoy formed the band under the name Majesty while attending Berklee College of Music.
• The band was renamed Dream Theater in 1988 after a legal challenge from a Las Vegas group also named Majesty.

Members

• Current members are John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), James LaBrie (vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), and Mike Portnoy (drums), who rejoined in October 2023.
• Petrucci and Myung have remained in the band since its founding.

Career

• The band has released 16 studio albums; Images and Words (1992) is its highest-selling release.
• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999) received high critical acclaim.
• By 2018 the band had sold over 12 million records worldwide.
• The band has been referred to as one of the "Big Three" of progressive metal, along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning.
• A View from the Top of the World's lead single "The Alien" won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2022.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

Reappraisal

• French Wikipedia: some fans were disappointed by the change in sound and felt the album did not resemble the earlier ones
• Other fans appreciated the band's innovation on this album
• French Wikipedia: This Dying Soul is probably the most lyrical song and the closest to the older albums
• French Wikipedia: Honor Thy Father is far more metal, and the band cites Mudvayne as an influence on it

Records

• Billboard Top Internet Albums: number 53
• Spanish Wikipedia lists the album at number 53 on the Billboard 200
• Ranked 53 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album opens with the same chord that closed the previous album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
• Stream of Consciousness is the longest instrumental on a Dream Theater studio album to date
• A hidden composition sat under In the Name of God between 5:51 and 6:07, which lay undiscovered for over a year and a half
• Jordan Rudess played the final note with his nose, and Mike Portnoy approved the take while he was filming
• Honor Thy Father was written about Mike Portnoy's stepfather
• The Korean special edition included songs from the Live Scenes from New York live collection

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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