Dream Theater

About

Also known as: Majesty, 드림 씨어터, Dream Theatre, DreamTheater

Few bands have pushed the boundaries of progressive metal quite like Dream Theater. Formed in Boston in 1985 under the name Majesty, the group built a reputation around jaw dropping technical musicianship and sprawling, conceptually ambitious compositions. Their 1992 album Images and Words remains their biggest seller, charting at No. 61 on the Billboard 200, but it was 1999's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory that cemented their legacy, landing on Guitar World's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time and earning recognition as one of the all time great concept albums. Over sixteen studio albums, Dream Theater helped define and popularize the progressive metal genre alongside Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, and by 2018 they had shifted over 12 million records worldwide. The lineup has shifted over the years, most notably when founding drummer Mike Portnoy departed in 2010, though he rejoined in October 2023. With four Grammy nominations and one win under their belt, they continue to sit at the top of a genre they essentially built.