Outcry

Album: A Dramatic Turn of Events
Lyricist: John Petrucci
Subject: Middle-Eastern uprisings.


The Music

“Another example of writing a song with a specific purpose. We wanted Outcry to be the anthem for the album, so it has a very strong theme, and it’s totally insane instrumentally. It’s like Dream Theater defined, but way over the top!

“I was playing a riff while we were doing drummer auditions, and it really inspired me. So I programmed the drums and played the riff over it, but I ended up changing it around quite a bit, making it larger and more anthemic.

“In a song like this, the goal for Jordan is to come up with a keyboard part that’s right out of the movies, like a big John Williams soundtrack, something that’s strong and that everybody will be able to sing and remember. Because he’s so amazing, Jordan always has five million ideas, so we tweak and work on things until the melody is right there."

(John Petrucci - Musicradar.)

JP: "Outcry is the sixth track on the record, it's another seven-string song, probably the most wild of all of them as far as the technical breakdown that happens in the middle of the song."
JLB: "Well that's progressive to the extreme. I mean, that's showing classic progressive Dream Theater. It's so frickin' intense."
JP: "And it's something that I think is going to hit people in that way. I can very much picture playing that song live and it being really big.

(James LaBrie & John Petrucci - The Mirror & Roadrunner Records - Published Aug 2011.)


The Lyrics

"The lyrical message is of people standing up for their rights, people finding their voice. People tired of tyranny. People wanting revolution, people wanting to have equality and fairness, and going against governments that are corrupt and making it a better world for everyone."

(James LaBrie - The Mirror & Roadrunner Records - Published Aug 2011.)

“After the intro, the theme kicks in. The way it made me envision flying through the air in slow motion really influenced the lyrics, which are about the uprisings in the Middle East, people fighting against oppression.”

(John Petrucci - Musicradar.)


A Dramatic Turn of Events
1. On the Backs of Angels
2. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
3. Lost Not Forgotten
4. This is the Life
5. Bridges in the Sky
6. Outcry
7. Far from Heaven
8. Breaking All Illusions
9. Beneath the Surface