Dream Theater - Pull Me Under (cover)

Playing Dream Theater is a challenge. Anybody who has ever heard any Dream Theater song 

with ears, heart and mind

will know what I'm talking about. Their songs are all very complex, well-arranged, rich in sound, every instrument is handled by a very talented musician and they altogether form a wonderful harmony, which clearly says that these musicians are not only talented but completely trust in each other. These songs very often have a unusual structure, if you take a good listen to a Dream Theater album, you will find out that each and every song is built by their own architecture.

And there are the instruments by themselves. You really need to listen to every Dream Theater song several times to find out what they are doing on their own and even then you won't be sure whether you really heard everything.

Hint: you didn't.

I admit here, I started to listen to Dream Theater seriously by Cygnus Rock Band's impact. Before that I somehow thought that DT is very complex, a bit too "intellectual" for this poor, aggressive peasant like myself.

Haha.

It was also Cygnus Rock Band's influence that I learned to listen to music - and everything else, humane voices, noises, the world around me - with mind and heart, not just with ear. I'm still learning it. I will probably keep learning it until my last day. But without them I would have never even thought that there's listening beyond my ears.

It's just my opinion and any musician around here, please, feel free to contradict me if I'm wrong; but I think Dream Theater's songs are that kind that when you decide to cover them - if you have the courage - you can't add anything to it. You can't (shouldn't/mustn't - choose whichever you like) add your own style. You can't (shouldn't/mustn't) add any special musical ornament, solo, break, crash, legato, bend or anything else. No. None. These songs don't allow it. And as complex these songs are, you really don't want to either.

At the end you are happy that you could play it once without mistakes.

You can do one thing when you decide to cover Dream Theater. 

You fkin grow up and touch it with so much humbleness as if you would touch the edge of a king's robe.

Cygnus Rock Band has made it. 

They took this song and treated it so gently that even you yourself didn't treat your girlfriend with this much gentleness on your first night.

I'm not sure how many of you out there are aware of the rhythm section's absolute complexity in this song. I'm stunned watching Cygnus's video how Ruxx played through these 8:15 minutes with one kick drum, a snare, two floor toms and a few cymbals. First you need to be aware that this song requires a BRUTAL foot/leg technique by the drummer, just watching it makes you sweat and feel dizzy. It makes drummers with mountain-sized drumsets cry. And here is this Colombian rocker with this minimalist studio set and he will make you rethink your life.

And then there's the bass.

Again, just as I did in my Metallica-review, I can suggest everyone to watch Deneb's hand on the bass's neck. Forget the usual static but reliable bass theme, the bass doesn't just carry the entire band on its back, but sometimes gets the main role, outshining the guitar. You really, really need to be dedicated, collected and determined for such a theme to learn and play.

I'm just guessing, but playing Dream Theater is a great chance to learn, not only to play the given song, but you can learn a lot about yourself as well as the other musicians around you.

And now you bow down and worship the rhythm section. Thank you.

Reny shows here what a skilled and talented keyboard player he is. Dream Theater is legendary for their massive, organ-alike, very rich keyboard themes and again I can suggest anyone to watch closely what Reny is doing. This goes not only for the keyboards but for all the instruments and the entire song, as it's full of gems, tricks, musical ornaments - but they are all subtle or even hidden. You really, really need to open your ears, your mind and your heart to catch them.

Some hints: bass legatos (!!!), the various parts of the keyboard which Reny plays on one (!!!) instrument except for the end, slight slowing down in the middle, just to name a few, because you won't recognize them anyway 😞

I can only imagine the focus these four musicians all needed for this cover. 💓

The guitar walks the same path as these three instruments mentioned above. Blu - again subtly, you won't see much, because there aren't spectacular solos or huge, sweeping riffs, the guitar slicks into the sound of the entire song, not carrying it on its back, it works in harmony with the keyboard - does it perfectly. He seemingly enjoys the complexity of this Dream Theater song and he ensures everyone that he really knows what he is doing. You need to open your ears, inner and outer to be able to recognize the hidden gems the guitar theme has in itself. You need to will listen to this cover multiple times anyway.

The vocal part is sung by Deneb and Ruxx in a duet. Again the listener can get an insight into how they complete each other, Ruxx's sharp tenor and Deneb's mellow baritone. Both of them adds legatos here and there and these do the best for the cover.

Maybe this is that very small extra a band can add to the song.

Even Blu joins them for the chorus, his deep, warm voice gives a great base to our two Colombians.

The end of the song is crowned by Reny and his amazing, breathtaking solo. I especially like that Cygnus actually made an ending for the song, unlike the original which - for me - ends a bit abruptly.

And this little trick at the end made the cover perfect.