Caustic Truths #113 1 - Dream Theater Strata Chevelle Guitar Hero

Once again, we like to introduce our first complete web edition which entails some diversity including big bands Dream Theater, Strata, Chevelle, Job for a Cowboy, Mad Caddies, Haste The Day, and more. We also delve into Musical Collectibles and the now famous Guitar Hero video game.

Dream Theater

I don't know if we've ever had one song that could really sum up what Dream Theater is about because there are so many sides to the band, states drummer Mike Portnoy. I guess the big epic songs are always the ones that tend to show all of the different sides. So I guess if I could only play one person one song, if they had 25 minutes to spare, I'd play both parts of In The Presence Of Enemies from the new record because that's really going to show the full spectrum. Usually the shorter songs, something like just Forsaken or Constant Motion isn't going to really give the big picture. It'll just give you a little taste of one side of what the band is.

Chevelle

Music is life for hard rockers Chevelle. They have proven their dedication to their craft with four albums and a few chart-topping hits. So when it came to naming their new album, they had only one viable option, naming it after the drive that keeps them going.

Strata

A few years ago, Strata were a darker, more aggressive band. The 2007 version, however, finds them honing their melodic sensibilities and capitalizing on their ear-friendly material. Their new record Strata Presents The End of the World will be out in July but the band has already set out on tour with Finger 11 and Chevelle. Caustic Truths! caught up with guitarist Ryan Hernandez to talk the differences between the band from a few years ago and their mindset now.