The discography of Dream Theater, an American progressive metal band, consists of sixteen studio albums, one extended play, ten live albums, one compilation album, eight video albums, nine singles, and twenty-one music videos. The band was formed under the name Majesty by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy while the three of them were attending Berklee College of Music in September 1985. The trio added keyboard player Kevin Moore and vocalist Chris Collins in order to complete their lineup. After the band released a demo entitled The Majesty Demos, Collins was replaced by Charlie Dominici in November 1987.
The group signed with Mechanic Records, and released its debut album When Dream and Day Unite in 1989. Before the album's release the group agreed to change their name to "Dream Theater", inspired by a now-demolished California movie theater. After firing Dominici, Dream Theater hired Canadian vocalist James LaBrie in 1991. LaBrie's debut album was Images and Words, which was the band's first and only gold-certified album by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold more than 500,000 copies. Note: User must define search parameters as "Dream Theater". Moore left the group after the recording of 1994's Awake and was replaced by Derek Sherinian for the album's tour—he was later hired as a full member, appearing on the EP A Change of Seasons and the full album Falling Into Infinity. The double live album Once in a LIVEtime was released in 1998.
In 1999, Jordan Rudess was hired to replace Sherinian. Rudess's first work was Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, a concept album that followed the story of a murder mystery. In 2002, the group released Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, followed by Train of Thought in 2003, and Octavarium in 2005. Two more live albums were also released in this time period, and a new one, titled Score, was released for the band's 20th anniversary and featured the band backed by a 29-piece orchestra. It was followed a year later by their ninth studio album, Systematic Chaos. Dream Theater's tenth studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, the band's second under Roadrunner Records; was released on June 23, 2009.
In September 2010, founding drummer Mike Portnoy announced that he was leaving the band. The band filmed a documentary ("The Spirit Carries On") of their search for a replacement who they found in Berklee professor Mike Mangini. In 2011, Dream Theater released their eleventh studio album A Dramatic Turn of Events and its eponymous album in 2013, their first album featuring composition from him. The band released their eleventh music video for "On the Backs of Angels" on October 4, 2011, a song which was subsequently nominated for a Grammy award.
On December 6, 2013, it was announced that the lead single from Dream Theater's self-titled album, "The Enemy Inside" was nominated for the Best Metal Performance Grammy Award. This is the band's second consecutive Grammy nomination. The band's thirteenth studio album, The Astonishing, was released in January 2016. It was followed with the release of their fourteenth studio album, Distance over Time, in February 2019.
On November 27, 2020, Dream Theater released their ninth live album, Distant Memories - Live in London. This was soon followed by the release of their 15th studio album, A View from the Top of the World, which won the band their first Grammy with its lead single, "The Alien."
On October 25, 2023, Dream Theater announced that original drummer Mike Portnoy was returning to the band.
Dream Theater has sold over two million records and DVDs in the United States and over 12 million records and DVDs throughout the world.
Albums Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications(sales thresholds)USFINFRAGERJPNNLDNOR SWESWI UKPeaks in the UK: All except noted: Peaks below 100: When Dream and Day Unite Released: March 6, 1989 Label: Mechanic, MCA Format: CD, CS, LP — — — — 98 — — — — — US: 37,092 Images and Words Released: July 7, 1992 Label: Atco Format: CD, CS, LP 61 — — 94 30 — — — — — US: 604,000RIAA: Gold NVPI: Gold RIAJ: Gold Awake Released: October 4, 1994 Label: East West Format: CD, CS, LP 32 — — 15 7 33 — 5 12 65 US: 271,570 RIAJ: Gold Falling into Infinity Released: September 23, 1997 Label: East West Format: CD, CS, LP 52 5 42 9 16 16 20 14 43 163 US: 141,946 Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory Released: October 26, 1999 Label: Elektra Format: CD, CS, LP 73 6 40 8 19 28 28 44 44 131 US: 123,275 Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Released: January 29, 2002 Label: Elektra Format: CD, CS, LP 46 2 17 12 15 14 16 12 52 — US: 132,773 Train of Thought Released: November 11, 2003 Label: Elektra Format: CD, CS, LP 53 9 24 16 12 21 9 9 44 146 US: 125,000 Octavarium Released: June 7, 2005 Label: Atlantic Format: CD, CS, LP 36 2 18 15 10 9 9 4 25 72 US: 56,000 Systematic Chaos Released: June 5, 2007 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, DVD, LP, DL 19 3 17 7 12 2 3 5 14 25 Black Clouds & Silver Linings Released: June 23, 2009 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, LP, DL 6 1 9 3 8 3 7 3 9 23 A Dramatic Turn of Events Released: September 13, 2011 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, DVD, LP, DL 8 1 16 3 8 2 5 3 6 17 Dream Theater Released: September 24, 2013 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, DVD, LP, DL 7 2 18 4 10 4 4 5 5 15 The Astonishing Released: January 29, 2016 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, LP, DL 11 2 13 5 10 4 2 3 5 11 Distance Over Time Released: February 22, 2019 Label: Inside Out Music Format: CD, LP, DL 24 4 16 1 10 3 3 4 1 12 JPN: 8,343 A View from the Top of the World Released: October 22, 2021 Label: Inside Out Music Format: CD, LP, DL 52 1 30 2 8 3 13 21 3 21 JPN: 5,923 Parasomnia Released: February 7, 2025 Label: Inside Out Music Format: CD, LP, DL 41 6 15 3 12 4 9 9 2 23 "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
Live albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales US FIN FRA GER ITA JPN NLD NOR SWI UK Live at the Marquee Released: August 31, 1993 Label: Atco Format: CD, CS, LP — — — — — 36 57 — — — Once in a LIVEtime Released: October 27, 1998 Label: Elektra Format: CD, CS 157 — — 59 — 49 58 — — — US: 64,454 Live Scenes from New York Released: September 11, 2001 Label: Elektra Format: CD, CS, DVD 120 — 117 71 — 60 — — — — US: 28,555 Live at Budokan Released: October 5, 2004 Label: Atlantic Format: CD, DVD, BD, LP — — — 91 — 63 91 — — — Score Released: August 29, 2006 Label: Rhino Format: CD, DVD, LP — 36 — 40 14 50 34 18 81 94 Chaos in Motion: 2007–2008 Released: September 30, 2008 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, DVD — 22 — 37 — — — — — — Live at Luna Park Released: November 5, 2013 Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment Format: CD, DVD, BD — — — 17 — — 52 — — — Breaking the Fourth Wall Released: September 29, 2014 Label: Roadrunner Format: CD, DVD, BD — — — 28 — — — — — — Distant Memories – Live in London Released: November 27, 2020 Label: Inside Out Music Format: CD, DVD, BD, LP — 13 122 9 39 44 31 — 9 81 Quarantième: Live à Paris Released: November 28, 2025 Label: Inside Out Music Format: CD, DVD, BD, LP — — 57 6 88 31 21 — 8 — JPN: 1,881 "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
Compilation albums Title Album details Peak chart positions US GER JPN NLD NOR SWE SWI UK Greatest Hit (...And 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) Released: April 1, 2008 Label: Rhino Format: CD 122 77 28 52 12 46 62 113
Extended plays Title EP details Peak chart positions Sales US FIN FRA GER JPN NLD SWE UK A Change of Seasons Released: September 19, 1995 Label: East West Format: CD, CS 58 17 44 50 16 39 13 88 US: 157,855
Singles Main singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album US Sales USMain. JPN UK 1992 "Pull Me Under" 68 10 — — Images and Words 1993 "Another Day" — 22 — — 1994 "Lie" — 38 — 175 Awake "The Silent Man" — — — — 1997 "Hollow Years" — — — — Falling Into Infinity 2000 "Through Her Eyes" — — 72 — Scenes from a Memory 2008 "Forsaken" — — — — Systematic Chaos 2009 "Wither" — — — — Black Clouds & Silver Linings 2014 "Illumination Theory" [A] — — — — Dream Theater 2020 "The Holiday Spirit Carries On" [B] — — — — 2025 "Night Terror" — — — — Parasomnia"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
A^ - Record Store Day exclusive. B^ - Released on December 1, 2020, for the help of the touring crew of Dream Theater because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Promotional singles Year Title Peak chart positions Album USMain. 1989 "Status Seeker" — When Dream and Day Unite "Afterlife" — 1993"Metropolis Pt. I" — Images and Words "Take the Time" 29 1994 "Caught in a Web" — Awake 1997 "Burning My Soul" 33Falling into Infinity "You Not Me" 40 1999 "Home" — Scenes from a Memory 2003 "As I Am" — Train of Thought 2005 "These Walls" — Octavarium 2007 "Constant Motion" — Systematic Chaos 2009 "A Rite of Passage" — Black Clouds & Silver Linings 2011 "On the Backs of Angels" — A Dramatic Turn of Events "Build Me Up, Break Me Down" — 2013 "The Enemy Inside" — Dream Theater "Along for the Ride" — 2014 "The Looking Glass" —2016 "The Gift of Music" — The Astonishing "Our New World" — 2018 "Untethered Angel" — Distance over Time 2019 "Fall into the Light" — "Paralyzed" — "Barstool Warrior" — "At Wit's End" —2021 "The Alien" —A View from the Top of the World "Invisible Monster" — "Awaken the Master" —"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
Other appearances Year Title Description 2006 Gigantour Dream Theater performed The Glass Prison and Panic Attack on this live CD/DVD release of the 2005 Gigantour. 2010 Raw Dog An instrumental track written for the Blood & Metal EP which accompanies the PlayStation 3 game God of War III. It is notable as the last song Mike Portnoy recorded with Dream Theater until his return to the band in 2023. 2017 Xanadu Included on the 40th Anniversary reissue of A Farewell to Kings by Rush.
Videos Video albums Title Video details Peak chart positions Certifications US
AUT FIN GER ITAArchivio
NLD JPN SWE Images and Words: Live in Tokyo Released: November 16, 1993 Label: Atlantic, East West Format: VHS, [VCD (Indonesian Only)] 13 — — — — — — — 5 Years in a Livetime Released: October 27, 1998 Label: East West Format: VHS — — — — — — — — Metropolis 2000: Scenes from New York Released: March 20, 2001 Label: Elektra Format: DVD, VHS 5 — 2 — — — 22 5 RIAA: Gold Live at Budokan Released: October 5, 2004 Label: Atlantic Format: DVD, BD 4 — 3 91 — — 24 3 RIAA: Platinum Images and Words: Live in Tokyo / 5 Years in a Livetime Released: June 1, 2004 Label: Rhino Home Video Format: DVD — — — — — — — — RIAA: Platinum ScoreReleased: August 29, 2006 Label: Rhino Format: DVD 1 3 1 40 2 — 28 1 RIAA: Platinum AUS: Gold Chaos in Motion: 2007–2008 Released: September 30, 2008 Label: Roadrunner Format: DVD, CD 2 — — 37 1 3 38 — Live at Luna Park Released: November 5, 2013 Label: Roadrunner Format: DVD, CD, BD 1 — 1 17 5 11 74 1 RIAA: Gold Breaking the Fourth Wall Released: September 30, 2014 Label: Roadrunner Format: DVD, CD, BD — — 1 28 2 2 94 1 Distant Memories – Live in London Released: November 27, 2020 Label: Inside Out Music Format: DVD, CD, BD — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country.
Music videos