Wither
Wither is a digital-only release from Dream Theater, the American progressive metal band, issued through Roadrunner Records on 15 September 2009. It centres on the song "Wither", presented in its album version alongside a stripped-back take with just vocals and piano. Two demos round things out: "Wither" with John Petrucci singing, and "The Best of Times" with Mike Portnoy on vocals.
It arrives in the same year as the band's tenth studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, and it turned out to be their last official release with Portnoy before he left in September 2010. He returned in October 2023. It is also the only studio release without the Majesty symbol on its cover, a small oddity for longtime fans. The demos make it a handy curiosity for anyone keen to hear how these songs took shape.
Wither: tracklist and credits
4 tracks · 29:04Tracklist
- 1WitherJohn Petrucci5:25
- 2Wither (piano version)John Petrucci5:08
- 3Wither (John Petrucci vocal demo)John Petrucci5:26
- 4The Best of Times (Mike Portnoy vocal demo)Myung, Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess13:05
- Produced by
- Paul Northfield, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy
- Recorded at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC
- Recorded
- October 2008 – March 2009
- Mixed by
- Paul Northfield
- Mixed at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC
- Engineered by
- Paul Northfield
- Label
- Roadrunner Records
- Length
- 29:04
Line-up
- John Myung · bass guitar, electric bass guitar
- John Petrucci · acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- Mike Portnoy · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals, lead vocals
- Jordan Rudess · keyboard, continuum, piano
- James LaBrie · lead vocals
From MusicBrainz and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 15 September
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The best of 2009
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More on Roadrunner Records
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 15 September 2009 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 15 September 2009 | |
| Wikidata | 15 September 2009 |
1 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 September 2009 | XW | Roadrunner Records | 016861378004 | original |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×600 | upscaled |