Endless Sacrifice

Song infobox
Name = Endless Sacrifice


Artist = Dream Theater
Album = Train of Thought
Released = November 2003
track_no = 3
Recorded = March - April 2003
Genre = Progressive metal
Length = 11:24
Label = Elektra Records
Composer = John Myung, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess
Writer = John Petrucci
prev = "This Dying Soul"
prev_no = 2
next = "Honor Thy Father"
next_no = 4

"Endless Sacrifice" is the third track on progressive metal band Dream Theater's seventh album, Train of Thought. It is predominantly in the key of D minor.

Lyrical meaning

The song is believed by many to be about John Petrucci and his wife being apart during his work as a musician, and how it pains them that they cannot see each other. It mentions how she has given up her livelihood, and therefore made a sacrifice, for him to live out his "undying dream", alighting to the title of the track.

Musical arrangement

The song begins with a slow, mellow section, with a clean guitar sound. This is kept up through the first verse, after which the chorus breaks into a much heavier riff, followed by a section carried mainly by the keyboards. The opening section is played again, followed by the chorus, which then breaks into a heavier instrumental section, with several solos, including a trade-off section between Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci. After this section, the song goes into a classic heavy metal style section, reminiscent of bands such as Iron Maiden. It should also be noted that, during this final section, James LaBrie's vocals are very similar to Bruce Dickinson's in many of his works.

Personnel

*James LaBrie - vocals
*John Petrucci - guitar
*John Myung - bass
*Jordan Rudess - keyboards
*Mike Portnoy - drums