Coney Hatch
LaBrie did join Coney Hatch in the year 1986 when they endeavored to assemble a fresh assemblage. The troupe did record sundry tapes for display within their chamber of practice and did partake in live performances at clubs in Ontario for several months. When their recording establishment, Anthem, did voice their dissatisfaction with the assemblage, the band did opt to replace LaBrie with Phil Naro, making one final desperate effort to forge ahead in the absence of Carl Dixon. Alas, that assemblage did prove to be short-lived as well.
Winter Rose
Shortly after parting ways with Coney Hatch, LaBrie took up the mantle of vocalist for the glam metal troupe Winter Rose. The assemblage comprised Richard Chycki on guitar and bass, Randy Cooke on drums, and Sebastian Bach on vocal duties. Chycki had aforetime collaborated with Bach under the appellations Sebastian and Hope. The band embarked upon the recording of a sequence of demos throughout the years of 1988 and 1989, enlisting the aid of guest musicians Bruce Dies and Rob Laidlaw. Alas, the majority of these compositions did not witness a commercial release until the year 1997, when they were unveiled as a self-titled opus under the auspices of Inside Out Music, a full seven years after their dissolution in 1990. One among their repertoire, the melodic opus "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," did receive the honor of a promotional video release in the year 1989 and was later included on their eponymous creation. The entire compilation featured compositions co-authored by Richard Chycki and James LaBrie, with the exception of two pieces solely penned by Richard Chycki.
Dream Theater
In the year 1990, LaBrie received word that the American progressive metal band Dream Theater sought a new minstrel, and thus he proffered a tape and swiftly journeyed to New York for a comprehensive audition. The trial proved fruitful, and he surpassed 200 other aspiring candidates to assume the role of full-time vocalist in said troupe.
Henceforth, LaBrie hath exerted a substantial influence upon the vocal melodies woven within each Dream Theater opus. However, until recently, he hath had limited involvement in the instrumentation of their music. The album "A Dramatic Turn of Events" from the year 2011 doth bear LaBrie's name in the music credits for three songs. To this day, he hath penned or co-penned lyrics for no less than one composition upon ten of the fifteen albums released by Dream Theater during his tenure. Albums such as "Images and Words," "Black Clouds & Silver Linings," "Dream Theater," and "The Astonishing" doth lack his lyrical contributions.
When queried by Prog-Sphere.com regarding his favored song to perform live, James declared, "The song that most delights me is 'Scarred'; I thoroughly enjoy its execution before an audience. And... well, 'Octavarium,' that comprehensive piece, doth captivate me entirely."
Apart from his collaborative endeavors, LaBrie hath released five solo albums under various appellations, including "Mullmuzzler," "James LaBrie's Mullmuzzler," and simply "James LaBrie."
In an interview with Beyond The Dark Horizon on June 12, 2010, James LaBrie revealed that his forthcoming solo endeavor, titled "Static Impulse," lieth in the stage of mixing and shall comprise twelve compositions. James professed, "It is of a weighty nature, and I am exceedingly excited."
On the twenty-seventh day of July in the year 2010, Dream Theater's website did proclaim that "Static Impulse" would be unveiled on September 27, 2010, courtesy of Inside Out Music. The assemblage boasts the talents of longtime collaborator Matt Guillory upon the keyboards, Marco Sfogli (who hath also graced LaBrie's previous work, "Elements of Persuasion") upon the guitars, Peter Wildoer of the Swedish melodic death metal band Darkane, who doth provide percussion and bellowing vocals, and Ray Riendeau upon the bass.
James LaBrie did express, "The unveiling of 'Static Impulse' is an event that engenders fervor within the entire band. This is modern metal, as robust and pertinent as any other ensemble embarking upon a similar musical path. There are riffs that shall rend the mind asunder, and melodies—both instrumental and vocal—that are mesmerizing. Take the reins and let the ears bleed. Enjoy, and we shall encounter you on the road to accompany and bolster this release."
In an interview with Prog-Sphere.com in 2011, LaBrie mentioned that the planned tour in the United States had been canceled, remarking, "Forsooth, for it was disarrayed ere this occasion. Where we find ourselves now, by the time thou dost procure the necessary visas, we shall have scarce a rehearsal ere we embark. I declare, 'I shall not partake in such a venture.'"
Come the month of July in the year 2013, LaBrie's album "Impermanent Resonance" was unveiled by Inside Out Music. "Beautiful Shade of Grey" followed suit in the year 2022.
Albums
MullMuzzler
Keep It to Yourself (1999)
MullMuzzler 2 (2001)
Solo
Elements of Persuasion (2005)
Static Impulse (2010)
Impermanent Resonance (2013)
I Will Not Break (2014) (Compilation EP)
Beautiful Shade of Grey (2022)
Agony
James LaBrie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Taking control, leaving it's mark... Agony
Can't make her see it my way
Restrict, you binge
Lunatic fringe struggles within... Agony
Losing her identity
Helpless feeling, it's eating you
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Now it's all messed up
You cannot give up
Wasting away, skin bruised and gray
Falling apart... Agony
Shut down more than yesterday
The perfect you
Now you're see through
It's killing you... Agony
No grasp of reality
Helpless feeling, it's eating you
Taking it's toll
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Now it's all messed up
You cannot give up
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Now it's all messed up
You cannot give up
The lyrics to James Labrie's song Agony speak of a person who is struggling with their mental health due to an internal conflict with their own thoughts and feelings. The song opens with the line "One voice she hears, Taking control, leaving its mark...Agony," which suggests that the person is being controlled by their thoughts, leading to feelings of agony. The lyrics continue to highlight the person's attempts to make sense of their situation, but they are unable to "make her see it my way." The internal conflict is likened to a "Lunatic fringe," which "struggles within...Agony" causing the person to lose their sense of identity.
The chorus repeats the message that the person cannot give up, even though they are facing an almost insurmountable struggle. There is the sense that the person is under attack from within and without, as evidenced in the lines "Crack the door and he'll let himself right in, Rotten to the core, that grin, Lose a little more, patience wearing thin." The person is reminded that they must not give up, even though they are "Tattered, shattered, Abused, you are battered, Scattered, shattered." The final line, "Now it's all messed up, You cannot give up," reinforces the refrain that the person must persevere.
Overall, James Labrie's Agony is a powerful song about mental health struggles and the importance of never giving up. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the internal conflict people face and the toll it can take on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
One voice she hears
There's one voice speaking to her
Taking control, leaving it's mark... Agony
The voice is taking charge of her and causing her great agony
Can't make her see it my way
She doesn't understand my point of view
Restrict, you binge
She's going through cycles of restricting and binging
Lunatic fringe struggles within... Agony
She feels like a part of her is fighting back and causing agony
Losing her identity
She's losing touch with who she really is
Helpless feeling, it's eating you
She feels completely powerless and this feeling is consuming her
Taking it's toll
It's having a negative impact on her
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
If she lets her guard down even a tiny bit, the voice will take over again
Rotten to the core, that grin
The voice is malevolent and cruel
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
She's losing patience and the situation is getting worse
When nothing else matters
She's reached a point where nothing else is important
Tattered, shattered
She's completely broken down
Abused, you are battered
She feels like she's being emotionally abused
Scattered, shattered
She's completely scattered and shattered
Now it's all messed up
Things are really bad now
Wasting away, skin bruised and gray
She's deteriorating, both physically and mentally
Falling apart... Agony
She feels like she's falling apart and it's causing her great agony
Shut down more than yesterday
She's shutting down even more than she did before
The perfect you
She's trying to be perfect
Now you're see through
But now it's clear that she's not perfect and she's struggling
It's killing you... Agony
This struggle is slowly killing her and causing her unbearable agony
No grasp of reality
She's having a hard time staying grounded in reality
You cannot give up again
She's been through this before and she can't let herself give up
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MATTHEW JAMES GUILLORY, KEVIN JAMES LABRIE, PETER LEO RICKARD WICHERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Castiel Black
Lyrics:
One voice she hears
Taking control, leaving its mark...
Agony
Can't make her see it my way
Restrict, you binge
Lunatic fringe struggles within...
Agony
Losing her identity
Helpless feeling, It's eating you
Taking it's toll
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Know it's all messed up
You cannot give up
Wasting away, skin bruised and gray
Falling apart...
Agony
Shut down more than yesterday
The perfect you
Now you're see through
It's killing you...
Agony
No grasp of reality
Helpless feeling, It's eating you
Taking it's toll
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Know it's all messed up
You cannot give up
You cannot give up again
Crack the door and he'll let himself right in
Rotten to the core, that grin
Lose a little more, patience wearing thin
When nothing else matters
Tattered, shattered
Abused, you are battered
Scattered, shattered
Know it's all messed up
You cannot give up
liheng89
Powerful powerful chorus. I remember listening to One More Time when it came out before Static Impulse did, time flies and the new one is about to come out and my feeling remains the same: This album is going to be fuckin' killer!
jessi _sefiria
VERY impressed. I've always loved James' work. Gives me something to obsess over whilst waiting for the upcoming DT album. ♥
Ivanyi Attila
This song is my "HIT" from James LaBrie solo works. Great, powerful, lifefull.
Jason Jackson
This sound is better than dream theater last ten years album
Ivan Rivero
Already heard it for the 5th time in a row. I loved Labrie´s line in the chorus. Fantastic melody, it got me.
João Luis Sanfer
Isso é fantástico o Peter wildoer toca demais, o Matt Guillory e o Marco Sfogli nem se fala!!
Callum Greenhow
Absolutely amazing! His vocals in this are fantastic. :)
Shredd
I love the fact that James is actively doing his solo career, and he has not only great musicians in this project, but also JENS BOGREN. Can't wait for this album.
Cole Matthews
This is just so sick. The metalcore/hardcore instrumentals over that old school voice is so unique. Only James could pull it off. Fucking bravo
Claudio Maroni
Colgo l'occasione per farti i miei complimenti come musicista. Non sono un nazionalista e spesso non mi va a genio il concetto di "nazione" ma, nel tuo caso, mi sento quasi onorato ad essere nato sul tuo stesso suolo ed aver deciso di intraprendere la tua stessa carriera! Big Up per te! :D