| The Dark Eternal Night | |
| Systematic Chaos | |
| Length | 08:51 |
| Working title | N.A.D.S. |
| Release date | June 4, 2007 |
| Lyrics | John Petrucci |
| Music | John Myung, John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess |
| First live performance | 6/12/2007 Katowice, Poland (Chaos in Motion - 1st European Leg) |
| Total live plays | 175 |
| Recorded | Avatar Studios |
| Other appearances | Chaos in Motion |
| Previous song | Constant Motion |
| Next song | Repentance |
The Dark Eternal Night is the fourth song on Dream Theater's ninth studio album, Systematic Chaos. It's a nine-minute long heavy song and was the second to be made public prior to the release of the album.
It is one of three songs, thus far, to have an on-screen animation made for live performances of it. The other is Octavarium. The animation itself has been adapted into a shirt, which features its working title "N.A.D.S." backronymmed into "North American Dream Squad."
Dream Theater - The Dark Eternal Night In-Studio
Lyrics
No One Dared to Speak of the terrible danger The hideous ancient warnings Forged in the void of night He Has Risen up Out of the blackness Chaos The last of the prophets Sinister A sickening monstrous sight Through the stifling heat Underneath the pale green moon (I burned with a thirst To seek things not yet seen) Climbing endless stairs Leading to the choking room (Eager to explore His most Shocking mysteries) Drifting beyond all time Out of a churning sky Drawn to the beckoning light Of the dark eternal night Black forces Rage in a vortex Fighting Rays of destruction Swallowing The echo of the universe I am the last Born of the blood of the Pharaohs The ultimate God of a rotting creation Sent to unleash this curse Restless crowds draw near Nameless hooded forms appear (Amidst fallen ruins, Grotesque creatures battle) Shadowed on a screen Yellow evil faces leer (Vacant monuments Corpses Of dead worlds Left behind) Drifting beyond all time Out of a churning sky Drawn to the beckoning light Of the dark eternal night Trapped in a hellish dream Spinning past worlds unseen And frightfully vanishing Into the dark eternal night Drifting beyond all time Out of a churning sky Drawn to the beckoning light Of the dark eternal night Trapped in a hellish dream Spinning past worlds unseen And frightfully vanishing Into the dark eternal night
Tone
Of the four tenets of Dream Theater's sound, the metal features most in this song, however the instrumental section in the middle has a very progressive tone, while remaining heavy.
Analysis
The lyrics are about a pharaoh rising from the dead to make war against the living as a monster. They are heavily influenced by the short story "Nyarlathotep" by American horror fiction writer H.P. Lovecraft, even borrowing a few specific phrases from this story, for example, "I am the last".
Appearances
- Systematic Chaos - Original recorded version
- Chaos in Motion - Live version
- Live at Luna Park - Live version featuring Mike Mangini