“There are certain records I remember listening to so attentively, almost as if I were watching a movie. You memorize every section of the music, you look forward to hearing certain parts – it just reaches deep inside of you. Close To The Edge is one of those records.

“The title song has a breakdown in the middle where it gets very trippy, and then it creeps up and has the most beautiful melody. I used to listen to that over and over and over. It’s very grand and thematic, and that’s something that was a huge influence on Dream Theater – the larger-than-life approach. Big melodies, big sounds – it's overwhelming. Those were all elements, the sound and and style, that we wanted to shoot for.

“The singing aspect, too: You listen to Jon Anderson, with his high voice and all the rich harmonies – it’s different. It’s not what you would typically hear a rock band singer do. His voice is very pretty, and it made the music even more beautiful.”