Songfacts®:

• Guitarist and producer John Petrucci told MusicRadar the song was written with a specific purpose. He explained: "We wanted 'Outcry' to be the anthem for the album, so it has a very strong theme, and it's totally insane instrumentally. It's like Dream Theater defined, but way over the top!"
• Petrucci told MusicRadar the story of the song: "I was playing a riff while we were doing drummer auditions, and it really inspired me. So I programmed the drums and played the riff over it, but I ended up changing it around quite a bit, making it larger and more anthemic. In a song like this, the goal for Jordan (Rudess), is to come up with a keyboard part that's right out of the movies, like a big John Williams soundtrack, something that's strong and that everybody will be able to sing and remember. Because he's so amazing, Jordan always has five million ideas, so we tweak and work on things until the melody is right there."
• Petrucci explained the lyrical content: "After the intro, the theme kicks in. The way it made me envision flying through the air in slow motion really influenced the lyrics, which are about the uprisings in the Middle East, people fighting against oppression."