With the re-release of Leitmotif, Dredg toured nationally and internationally in support of the record with bands such as Alien Ant Farm, Pressure 4-5, The Apex Theory, Taproot, Deadsy and Onesidezero. As part of the deal, Leitmotif was re-released by Interscope on September 11, 2001. In February 2001, Dredg was offered a deal by Interscope Records. The band began sending out a demo tape to several labels with four new songs intended for their next album, 'Of the Room', 'Redrawing the Island Map', 'Running Through Propellers' and 'The Papal Insignia'. Over the next two years, Dredg toured mostly within California, slowly expanding their fan base. Written by Roulette, the band had planned to release a movie of the story however, upon the death of the lead actor, the project was scrapped. The story was included in the liner notes, in lieu of the actual lyrics. Leitmotif was a concept album about a man traveling the world to cure his moral disease.

The album was independently released in May 1998. In 1998, Dredg released their first full-length, Leitmotif. With the release, Dredg slowly built a name for themselves in the Bay Area, as well as on the East Coast, such as in Boston and New York. Additionally, the track 'Kayasuma' shares its title with the name of the shaman in Leitmotif's liner notes for 'Lechium'. It includes the group's first instrumental track, 'Orph'. In 1997, they released what would become the early stages of their musical transition, the Orph EP. Currently, very little information has ever been released about these demos. In 1996, Dredg recorded and released their first demos of original material, the Conscious EP, garnering them exposure as far away as Boston. The band's logo can be found in the book 'The I Ching and The Genetic Code The Hidden Key to Life' by Dr.

Honestly, we don't even like the name anymore.

In 2005, Campanella added, 'It was so long ago that we named it I can't even remember. The name Dredg may have come from the English word dredge, which in its verbal usage means to unearth or widen/deepen a river or channel dredge is also the name of the device used to perform this function. After Engles and Campanella graduated to Los Gatos High School, older friends Hayes and Roulette joined the group. While attending middle school in Los Gatos, California, Engles and Campanella started playing music together. 1.5 Exit from Interscope and The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion (2007-2009).1.4 Catch Without Arms - Live at the Fillmore (2005-2006).

Leitmotif dredg