Dream Theater’s drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci just lately appeared on Espresso With Ola, the YouTube collection hosted by Swedish guitarist and Photo voltaic Guitars founder Ola Englund. The duo shared insights into Portnoy’s return to the band after a 13-year hiatus, their inventive course of, and their upcoming album Parasomnia.
Reflecting on the reunion, Portnoy famous (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), “It feels nice. I imply, it’s humorous as a result of for the entire world, they’re simply beginning to see the reunion now, however we’ve been collectively for a yr behind the scenes. So it has been over a yr for us behind the scenes and making the brand new file, however it’s solely now previously couple weeks for the reason that Fortieth-anniversary European tour started and for the reason that first music video [from the upcoming Dream Theater album] got here out that persons are truly seeing us again collectively once more. However for us, it is, like, it is outdated information… It’s thrilling, although. And you could possibly really feel the thrill and the love and the feelings at each present.”
Portnoy described the awe-inspiring heat from followers and the camaraderie inside the band, emphasizing the deep connections cast over many years of collaboration: And each night time James [LaBrie] welcomes me again on from stage. And it has been overwhelming, the quantity of affection and all people being so welcoming again and the whole lot.”
The reunion has additionally introduced new music, with the primary single, “Night time Terror,” showcasing their refreshed synergy. Petrucci defined, “There was some forwards and backwards as to what single we should always lead with, and ‘Night time Terror’ is the primary track that we wrote collectively… Once we acquired collectively, that is what got here out of us. And so, for us, yeah, possibly there are songs which are a bit bit extra instant to the final fanbase, however for us, we felt it was necessary that the very first thing that folks heard is, ‘Pay attention, that is what Dream Theater is. That is the very first thing we wrote. This identifies all of the stuff that everyone loves in regards to the band and showcases Mike.’ I all the time stated that opening fill earlier than the guitar riff that Mike does, that fill is like, ‘I am again.’ [Laughs] ‘In case you missed me.’ And I believe he did that in a single take. It was, like, ‘Yeah, that is it. That is the signature.'”
Portnoy mirrored on the pure ease of making with the band once more, saying, “To be again with these guys, it feels actually particular. It looks like household… John and me and [Dream Theater bassist] John Myung have been taking part in collectively virtually 40 years at this level. We fashioned the band once we have been youngsters and met at school, the primary month of faculty. So, for us, it is deeper than simply being in a band collectively. We have been via life collectively. We met our wives collectively, our wives performed in a band collectively, we and our households on the identical time, we have been to the funerals of one another’s dad and mom and siblings and issues like that. So, we have been via all these life experiences collectively. It goes past simply the music for us.”
“All that being stated, it additionally, not less than to me, felt like no time had handed. It didn’t really feel like 13 years. As soon as we began writing collectively, it felt so pure and so contemporary. ‘Night time Terror’ was the very first thing we labored on, and it simply got here out so naturally. There wasn’t a lot thought wanted to enter it. It was, like, ‘Okay, right here we’re the place we simply left off,'” Portnoy added.
Petrucci elaborated on their connection, describing it as an unstated musical language: “It is robust to clarify. For anyone on the market who has been in bands with their pals, you virtually have like an unstated language, like any person performs one thing, I do know what he means when he performs it and I reply, and vice versa. So it is, like, instantly the songs simply developed and grew in such a pure and natural method. It was so cool.”
Discussing Parasomnia, their sixteenth studio album set for launch on February 7, 2025, Petrucci revealed its thematic inspiration, describing it as a mirrored image on the vast spectrum of sleep disturbances. He in contrast it to their 2002 album Six Levels of Internal Turbulence, saying: “With out giving an excessive amount of of a method, as a result of we all the time wish to hold the thriller, however I believe this has been stated earlier than, the album’s referred to as ‘Parasomnia’, and for these individuals that do not know what that’s, it type of encompasses a broad vary of sleep disturbances, and that might vary from loud night breathing to some scarier issues, like sleepwalking and night time terrors, false awakenings and issues like that which are truly actually very scary for the those who it occurs to.”
“So, a lot in the way in which that [2002’s] Six Levels Of Internal Turbulence’had a lyrical theme to it the place there have been totally different case research having to do with challenges of psychological sickness and stuff like that, Parasomnia is kind of the sleep disturbance model of that, however in a complete file, versus only a track.”
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