Dream Theater is all set to record their sixteenth album, now with drummer Mike Portnoy back in the band , as reported by Consequence .
The band shared the news with fans on Instagram , posting a photo of the studio and a brief caption: “DT16 is officially in progress!”
Mike Portnoy announced his official return to the band on October 25, 2023, and since then has given several interviews regarding the reasons that led him to return to Dream Theater, as well as his reconciliation with John Petrucci during the pandemic and his reunion with James LaBrie , as he told the Blabbermouth : “After attending a Dream Theater concert in March 2022 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, it was the first time in a decade that I saw James, and I'm not exaggerating, it was wonderful, all that drama and nonsense that always accompanied our separation simply vanished into thin air, and things started to make sense in an inevitable way.”
"It seemed like we were in the right place at the right time in our lives; we were no longer twenty, thirty, or forty years old, but rather, we had the experience and maturity of our fifties, and of course, some of us were sixty years old."
And he concludes: "Simply put, when you reach a certain age, you realize that life is too short not to be with the people you love and continue making the music that has always been a part of your life, heart, and soul."
According to the website Consequence , regarding the direction of the new album, guitarist John Petrucci said that the band hadn't written anything yet, but that he was excited to "reunite with that kind of classic magic that started the band."
“It’s exciting,” Petrucci added. “And I think that’s going to dictate where things go.”
On his Instagram, Mike also teases fans: “It might be snowing outside, but we’re boiling in the studio with DT!”
READ ALSO: The 11 best Dream Theater songs with Mike Portnoy
