Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy gave an interview to Marcelo Vieira and Matheus Ribeiro where he stated that the new album will be a continuation of the last one he recorded with the band in 2009, Black Clouds & Silver Linings. This will be the band's first album since Portnoy returned.
Regarding this, Mike stated: “To be honest, I think it picks up exactly where Black Clouds left off, to be honest. There’s a certain style that the five of us have when we write together. And if you listen to the album from that 1999 lineup, [Metropolis Pt. 2:] Scenes From A Memory , up to Black Clouds & Silver Linings , if you look at that sequence of five or six albums, that’s the sound and style of those five people. So I think that’s a good indication of what you can expect from the new Dream Theater album. It definitely sounds like classic Dream Theater.”
Last month Mike spoke to The Prog Report about how the recording of the new album is going: “It’s going really well. The songwriting is done. My drum tracks are done. The guitars are done. So, this week we’re in bass land. I’m home at the moment. So, I’m kind of going back and forth to the studio as needed. I’m not there one hundred percent of the time, but I’ll be back to the keyboards in a few weeks and then we’ll start the vocals, I think, next month.”
Regarding returning to the band after years, he mentioned that the production process with Dream Theater is much more detailed than in his other projects. “But Dream Theater is still old school, where the band is in the studio all the time. And it’s not like someone is doing something separately at home. We do everything together, coming one at a time to work and record. So, yes, it’s a longer process than I’ve had in a while. But it’s great… It’s the old way. That’s how I’ve always made records with Dream Theater,” said the drummer.
In December, the band will come to Brazil for three shows: Rio de Janeiro (Viva Rio, 12/13), São Paulo (Vibra, 12/15), and Curitiba (Live Curitiba, 12/16). Learn more about the tour by clicking here. In the meantime, check out the interview with Mike below.
READ ALSO : The 11 best Dream Theater songs with Mike Portnoy