John Petrucci Says Mike Portnoy’s Return Didn’t Change Anything In Dream Theater’s Songwriting
In a new interview with Guitar Interactive Magazine, Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci talked about his songwriting process and discussed how Mike Portnoy’s return to the band affected it. Apparently, his comeback didn’t change much in the process. Petrucci explained:
“The writing process with Dream Theater I mean, it’s about to change because we just got our old new drummer back in the band. So Mike Portnoy is back in Dream Theater after 13 years. So we’re about to go into the studio and start writing a new record. We’re really excited about that. I mean the process honestly hasn’t changed really too much, we get together, some guys have ideas, and whether we use them or not. Who knows? But we’ll come in with different seeds and thoughts and ideas, but a lot of it is just us getting together being comfortable drinking coffee and jamming.”
He then explained the one habit he got rid of in the band:
“Some of the albums are more conceived ahead of time like, ‘Okay, this record is going to be a concept album We’re gonna do a storyline.’ but some of them are just let’s see what happens. That process has worked for us. I guess early on we demoed a lot, we would demo and then go in the studio. I kind of got away from that.”
Portnoy Completed His Own Parts
A new Dream Theater album is in the works and it will be the band’s first since Portnoy rejoined last October.
A month ago, Portnoy took to Facebook to share that he was done with the drumming duties for a while because he finished his parts for the album:
“Today is my last day behind this kit for a while… Yes indeed, my drums for DT16 are done!! But that is just the beginning…work will now continue in the coming months ahead on guitars, bass, keys, vocals, percussion (not to mention writing lyrics, mixing, mastering etc etc). I really can’t divulge anything more as we are (purposefully) keeping a very tight lid on any & all info at this early stage…but I will say we are all blown away and so extremely excited about what we’ve created! We cannot wait for you all to hear this…but patience, all will be revealed in due time…”
For now, there are no details about the record’s name or release date.
Is This The End For DT?
Even though Portnoy only recently rejoined the band, he thinks that this next album could be the last, considering their ages.
In a previous interview, the drummer talked about coming back to Dream Theater and how it affects his commitments with other bands like The Winery Dogs and Sons of Apollo. While he’s proud of his work outside Dream Theater over the last 13 years, he stressed that Dream Theater is his main focus now:
“We start working on a new album after the New Year. And I cannot wait to tour and get on stage with those guys again. That’s gonna be the most exciting thing about it, of it all. So, where the future lies for any of my other bands and projects, time will tell. Some will probably slip away; some will survive. And we’ll see; it might have future chapters. But right now, my focus is just on Dream Theater.”
Still, Portnoy and the rest of the band are excited to see what the album will turn out to be.
You can see the interview below.
