Berklee Today recently caught up with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci to discuss the band's new album, Systematic Chaos, and their humble beginnings as music students at Berklee. The following is a brief excerpt from the interview:

Berklee: After you fulfilled the terms of your contract with Atlantic Records, did you consider going it on your own and without a label before you signed with Roadrunner Records?

M.P.: "Doing everything ourselves would be impossible; we don't have the manpower. We have our own official bootleg series that we offer online. That's small time but is still massive to oversee. We knew with the size of our fan base that we needed a legitimate label, but we did not want to dive back into the corporate world of major labels. Roadrunner is the best of both worlds. They have a lot of mainstream acts on their roster and clout, but they have an independent spirit. It was critical for our band to be able to be ourselves and have the label support without the interference of a major label. I think with their support, we'll be able to continue to grow even more."

Berklee: The Internet must be a big help for a band like yours that doesn't get a lot of radio play.

M.P.: "It has been a huge part of our growth and development, because we couldn't rely on our previous label, MTV, or Rolling Stone to help. Before, if fans wanted tour dates or to connect with other fans, there wasn't a way to do it. Now, you can punch Dream Theater into a Google search and find all kinds of websites. That has been a tremendous help to us."

Berklee: Do you think the tendency of consumers to download single songs more than albums will mean that the idea of a concept album will fade?

M.P.: "We live in a Dream Theater bubble that is separate from the real world, and our fans are there with us. What we do and what the rest of the world does are different things. Our albums are on iTunes. We have a dilemma, in that iTunes doesn't allow you to download songs running longer than 10 minutes. Our albums are all on iTunes, but all of the songs are not available individually. Our fans generally go out and buy a whole album, though."

Berklee: Over the course of the 22-year history of the band, has your musical perspective changed in terms of where you are going?

J.P.: "Yes. The initial influences that determined the direction of the band haven't changed, but we've all developed as players, songwriters-and for Mike and me-producers. When we first started, we didn't know anything about recording. Everyone has come into his own as a solo artist. We record and jam with other people. So as professionals, everyone has grown. We are very comfortable when it comes to writing material for a new record. I'm comfortable playing live on the G3 tours with guitarists like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, and Paul Gilbert. After all this, you don't feel like the little kid you once were. You feel confident and that you fit in and can have a good time."

M.P.: "We're still the same kids who went to Berklee as music fans wanting to play our instruments. Now, we have wives and kids and nice homes and are fortunate to be making a living from our music. But we still have the same musical mentality."

Go to this location to check out the entire interview.