During a conversation with Ultimate Guitar's David Slavković, Dream Theater bassist John Myung discussed the band's new live album, solo music, the Dream Theater's longevity, and more.

UG: Dream Theater has been active for over three decades now. Being a progressive metal band, this comes with its own challenges. How do you manage to still sound very innovative and very fresh with new material after so many years?

Myung: "Well, it doesn't seem to be a problem with us. There's always more than enough ideas in the room, and that's one of the advantages of being in a band - between the five of us, there always seems to be more ideas than we can use. So the problem is not worrying about scarcity of the ideas, but how to manage the abundance of ideas that we have. And that's all just sorted by everyone getting on the same page regarding the creative direction and what we're feeling at that point in time. So, that sort of adds relevance to the ideas we'd use and it seems to be working with everyone."

UG: Your debut album (When Dream And Day Unite) came over 30 years ago. When you look back at it from this perspective, how do you feel about this album now - from the perspective of one of the most praised prog metal musicians?

Myung: "I think it's an honor to have that sort of reception and to have created something that is significant enough to get noticed, and people actually really paying attention to what you're doing. It's sort of a blessing to have an album that's perceived that way, so to me - it tells me whether we're on or off track. So, that kind of tells me that we're on track, and I really like both sides of it. I really appreciate the fan perspective, because growing up as a musician, you know, there were at least a handful of records that I really regarded as a great inspiration growing up, so it's nice to see that as time went by, we're sort of in that position now."

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Dream Theater have released the next video from their upcoming ninth career live album, Distant Memories - Live In London, scheduled for release on November 27. The video is taken from the second set of the show where James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, John Myung and Mike Mangini celebrate the band’s seminal concept album Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From A Memory.

The live version of “Fatal Tragedy” features Dream Theater showcasing the expert musicianship - plainly evident in the studio release from two decades past - that fans have come to expect from their live shows. The live video for “Fatal Tragedy” can be seen below.

“Performing SFAM live in its entirety 20 years after its initial release was a ton of fun for all of us. ‘Fatal Tragedy’ is one of the darker, heavier and more exciting songs on ‘Scenes’ and always gets an amazing response from our audience. It’s an important track because lyrically it helps to establish the story’s plot details while musically it showcases some of our favorite instrumental moments on the album,” explains John Petrucci.

Recorded at their sold-out show at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Hammersmith, London, the live release documents the band’s popular world tour in support of their latest critically acclaimed studio album Distance Over Time and the 20-year anniversary of their seminal concept album Metropolis Part 2 - Scenes From A Memory.

Distant Memories - Live In London is the band’s first live album since 2014’s Breaking The Fourth Wall. The new release will be available in various configurations including digital only, a 3-CD and 2 DVD multibox, a 3-CD and 2 Blu-Ray digipak with slipcase, a limited deluxe 3-CD + 2 Blu-Ray + 2 DVD Artbook and a limited 4-LP and 3-CD box set. The video components will also feature a Behind The Scenes look at the band as they get ready for the shows.

All formats of Distant Memories - Live In London are now available for pre-order here.

Distant Memories - Live In London tracklisting:

"Untethered Angel"
"A Nightmare To Remember"
"Fall Into The Light"
"Barstool Warrior"
"In The Presence Of Enemies - Part 1"
"Pale Blue Dot"
"Scenes Live Intro"
"Scene One: Regression"
"Scene Two: I. Overture 1928"
"Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu"
"Scene Three: I. Through My Words"
"Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy"
"Scene Four: Beyond This Life"
"Scene Five: Through Her Eyes"
"Scene Six: Home"
"Scene Seven: I. The Dance Of Eternity"
"Scene Seven: II. One Last Time"
"Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On"
"Scene Nine: Finally Free"
"At Wit’s End"
"Paralyzed" (Bonus Track)

"Pale Blue Dot" live video: