Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci recently spoke with MusicRadar.com about the band's new album The Astonishing, their upcoming tour, and offered his top 5 tips for guitarists. An excerpt from the interview is available below

Petrucci: “One of the main things I look for in a guitarist is in the sound itself. I go for a certain sound, and I think it’s an important thing for making a player more identifiable in the big giant pool of musicians out there. You want a sound that people will recognise just as much as your playing. It’s something I’ve worked on through the many, many years!

My sound is the result of listening to a lot of Rush and Metallica, because I kinda combined the two. I dial in this heavy Metallica crunch, which I’ve always used Mesa/Boogie amps to get… it’s a very thick, crunchy, percussive sound. I actually have a new signature Mesa head that’s just coming out called the JP-2C, which I’m really excited about.

Then, as for the Rush influence, it’s using the big extended chords with added 9ths and open strings, with some chorus on there. Combine the two and I think you get what is my sound, or at least the sound I identify with!”

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Dream Theater have released a new video for “The Gift Of Music”, a track from their new album, The Astonishing (out now and streaming in it’s entirety below), which is a character-based two-act double album that tells the story of dystopian future in which only machines can create music.

The Astonishing is available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard 2-CD set, 4-LP vinyl box set and a limited edition deluxe box set, all of which are currently available at this location.

Recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with John Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (Aerosmith, Rush) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating, The Astonishing paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It’s a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.

The Astonishing follows 2013’s worldwide smash album Dream Theatrer, which earned a second Grammy nomination for the band, topping Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums while simultaneously entering at #7 on the Billboard 200. The extraordinary chart position marked the group’s third consecutive top 10 debut, and also saw Dream Theater making top 5 chart debuts in Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada, Argentina, Switzerland, Holland, and Finland, as well as top 10 debuts in Denmark, Austria, and Norway, with career high debuts in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The band comments on the artwork: “This album cover extends an ominous invitation into the retro-futurist dystopian setting of The Astonishing. The deceptively beautiful yet chillingly totalitarian image is a bold harbinger of the visual components and ideas presented by the sonic story that is our most ambitious creative work to date. We are very proud to soon bring you…The Astonishing.”

Tracklisting:

Act I
“Descent Of The NOMACS”
“Dystopian Overture”
“The Gift Of Music”
“The Answer”
“A Better Life”
“Lord Nafaryus”
“A Savior In The Square”
“When Your Time Has Come”
“Act Of Faythe”
“Three Days”
“The Hovering Sojourn”
“Brother, Can You Hear Me?”
“A Life Left Behind”
“Ravenskill”
“Chosen”
“A Tempting Offer”
“Digital Discord”
“The X Aspect”
“A New Beginning”
“The Road To Revolution”

Act II
“2285 Entr’acte”
“Moment Of Betrayal”
“Heaven’s Cove”
“Begin Again”
“The Path That Divides”
“Machine Chatter”
“The Walking Shadow”
“My Last Farewell”
“Losing Faythe”
“Whispers In The Wind”
“Hymn Of A Thousand Voices”
“Power Down”
“Astonishing”

Album stream:

The Astonishing Interviews:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Dream Theater has announced their first North American tour of 2016, which will see the pioneering group performing a historic set in immersive and interactive settings for a unique and unparalleled live experience.

Set to kick-off April 14th at Quebec City’s Theatre Du Capitole, the spring trek will see the prog-virtuosos delivering a one-of-a-kind show in which they will perform their forthcoming double concept album, The Astonishing, live in its entirety. The momentous tour will continue through May with the band making stops at prestigious theaters throughout North America including New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ The Wiltern, and Boston’s Orpheum Theatre with additional dates to be announced.

For up-to-the-minute news and ticket information visit this location.

Tour dates:

February
18 - London, England - Palladium
19 - London, England - Palladium
22 - Amsterdam, Holland - Carre Theater    
23 - Amsterdam, Holland - Carre Theater
24 - Amsterdam, Holland - Carre Theater        
26 - Oslo, Norway - Konserthus
27 - Oslo, Norway - Konserthus
28 - Oslo, Norway - Konserthus

March
1 - Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
2 - Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
4 - Hannover, Germany - Kuppelsaal
5 - Paris, France - Palais des Congres    
6 - Paris, France - Palais des Congres
8 - Copenhagen, Denmark - DR Koncerthuset
9 - Berlin, Germany - Friedrichspalast
10 - Bochum, Germany - Ruhrcongress
14 - Nurnberg, Germany - Meistersingerhalle
15 - Frankfurt, Germany - Alte Oper Hall
17 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
18 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
19 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
22 - Stuttgart, Germany - Liederhalle Hegel-Saal
23 - Zurich, Switzerland - Kongresshaus

April
14 - Quebec City, QC - Theatre du Capitole
15 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
16 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre
18 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
19 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
20 - Hartford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
23 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
24 - Baltimore, MD - Hippodrome Theatre
26 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theater
27 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
30 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater

May
1 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
3 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
10 - Portland, OR - Schnitzer
11 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater