Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini has shared a new drum cam video accompanied by the following message:

"These are my live drums for 'The Alien' mixed with the tracks from our last album, A View From The Top Of The World.  Although I was involved with the drum sounds and engineer on AVFTTOTW more than I've ever been to the tune of some years working a lot with Jimmy T., this video is simply my raw tracks bounced out and I panned, EQ'd a bit on the kick and snare and that's about it. No EQ on each tom track, only some on the AUX bussed track. I just wanted to spit this out. Not as sassy as the album sound, but it's raw, it's me both in bending w/feel within the click, dynamics and sound. This is a really challenging song to come out of the gate blaring and playing first. The balance shifts and tightness required are pretty demanding. It is what it is."

In a recent interview with Sarah Hagan, Mangini discusses returning to tour life after the pandemic, his solo album, the process of auditioning for Dream Theater, the band's  recent Grammy win, and his reunion with former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy.

"We were friends before I got this job. I mean, literally - he's in my place in LA, we're hanging out, he was the one that invited me to all the Dream Theater shows. He was the person I was closest with (in the band). He said all kinds of nice things about me all the time to people in magazines. So, the audition thing happened and he had left, and our relationship kind of just went into a holding pattern. And that was that... whatever that means. It just might have been awkward for him or whatever - I don't know."