Jimmy Kay and former Anthrax singer Neil Trubin at The Metal Voice spoke to Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess about the new Liquid Tension Experiment, 3 (via InsideOut Music) and his new solo album. Rudess also offered an update on Dream Theater's forthcoming new album.

On working with LTE again after all these years with the line-up change in Dream Theater (drummer Mike Portnoy's departure in 2010)

Rudess: "When we walked into the studio with Mike, it had been eleven years since we were all in the studio together. It had been over 20 years since we had been in the studio all together as LTE. It's pretty crazy if you think about it. What the whole experience really taught me about time and gave me new perspectives on what that all means. It was so immediate, like we had never been apart, and it was over 20 years. As far as the dynamic with Mike, obviously Mike left Dream Theater 11 years ago but our resonance together in the studio and friendship was so real and comfortable we fell back into our groove. It was even smoother because everybody was a little older, time has gone by, time heals. So any kind of wounds that were from that 11 year old situation, it was gone. We were just happy to be together, we were happy to make music together and I think it really showed."

On the forthcoming  upcoming Dream Theater album

Rudess: "We are looking really good we had a great start in writing it, now we are going to be mixing it, mastering it. I am super excited about it, it sounds really really cool. People are gonna love it. It's not coming out for a while so there is not too much one can say about it at this point."

On September 8, 2010, Mike Portnoy announced he would be leaving Dream Theater. The band hired Mike Mangini to take his place after inviting and holding auditions with seven "world-class" drummers. When Avenged Sevenfold later decided to also sever ties with Portnoy - he had recorded with the band for their Nightmare album - Portnoy announced that he had asked to return to Dream Theater, but was turned down by their lawye since the band had already brought Mangini on board.

In a 2019 interview with Avenged Sevenfold bassist Johnny Christ for Drinks With Johnny, Portnoy looked back on leaving Dream Theater.

Portnoy: "I was 25 years into Dream Theater at that point, and I was fried, and I was burnt. And I just needed a break. And touring with you guys was very refreshing for me, and it showed me that there's more out there than just the little Dream Theater bubble that I had been in for 25 years. So you guys were really good for me at that point as well; you kind of opened up my eyes to other things. I pretty much made the decision that I needed a break from those guys; I needed to be able to explore other things, whether it be with you guys, or if it was not with you guys with something else. And I knew that it wouldn't necessarily work out between you guys and me, because I didn't know if you were ready to make a commitment.

The whole Dream Theater thing sparked up so much drama at the time. Any time I did an interview, it became a fucking headline. It was horrible, and believe me, I never wanted that. And I'm sure, for you guys, that became a huge distraction. If it wasn't gonna be with you guys, I needed to do other things with other people, that was just what I needed in my life and my career. Dream Theater was on my back to make commitments to a time table because they wanted to go on, and I just wasn't ready to make those commitments."

Liquid Tension Experiment, the legendary supergroup comprised of Mike Portnoy (Transatlantic, Sons Of Apollo), John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), and Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel), return with a new album, LTE3, out on April 16th via InsideOutMusic, twenty-two years after the bands’ last studio album.

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Hypersonic"
"Beating The Odds"
"Liquid Evolution"
"The Passage Of Time"
"Chris & Kevin’s Amazing Odyssey"
"Rhapsody In Blue"
"Shades Of Hope"
"Key To The Imagination"

Bonus Disc: Includes almost an hour of improvised jams.

"Beating The Odds" video:

“The Passage Of Time” video:

Teaser:

In 1997, Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, and Tony Levin, joined forces to create Liquid Tension Experiment. The foursome would release their iconic, self-titled debut album in 1998 and the dazzling follow-up, LTE2 in 1999, creating a dynamic, frantic, and inventive sound all their own. The incredible creativity between the collective would prompt Petrucci and Portnoy to invite Rudess to join Dream Theater, effectively marking the end of this side project.  However, since that time, there have been few reunions more in demand. Now, with the world in lockdown and calendars unexpectedly aligned, the inconceivable has finally happened… a new Liquid Tension Experiment album.