Dream Theater's forthcoming sixteenth studio album will mark the progressive metal legends' first album since the return of drummer Mike Portnoy last October.

Asked by Chris Akin Presents about the sound of the new music, and where it fits in, Dream Theater keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, responds:

"Well, let's put it this way. Like, I think that there is, there's this undeniable, almost unexplainable or inexplainable, whatever the word is, type of thing that happens with drummers. Like, you know, we survived beautifully in the 13 years that Mike Portnoy was not there. You know, Mike Mangini was a supreme drummer, just incredible. And that said, you know, the album, all the albums with Portnoy, all the albums Mangini, they have different flavours because there's something about the back beat, if you will, of a band and the drummer that just gives an energy to the whole thing. And a lot of people speak of that. It's it's kind of hard to pin down, but you really notice it.

"Like on this new album, I'm like, oh, I, I listen to it and I go, OK, I feel the Portnoy energy back there. I would say, you know, what I'm hearing personally, is like classic kind of Dream Theater. Whatever that, let's just say whatever that means to anybody that's listening. You'll have to wait and see. But it just feels like, you know, think of it this way, the core band is back together again. It's classic Dream Theater.

"You know, I'd also like to point out that, you know, we are a bunch of guys that, we take what we do very, very seriously. We put every ounce, every bit of effort, energy into everything we do. We care so much about it, each and every one of us. The other day I was talking to John Petrucci in the studio when I was doing my keyboard parts, and we were, we were like really deep and working really hard and spending long hours and just getting things, you know, to where we feel they're really, really right. And I said to John, I said, 'John, like what? Look, look at what we're doing. We're here late. We're working like crazy. We're like, why?' We, we could, we could have been making pop music. Like what, why are we doing this? Just to get it, you know, like to really understand cause a lot of, you know, people don't put the kind of effort, I guess, especially these days when it, I don't know, there tends to be a different kind of work ethic around. We're maybe we're kind of like old school in that way.

"But you know, to produce a product, to make something that's gonna last, that is gonna be shared with a large number of people. It's just gonna live on, you know, in a way, forever. That to us is a really serious thing. And as artists, we're trying to make a statement.

"And back to the Portnoy part of it, which is that one of the beautiful things is Mike has brought with him all his incredible skills. He's not a guy who just plays the drums really well. He also understands this business. I always like to say that, you know, he's got kind of like a film directors mentality. He's looking at everything from a conceptual point of view and he has skills that the rest of us don't. I mean, yes, we survived fine. We did really well. We won a Grammy and all that. But there's a magic there that, you know, we, we now have back. You know, it's cool, it's really cool. We're super excited.

"The album's coming along really well. I finished all my keyboard parts, really pleased with them. Got some really beefy, cool tones. And, you know, there was a great piano in the studio which just rocked when I needed it to, was really melodic when I needed it to. The drums sound amazing. Petrucci's solos - I don't know, every album he just seems to outdo himself with all that. The bass sounds great. I mean, Jimmy T our engineer is, it's incredible just watching him work, you know. So the team is in a good place. James is doing his vocals pretty much as we as we speak. And I got a little taste of that and they sound great. So yeah, it's in a good spot."

Dream Theater recently announced their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025. The tour - presented as An Evening With Dream Theater - is the first outing since drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

The European leg consists of stops in 23 cities and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. Dream Theater will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.

The band recently checked in with the following update: "Danke Schön to all of our great fans in Germany for the first official Sold Out show of our EU/UK leg: November 21st in Frankfurt! Due to the enthusiasm of our fans we are adding a few hundred more tickets to the capacity, ensuring as many of you get to join us as possible! These extra tickets will likely sell out very quickly, so get them NOW while you still can!

More information on all tickets and VIP packages can be found here.

 

 

An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025

October
20 - London, England - The O2
22 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Eats Music Hall
23 - Koln, Germany - Palladium
25 - Milan, Italy - Forum
26 - Rome, Italy - Palazzo dello Sport
28 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
29 - Zagreb, Croatia - Arena Zagreb

November
1 - Budapest, Hungary - Budapest Arena
2 - Prague - Czech Republic - Fortuna Arena
3 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
6 - Helsinki, Finland - Metro Areena
8 - Stockholm. Sweden - Waterfront
9 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Poolen
12 - Luxembourg - Rockhal
13 - Zurich, Switzerland - The Hall
14 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
16 - Lisbon, Portugal - MEO Arena
17 - Madrid, Spain - La Cubierta de Leganés
20 - Stuttgart, Germany - Beethovensaal
21 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhundderthalle
23 - Paris, France - Adidas Arena
24 - Amsterdam - AFAS Live

(Photo Courtesy of Dream Theater)