In an interview with Rock Eyez' Brian Rademacher, ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy discusses his new band, ADRENALINE MOB also featuring SYMPHONY X vocalist Russell Allen, guitarist Rich Ward (STUCK MOJO, FOZZY), guitarist Mike Orlando and bassist Paul DiLeo (NENA). A couple of excerpts follow:

Q: How did Adrenaline Mob actually get started?

A: "It began with Mike Orlando and Russell Allen; they’ve been working on material for at least a year now before I came into the picture. After my time with Dream Theater and AVENGED SEVENFOLD came to an end I was quote/unquote available. Russell reached out to me and asked would I be interested in checking out this music he and this guy Mike, who I didn’t know at the time, were working on. Literally 30 seconds after hearing the first song I was onboard and I knew I was totally into it."

Q: What was it like at the first rehearsal?

A: "The first rehearsal was actually after the album was finished. When I came on board Mike and Russell had these demos, then I went into the studio and did my drums then we bought Paul DiLeo and Rich Ward into the band later so everyone tracked the album bit by bit and the first time all five of us got together and laid a track was after the album was done. We decided to do this one-off unveiling of the band in New York City back in June. So the band and the album and the chemistry were already in place before we played a single note together."

Q: Has Adrenaline Mob set any kind of goal?

A: "Well, Adrenaline Mob is a very different beast from what me and Russell had/have with Dream Theater and Symphony X. If anyone is expecting to hear music anything like Dream Theater and Symphony X I think they’re going to be in for a shock as this is a complete different animal. This is not progressive at all this is not about long epic songs. This is about awesome cool riffs, grooves and stuff you can really bounce to very much like a modern day PANTERA. Our goal is to take this out around the world and I think we’re very much a live act and the energy on stage with the five of us is insane. You have five people on stage that are complete performers and the energy on stage is infectious. We want to tour as much as we can."

Read the full interview at Rock Eyez.

Adrenaline Mob tour dates:

September

1 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red
2 - Santa Ana, CA - The Galaxy Theater
3 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent
4 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
6 - Tulsa, OK - The Marquee