Dream Theater guitarist, John Petrucci recently revealed details of his forthcoming solo album, Terminal Velocity - his first solo album in 15 years. But just as exciting was the announcement that the album features none other than his former bandmate, Mike Portnoy on drums; the first time the two ex-bandmates have appeared on record together in a decade.
Now, the guitarist has treated the world to the first taste of the pair’s output with the release of a collaborative video - which you can watch above - for the album’s title track which also feature bassist Dave LaRue.
In a move that is sure to push fans of the band’s classic line-up into meltdown, the 6:23 composition not only features Petrucci and Portnoy once again, but is surprisingly accessible while including the trademark prog-metal hallmarks fans will be hoping for.
Talking about the new release, Petrucci says, ““Terminal Velocity was actually the first new song that I wrote for the album when I entered the studio in March of this year. It stemmed from one of the many ideas and seeds that I had collected over the past several years.
“I literally began with the opening motif and built the rest of song from there. I think it’s a great lead-off single and nicely represents a few of the different stylistic sides of this record that I wanted to explore as a guitar player; the melodic/thematic side, the riffing side and the shred side.”
However, the big news for drummers is the inclusion of Mike Portnoy, something that many fans of Dream Theater have waited for since he left the band in September 2010.
“Having Mike play drums on this record was really special for me.” Petrucci says. “And he did an absolutely incredible job navigating the various styles and technical challenges my music presented in the way that only he can do,”
“It was very cathartic for the both of us, I think, to be playing music together again after all these years and it really felt great! Mike’s spirited, intuitive and energetic playing truly helped to elevate these new songs to a level that I couldn’t be happier with.”
Terminal Velocity is available for pre order now, and will be released digitally and on all major streaming platforms on August 28, with a physical CD and vinyl release following on 30 October.
