Catching up with Dream Theater

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Big, loud and perfect, Dream Theater is THE progressive rock band of the ‘90s. Marrying pop impact to mammoth, multi-part arrangements, this band delivers equal measures of big, heavy riffs and spidery, complicated solos. And their latest, “Falling Into Infinity” just might be their best CD to date. Featuring such guests as King’s X singer Doug Pinnick and the killer cuts You Not Me, Lines In The Sand, and the suite Trial Of Tears, “Falling...” is a collection of infinite pleasures. DT’s drummer Mike Portnoy checked in with Columbia House the other day to tell us what’s up!

CH: “Falling Info Infinity” is the band’s fifth CD. How do you feel this CD differs from the others?

Portnoy: I think it is definitely our most mature cd to date. We’ve really struck a balance between the musicianship and instrumentation, which has always been such a big part of the band’s sound. And I think the songwriting has really matured and developed to a point where we’re able to really focus on a song without getting sidetracked. There’s a 12-minute song – Lines In The Sand – and a 13-minute song – Trial Of Tears – so those are the traditional Dream Theater styles, but there are also things that we’ve never done before. A song like Hollow Years is unlike anything we’ve ever done. It’s very Sting-ish. And Anna Lee is very Elton John-ish. Those pop influences have always been there for us, but this is the first time I think we were able to bring it out in the sound of the band.

CH: Doug Pinnick of King’s X is a guest vocalist on Lines In The Sand. What was it like working with Doug in the studio?

Portnoy: Doug was amazing. We’ve always loved his voice and we’ve always loved the band. We’ve gotten to really know Doug through the years. Every time King’s X play in New York, we go out to see them. And every time we play in Houston they come to see us. We had this idea of having this call and answer sort of thing on the chorus of Lines In The Sand. We always heard the answer section being like a real bluesy, soulful, “Doug Pinnick” type of vocal part. When we were in pre-production for the cd, we said, “Rather than James LaBrie trying to sound like Doug, why don’t we call Doug and see if he wants to do it?” We called him up and he came down and spent the afternoon running through twenty different takes and just improvising. We had a great time. We’re really glad that he was able to come down and do it, because it’s a nice embellishment to the song.

CH: With so many changes in the music business and more “one hit wonders” than ever, Dream Theater are one of the few survivors who’ve sustained a loyal following. Where do you see the band five years from now?

Portnoy: Well, it’s impossible to guess – the trends are constantly changing. It really is impossible to predict five minutes from now, much less five years from now. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll do what we do and we’ll always have a great solid fan base to support it. I feel very, very fortunate that we’re still in a position where we’re on a major label and able to do this kind of music. I think it, one hundred percent, can be attributed to our fans. Basically, a band like ours could easily be swept underneath the rug, but our fans are so devoted and so vocal that they make the record companies and the industry take notice. Luckily, they’ll stick by us no matter what we do and I think we should be able to sustain this career for the next twenty years because of fans like that.