Classic Track: ‘Panic Attack’ 2005

The Artist: Dream Theater

The Album: Octavarium

The Drummer: Mike Portnoy

Where was the track recorded? Set the scene...

“The whole Octavarium album was done at the Hit Factory in New York, and actually holds the distinction of being the very last session ever done there. Hundreds and hundreds of platinum albums were recorded at that studio – everybody from Madonna to U2, to Bruce Springsteen, to John Lennon – so it was a sad ending to a legendary place.

“As with our last few albums, we moved into the studio for four or five months to write and record the material simultaneously. That’s the way we have been working for a number of years now – it’s one giant, creative process, and we concentrate on one song at a time.”

How did you approach the drum parts on the track?

‘“Panic Attack’ was an intentionally heavy whirlwind of riffs and double bass from start to finish. Our previous album, Train Of Thought, was very much in that vein, but with Octavarium we wanted to do something a little more varied and diverse. ‘Panic Attack’ is the heavy song on the album – it’s relentless from start to finish and a real challenge to play.

“When I come up with parts, I always try to do what is fitting for the song and this called for bombastic double bass that never lets up! The patterns are constantly shifting and there are a lot of odd time signatures – it’s the basic Dream Theater formula. The night I did my drum tracks was the night that Dimebag (Darrell Abbot, Pantera guitarist) was shot and killed, and every time I hear the song I can almost feel his spirit. This song is particularly difficult to perform live, and for the first week of the Octavarium tour I didn’t even attempt to sing my parts as it was hard enough just to concentrate on the drumming!”

What did you think when you heard the finished track for the first time?

“I was floored! It’s exciting, energetic and filled with adrenaline.”

What set-up were you using?

“For the whole Octavarium album I had my Tama Siamese Monster black double kit, and for ‘Panic Attack’ I used the left side of it, the big double bass set-up.

“I had my Hammer Of The Gods John Bonham replica kit in the studio as well, but it wasn’t used on this particular song.”

Which recording are you most proud of?

“The really physically challenging songs, filled with a lot of different things, are the ones that I’m probably most proud of, like ‘The Dance Of Eternity’ from Scenes From A Memory, and ‘The Glass Prison’ from Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence. I know that they challenge and inspire young drummers, and I choose to perform them on my instructional DVDs so people can really sink their teeth into them.” • Louise King