Mike Portnoy interview

Dream Theater's drummer Mike Portnoy talked about the Progressive Nation tour:

MP: It's been a fun tour. Doing a package like this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time now. I think all four bands are very compatible, but also different enough to make it interesting from band to band throughout the show, so... It's been awesome.

Portnoy talked about his hand-picked tour mates:

MP: Yeah. No, I handpicked them. I had been wanting Dream Theater to tour with Opeth for a long time now. Me and Mikael Akerfeldt have been friends for years and he and I had been talking about doing a tour together for a long time. So, they were the first band to fall into place. The other two slots I had a list of twenty bands or whatever on my wish list and these two bands, so it came together pretty quickly.

Drummer Mike Portnoy talked about what's ahead now that the tour is over:

MP: We'll take the summer off and then get back with our families and then once the kids get back to school in September then we'll get into the studio to start the next record.

We asked Portnoy if Dream Theater has any ideas fleshed out for the new album:

MP: Nah, we don't even think of the next record until we're in the studio. We don't write in advance. We basically lock out a studio for four or five months and do it all in one process.

So there's another DVD in the works as well?

MP: Yeah, I've already begun compiling stuff as opposed to the last previous couple of DVDs we've done where it's one specific concert this DVD is going to be footage from different shows from throughout the world and throughout the past year.

Dream Theater are also fans of Metallica and we asked drummer Mike Portnoy about his expectations for the follow-up to St. Anger:

MP: Well the new direction, who knows? Until the album comes out I have no idea what that direction is. St. Anger which took a beating from a lot of people, personally, I would take that album over Load and Reload any day of the week. You know it had its faults. It had its flaws. The production was weird and the vocal melodies were weird, but at least it had a spirit. At least they were attempting to get heavy again and play long songs again. The formula they used in the '90s with Load and Reload was not my cup of tea. It was way too polished, way too bluesy and straight ahead so St. Anger to me was a nice step in the better direction, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next one.