John Petrucci Talks About The New Dream Theater Album, Clams Up On The Title

“We have a name for the new album, but I can’t tell you what it is yet,” says Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci. “Otherwise, I won’t feel very good about myself.”

Well, we certainly wouldn’t want that. Fortunately, Petrucci is divulging some details about Dream Theater’s follow-up to their 2007 album, Systematic Chaos. As has been the case on all Dream Theater albums, he’s co-producing it with drummer Mike Portnoy. In addition, the band is sticking with engineer and mixer Paul Northfield, who has worked with the band in the past.

Says Petrucci, “Paul’s done records we all love and admire, including Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime and Empire. Plus, he’s worked on some amazing Rush albums. As an engineer, he’s with us every step of the way, from the first stages of pre-production. He gets to the heart of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Which was no mean feat this time around, as Dream Theater went into the studio with no finished demos. The songs were “mere sketches of ideas,” Petrucci says. ‘‘We pretty much gathered around in a circle and jammed for days on end. It was a lot of fun. Little by little, great riffs and astounding parts started popping up. Then we started to whittle the ideas down, shave the edges off, throw out what doesn’t work – all that.”

Petrucci describes one song that clocks in at 18 minutes as “cinematic in scope. It’s really like three songs in one. But we didn’t want to make it three songs. Don’t ask me why, though – I can’t say.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel good about himself.