Originally published in Prog Report YT channel · September 2023
Mike Portnoy comments (excerpts)
ArticleMike Portnoy2 min read
Vic Giol: Mike, you being connected in the in the music world, when you put them in Progressive Nation with BTBAM and 3 in that initial Progressive Nation 2008, what motivated you or where was your filter at the time with Opeth?
Mike Portnoy: For starters, I was a fan. Once I had the leverage I had with Dream Theater, I always took out bands that I loved. Before Opeth, it was Fates Warning and Pain of Salvation and Porcupine Tree and Spock's Beard. So I always use the leverage I had with Dream Theater to bring out other bands that I loved that deserved more attention. They did two Progressive Nation tours us. They did America in 2008 and they did Europe about a year later in 2009. At that point I was already a huge fan – that was towards the end of the 2000s. As far as I'm concerned, you look at Opeth, it's three stages, they almost fell into three different decades. The first era in the 90s was full-on death metal/black metal, very few prog elements. Then the 2000s era – the middle era – pretty much Blackwater through Watershed – they were prog metal, so they fit in with what Dream Theater was doing at that time. They had just signed a Roadrunner, so I think they really, at that point, fit into the progressive metal category and they were no longer just metal, they were definitely prog metal. And then the third era, the third decade, is the 2010s; those last four albums are full on prog, almost even more jazz fusion. I think jazz fusion elements is a huge part of where they're at now too.
-----
MP: Can I give you an insider tidbit? I hope Mikael doesn't get mad at me for sharing this, but Mikael once confided in me that ‘Bleak’ was a direct rip-off of Dream Theater's ‘Home,’ and I have it right here that you could hear exactly what he's talking about. He heard this, [plays excerpt of ‘Home’ from 2:02-2:15] and he wrote this. [plays excerpt of ‘Bleak’ from 0:19-0:31] There you go. I hate to throw you under the bus Mikael, but to me that was one of the greatest compliments I've ever been given. I needed to share it.
-----
Additional comment by MP after the fact: Btw, I should’ve mentioned in my comment in the podcast revealing how Mikael told me he ripped off DT with a certain song (you’ll have to watch the video for it 😉), I shoulda mentioned how I returned the favor when I blatantly ripped him off while writing Repentance w DT! Not only was the music directly trying to cop an Opeth vibe, but when I wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies I was absolutely trying to channel Åkerfeldt vibes!