**Jordan Rudess Discusses Mike Portnoy’s Return to Dream Theater**
In a recent interview with Myglobalmind, Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater shared his thoughts on Mike Portnoy’s return to the band after a 13-year hiatus. Portnoy, who replaced Mike Mangini, has rejoined the band for their upcoming album and tour. Rudess spoke about the impact of Portnoy’s return and what sets him apart:
**The Return of Portnoy**
Rudess described the return of Portnoy as a “welcome change,” highlighting that although Dream Theater continued to thrive during Portnoy’s absence, his return brought back essential elements to the band’s dynamic. He noted that Portnoy’s return reconnected the band to its core lineup:
“It was such a welcome change to go back to our, as we say, core lineup, ’cause although I think that Dream Theater survived quite nicely in the days without him, we had a magnificent drummer in Mike Mangini. We toured around the world, we did fine with, of course, the COVID interruption, which messed everybody up, and we won a Grammy. All that was good. But having Mike come back, it’s just you feel like there’s this missing — well, there are these missing elements that were gone that now have come back.”
**Unique Elements Portnoy Brings**
Rudess elaborated on the unique qualities Portnoy brings to the band’s music. He likened Portnoy’s approach to that of a film director, emphasizing his conceptual thinking and ability to tie together various elements of their music:
“One of them being relating to the way that he thinks. He’s so unusual. I think of him like a film director, like a movie director. He’s always thinking conceptually. He’s always thinking, ‘Oh, we played that part,’ and ‘that part could relate to this part’ and ‘if we do this, it’ll connect here. And then we have this visual element,’ tying things together in ways that I don’t think about those things and nobody else does. And he does.”
Rudess believes this conceptual approach adds depth and richness to their music, making the upcoming album more than just a collection of songs:
“And I feel like it brings, especially in our genre of music, it brings this beautiful element to everything, more things to sink your teeth into. And I think when people get this album, they’re gonna really appreciate a lot of that kind of stuff that’s in this that’s making it more than just a cool album of Dream Theater music.”
**Album Progress and Tour Plans**
The band is nearing the completion of their new album, with guitar and drum tracks finished by May 2024, and keyboard parts recorded last month. Rudess also mentioned that James LaBrie is currently working on his vocal parts:
“I finished all my keyboard parts, and I’m very pleased about that. I think James is in the studio very, very soon, or now; I’m not sure. But he’s doing his vocal parts, and then the whole mix and the master and all that stuff will happen. And then we don’t have a release date, or it’s not announced yet, but I’m so excited about the Dream Theater album because I feel like having Portnoy come back, the timing of it was perfect.”
Dream Theater will also celebrate their 40th anniversary with a new tour starting in October, traveling worldwide through the end of the year.
