Mike Portnoy back in Dream Theater

GRAMMY®-winning, prog metal giants Dream Theater are announcing the return of drummer Mike Portnoy to the group. Portnoy will reunite with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung (the trio formed the band at the Berklee College Of Music in 1985) along with longtime members, vocalist James LaBrie and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Dream Theater will be going into the studio to begin working on their 16th studio album and the first with Portnoy since 2009’s “Black Clouds & Silver Linings“.

Above L-R: J. Rudess, J. LaBrie, J. Myung; Below L-R: J. Petrucci, M. Portnoy

Mike Mangini, who replaced Portnoy in 2010, comments: “I understand Dream Theater’s decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time. As was said from Day 1, my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on. My main role of keeping our live show working tightly on a nightly basis was an intense and rewarding experience. Thankfully, I got to experience playing music with these iconic musicians, as well as some fun times laced with humor. I also really enjoyed spending lots of time with the crew. And then there’s the GRAMMY® win, which was amazingly satisfying. To the fans: thank you so much for being amazing to me. I cherish the pictures I have of you all losing your minds and having fun. Finally, I really love the band, crew and management and wish them and the entire organization all the best.”

Photo: zildjian.com

Mike Protnoy has this to say: “I am overwhelmed with joy to be returning home and reuniting with my brothers! There is so much shared history between us all…so many memories, so much music…to think we’re coming up on 40 years since this journey began! The idea of creating new music together is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to hit the road and get to play live for a whole new generation of fans that weren’t ever able to see this lineup before…There’s no place like home!!”