Mike Portnoy interview on Parasomnia, Nicko McBrain, James LaBrie, compromises & more

Today's interview episode's guest Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater talks about the creative process behind the new Dream Theater album Parasomnia out on February 7, 2025 and the conceptuality of Parasomnia, including the album's flow and why it was important for Dream Theater to make it a cinematic experience.

Mike also opens up about the compromises Dream Theater had to make during their live shows and about what it felt like to rejoin Dream Theater after almost 15 years of absence.

We also talk about Nicko McBrain and Iron Maiden's recent drummer changes, Taylor Swift Drumeo video and much more! Enjoy!

Get your cope of Dream Theater Parasomnia here - https://amzn.to/40GafyY

00:00 - It's Mike Portnoy
01:16 - On making Parasomnia
02:22 - On rejoining Dream Theater
04:08 - On creative freedom
07:44 - On full album experience
11:18 - On live shows & compromises
15:44 - On Nicko McBrain
18:30 - On Taylor Swift
19:52 - To all the Metal Pilgrims

Dream Theater - Parasomnia tracklist:

01. In The Arms Of Morpheus
02. Night Terror
03. A Broken Man
04. Dead Asleep
05. Midnight Messiah
06. Are We Dreaming?
07. Bend The Clock
08. The Shadow Man Incident

Dream Theater line up:

James LaBrie – Vocals
John Petrucci – Guitar
John Myung – Bass
Jordan Rudess – Keyboards
Mike Portnoy – Drums


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Background music: "Uberpunch" Alexander Nakarada (serpentsoundstudios.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

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