DREAM THEATER Drummer Discusses Making Of New Album

Drummer Mike Mangini of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER spoke to Metal Insider about the making of the band's new, self-titled album, which will be released on September 24 via Roadrunner Records. The nine-track disc was recorded at Cove City Studio in Glen Cove, Long Island, with Petrucci producing and Richard Chycki engineering and mixing. It's the band's second album with Mangini, and the first one on which he was a part of the writing process from Day One.

Asked how involved he was with the writing of the album, Mangini said: "Involved enough that I — and this is going to sound interesting — that I knew when to be quiet and when to offer something. It's interesting, because it took a lot of years to learn how to do that. It really did. But the bottom line is that the vibe of this album, because it reflects what we were feeling, what I was thinking when I was in there was, 'You know something? These guys are all just pouring out stuff that I don't want to disturb. At times just let it go.' I was either doing that or when I had something to offer, I just spoke up."

He continued: "There are two different things. There's the drumming and there's the actual song composition. And that's what I'm talking about when I say I won't say anything when say, a melodic landscape is being constructed. And then there's times when I need to chime in for that. And I was careful when not to do that. I followed my gut. But with the drumming, I loved it. I just played. I loved it when they had suggestions for things or vice versa. Because we're always suggesting little bits for each other or showing each other what we're doing. A lot of the time, they said 'go.'"

Mangini was also asked how comfortable he was laying down the album in the studio with the band. "Comfortable enough that a lot of [what you can hear on the CD] was, like, 'Alright, let's try that and see what it sounds like,' and it stuck," he said. "I mean, the first time through. And we all had our days. I had my drum day to go back after evaluating what I had played the previous day or two. If I wanted to redo a section or if I had a different idea, I had the prerogative to do that. Or if someone else had an idea. But basically, this is from us being in a room. So I was comfortable."

"Dream Theater" track listing:

01. False Awakening Suite
I. Sleep Paralysis
II. Night Terrors
III. Lucid Dream
02. The Enemy Inside
03. The Looking Glass
04. Enigma Machine
05. The Bigger Picture
06. Behind The Veil
07. Surrender To Reason
08. Along For The Ride
09. Illumination Theory
I. Paradoxe de la Lumière Noire
II. Live, Die, Kill
III. The Embracing Circle
IV. The Pursuit of Truth
V. Surrender, Trust & Passion

"Dream Theater" will be available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180-gram double LP, and a limited-edition boxed set.

DREAM THEATER will be on tour in Europe in January and February 2014, and in North America in March 2014.