New DREAM THEATER Drummer Interviewed At U.K.'s HIGH VOLTAGE Festival (Video)

July 26, 2011

RockAAA's Tom Russell conducted an interview with drummer Mike Mangini of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER at this year's edition of Classic Rock magazine's award-winning High Voltage festival, which took place Saturday, July 23 and Sunday, July 24, 2011 in Victoria Park, London, England. You can now watch the chat below.

"A Dramatic Turn Of Events", the much-anticipated new album from DREAM THEATER, which marks Mangini's recorded debut, will be released on September 13 via Roadrunner Records.

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci stated about the departure of the band's drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy, "I love Mike. We've known each other for so long I met him when I was, what, 17? We went to Berklee [College Of Music] together. We went through everything. He's an awesome guy.

"It was a heartbreaking chapter in our lives, but it's just one of those things in life where there's a big change, and you don't expect it, and what matters is the way face that change. You can embrace it or you can run from it. We just chose to move on."

On the topic of "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", Petrucci said, "It's everything that makes DREAM THEATER what it is. It's all our elements metal elements, progressive elements, melodic elements, and all the playing and fusion elements we've always had. I try to stay pure to the initial conception of our band; we're a progressive band and we're a metal band, mixed.

"We always try to push some sort of boundary and do something that's a little bit different, some sort of element we haven't done before. You'll hear that for sure. You don't want to repeat yourself, but at the same time it's important to stay focused on what makes up the sound of the band.

"My favorite bands growing up were YES and RUSH, so 'Hemispheres', 'Close To The Edge', 'And You An I' those big, dramatic songs are a huge part of what we do, married with the metal sound and melodic sound that makes us unique. That's always be there."

Interview:

Drum solo July 23, 2011 at Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, England:

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