Mike Portnoy, the renowned drummer, has taken on a weighty challenge. He learned to play Tool’s Pneuma, a song that according to Portnoy, makes Dream Theater look like Weezer. Drumeo YouTube channel extended the challenge to Portnoy, offering him six hours to master the twelve-minute track recorded for Fear Inoculum in 2019. The channel describes it as their most difficult challenge to anyone.
During the six-hour Pneuma video, Portnoy carefully studies Tool’s drummer Danny Carey’s footage while scouring the sheet music to fully comprehend the song’s complexity. In the video, Portnoy exclaims that this is crazy: “This makes Dream Theater sound like Weezer,” he says. Portnoy rejoined the Boston prog metal band, Dream Theater, in October 2020, ending his 13-year absence.
Recently, Portnoy shared an update on Dream Theater’s upcoming 16th album. Portnoy noted that while he had finished contributing to the recording, the rest of the band was still working on it. Portnoy wrote that they are excited about what they’ve created and are keeping a tight lid on any information about the album.
The new album marks Portnoy’s return to Dream Theater since he left the band in 2010. The replacement drummer Mike Mangini recorded five albums with the band since then. Portnoy’s return to the group marks a pivotal point in Dream Theater’s history, returning them to their classic 1999 and 2000 lineups that made six studio albums together.
Portnoy also produced music with other side projects while away, including Sons of Apollo, a heavy metal supergroup, The Winery Dogs, a power trio that includes Billy Sheehan and Mr. Big’s Richie Kotzen, and Adrenaline Mob, a band he formed with Russell Allen and Mike Orlando. This autumn, Dream Theater plans to tour with Portnoy returning to the group. The tour will begin showing in London on October 20. You can purchase tickets for the shows here
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