G3: John Petrucci: 'Expect An Awesome Dream Theater Album'

In our second part of our special G3 Ultimate-Guitar series exclusive from down under, Joe Matera sits down to chat to John Petrucci to discuss G3, Dream Theater and guitars.

Ultimate-Guitar: How has the Australian leg of the current G3 tour been going for you?

John Petrucci: It’s been great. I’ve never been to this country before so it is my first time. And I’m really comfortable playing with Joe and Steve as it’s, I think, about four times now that we’ve done this so far together. So I know the guys really well and everything is running like clockwork. It has just been wonderful.

When you go out on tour like this, do you set aside time where you can relax?

Yeah on something like this, there is tons of time. I guess I sort of pace myself depending on how I’m feeling. Like today (Monday) it kind of felt it was a Sunday as there was American football on the TV so I watched that and then I later went to the gym.

How does playing in an intimate theater environment like you’re doing with the G3 shows in Australia, compare to playing an arena show with Dream Theater?

As far as I’m concerned, since I use in-ear monitors it generally sounds pretty consistent as I’m not reliant on the monitors or the ambience of the room or anything like that, which is one of the benefits of using those types of in-ear systems. But as far as the energy goes, yes it is definitely different. And it depends on the country too. Playing in an arena in Italy or in Chile where everybody is going nuts and there are tons of people singing the melodies of the words and moshing, it’s totally differently than when playing in a theatre where there are people sitting down. As well as being less of them too.

With all those people sitting down wouldn’t there be a bit more pressure on yourself musicianship wise, as the focus would be more on the technical aspects of your playing?

Right, yeah I think so because you feel a little bit more like a recital as everybody is sitting down and like watching you when you’re playing. In a way, sometimes I get that feeling at certain venues we play in America where they’re sitting down and that the whole style of the venue gives you the feeling you’re playing in some sort of hotel thing. You almost feel silly when you’re up there and playing metal with a seven string guitar while people are sitting there. You almost feel uncomfortable whereas in an arena people are screaming and going nuts.

"You almost feel silly when you're up there and playing metal with a seven string guitar while people are sitting there."

In regards to your stage sound what do you look for?

As far as the guitar is concerned I go for something that is versatile. I tend to veer towards the more metal type of sound so my sound will be very heavy and thick and percussive almost Metallica-ish. At the same time when I say versatile, it has to be sweet and singing and round and like ambient when I play a solo or something. So it is two different worlds but my rig is trying to achieve that. For example, I could play through Joe’s [Satriani] rig and it’ll sound really beautiful and nice but I would not be able to use that playing my material in Dream Theater. It wouldn’t be heavy enough or aggressive enough though it sounds beautiful in the way he uses it, where its’ singing and lyrical.

The most recent Dream Theater album, Octavarium has the honor of being the very last album ever recorded at the Hit Factory before the studio’s closure. That is a pretty historic note to have in your career?

Absolutely, I don’t exactly understand why the owner sold it or anything, but the studio was beautiful. They had just renovated some rooms, in fact the studio we were in was gorgeous, all state of the art and I couldn’t imagine them ripping that apart you know. When you walked into the lobby of the Hit Factory there were hundreds of gold and platinum records on the wall and while we were there they had started to take them down. It had got to be real surreal. We’d walk in and they’ll not be there any more. We also recorded that album with an orchestra in this big room, which was one of the studio’s main rooms on the top floor where they had made movie soundtracks there previously. And while we were there one night, they doing one episode of Law and Order and ours would eventually become the last session in that room too. It was weird. But we’re now part of history.

Dream Theater has performed complete album covers live such as Dark Side Of The Moon and Made In Japan, any chance of something actually being recorded and released down the track?

We have recorded every time we have done that live but not as a studio recording. I don’t think we’ll record those as an album as we’re busy enough recording our own studio album. The covers thing is just like a fun thing we do on the road to add something exciting. And though we always record them, they’ll remain being a live thing only.

"Fans can expect an awesome album!"

So how is the next record coming along?

We started working on it in back in September but we had to break twice for my G3 commitments and as soon as we get back home, we’ll go back into the studio and continue working on it.

So what can fans expect from the next recording?

They can expect an awesome album! That’s all I’m saying as we generally don’t like to really tell people what to expect just so we can eliminate any speculation.

Do you tend to write songs when you’re sound checking with Dream Theater?

We always sound check and always will work in rehearsal time into the sound check and a lot of ideas come out of that. A lot of the genesis of the songs comes more from riffs. The lyrics never come first as they’re always written afterwards. So we always jam on ideas and if some one comes up with something we’ll start going for it.

What is your gear setup like?

I’m actually very simple in the studio as far as recording goes. I just like the way the sound of a head sounds through a cabinet, so to me that is the ultimate way to record. There are no fancy rigs going on. And I though also have some of my favorite heads with me, depending on what I’m doing, I always will use Mesa Boogie heads which I’ve used for as long as I can remember. On the most recent album and the present one we’re working on, I’ve been using the Mark series of amps, the old Mark IIs which I’ve used for a long time. The sound of which goes back to Metallica circa Master Of Puppets, it’s like the Hetfield sound. I also use a Mark IV which is what I’m using on the G3 shows. All of those go through a Boogie cab that is miked and that is the sound. It’s just pure and I usually double track so it’s nice and wide. As for guitars, I’m using my signature Music Man guitars. On the present album once again, I have the new version of my guitar that we just completed and of which we’re working on prototyping. I’ve been with Ernie Ball for like six years now and I needed some subtle changes to the guitar. I’m using that in the studio as well as live on G3. The only different thing on the G3 tour is that my sound integrates effects. I use TC Electronics for the most part, especially a TC Electronic 2290 and a TC Electronic M3000. And in order to control all that stuff I started using a pedal board by Axess Electronics which is a Canadian company that makes really cool switching things and loops and stuff.

How many guitars do you take out on the road with you?

With G3 it is very minimal, just three guitars; my main guitar and a back-up for my main and a seven string. I don’t even have a back-up for my seven string guitar. With Dream Theater it is the total opposite, I think I have sixteen guitars with me out on the road.

"A lot of the genesis of the songs comes more from riffs."

Who are your main musical influences?

One of the bands I’ve always been into was Rush. Alex Lifeson is one of my favorite guitarists. YES is another big influence on me and on Dream Theater as our whole style is kind of YES, so Steve Howe is an influence too. Al DiMeola is another. One of my favorite albums of all time is his Friday Night In San Francisco. But my number one influence and favorite player of all time would be Steve Morse. He is like to me the most unbelievable player I’ve ever heard. His first solo album The Introduction, I learned every song off that album. He was such a big influence on my playing.

Looking back on the Dream Theater catalog is it hard to pick a personal favorite album?

Yes it is hard as there are some that I think for whatever reason, they sound a little bit better or I just like the songs a little bit better. Some of that has to do with my biases which has to do with other elements too like for example Scenes From A Memory is a personal favorite. It’s not because the music is better than the other albums, but with that album in particular, it was the first album that we wrote with Jordan Rudess our keyboard player and it was the first album he joined us on which was magical. It was also the first album that Mike [Portnoy] and I had decided to produce. And it was also a concept album too which was the first time we tackled that. So there were some many different things that went in to that album. At times other reasons will make me more fondly of a specific album.

Dream Theater has had and continues to have a successful career regardless of musical trends and ever changing musical climate?

It’s unbelievable and very fortunate. We’re an example of a band that kind of stuck to what we were passionate about and didn’t really pay attention to trends and stuff. And it really has paid off because we’re twenty years into our career and it is growing and growing. We’re playing more places and more countries than we’ve ever had. Our audiences are bigger and our audiences younger which means, kids are getting into it too.

2006 © Joe Matera

Listen to John Petrucci (photo) greeting Ultimate-Guitar.com at this location.

Comments

[calebrocker]

sweet, can't wait for the new Dream Theater album.

[gunsnzeppelin09]

petrucci is the man

[Lost_Rose]

Will be awesome!!

Is it just me or is JP gettin a tad chubby :p

[gunsnzeppelin09]

the only thing that kinda set me off about that intervie was at the end, when jp was like and we "didn’t really pay attention to trends and stuff." Yet at the same time they've been influenced by bands in the same period as them: Tool, nine inch nails, Soundgarden and probably others.

[Satch_Boogie]

Petrucci owns. However, watching the G3 vid with him, hes a bit boring to watch on stage. His guitar work is phenomenal but he just doesnt have the stage prescence of Satch or Vai.

[Millenium]

cool

[Dayn]

gunsnzeppelin09 wrote:

the only thing that kinda set me off about that intervie was at the end, when jp was like and we "didn’t really pay attention to trends and stuff." Yet at the same time they've been influenced by bands in the same period as them: Tool, nine inch nails, Soundgarden and probably others.

Well, it's hard not to be influenced by everything, unless you live on an island.

I can't believe I forgot about the upcoming Dream Theater album... G3 put it right out of my mind.

[Daggorath]

Petrucci is a far superior composer to Vai and Satch, in my opinion. No doubt the new album will be amazing. Dream Theater are a band you can always count on to produce epic music.

[Doodleface]

i wouldnt really call the new DT album upcoming.

it'll be another little while, it took them 17 days to write Train of Thought. and then they had to record and all that junk. and something tells me, this wont be another Train of Thought, i think they'll try and regain fans they had back in the days with Kevin Moore (i have no idea why, Ruddess is totally awesome)

but thats what i predict, its probably way off though

[Orneblad]

Daggorath wrote:

Petrucci is a far superior composer to Vai and Satch, in my opinion. No doubt the new album will be amazing. Dream Theater are a band you can always count on to produce epic music.

agree

[Reven]

I hope G3 and/or Dream Theater come to the UK soon - I really want to hear Petrucci live.

[ihop_08]

Petrucci is, and always will be in my top three. Killer composer, and simply an amazing guitar player. I'm really looking forward to the next DT album; Octavarium was insane.

[Tantalus]

gunsnzeppelin09 wrote:

the only thing that kinda set me off about that intervie was at the end, when jp was like and we "didn’t really pay attention to trends and stuff." Yet at the same time they've been influenced by bands in the same period as them: Tool, nine inch nails, Soundgarden and probably others.

What he meant is that they don't change their music based upon what others want to hear. They still listen to other artist's music for new musical ideas and concepts.

[Satch_Boogie]

Petrucci is a far superior composer to Vai and Satch, in my opinion.

Blasphemer!

Satch rules supreme, however, I do prefer Petrucci's stuff over Vai's music. Not saying Vai is bad (cos of course, we all know he kicks ass).

[Kingyem0c0re]

I agree about Petrucci being a much better composer & also guitarist that Vai or Satch.

[mrwalnuts]

haha, satch blows petrucci away :P

[Cynoxx]

At this point in their carrers, you guys are not even worthy of classing them better than the other.

Great interview! Lucky reporters grr.

[mattallica]

You havent heard petrucci then. I saw them on the G3 tour in Australia, and JP showed Satch and Vai up so badly(although thats kinda biased coz DT is my favourite band).

Lost_Rose :
Will be awesome!!

Is it just me or is JP gettin a tad chubby :p

Nah its him being buff. You should see him in person, hes a tank

[goon316]

Satch_Boogie wrote:

Petrucci is a far superior composer to Vai and Satch, in my opinion.
Blasphemer!

Satch rules supreme, however, I do prefer Petrucci's stuff over Vai's music. Not saying Vai is bad (cos of course, we all know he kicks ass).

Haha I wouldnt expect someone with the name Satch Boogie to be objective with that. I believe if you take his Dream Theater works as well as solo work into account, his overall composition is definately more varied and interesting than Vai or Satch. One thing is for sure and that is the fact that they are all amazing musicians. I have seen every G3 and DT tour that has come through Denver and I definately agree that there is a different feel between the G3 and DT shows.

[mattallica]

I think the thing that makes Petrucci win over Satriani (compositionally) is that He doesnt use the standard song strucutre, so they are more varied and less predicitable; whereas Satch pretty much always uses a standared pop song structure (which isnt a bad thing). Although my favourite Satch song is "Searching", which has a fairly unusual structure, so its probably just my taste

[axeman84]

dream theaters' original singer took my order at burger king the other day

[phatdog13]

Dream Theater is the best music writing, music playing, creative and most talented rock band Ive ever heard. Those guys are all just insane. Petrucci is a guitar genius, his compositional ideas phenominal.

[MaAal_MaAan]

Lost_Rose wrote:

Will be awesome!!

Is it just me or is JP gettin a tad chubby :p

He's not chubby
I saw him last month and he's just really built or tanked.
However u wanna say it
He's like a wrestler.
Well, not really but u get my point.

Anyway, Petrucci is amazing.
He is my favourite guitarist
And Dream Theater are just awesome
I've got their DVD "Score" and i have watched it like 6 times already

[Night_Lights]

axeman84 wrote:

dream theaters' original singer took my order at burger king the other day

haha

cheecked

[tweeres04]

I think the one thing that makes Petrucci stand out from Satch and Vai is that his songs are amazing the whole way through. He doesn't waste a single note on anything that won't help the song. You can listen to every single "chunk" of Glasgow Kiss and love every single part, whereas there are parts of Satch and Vai's playing that seem to be just filler (mainly huge shred licks that last too long).

[~A7x~]

jp is amazing.. i've only just realised a few days ago that he's probably the best guitarist i've ever heard in my entire life + the best one today

[Cobalt Blue]

damn right Steve Morse is the most unbelievable player he's ever heard.

[cados121]

[quoteaxeman84 :
dream theaters' original singer took my order at burger king the other day[/quote] haha yes!, but seriously, petrucci is my god

[cados121]

shit that quote didn't work

[Eric 666]

HE GREW HIS FUCKING HAIR AGAIN! YEAH!

[sturm]

for some reason the thing that struck me most, wasn't what petrucci said, but it was how much UG has evolved through the years... i mean now, we have john petrucci (!!!) holding up a UG sticker? seriously kickass...

[gambrinus89]

I've been waiting for a new album since Octavarium was released!

[Guitar_Poet]

ihop_08 wrote:

Petrucci is, and always will be in my top three. Killer composer, and simply an amazing guitar player. I'm really looking forward to the next DT album; Octavarium was insane.

hell yea! jp rocks... and Octavarium was AWESOME!

phatdog13 wrote:

Dream Theater is the best music writing, music playing, creative and most talented rock band Ive ever heard. Those guys are all just insane. Petrucci is a guitar genius, his compositional ideas phenominal.

completely agree, 100%.

Cobalt Blue wrote:

damn right Steve Morse is the most unbelievable player he's ever heard.

lol, Steve Morse rocks too. Petrucci is my personal fav. guitarist though... everything he writes amazes and inspires me. shit, he even inspires me with that "rock discipline" video, lol.

overall, JP is just the best, IMO. My favorite guitarist kept switching between Satch and Vai for the longest time.. theyre both amazing musicians... then I heard some Dream Theater, and ever since... Petrucci is just the man. rock on!

Eric 666 wrote:

HE GREW HIS FUCKING HAIR AGAIN! YEAH!

lol!

[cornjolio]

i dont care what anyone says but Dream Theater is the best band because of John Petrucci(and Mike )

[Ænimus Prime]

^^ and Myung and Rudess and Labrie. Each of the members is a master of their art so it frees up the songwriting: they can play anything and therefore write anything. They are the best band ever. In my oppinion, of course. And Tool as well. Awesome.

[AngelGC]

Lost_Rose wrote:

Will be awesome!!

Is it just me or is JP gettin a tad chubby :p

Petrucci's playing gets me a tad chubby

Petrucci RulZ!

Checked.

[High_o]

Petrucci owns. However, watching the G3 vid with him, hes a bit boring to watch on stage. His guitar work is phenomenal but he just doesnt have the stage prescence of Satch or Vai.

yeah, hes only got three moves: stand up straight and play, put his foot on his stage monitor and rest his guitar on his knee, and stand next to and smile at the bass player

[Satch_Boogie]

yeah, hes only got three moves: stand up straight and play, put his foot on his stage monitor and rest his guitar on his knee, and stand next to and smile at the bass player

Exactly, which is quite sad, because his songs blew my mind. Glasgow Kiss and Damage Control are some of the best guitar songs I have ever heard. If he could just loosen up and move around a bit and go crazy, it would be so much better.

I mean Vai is so frickin energetic! You see him on stage, hes like a machine he jus keeps goin with his funny orgasm face :P

Same with Satch, he moves around, get the crowd pumped up, Petrucci just stays there >_>

[rusrec00]

Daggorath wrote:

Petrucci is a far superior composer to Vai and Satch, in my opinion.

Because its noted that its your opinion I will not flame you but would like to just mention that personal bias will always taint ones opinion. In my opinion the G-3 video that I have, which I watch every couple days or so rather I need it or not, Shows three brilliant but different guitarists. Each with their own stamp on the love that we all obviously share, guitar based music. Petrucci rocks for sure. And dont even get me going on DT... A true Musician's band is the best way to describe them. But seriously, Vai' just plain mind blowinlgy amazing, and Satch just controls the guitar as if it was another arm or something, its like staring at three nuclear blasts and saying which one looked brighter. My fave has always been SRV watching him play was like watching someone breath,it was effortless, flowing, a part of him through and through...But no doubt JP is a monster

[full_metal]

Woe 16 guitars!! I only have... like... one !!!

[JeffReigns]

Satch_Boogie wrote:

yeah, hes only got three moves: stand up straight and play, put his foot on his stage monitor and rest his guitar on his knee, and stand next to and smile at the bass player

Exactly, which is quite sad, because his songs blew my mind. Glasgow Kiss and Damage Control are some of the best guitar songs I have ever heard. If he could just loosen up and move around a bit and go crazy, it would be so much better.

I mean Vai is so frickin energetic! You see him on stage, hes like a machine he jus keeps goin with his funny orgasm face :P

Same with Satch, he moves around, get the crowd pumped up, Petrucci just stays there >_>

The only thing that turns me off about Vai is the whole 'production' of his live show... the wardrobe changes, the fan blowing his hair, its a bit too much. I mean really, you don't need that shit to make music.

[Satch_Boogie]

The only thing that turns me off about Vai is the whole 'production' of his live show... the wardrobe changes, the fan blowing his hair, its a bit too much. I mean really, you don't need that shit to make music.

Shit Ive never seen that lol, Ive only seen him in G3. But yeh, sounds a bit too much, maybe he just likes to go all out. I wouldnt complain about it, but true, it aint necessary.

[thefoldarsoldar]

sturm wrote:

for some reason the thing that struck me most, wasn't what petrucci said, but it was how much UG has evolved through the years... i mean now, we have john petrucci (!!!) holding up a UG sticker? seriously kickass...

Isn't it!!
Do you think after G3 he'll come on here and make an account?...0_o

[Plus_the_Bear]

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

[TheUnforgivenii]

Vai and Satch are awesome guitarists, howver JP is an awesome guitarist/musician. In fact, the whole of DT are awesome musicians as well as instrumentalists ( labrie apart seeings he's the vocalist - and not a bad one either really!)

[joshjhasarrived]

Awesome interview, terrible grammar.

[Guitar_Poet]

JeffReigns wrote:
The only thing that turns me off about Vai is the whole 'production' of his live show... the wardrobe changes, the fan blowing his hair, its a bit too much. I mean really, you don't need that shit to make music.

i think the fan is to cool him off. when i play in front of people i get hot really fast, and i usually like to have a fan nearby. maybe thats just me being nervous, or too intense... probably nervous. but i dont have long hair, so if i hid the fan you wouldnt notice =)

Satch_Boogie wrote:

yeah, hes only got three moves: stand up straight and play, put his foot on his stage monitor and rest his guitar on his knee, and stand next to and smile at the bass player

Exactly, which is quite sad, because his songs blew my mind. Glasgow Kiss and Damage Control are some of the best guitar songs I have ever heard. If he could just loosen up and move around a bit and go crazy, it would be so much better.

I mean Vai is so frickin energetic! You see him on stage, hes like a machine he jus keeps goin with his funny orgasm face :P

Same with Satch, he moves around, get the crowd pumped up, Petrucci just stays there >_>

yea, hes not very active, but his music is amazing. hes used to letting labrie do all the running around, and hes gotta concentrate [he likes to have his shows to have that practically-album sound]... whereas vai and satch dont care as much for that, and kind of let loose... vai much more than satch. anyway, jp doesnt move much, but his music makes up for it, definitely. =D

[Guitar_Poet]

Plus_the_Bear wrote:

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

hahahahhaa... labrie doesnt sound too bad on record, but live he really takes away from the show. i cant stand to listen to "home" or "this dying sou;" or any other song, for that mattter, live.. cuz he doesnt even sound into it.. or if he does, he sounds really bad. the dudes got a great voice but on stage he kind of loses it.

Checked

[Noverion]

DT are amazing, i have octavarium, i never tohught i could listen to a 24 minute song and not get bored of it before hearing hta album, but woah!, absoloutely phenomal, looking forward to the new album, amazing guitarest too i must aadd

[soulgazer]

i want his fingers !!!

[Guitarmeister]

soulgazer wrote:

i want his fingers !!!

gross...

[Reven]

Plus_the_Bear wrote:

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

I disagree completely. James LaBrie is an excellent singer, in my opinion, and makes Dream Theater unique. Not many bands have a singer who can span four-odd octaves, a virtuozzo guitarist, a great drummer and a bassist with foot-long fingers.

[justinp93]

Plus_the_Bear wrote:

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

Uh... No.

mattallica wrote:

You havent heard petrucci then. I saw them on the G3 tour in Australia, and JP showed Satch and Vai up so badly(although thats kinda biased coz DT is my favourite band).

Lost_Rose :
Will be awesome!!

Is it just me or is JP gettin a tad chubby :p


Nah its him being buff. You should see him in person, hes a tank

Fuck yea. +24

[JeffReigns]

Satch_Boogie wrote:

The only thing that turns me off about Vai is the whole 'production' of his live show... the wardrobe changes, the fan blowing his hair, its a bit too much. I mean really, you don't need that shit to make music.Shit Ive never seen that lol, Ive only seen him in G3. But yeh, sounds a bit too much, maybe he just likes to go all out. I wouldnt complain about it, but true, it aint necessary.

Yeah, I mean his music is great, hes one of the best, but I just don't see a need for a huge production like that, lets keep it simple and focus on music... just my two cents.

[Rocker1_1]

JeffReigns wrote:

Satch_Boogie wrote:

The only thing that turns me off about Vai is the whole 'production' of his live show... the wardrobe changes, the fan blowing his hair, its a bit too much. I mean really, you don't need that shit to make music.Shit Ive never seen that lol, Ive only seen him in G3. But yeh, sounds a bit too much, maybe he just likes to go all out. I wouldnt complain about it, but true, it aint necessary.


Yeah, I mean his music is great, hes one of the best, but I just don't see a need for a huge production like that, lets keep it simple and focus on music... just my two cents.

i think its a bit much too, but whatever floats his boat and makes him play good is good

[sambargun]

Some of you guys feel LaBrie doesnt sound all that good onstage. The fact is that the only naturally human sound during a band's show is the vocals. Which means that it get tiring after sometime and the intensity drops after awhile as the singer as to conserve his\her voice for the rest of the show. It has happened with Plant, Freddy Mercury, Axl Rose, Chris Cornell etc etc....even Phil Anselmo. Get the point?

[desdin0va]

John Petrucci: I’ve never been to this country before so it is my first time.

Rrrreallllyy, John?

[rock_or_roll]

hahahahhaa... labrie doesnt sound too bad on record, but live he really takes away from the show. i cant stand to listen to "home" or "this dying sou;" or any other song, for that mattter, live.. cuz he doesnt even sound into it.. or if he does, he sounds really bad. the dudes got a great voice but on stage he kind of loses it.

well that didnt make sense.... dream theatre is a bit nerdy, the singer does opera shit wtf?? they just aint rock

[sambargun]

Right, saying Dream Theatre"just aint rock" may be the biggest compliment you can pay them. It means that their music is just too varied to defy a straight on classification, which I suspect is just the way those guys wanted it. The singer does opera shit because he can handle it, and the band can actually play metal music to support it. They are the ideal descendants to the prog-rock mantle after Yes, ELP and Rush and dont anybody dare doubt it.

[xXBlack_PickXx]

John Petrucci Is Amazing Guitarist,He Is SO Creative And Inovative With His Sound.I Love ALL Of His Stuff,Whether It's His Solo Stuf,Dream Theater Or Liquid Tension Experiment.

[fatpratmatt]

Anyone have any idea when the next album will be released? I can't wait!

[Rize]

John Petrucci is the man!

xXBlack_PickXx wrote:

John Petrucci Is Amazing Guitarist,He Is SO Creative And Inovative With His Sound.I Love ALL Of His Stuff,Whether It's His Solo Stuf,Dream Theater Or Liquid Tension Experiment.

Well said, I agree.

[Guitar_Poet]

rock_or_roll wrote:

hahahahhaa... labrie doesnt sound too bad on record, but live he really takes away from the show. i cant stand to listen to "home" or "this dying sou;" or any other song, for that mattter, live.. cuz he doesnt even sound into it.. or if he does, he sounds really bad. the dudes got a great voice but on stage he kind of loses it.

well that didnt make sense.... dream theatre is a bit nerdy, the singer does opera shit wtf?? they just aint rock

didnt make sense? lol.. you must be dense. labrie live just doesnt cut it for me personally.. i just dont like his live singing at all. he sounds out of it, lol... but i mean, i guess i cant really blame him at the end of a huge-ass world tour. hes got an amazing voice.. still though, he sounds way better on record...

[NikoITA]

the big man is coming back again...I hope that the new album will come out soon!!...DT 4ever!!

[Daggorath]

rusrec00 wrote:
Because its noted that its your opinion I will not flame you but would like to just mention that personal bias will always taint ones opinion. In my opinion the G-3 video that I have, which I watch every couple days or so rather I need it or not, Shows three brilliant but different guitarists. Each with their own stamp on the love that we all obviously share, guitar based music. Petrucci rocks for sure. And dont even get me going on DT... A true Musician's band is the best way to describe them. But seriously, Vai' just plain mind blowinlgy amazing, and Satch just controls the guitar as if it was another arm or something, its like staring at three nuclear blasts and saying which one looked brighter. My fave has always been SRV watching him play was like watching someone breath,it was effortless, flowing, a part of him through and through...But no doubt JP is a monster

Personal bias? Howso? I enjoy his MUSIC. At the end of the day, you might watch the G3 and think other players look better but that's not how I judge music. If I wanted people doing stage tricks and jumping about then I'd Listen (or watch) to pop punk.

Can anyone listen to Suspended Animation all the way through and not be blown away? I agree with the guy who said that every single note is important with Petrucci. Vai might not be all out shred, but it feels as if alot of it is to show individualism - not that it makes his music sound any better. I love Satch too but I think his compositions are a lot more limited than Petrucci. I think it's all the years of playing in a band first and foremost that have given JP the right attitude to succeed. Let's face it - we all play differently depending on how we feel at the time, or what we're thinking - so in some ways guitar is mental (both literally and not).

[Satch_Boogie]

Can anyone listen to Suspended Animation all the way through and not be blown away?

Yes. I actually got it the other day and while it is fantastic, it doesnt even get close to the awesomeness that was Surfing With The Alien when I heard it the first time.

[Artcell]

Petrucci is my hero. His music is such influence on us bak in this small country bangladesh that cant b xpressed in words.

[espinzoa]

Petrucci is definitely the best of G3, but honestly, I can't stand the other two's music. Don't get me wrong, they're great musicians and technical players, but they can't write anything I want to listen to. Same with Yngwie Malmsteen. Dream Theater is worth listening to though, but all the same, I have to say bands like Audioslave and Rush

[espinzoa]

stupid thing cut me off. Anyways, are a better listen with some other great players.

[5_Strings]

an extremly talented musician ..

[9_11_4]

What a legend, this guy is my favourite guitarist ever...

[soulgazer]

..and he is soooo good with a metronome..

[Paradise Lost]

Petrucci is one of the very few virtuoso guitarists who can play with emotion and passion, I think that's what sets him ahead of the rest.

[Satchpwnsnoobs]

Satch = teacher and Petrucci and Vai = students. I bet if you were to ask either one of them to challenge Satch they wouldn't do it. But this arguement about which one is best is really stupid. They all play different styles of music so there is really no way to say who is better than the other.

[i_am_metalhead]

Petrucci is a great guitarist but I find Dream Theater to be a bit boring.

[Jawshuwa]

Personally, I like Steve Vai's compositions more than Petrucci's and Satriani's. Satriani's amazing all around and Petrucci's sitting in the thrown next to him, but Vai's songs are just glorious, in my opinion. They're (conveniently) my three favorite guitarists of all time, and they all have their perks and flaws. Flaws: Vai seems to exaggerate his presence (someone's already mentioned the attire and the fan blowing his hair); Satriani really does follow a generic song structure pattern for most of his material; Petrucci rarely puts emotion into his playing. Perks: They ****ing kick ass, plain and simple.

[soulgazer]

thats coz petrucci has the emotion of a 7 year old (look at his vids)

[cornjolio]

i_am_metalhead wrote:

Petrucci is a great guitarist but I find Dream Theater to be a bit boring.

your crazy. dream theater is the most creative band in the wprld and they'll never get boring

[Jimy Page]

i_am_metalhead, i must agree with you, they're really boring

[Swamplord]

Plus_the_Bear wrote:

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

They definitely don't need a new singer because thats what makes them a unique band. BUT, don't you think it would be interested if Dream Theater did another 'Train of Thought' album with a pantera/darkane/chimaira sort of death metal vocalist? Now THAT would kick even more ass then it already does!

[boberto]

Plus_the_Bear wrote:

*ques up John Petrucci Psycho rig excercises videos*
Naw, I like Petrucci, but Dream Theatre NEEDS a new singer.

What are you talking about ???? LaBrie has like a gift from god man, he's just great. Just hear him singing trial of tears live at budokan and see if you can say that dt needs a new singer again.

[boberto]

cornjolio wrote:

i_am_metalhead wrote:

Petrucci is a great guitarist but I find Dream Theater to be a bit boring.


your crazy. dream theater is the most creative band in the wprld and they'll never get boring

I agree with cornjolio. dt has a huge variety of music just listen "the spirit carries on" and then "Honor thy father".

[boberto]

fatpratmatt wrote:

Anyone have any idea when the next album will be released? I can't wait!

I think it will come out soon because JP said that they started working on it back in September 2006 and it has been like 5 months so it shouldnt take much longer.

Checkorated.

[plectrum911]

In my opinion, Dream Theater is one of the most flexible bands of this generation. Who else can shred, play jazzy styles and have "slow" and "easy to listen to" music. There is no person in Dream Theater who is'nt a great musician. I have the honor of owning three of their albums, and i was impressed with all of them.

[AM_Nexus]

Petrucci is a great guitarist and a very nice man. I can't understand people, that write somthing like "jp sucks, he can't play...". That is just stupid.

[JSX]

Petrucci is a a great guy and a great guitar player. He is one of my main influences when it comes to just jamming or solo'ing. It's always a thrill to listen to any of his music. I enjoy his G3 stuff more than dream theatre stuff.

[Slainone]

chaimaira vocalist? No. We don't want them to suck.

Dream Theater is great, I own every album. People say he's "ALL SPEED AND NO EMOTION" But they dont listen to any of his songs...

[Slainone]

cut me off.... and Labrie is a great vocalist, I think he's even good live.