In a recent interview with Spain’s Mariskal Rock, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy, who rejoined the band last October after a 13-year hiatus, was asked to highlight the accomplishment he is most proud of in his career and the decision he regrets the most.
“I’m proud of it all,” he responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I mean, I’m proud of everything I’ve done within DREAM THEATER. DREAM THEATER has created one of the biggest empires in progressive metal. So I’m proud of having been a part of that. But I’m also proud of everything I did [in] the 13 years I was out of DREAM THEATER. I did everything from THE WINERY DOGS to SONS OF APOLLO, FLYING COLORS, TRANSATLANTIC, METAL ALLEGIANCE — so many different kinds of music — and I was able to do everything from thrash metal with METAL ALLEGIANCE to classic rock power trio with THE WINERY DOGS, and everything in between.
“So all of these things are part of the big picture of who I am and what I’ve done with my life and my career. And I’m proud of it all. As far as any regrets, I don’t have any regrets. I think even leaving DREAM THEATER back in 2010, I don’t regret that because I think if I had unhappily stayed at the time, I might’ve spent the rest of my life regretting not taking a chance. So it’s always better to regret the things you have done than the things you haven’t done. That was always my philosophy. I even wrote that in the lyrics for [the DREAM THEATER song] ‘Repentance’. But that being said, I don’t have any regrets because they’re all part of the story and they’re all part of what got me to where I am today. And luckily for DREAM THEATER fans, it’s come full circle and it has a very happy ending in the end anyway.”
DREAM THEATER recently spent time in the studio working on their sixteenth album. This upcoming release will be the progressive metal icons’ first LP since Portnoy rejoined the band.
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