JOHN PETRUCCI RETURNS WITH HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN 15 YEARS – TERMINAL VELOCITY
Video for the first single “Terminal Velocity” premiered on GuitarWorld.com
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John Petrucci on the track and video:
“Terminal Velocity was actually the first new song that I wrote for the album when I entered the studio in March of this year. It stemmed from one of the many ideas and seeds that I had collected over the past several years. I literally began with the opening motif and built the rest of song from there. I think it’s a great lead-off single and nicely represents a few of the different stylistic sides of this record that I wanted to explore as a guitar player; The melodic/thematic side, the riffing side, and the shred side.
“Mike and Dave both did an amazing job bringing this song to life as well, with all of the energy that they injected when recording their performances.
“The video was created by Wayne Joyner who made all of the promotional videos for Dream Theater’s Distance Over Time album as well as all of the 2019/2020 DT live tour visuals including all of the updated Scenes From A Memory video content. The tracking footage of me, Dave and Mike in the studio has a play-through sort of vibe while Wayne did his magic adding amazing 3-D graphics and special visual effects to help tell a story. I think the end result is a really unique and engaging video that captures the song’s energy and definitely does the first single justice. Really excited for people to see and hear this!”
In the beginning of March 2020 while the COVID-19 global pandemic was unrelentingly reeking it’s havoc on the world and especially NY, John started working on the music that would make up Terminal Velocity at the DT Headquarters on Long Island with engineer Jimmy T at the helm. “All DT touring for the rest of the year was either being cancelled or postponed and even though I had already planned on starting the project this Spring, I suddenly found myself with many unanticipated months at home. Jimmy T and I would head into the DTHQ 5 days week for about 2 and a half months and, as I wrote and constructed the new tunes, he was right there capturing it all and turning it into a record. Initially, we programmed drums and shared bass playing responsibilities just to get the ideas to a place where they sounded like completed and cohesive songs but we always anticipated that ‘work in progress’ drums and bass would eventually be replaced.”
The 9 songs on Terminal Velocity showcase John’s affinity for writing tightly-weaved guitar instrumental powerhouses that feature everything from monster riff breaks to passion-filled melodic themes worthy of film soundtracks, to all-out shred extravaganzas that leave the listener feeling like they just stepped off of a thrilling musical roller coaster ride. “Much like the songs on my first solo album, Suspended Animation, I wanted the new tunes to really showcase what I’m all about as a player and to give an up-to-date depiction of where I am musically and how I like to express myself on the instrument. It’s about capturing the attitude of the performances and of course as always, very much about capturing the tone that I’ve worked so hard over the years to develop and refine.”
Although a few of the songs that make up Terminal Velocity were actually written quite a long time ago and even played live but never properly recorded, over half the album’s content is new music that John created while in the studio during the quarantine. “I believe that making this record when I did really helped me to maintain a sense of stability and normalcy during such a crazy time in our history.” “It was encouraging for me and my family to embrace something so hopeful and positive as we faced a very uncertain future in the music industry and in the world and for that, I am truly grateful for having music be such a big part of my life.”
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