Dream Theater have confirmed they have started work on their 17th studio album, sharing a photo from the studio on the band’s official Instagram account.
The band posted the image days after drummer Mike Portnoy said in a recent interview that the band had begun recording new music. The post marked the official start of the album’s recording phase.
Drummer Mike Portnoy explained the band’s timeline in the recent interview. “We just finished a year and a half,” Portnoy said. “Yeah, it was crazy. Went around the world a few times. It was really insane. But all good, all great. And just literally starting work on the new album today. Today was the first day in the studio.”
Dream Theater wrote in the caption of their studio post: “DT17 is underway…”
The announcement comes after the band completed an extended touring schedule. The band has now entered the recording phase for the new album.
Dream Theater reunited with Portnoy in October 2023 after 13 years apart. The reunion brought together the founding members who originally formed the band in 1985 as Majesty. Portnoy had left Dream Theater in September 2010, and he and singer James LaBrie had not spoken for eleven years until their 2022 meeting in New York.
The 16th studio album “Parasomnia” was released on 7 February 2025 and marked the first album with the reunited lineup since 2009’s “Black Clouds & Silver Linings”. The album was recorded at DTHQ on Long Island, New York and runs for 71 minutes.
The band wrapped their European dates on the 40th Anniversary Tour 2024-2025, where they performed “Parasomnia” in full along with the complete “A Change Of Seasons”. The upcoming album will be the second studio record to feature Portnoy since his return to the band.
