John Petrucci isn't exactly a stranger to the modern progressive metal scene, voicing his likes of it before and even guesting on Periphery's latest record. Apparently he's taking some cues from these bands when it comes down to writing as well!
In an interview with Loudwire, Petrucci was asked about if he takes any influence from modern progressive metal bands since he's usually cited by so many guitarists as an inspiration, to which he responds:
"…I think that without naming a specific band, there is a whole wave of younger bands that are in the prog vein. There is Periphery, Between the Buried and Me, Animals As Leaders — bands like that are doing stuff where you hear it and you are like, ‘Wow, that’s amazing! That was intense!’ You can’t help but have that seep into your subconscious, you know? In that sense, anything you hear that you like the sound of becomes an influence and shapes who you are as a musician writing music."
Now go back and listen to "The Enemy Inside" and tell me you're not hearing a little bit of the influence! It's certainly not beating you over the head with overtness, but it's definitely there. It also helps that I've heard that Dream Theater is easily the heaviest record the band has done since Train of Thought, so between that and this news I'm way more than simply stoked for it!
