Mike Mangini Talks About The Creative Process Of His Solo Album

Mike Mangini (Instagram @dreamtheater)

JAKARTA - Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini spoke to "The Everyman Podcast" about his upcoming solo debut album, Invisible Signs, which is scheduled to arrive in November.

Accompanying Mangini in the album include Tony Dickinson (bass), Ivan Keller (guitar), Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne) on the main guitar and former Evanescence guitarist Jen Majura on vocals.

Asked if he wrote all the music and lyrics for the Invisible Signs album, including the first newly released single total of Nature, this is Mangini's explanation.

"Initially. And the reason why there was confusion was that journalists would take the right old information at the time, but then it changed. For example, at first, yes, I wrote every not - of course I wrote it, because I did it myself. I mean, every not - solo, all the words, vocal melodies sung poorly," said Mangini.

"And it's evolving over time. So, when it develops from just me and MIDI instruments to what you're hearing now, there's a stage where I keep it and then turn it around to everyone on this album. So that's the point."

Regarding how Jen was involved in this project as a singer, Mike told me that he met Jen some time ago and finally Jen asked Mangini to fill one of her spots on YouTube.

"And we performed the songiko Wonder with him and Alex Skolnick, and it was great, because he did it - he played the saxophone and guitar and everything else, but he sang great Wonder, like that. Not everyone has that, and I put it on my head," said the drummer.

"I was like, 'Give it up, he can do it all.' And this is interesting, because later, when I'm writing some songs, no one has heard of it yet, except for anyone who should have heard it before the song was released, Black Box and Let Me Shine were more than that... I mean, you could know that's what kids love."

"So I tried to make those songs for me. I tried to make them with riffs and things that weren't common at the radio station. But after all, so he had those things that allowed both songs to now connect with other songs. And the most played songs are still tough, but don't have 54 percent swing in them."