Watch The Video, Mike Portnoy Plays Pull Me Under For The First Time In 13 Years

JAKARTA - Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, who recently returned to the progressive metal band after a 13-year absence, played Pull Me Under for the first time in Drumeo.

Portnoy was recently featured in a 14-minute video for YouTube drum education source Drumeo, Drumeo, describing him discussing and playing through Dream Theater's iconic song from the album Images And Words, Pull Me Under.

The video begins with Portnoy talking about the importance of the song for Dream Theater's career, describing it as a song that places Dream Theater on the map.

"You could say, if we didn't write this song, I wouldn't be sitting here today," he said.

Portnoy also pointed out that Pull Me Under was a last-minute addition to their 1992 album, at the push of their A&R personnel, Derek Oliver, who wanted one more "more concise" song to feature on 'Images And Words

Portnoy also revealed that playing the song for the first time since his 2010 departure was not difficult.

"For me, playing this now, it's like riding a bicycle," Portnoy said. "The memory of muscles exists for life, you know? It will last forever."

After his opening speech to the song, he continued by explaining the drum fillings of various parts of the song, before playing it as a whole.

On October 25, Dream Theater over X announced that Mike Portnoy is back as their drummer. In the same post, the band also announced that this latest formation will record a new studio album together, marking the band's band's first studio recording with Portnoy since the 2009 Black Clouds & Silver Linings.

Portnoy returned to return Dream Theater to their classic line-up in 1999 and 2000, consisting of Portnoy, vocalist James LaBrie, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

With this line-up, Dream Theater recorded six studio albums, from 'Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory' to 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings' in 2009.

In Portnoy's time away from Dream Theater, he produced music with various side projects, including The Winery Dogs - power trio which also involved Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen from Mr. Big - then the heavy metal Sons of Apollo supergroup, and Karayge Mob, which he formed with Russell Allen and Mike Orlando.