Talking Into Infinity - A Dream Theater Podcast

Our good friend and world-renowned guitar author Steve Rosen has written a new book called “The Original Punk –Jeff Beck Stories – From Yardbird To The Guitar Shop” and is coming back onto the show to discuss his new release! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #steverosen #jeffbeck#theoriginalpunk #author #guitar #yardbirds #jeffbeckgroupOur good friend and world-renownedguitar author Steve Rosen has written a new book called “The Original Punk –Jeff Beck Stories – From Yardbird To The Guitar Shop” and is coming back ontothe show to discuss his new release! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #steverosen #jeffbeck#theoriginalpunk #author #guitar #yardbirds #jeffbeckgroup

We're forty years removed from one of the greatest in heavymetal history, 1986, and we decided to do some deep dives into some of the incredibly classic records that defined that year. On this episode, we're digging into what is probably the best record to come out in '86 – and an album some people call the greatest in metal history – Metallica's Master Of Puppets!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #metallica #masterofpuppets#jameshetfield #heavymetal #1986 #kirkhammett #cliffburton #larsulrich#jasonnewsted #roberttrujillo

It's our seventh installment of album song rankings and this time we're tackling Awake! Brian is on record as not being a big fan of this album (and later deciding that he actually quite enjoys it) whereas Jon loves it – how will our lists compare? I mean, we already know that Brian will bewrong about Space Dye Vest, but…#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

Geoff Tate is back with the final installment of his Operation: Mindcrime trilogy – this time told from the perspective of Dr. X! Some people are calling it the sequel that no one wantedwhile some fans are saying that this may be Geoff's best post-Queensryche album yet! We're digging into the record track by track with some help from our good friend - the mighty Chris Akin!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #geofftate#operationmindcrime3 #operationmindcrime2 #operationmindcrime #queensryche

It's 2013… you walk into the record store to buy DreamTheater's self-titled album… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to buy something else… what records are you buying? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

It's our sixth installment of album song rankings and this time we're taking on Falling Into Infinity! Jon won't be able to rank them all number one, and Brian isn't nearly as big a fan of this album as Jon is, so how far apart will they be in regards to Jon's favorite DT album?#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

He's written almost 8,000 record reviews… he has 135 booksin print… he's been a research expert on pretty much every hard rock and heavy metal documentary anyone's EVER watched… he's Martin Popoff, and he finally crossed a line (as far as Jon is concerned.) He has put out a video listing theWORST song on each of the Van Halen studio releases – we're watching it for the first time and reacting to it LIVE with Martin himself! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #vanhalen#martinpopoff #rankings

We've said for years that fans can submit show ideas to us –and someone finally has! Our good friend Johan sent us an email and asked us if we would rank all 16 DT studio albums solely based on their guitar solos, and we're answering the call (get it?) We're not gonna lie (sorry, had to do it twice)– this was a tough one! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #guitar #guitarsolos

We're bringing on the Paul (Rich) and Eric (Rich) from one of the country's hottest Kiss tribute bands – Mr. Speed! We'll be discussing life in a tribute band, touring regionally as a self-sustained act and running down our top favorite Ace Frehley songs!

We went to our local theater last week to catch thecareer-spanning Megadeth documentary Behind The Mask and get our first listen to the band's new self-titled record! Jon was underwhelmed by the first three songs that were released while Brian enjoyed them – what's the verdict now that we've heard the album in its entirety? Is it a worthy sendoff for one of metal's most legendary and influential bands – or is it just confirmation that it really is time for Dave Mustaine to hang it up?#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #megadeth #behindthemask #vicrattlehead #davemustaine

It's our first show of 2026 - a year forty years removed from one of the greatest in heavy metal history, 1986! We'll be doing some deep dives into some of the incredibly classic records that defined that year and on this episode, we're starting off with the fan-favorite Iron Maiden album Somewhere In Time! Is it worthy successor to the hugely successful and popular Powerslave – or does it signal the start of a decline in the quality of the band's output?#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #ironmaiden #somewhereintime #powerslave #heavymetal #1986

It's THAT time of year again... our fifth annual Fan Hangout show! This one is a freeform musical discussion about anything the fans want to talk about - driven by fans who have graciously agreed to jump out from the chat and into the limelight as they guest host the show with us! The GorillaFarts will be flowing, Brian's bad jokes will be worse than ever, and the holiday cheer – and music talk! - will be bountiful!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2011 and you walk into the record store to buy A Dramatic Turn Of Events… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #adramaticturnofevents

We host a DT podcast, so you'd figure that we would know our stuff when it comes to all manner of trivia about the band – but do we? We test our qualifications and put ourselves through a number of online Dream Theater quizzes to how much we REALLY know about our favorite band!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

Jon recently caught the Columbus, Ohio stop of DreamTheater's Parasomnia/A Change Of Seasons tour and he has plenty of stories to tell - including meeting the band!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

There have been some recent developments in the DTcamp and we're digging into recent news and interviews and giving our thoughts on all the current happenings! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #rush #rushreunion@anikanilles #acefrehley

Just a quick show note to let you know that we're still here and pumping out content - but a certain platform has been pulling down our episodes for some stupid reason, which is why nothing new has shown up on the audio platforms for a few months. We will be fixing this error in the very near future! Until then... here's a short explanation! Carpe Diem!

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2011 and you walk into the record store to buy A Dramatic Turn Of Events… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #adramaticturnofevents

We host a DT podcast, so you'd figure that we would know our stuff when it comes to all manner of trivia about the band – but do we? We test our qualifications and put ourselves through a number of online Dream Theater quizzes to how much we REALLY know about our favorite band!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

Jon recently caught the Columbus, Ohio stop of DreamTheater's Parasomnia/A Change Of Seasons tour with Dream Theater's art director Wayne Joyner and he has plenty of stories to tell! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

There have been some recent developments in the DT camp and we're digging into recent news and interviews and giving our thoughts on all the current happenings! We also discuss Rush's recent reunion tour announcement and the passing of legendary Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #rush #rushreunion @anikanilles #acefrehley

Jon recently caught the Columbus, Ohio stop of DreamTheater's Parasomnia/A Change Of Seasons tour and he has plenty of stories to tell! #johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #parasomnia #achangeofseasons

With Symphony X embarking on their first proper U.S. tour in a decade, we decided to dive into one of the band's most beloved and iconic releases – 2007's Paradise Lost! Is it a little slice of heaven, as most fans agree – or is it actually a little bit of hell? We give our thoughts on this incredible slab of prog metal greatness!

It's another ranking show on TII! This time around, a discussion about ranking the opening songs on each of the DT studio albums got us thinking… what are our top album opening songs of all time – by ANY band? Some of our answers just might surprise you!

Say it ain't so, Dave! Megadeth has announced thattheir upcoming album and world tour will be their last – on this episode of TII, we look back on one of the most influential and genre-changing bands in music history and give our thoughts (and personal stories!) about arguably thesecond-most important band in thrash metal history!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #megadeth #davemustaine #megadethretiring #megadethretires

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2009 and you walk into the record store to buy Black Clouds and Silver Linings… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity

The rock and metal worlds are in mourning as we allsay goodbye to the man who started it all for us – the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away last week at age 76 – just 17 days after his final performance. We talk about Ozzy's legacy, his enduring impact, as well as tell some personal stories about the Prince of Darkness and the influence he had on us both - along with our good friend and guest co-host Chris Akin.#johnpetrucci #mikeportnoy #jordanrudess #johnmyung#jameslabrie #dreamtheater #podcast #talkingintoinfinity #ozzyosbourne #ripozzy#ripozzyosbourne #ozzy #blacksabbath #backtothebeginning

We've pitted a lot of albums against one another – especially a lot of Dream Theater against Dream Theater… but! We have NEVER pitted a single member of DT against themselves! On this episode, that's exactly what we're doing as we throw John Petrucci's two solo records Suspended Animation and Terminal Velocity into the octagon to see which one comes out victorious!

He's back with more explosive-fueled insanity and killer road stories – he's friend of show “Pyro” John Watkins! This time around he's got a kickass book to promote – “Do You Know Who I Think I Am? Memoirs of a World-Class Smartass” – it's fantastic and engaging and Pyro is dishing all the details about the creation of this unique and hilarious read!

We're back with another list – this is one that we found online, and let's just say that there are some interesting choices on it! What is it listing? Someone's opinion of which song is the best on each of the 16 Dream Theater studio releases! Let's see if we agree with their selections – or if we'll want to scream to the Peruvian Skies about how ridiculous some of them are!

We are back talking some Sons Of Apollo on TII! We've done our deep dive into Psychotic Symphony, the amazing debut from SOA - Sheehan, Soto, Bumblefoot and, of course  - Sherinian and Portnoy – this time we're going track by track through their acclaimed sophomore (and, sadly, final) effort MMXX!

With the NFL draft having just taken place, we thought it would be a good idea to have another fantasy football-style song draft on the show – with a twist! This time, we're ONLY allowed to choose songs from the Mike Mangini era of the band! The only question is… will Breaking All Illusions be the unquestioned #1 draft pick, or is there a sleeper in the cards? We're on the clock and it's time to find out!

We're sitting down with our good friend and legendary guitarwriter Steve Rosen to discuss the third edition of his phenomenal Edward Van Halen book Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-Year Journey With Edward Van Halen and digging into how he made the recently-released audiobook versions come to life! We also touch on Steve's thoughts about the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame and Alex Van Halen's recent autobiography Brothers!

We are back from our adventures in New York City attendingthe final show of Dream Theater's 40th Anniversary Tour - and not only do we have some stories to tell, but we have some special guests along for the ride! John Raaness of DT Norway will be discussing what goes into setting up theirawesome pre-show fan hangouts, and our good friend Wayne Joyner will be giving us all of the behind-the-scenes details on how he created the stage show for this tour – specifically his incredible and emotional video for The Best OfTimes!

On this episode, we bring on legendary pyrotechnic technician John “Pyro” Watkins to talk about his life on the road with Van Halen, Kiss, Bon Jovi, Journey… just to name a few! We even delve into the Station Nightclub fire and what went so very wrong… John has some incredible stories!

The wait is finally over! Not only do we have a new Dream Theater record to sink our teeth into, but we have our first new music with Mike Portnoy behind the kit in almost fifteen years! On this huge day in DT history, we turn the show over to the fans to get THEIR immediate reactions to the new album Parasomnia!

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2007 and you walk into the record store to buy Systematic Chaos… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!

We're back for our first show of 2025, and we're bringing back our good friend Paul Logue of Eden's Curse and James LaBrie's solo band! After the success of our Empire deep dive, Paul asked if he could come back and talk some Van Halen – twist our arms! Paul chose 1991's banger For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – this is one of Jon's favorite albums, so this promises to be a great discussion about a truly standout record from the VH catalog!

Gorilla Farts, DT talk, music talk, the fans/viewers/listeners guest-hosting the show… you know the drill! It's our favorite show of the year – at our favorite time of the year! We're giving the fans the mic and letting THEM host the show with us and ANY topic is on the table! We're celebrating the holidays as only TII can with our fourth annual Fan Hangout show! Strap in kids… this could be a long one!

We're nearing the end of what has probably been the busiest year in DT history – at the very least in terms of news and events for the fans! A new album announcement, two singles, a new live album being recorded – and of course the return of Iron Mike himself; Mike Portnoy! We give our thoughts on the year that was and where we think the future of DT is headed!

With fifteen studio albums under their belts, Dream Theater has a massive catalogue filled with hits, fan favorites… and underrated gems! On this episode, we dig deep into the DT archives to give our lists of the most underrated songs in Dream Theater's storied history!

It's spooky season, so we're each giving our lists of our ten favorite hard rock or heavy metal songs from Halloween movie soundtracks! However, there's also a lot of news in DT world right now, so we'll also be running down all of the current topics and giving our thoughts!

We FINALLY have our first taste of the new Dream Theater record, which we now know to be titled Parasomnia! This is a quick announcement to let everyone know to head over to our YouTube channel for a full episode react from our viewers/listeners with Jon and Brian as moderators!

It's our fifth installment of album song rankings and this time we're tackling Distance Over Time! Brian and Jon both agree that this is one of DT's strongest albums – but will they agree on where each song should be ranked from 1 through 10?

We're back with a special episode deep dive into Queensryche's multi-platinum classic Empire! To help us out, we are bringing on friend of show and James Labrie cowriter Paul Logue of Eden's Curse! Everyone is familiar with Jet City Woman and Silent Lucidity - are those tunes the BEST that this incredible record has to offer? Or are the deep cuts where this album makes its bones? We discuss!

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2005 and you walk into the record store to buy Octavarium… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when we can't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!

Jon recently discovered a list of the top 25 metal albums of all time – and Dream Theater made the cut! It got us thinking… what other albums made the top 25, and are they good choices? We break the list down and give our thoughts on each selection – along with the most metal guest host we could find – the mighty Chris Akin from Chris Akin Presents and The Classic Metal Show!

With Jon having recently attended Sammy Hagar's Best Of All Worlds tour, it got us thinking… what would WE list as our top ten favorite Van Hagar tracks? We each provide our list – and we're bringing on Steve Wright, host of the Podder Than Hell podcast to provide us with HIS favorites!

Brian is off tonight, so Jon is rolling solo – with a little help from the viewers/listeners! Brian isn't as well versed on the live stuff as Jon is, so… tonight we're digging into the ten live DT releases to see which one comes out on top! Everyone knows that Jon has a soft spot for Score, but… could there be a dark horse candidate waiting in the wings to take the top spot?

It's the next entry in our series of “you can't have DT”, so… it's 2003 and you walk into the record store to buy Train of Thought… and the clerk tells you that you CAN'T buy it! You HAVE to choose something else… what records are you grabbing? We give OUR choices for what we'd buy when wevcan't have what we really want – the new Dream Theater record!

We're getting back into the cage for this special non-DT episode of TII! This time, we're pitting two of the greatest metal albums ever recorded head to head – a pair of Metallica classics! It's 1986's Master of Puppets against 1988's …And Justice For All! Yes, it's sad but true… we have to pick a winner… (see what we did there?)