The Greatest Showman

As prog-metal titans Dream Theater raise the curtain on their ambitious new album, talismanic guitarist John Petrucci tells us about pressure, testosterone-powered jams and camaraderie on the road with Satriani, Collen and Roth…

- Henry Yates

John Petrucci wears his legend status lightly. Officially, we have been granted just 20 minutes for today’s Guitarist interview – a fair indication of the Dream Theater guitarist’s sky-high profile and the number of journalists lined up for their pound of flesh. But as it turns out, the 51-year-old is warm, relaxed and in no particular rush, happy to hold forth on his guitar technique, gear and songwriting with the same easy fluency that we’ve come to expect from his impeccable fretwork.

Even so, for the interviewer, it’s worth pinching yourself and acknowledging that you are in the company of a monster talent in prog guitar. It’s three decades since a gang of Berklee Music College students formed Dream Theater and released their debut album, 1989’s When Dream And Day Unite, which announced a new world order for prog. Already, the New York-born Petrucci’s power-picked chops, liquid solos and melodic instincts were eye-popping, but the revelation has been watching them evolve over a 14-album catalogue, capped by this year’s Distance Over Time.

You’ve said you wanted this new album to be “heavy” and “proggy”…