JOHN PETRUCCI
Terminal Velocity
SOUND MIND
Dream Theater shredder finds reasons to be happy
The dawn of the COVID-19catalysed solo album is upon us. Taylor Swift’s done one, Corey Taylor’s done one and now so has John Petrucci. Joined by ex-bandmate Mike Portnoy, the Dream Theater guitarist has succeeded 2005’s Suspended Animation with an instrumental album so peppy that it masks the bleakness of the lockdown in which it was recorded. It’s the jovial yin to DT’s more existential yang, sharing the same technicality while also flaunting a more optimistic sound. Whether it’s through the jazz-like smoothness of Out Of The Blue, the swaggering Way Things Fall or a track aptly named The Happy Song, Terminal Velocity is a fun prog metal distraction.