Terminal Velocity

Terminal Velocity is the second studio album by Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci, released digitally on August 28, 2020 and on October 30, 2020 for the physical version (vinyl and CD). This is his first solo album since 2005's Suspended Animation. During the recording sessions, Petrucci was reunited with his former Dream Theater bandmate Mike Portnoy, making it their first collaboration since the latter left the band in 2010. Bassist Dave LaRue, who performed on Suspended Animation, returns for this album. Petrucci planned to start working on the album in the second trimester of the year, but he ended up using the unexpected free time resulting from the New York COVID-19 lockdowns to write the songs. The whole writing and recording process took two months starting in March. Some of the tracks ("Happy Song", "Glassy-Eyed Zombies") are new versions of songs Petrucci used to play live with G3, while "Gemini" has been used by the guitarist on soundchecks, guitar clinics and as a warm-up exercise for his Rock Discipline DVD.