MIKE PORTNOY Cutting Drums For Project With SYMPHONY X Singer

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has begun laying down tracks on the debut album from the new project featuring SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP). Portnoy states, "This stuff is SLAMMIN'!"

Although the project was initially supposed to go under the name UNDAUNTED (with an official Facebook page that is still being regularly updated), that is now apparently no longer the case. Portnoy tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "Russ and Mike started working on stuff as UNDAUNTED and since I've joined up, we've changed the name and are adding a bass player and second guitarist."

Portnoy recently began work on a new project with guitarist Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE, DIXIE DREGS), multi-instrumentalist Neal Morse (TRANSATLANTIC, SPOCK'S BEARD), bassist Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS) and vocalist Casey McPherson (ALPHA REV, ENDOCHINE). The group's debut album is tentatively due later in the year.

Just days after it was announced that he'd been dismissed as the touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, and was rebuffed.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band this summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and has toured with them since early summer.