Drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) spoke to Loudwire about his recently announced metal project in which he is collaborating with a couple of other well-known musicians — rumored to be Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT) and David Ellefson (MEGADETH).

He said (see video below): "I still have to be cryptic, because we haven't come out with a formal announcement. But I've kind of been hinting at what's going on and the people I'm working with."

He continued: "There's this misconception that it's my metal project, which it's not. This is something that I am working in equal collaboration with another bass player and another guitar player. It's our project. And if you've done your Twitter detective work, you know who's in it with me. But we're still not ready to come out with an official announcement, but it is gonna be happening really, really soon."

Portnoy added: "It's a great, great metal album that the three of us have written and recorded together, and we're gonna have lots of various other friends and special guests joining us on it. And more info to come, but, for me, it's a great, great metal outlet, because… Since I left DREAM THEATER, I've had prog bands and classic rock bands and alternative things, but I haven't had a true, true thrash metal-oriented outlet — other than the METAL ALLEGIANCE shows that I've done, but that's live. So, yeah, it's exciting for me."

Mike also talked about involvement with METAL ALLEGIANCE — the all-star metal band consisting of a rotating cast of musicians, including members of PANTERA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX, TESTAMENT, SEPULTURA, MASTODON and more — which debuted on MOTÖRHEAD's Motörboat cruise last year, and performed at this year's NAMM show and on the ShipRocked cruise.