Virgil Donati is one of the great percussion luminaries in the prog metal/fusion genre. In 2011 the Australian, who has been living in the USA since 1996, applied to Dream Theater as Mike Portnoy's successor, but had to admit defeat to Mike Mangini at a casting with high media impact. However, he might not have been able to make full use of his abilities with the American prog metal legends - at least not as he did with his fabulous new album "Ruination".
eclipsed: "Ruination" is already your seventh album. In comparison to the previous album "The Dawn Of Time - Orchestral Works" you did without the classical elements this time and used more metal and dent influences
Virgil Donati: "The Dawn Of Time" was a special project, where the drums should be in the center of an orchestra. As soon as very good orchestra libraries were available, I could make this dream come true. However, my solo album from 2013, "In This Life", is closer to what I usually do, and it's also more comparable to the current album.
eclipsed: The album title "Ruination" seems to be a bitter comment on the current world situation.
Donati: Yes, the title track is about that but also most of the other vocal tracks. On the title track, my buddy Reggie Bowman and I had the idea that there was a fusion of social-algorithmic constructs that have now permeated politics and business. Trump and Twitter are a great example of that.
eclipsed: "The Last Night That I Lived", on the other hand, is about the uncertain future.
Donati: I was thinking about the clash of different faiths and cultures. This song is about the fear in society and the fact that some people take extreme measures, such as suicide bombings and mass shootings. But in the face of all this, I also try to find a ray of light. Maybe it really is the last day we spend on this planet, but we should not isolate ourselves, but try to keep a cool head, contribute to society and enjoy life to the full.
