During an appearance on “The Heavy Hooks Show,” Mike Portnoy discussed the possibility of performing with Dream Theater again. The drummer says he is “always open” to the idea of taking the stage with his former bandmates.

Portnoy said the following when asked if he would consider playing with Dream Theater as a “hired gun”:

“Well, I would surely welcome the idea — absolutely — and I’ve told the guys such, depending on the circumstances. Obviously, there’s a lot of hypothetical circumstances.”

He also added:

“I don’t know if I’d necessarily wanna be a ‘hired gun’ for a band that I formed; [that’s] a little bit of a strange term in that respect. But if you’re asking, would I ever play with the guys again? Sure. If the right hypothetical situation came about, yeah, of course. I’m always open to that.”

This news comes after guitarist John Petrucci previously ruled out Portnoy’s return to the band.

[via Blabbermouth]