Mainman Damon Foxrecently described how he was close to giving, up until he made contact with drummer Mike Portnoy who wound up becoming part of the project. He told Classic Rock's sister title Prog:

"I had been keeping in close touch with Mike after his very public and difficult departure from Dream Theater. My musical future seemed quite bleak and I was very vocal to Mike about not being able to sustain the band any longer on my own.

"He implored me to carry on. His encouragement and enthusiasm meant the world to me. Recognising that I needed some new allies, I asked him if he would help fight the good fight - and he readily agreed."