Mike portnoy leaves dream theater

**The Adventurer** · 09-09-2010 04:01 AM

so.... this thread is for all the dream theater fans, and i'm hoping that there are a lot on here. i just found out about 30 minutes ago that mike portnoy is quitting. this makes me angry, depressed, and betrayed. I was wondering what you guys think about this. If you are a die hard DT fan like me you will probably have a similar reaction to me. also, what do you think lies in the future for dream theater without mike? who could replace him? how do you think it will affect the rest of the band? all of these questions are swarming my now depressed head.

**no-Name** · 09-09-2010 04:10 AM

maybe dream theater will be good now

**username695** · 09-09-2010 04:49 AM

Does that mean he's gonna be in a7x permanently?

**Replicon** · 09-11-2010 07:18 PM

I'm a big fan of their music, but don't know much about the band dynamics... isn't Mike Portnoy like, the "heart" of the band, and isn't him leaving kind of like if Steve Harris left Iron Maiden? Hopefully they'll continue to be awesome...

**Ardent Lost** · 09-16-2010 10:17 AM

There's a radio interview he did just after up on YouTube, in which he addresses a number of these questions you guys are asking.

No, as of yet he will be not be joining A7X permanently. There's a good chance he'll be back in a few years. He just needed a break, but the rest of the band was still in full swing. They didn't want to take a hiatus, he couldn't not take a break from the band, so he left. For now.

Maybe this is the kind of thing DT have needed for the last decade. They haven't released a great album since 6DOIT, and even that pales in comparison to SFAM. Still, even though Mike was an integral part of the band, handled most of the fan stuff etc. there are still two founding members in the band, one who has been there for 20 years, and one for 10 years. DT doesn't strike me as the kind of band who leaves the majority of the writing to one person. All of them have their input/ideas. I'm not sure if the sound will change much, but it would be cool if it did.

I think it's one of the most interesting things that has happened to DT in a long time.

**OldNutter** · 09-20-2010 04:04 AM

Took me 3 days to remember who Mike Portnoy was, haha. But yeah, I never listened to dream theater, but he did a freaking wicked job for Avenged Sevenfold. Not as good as "The Rev", but he still did good.

**monkeydude** · 10-12-2010 02:40 AM

I'm a fan of Avenged Sevenfold and i think it's a great thing Mike is doing.
Helping someone who just lost a loved one.
I believe that they are very honored that a drummer of his caliber joined their band.

**Supernova** · 10-14-2010 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by Ardent Lost

Maybe this is the kind of thing DT have needed for the last decade. They haven't released a great album since 6DOIT, and even that pales in comparison to SFAM. Still, even though Mike was an integral part of the band, handled most of the fan stuff etc. there are still two founding members in the band, one who has been there for 20 years, and one for 10 years. DT doesn't strike me as the kind of band who leaves the majority of the writing to one person. All of them have their input/ideas. I'm not sure if the sound will change much, but it would be cool if it did.

I think it's one of the most interesting things that has happened to DT in a long time.

Are you saying you didn't think BC&SL was great?

Even if he left permanently, they could still get along. He's a pretty good drummer, but I think they could get someone good enough to fill that spot. Really the only essential is the active style, and a lot of good drummers can do that.

I haven't heard any of A7X's newest album, It will be interesting to see what effect he's had on their style. 'Cause, honestly, City Of Evil was a truly great metal album, and what I heard of the following one didn't really interest me.