Mike Portnoy on wanting to rejoin Dream Theater

[Perpetual Change]

A couple moments on Octavarium really wow'd me. Aside from that, not much drumming wise.

[rumborak]

It's definitely not good for his future career. Apart from the other issues with Whirlwind, I remember being annoyed by the drum sound. It was almost as if somebody had written a Pro Logic "Mike Portnoy" plugin. Everything was exactly how you would expect it to be.

rumborak

[tri.ad]

@Jcrudess
Jordan Rudess
Karma's a bitch

https://twitter.com/#!/Jcrudess/status/17613866150137856

Could be problems with his OASYS as well.

Let's see how it turns out, though.

[Pumpkin Pie]

It's definitely not good for his future career. Apart from the other issues with Whirlwind, I remember being annoyed by the drum sound. It was almost as if somebody had written a Pro Logic "Mike Portnoy" plugin. Everything was exactly how you would expect it to be.

rumborak

Ain't that the truth....that's pretty much my feelings towards the drumming over the past few records. I remember when Scenes came out, when I first heard the drumming in Fatal Tragedy, I was in awe....A few moments of that on 6DOIT, and some on TOT. Since then, the only drumming moment that kinda caught my interest was the drumming on "A Nightmare to Remember". (the way he subdivides the kick drums from straight grooves to triplet feels, etc.)

[atmyne]

JR's latest tweet:
"Karma's a bitch"
may not necessarily be Portnoy related, but if it is, then lol

[lordxizor]

JR's latest tweet:
"Karma's a bitch"
may not necessarily be Portnoy related, but if it is, then lol

I hope that's not Mike related. JR doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would rub it in like that. Unless Mike's being a complete dick behind the scenes.

[rumborak]

I very much doubt it. Whatever is breaking news to us is ancient to them. JR would not write a Twitter line about week-old news. Unless he only now saw Mike's thread or something.

rumborak

[cyberdrummer]

I actually thought The Whirlwind was one of MP's better and more interesting drum performances in recent years.

[lord-ruler]

mikes greatest perfromance is the end of "finally free"

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

I actually thought The Whirlwind was one of MP's better and more interesting drum performances in recent years.

Yeah, I agree. *Thinks of Evermore*

[rumborak]

My view of the drum tracks might be tainted by my overall lack of appreciation of Whirlwind. I definitely remember however that the drum sound caused an "ugh" moment.

rumborak

[ddtonfire]

Maybe Mike doesn't seem to "wow" everyone around here for every second he plays, but I definitely think his drumming fits their music like no other. Sometimes you have to listen to the songs a few times to really appreciate all he's doing and all the little things he's putting in. I, for one, think his greatest strength lies in his cymbal work. He always seems to be doing something really cool with his hi-hats. Backseat drumming is how I seem to several of these other drummers whose names have been repeated over and over. They just fill the beat in the music and only really take off during solos.

[emindead]

I, for one, think his greatest strength lies in his cymbal work. He always seems to be doing something really cool with his hi-hats.

Absolutely. His master of open and closed hi-hats is his signature.

[SixDegrees]

.

[RoeDent]

I actually thought The Whirlwind was one of MP's better and more interesting drum performances in recent years.

Agreed. *End of Is It Really Happening?*

[robwebster]

A couple moments on Octavarium really wow'd me. Aside from that, not much drumming wise.

Never Enough is fantastic from start to finish.

[TAC]

When did MP turn into Lars Ulrich? Is it no longer fashionable around here to still admire MP's abilities?

DT is my favorite band for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest was MP's drumming in studio & in concert. When did he turn into a shitbum? Cuz he left the band?
Seriously, I can't believe what I'm reading.

[Mladen]

For me, he's still the 2nd best drummer in the world.

[Nic35]

I feel like some people are like ''Yeah he left the band I don't he wasn't that good anyway lol''

[wkiml]

When did MP turn into Lars Ulrich? Is it no longer fashionable around here to still admire MP's abilities?

DT is my favorite band for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest was MP's drumming in studio & in concert. When did he turn into a shitbum? Cuz he left the band?
Seriously, I can't believe what I'm reading.

I've always admired his abilities as a drummer and as a person the 12 step saga means alot to me for obvious reasons. But I believe his ego started to rub people/fans the wrong way and for the longest time alot of people avoided voicing their opinions based on the fact that he was a member of DT. He doesn't need to run to all the social sites everytime something happens in his life, somethings are best left unsaid. Part of the steps in recovery is being open about your feelings, but a bigger part of it is (and we are taught it) is if your feelings/expressions/words are going to hurt someone else, than its better left unsaid


5.Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.(
9.Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

[skydivingninja]

Mike's still a fantastic drummer, though, like a few said, his style seemed a bit stale on Black Clouds and The Whirlwind. 

[Pumpkin Pie]

I feel like some people are like ''Yeah he left the band I don't he wasn't that good anyway lol''

Like I said before, it's never been about his drumming abilities or musicianship; I've never questioned that. I know he's an amazing drummer. It's simply that his drumming on recent records doesn't really strike me the way his drumming on earlier records did. It's not so much in regards to the complexity of what he plays, but the musicality. Anyways, I also mentioned that I was beginning to feel like the band needed a change years before this actually went down. In the end, I wish him well, but for now, don't want him back in DT.

[Lowdz]

He is a great drummer to me. A musical drummer rather than a hit evrything as fast as possible and have an epileptic fit on the bass pedals like so many other drummers in prog metal and metal circles. It's the reason I'll be worried about the new guy until I hear the finished product.
I love the way he mixes up the patterns during a song so that a repeating section won't necessarily have the same drum pattern.
And Mike's stuff on the cymbals as others have said is awesome. Lesser drummers play the complicated stuff on the toms to sound flashy.
If I sound like a fanboy it's because I'm a fan. It's along time ago that I could be called a boy though.

Neal Peart
MP



everyone else

And I want Lang!

[EternalDancer]

I once auditioned a drummer (who passed us by in the end, he was too good actually ) for a previous band of mine, and he said that learning a Rush drum solo or fill is always a new experience, no matter how many he already learned. In contrast he said, once he had learned MP's toolbox he could just assemble new songs from that toolbox.

Sorry, but I can't let that go without some sort of challenge or at least a counter-opinion.

There used to be a time when it was almost forbidden to mention Rush on a DT forum (and vice versa) and thankfully we seem to be over that now, but a comment like that seems to threaten to kick us back into the dark ages again.

Firstly, I'll go on record as saying I love MP and NP in equal amounts as drummers, but to suggest MP has more of a "toolbox" of tricks is clearly nonsense. Take NP's trademark hi-hat signature as first heard on Spirit of Radio (as the backing to the "begin the day with a friendly voice" section - then tell me how many other times has that signature been used?

Both NP and MP  are highly innovative and original drummers. OK so NP is an influence on MP as he was there first, but they are certainly TWO of the best drummers I have ever heard - period.

I'm surprised you have to go back as far as SFAM to find something that inspired you. I found plenty of inspirational drum work on Octavarium, BC&SL and especially Whirlwind

[KevShmev]

There used to be a time when it was almost forbidden to mention Rush on a DT forum (and vice versa) and thankfully we seem to be over that now, but a comment like that seems to threaten to kick us back into the dark ages again.

There was? When?  I have been posting at dt.net/DTF since the summer of 2000 and Rush has consistently been one of the most talked about bands since Day 1.

[EternalDancer]

Talked about - sure. But not always favourably. It often seemed to descend into a Rush v DT war. Maybe moreso on the Rush forums but I've seen it on previous incarnations of DT forums too

[skydivingninja]

That's because Rush forumgoers are silly, violent people.

[ReaperKK]

I, for one, think his greatest strength lies in his cymbal work. He always seems to be doing something really cool with his hi-hats.

I've always had high regard for MP and he is one of my favorite drummers to this day but I have to disagree with his symbol work. Mike Portnoy would be higher on my list of favorite drummers if it wasn't for those constant open/closed high hat fills that he does. Every time I listen to a DT album (especially the most recent albums) I feel like he just inserts that same old high-hat fill.

I much prefer Gavin Harrison's symbol work, but that's just me.

[cyberdrummer]

I, for one, think his greatest strength lies in his cymbal work. He always seems to be doing something really cool with his hi-hats.

I've always had high regard for MP and he is one of my favorite drummers to this day but I have to disagree with his symbol work. Mike Portnoy would be higher on my list of favorite drummers if it wasn't for those constant open/closed high hat fills that he does. Every time I listen to a DT album (especially the most recent albums) I feel like he just inserts that same old high-hat fill.

Could you give me a timestamp in a song for that particular fill? I'm not sure which one you mean.

One of my favourite things about MP as a drummer, as has already been mentioned, is his ability to completely change the dynamic of two sections sharing the same melody/vocals, simply with a change in the drumbeat, however subtle. I think he's one of the best in the business at doing that.

[ReaperKK]

Wither - 1:37 through 1:40

I think he is a great drummer but jesus I'm tired of his high hat.

[cyberdrummer]

Oh right, the one he uses in 'Medicate' as well. I have to say it doesn't bother me too much, but I can understand why it would, he does use it a lot!

[TAC]

I can't find anything wrong with that fill in Wither, and I think the drumming in Medicate is outstanding. What am I missing here?

[ddtonfire]

Wither - 1:37 through 1:40

I think he is a great drummer but jesus I'm tired of his high hat.

That is a roll from his hi hat into either a splash or his Max Stax

[cyberdrummer]

Trust me, I have nothing against that fill at all, and I think the drumming on the whole of 8V (the song) is incredible. What I'm saying is that I can see where ReaperKK is coming from when he says it is overused.

But like I said, it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[phentalmyst]

those hats stay closed. he ends the fill with splash hits. i don't get the annoyance.