Your Controversial Opinions on DT

[gzarruk]

I have nothing bad to say about Mike Mangini, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors; he's a monster drummer and brings a lot to his instrument and his fans.  It's not a crime, it's not an insult, it's not an issue that needs to be explained away, there's no blame that has to be placed, to acknowledge that maybe perhaps he wasn't the best possible fit for that particular job in the grand scheme of things.

But what job, though? To be Dream Theater's drummer? Or to do everything Mike Portnoy, the personality, did? Because he got hired for the former, not the latter, and he did that fantastically well. Some might even say he fit that job better than good ol' MP, I for one think he did. As for the latter, only MP can be and do MP, but that's where the other 4 members dropped the ball, IMO. Just my 2 cents.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

MP is a founding member in a band with a long history. There is no true replacement for that and they weren't hiring for that.

They conducted a search for drummers to come in and play the parts how they wanted and handle other aspects of the ship. Clearly determining set lists, being the press guy, etc were not part of that. Edit: nor should they have been as it would have been weird to have the new guy do either.

[emtee]

No better or more qualified drummer could have been hired after MP quit. A no-name wouldn't have worked. MM was the perfect choice to keep the band moving forward. Sadly, the production choices for 3 of 5 albums were very impactful in a negative way. Not his fault. I am simultaneously grateful for his era and impact and for MP's return.