I think most fans will agree that Mike Portnoy was instrumental in the growth and development of Dream Theater. He was one of the core creative writers/arrangers in the band, and he was the public face of Dream Theater, helping develop the band's image with fans and the media. Now that some time has passed since his departure, and his statements in the past year about missing aspects of Dream Theater, I was thinking -- it is really odd he does not have a prog metal band of his own to move forward in the genre, working off of DT songs, and of course, new material.
I mean, consider that Portnoy, whether you agree with how he went about things or not, was a founding member and decision maker in the band. He didn't write many songs, musically, but he did do arrangements, and he did write lyrics. He was neck deep in every creative aspect and decision Dream Theater made. I don't think there's any dispute there.
So why hasn't he embraced starting a new prog metal band? He's got the connections, he can find the right people, and it's obvious he's proud of the songs. I'm not saying this potential band would only play Dream Theater, but that Dream Theater's catalog, particularly the songs Mike either wrote lyrically, or was instrumental in their development, could serve as a template. I think, if Mike did something like that, it would grab the attention of most prog metal fans.
To a degree, his one-off "Shattered Fortress" next year may be the precursor to this idea, but it's about time, ya know? He's obviously not going to be back in Dream Theater. Anyone reading the tea leaves can see the band is happy the way things are. A good operatic, dependable singer is hard to find, but there are guys out there. Virtuoso players are abound these days. In theory, all of this should be entirely doable by Mike, and give him that leadership aspect he has said he is missing, and gives fans more prog metal (along with another band playing select DT songs at the same level as DT).
I wouldn't view this as competing with DT, as much as Mike embracing his love of prog metal, and his desire to be a band leader again. The well hasn't run dry with MP, and it'd be a nice way for him to potentially use DT songs as a jumping off point to create something powerful and new.
Thoughts?