Place your bets again - DT's next top model.

[ekuban]

Man I hope it not Mnagini. I have been a DT fan for 20 years. It was very hard for me to hear Portnoy left the band. When I brought my friend who has never liked DT to the show last July  (hes more a hardcore death metal guy), he was very impressed. Both of us agreed the Drummer (Portnoy) had an awesome way of relating to the crowd and  kinda tied the show together unlike the rest of the band.

I Love the rest of the band, dont get me wrong, but they need a powerfull drummer as well as a personality on drums. I dont see that in Mangini, definitely not Priester. Marco is awesome but I dont think he has that connect ability either.

Ive been researching all the drummers on here and their all great. I am new to most of them and want whats best for the band. But I have to say the one guy that blows away the others and just seems like a force that will draw the most respect to the band is..... Thomas Lang.

Had know idea who he was 2 months ago. But My God, I hope they pick him. He is better than Portnoy as a drummer I think by leaps and bounds. And I think he could draw the crowd in and interact with them as good as Mike did. Dream Theater wouldnt miss a beat. Hopefully this comes too pass. Peace

[jonny108]

Mangini: I am recording with a band called Grafite. I hope the session I just finished with Isao Fujita gets released by the end of the winter; my best playing ever by far. Medical technology and very, very hard work rules.

So he's not going up there to record with DT.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

OK Mangini voters, time to change your votes to Lang!

[Mladen]

Where did this Mangini quote come from? So we pretty much ruled everybody out, except for Lang?

[Perpetual Change]

Mangini: I am recording with a band called Grafite. I hope the session I just finished with Isao Fujita gets released by the end of the winter; my best playing ever by far. Medical technology and very, very hard work rules.

So he's not going up there to record with DT.

Not necessarily true at all. Maybe he's just not involved in the writing, and the recording isn't going to happen until later. Also:

Heard the band was just setting up at the studio and writing without the phantom drummer present over the next month or two hence the mentions of Petrucci programming drum part ideas in previous tweets.

[lordxizor]

I still find it pretty unlikely that the new drummer is going to contribute much creatively to this album outside of the drum parts. I can totally see the rest of the guys getting the album 80% of the way finished before the drummer shows up. Then they'll tell him the basic feel they want the drums to have and they'll let him fill in the blanks. I really don't think a brand new member is going to be contributing lyrics or having much say in the music beyond "hey, that's cool, but what if you did something like this..."

It may well be Mangini. Perhaps he's fulfilling obligations he already made before joining DT in the studio. Sounds like the stuff he's been wokring on is just session stuff.

[Stoneyman]

Why bring in a new guy and then turn him into a chimp that simply plays drums and doesnt have any creative input?  That seems like a waste of time, and it goes against the vibe that JP put out there when he said they were looking for a permanent replacement. 

Then again, Myung has been a permanent member for years and has simply played bass.

This nonsense is getting more confusing by the day.

[ReaPsTA]

Why bring in a new guy and then turn him into a chimp that simply plays drums and doesnt have any creative input?  That seems like a waste of time, and it goes against the vibe that JP put out there when he said they were looking for a permanent replacement. 

Then again, Myung has been a permanent member for years and has simply played bass.

This nonsense is getting more confusing by the day.

I agree with your post in spirit, but in terms of the specifics it's not quite fair.  If the drummer's allowed to be creative with his parts, he can define the feel and flow of the material.

[ariich]

@Stoneyman: Firstly, JM contributes plenty to DT's music.

Also, just because DT are looking for a permanent full member of the band, it doesn't mean they'll have a major creative role right from the off. In fact, it makes far more sense that for the first album the new guy takes more of a back seat so they can ease in.

[lordxizor]

Why bring in a new guy and then turn him into a chimp that simply plays drums and doesnt have any creative input? 

How much creative input did the other new members of DT have on their first album outside of their own parts? Probably very little. Brand new members of bands don't tend to have lots of creative input on their first album in pretty of every case I can think of off the top of my head. Especially with well established bands. I'd give it until album 2 before the new drummer really starts influencing the creative process to a great degree. This does not make the new drummer less than a full member of the band. JLB and JM haven't had huge roles in writing recently and no one think of them as less than full members.

That said, I think DT can use a fresh prespective and hope that the new drummer is there giving input during the whole writing process as well as JLB and JM. I just don't think it will happen this time around.

[ReaPsTA]

@Stoneyman: Firstly, JM contributes plenty to DT's music.

I don't understand how anyone could post this anymore.  Both Paul Northfield and Jordan Rudess have said/implied that Myung contributes almost nothing.

Things are supposedly very different now, which I like on a number of levels, but as a blanket statement I don't see how your post is accurate.

[hefdaddy42]

How much creative input did the other new members of DT have on their first album outside of their own parts? Probably very little.

I don't know about that.  When Derek Sherinian came in, he played an active role in reworking A Change of Seasons, and on Falling Into Infinity, he basically wrote the main musical parts for Anna Lee and Lines In The Sand, among other things.  When Rudess joined, he was all in creatively from the start.

Given that, it would seem really strange if DT brought in a new drummer and didn't allow him full creative participation.

[JasonScandopolous]

Do all professional drummers even know how/care to write music; are any of our candidates simply excellent drummers who couldn't write guitar/keys/lyrics parts for their lives?  Portnoy was not this way, as we know, but that doesn't mean that all of the possible drummers will be very involved in songwriting.  I havent researched that statement; maybe it is well known that lang/mangini/minneman, etc., are songwriters, but I don't know that. 

I think it is obvious that DT was looking for a drummer with less influence on the music than Portnoy (since Portnoy had 50+% of the influence); do you guys think they want a drummer with equal input to JR/JM/JP, or somebody who mostly confines his creativity to his fills and such?

[bosk1]

The band has something big to prove here and the album should be very inspired this time around. Wish it was Jarzombek, Charlie Z, Gavin Harrison or Macaluso on the album though instead of Mangini. Marco didn't get the gig but Jordan dug his playing so thats why they jammed at Mind Meld. The only other possibility of a dark horse is Aquiles Priester somehow vibing with the band better than Mangini for some reason and they could be waiting on his visa info and are having Mangini as a backup if things go awry so they don't encounter what happened with Peter Wildoer for Labrie.

How do you know all this? 

He doesn't.  If he thinks Priester is even in the running, I wouldn't trust a thing he says.

@Stoneyman: Firstly, JM contributes plenty to DT's music.

I don't understand how anyone could post this anymore.  Both Paul Northfield and Jordan Rudess have said/implied that Myung contributes almost nothing.

I don't understand how anyone could continue to read far more into what Northfield or Rudess have said on the subject and continue to believe JM somehow doesn't contribute.

[Nekov]

Do all professional drummers even know how/care to write music; are any of our candidates simply excellent drummers who couldn't write guitar/keys/lyrics parts for their lives?  Portnoy was not this way, as we know, but that doesn't mean that all of the possible drummers will be very involved in songwriting.  I havent researched that statement; maybe it is well known that lang/mangini/minneman, etc., are songwriters, but I don't know that. 

I think it is obvious that DT was looking for a drummer with less influence on the music than Portnoy (since Portnoy had 50+% of the influence); do you guys think they want a drummer with equal input to JR/JM/JP, or somebody who mostly confines his creativity to his fills and such?

Minnemann does write a lot. He actually plays guitar and keyboard and has several solo albums.

[skydivingninja]

EDIT: Oh crap wrong thread whoopsie dasie.

[Stoneyman]

I didnt mean to imply that Myung doesnt contribute ANYTHING.  But it seems that since DT came up with "the rule" in terms of how their songs get written, that Myung has taken a back seat.  I do know that many fans have complained that Myung only plays what JP plays and hasnt been "interesting" in a while.  Hopefully that will change.

I dont know.  Why get some outstanding drummer and then limit him by only having him generally interpret a demo or something.  Just seems like a waste of talent.  JP said they were gonna find a monster drummer.  If the guy isnt gonna really be involved creatively, then just get a session guy and wait for MP.
Plus, Lang, Mangini, and Marco are all really talented dudes.  Unless DT said "we want you to just play drums and we will call you when we are ready for you to record them" then that doesnt really seem like "joining" DT.  It seems more like a session job with a tour to follow.  Kinda sterile IMO.  Doesnt seem like a very band oriented gig to me.

I dont expect DT to give the guy veto power or an even split of the dough, but it would be a waste for the new guy to be held in check creatively.  IMO

[YtseJamittaja]

https://www.smnnews.com/2011/01/04/psyaxis-confirm-dream-theaters-marco-minnemann-as-drummer/

not official but is this supposition or knowledge?

[skydivingninja]

Well, Stoneyman, according to Northfield and Rudess, Myung really has contributed almost nothing in recent years.  I don't think its just because of the lyric rule.  

[Zydar]

https://www.smnnews.com/2011/01/04/psyaxis-confirm-dream-theaters-marco-minnemann-as-drummer/

not official but is this supposition or knowledge?

quote from the band minnemann is recording with:

"Im not too sure where DT came into play on this article. I dont want there to be a misunderstanding. Minnemann is coming down to play drums on our album, but it has nothing to do with DT. Id love to see him play with them, but I dont think he is their new drummer"

[bosk1]

But it seems that since DT came up with "the rule" in terms of how their songs get written, that Myung has taken a back seat.  

There is no rule about how their songs are written.  There was a rule about how lyrics are written.

[Stoneyman]

But it seems that since DT came up with "the rule" in terms of how their songs get written, that Myung has taken a back seat.  

There is no rule about how their songs are written.  There was a rule about how lyrics are written.

Okay, thanks for the clarification on the rule on lyrics.  Does JM get writing credits for riffs and other musical parts he writes?  I assumed JP brought in the riffs and then he or MP would pen the lyrics, and get the writing credits.

Myung aside, I still dont think DT will waste the new guys talent by making him simply just record drums.

[Gorille85]

And how is that wasting his talent?

[phentalmyst]

i'm baffled at how people think that just because JM doubles a lot of JPs parts, that JM didn't write some of said parts to begin with. the bassist in my band writes a LOT of riffs that end up being doubled by the guitar...

a great example of a JM riff that JP is doubling is in Strange Deja Vu at 2:39. DT said as much on the LSFAM dvd...

[skydivingninja]

Well yeah, but I think we're talking about after Octavarium, where he hasn't contributed much musically, and I think I remember someone quoting Lifting Shadows that JR wrote most of the bass parts now.

[phentalmyst]

i could've sworn i heard he wrote the main riff of forsaken, which is pure 

[Stoneyman]

And how is that wasting his talent?

Wasting in the sense that a session guy could come in and simply play.  If DT is looking for a new "member" than I would assume that they would like to bring in a guy who they felt could contribute in other ways (writing/composing) than just simply playing.  Why hand pick 7 guys to meet and audition if they are just gonna stop by and record drums???

[ariich]

I haven't read Lifting Shadows yet, but I don't remember ever hearing anything about JR writing bass parts, apart from one MP tweet during the recording of Raw Dog that was totally misunderstood by the people who like to do that sort of thing.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I have very selective memory when it comes to reading, but from what I remember of the 1st Edition of Lifting Shadows, on SC,

1) The main songwriters were JP, JR and MP
2) JM spent much more time learning very difficult bass parts (what JP and MP wanted him to learn) than being a major contributor to songwriting

Based on what I have read, I agree with ReaP it's kind of baffling how anyone can say that Myung doesn't contribute almost nothing.

Or, maybe it's more accurate to say he contributes almost nothing compared to JP, JR and MP. Much less, at least.

[ReaPsTA]

TOX, I think you remember correctly.

The bigger one than that was Rudess saying that since Octavarium, almost all the music was written by him, JP, and MP.

[OsMosis2259]

jesus.... still no announcement huh?

Starting to lose patience, but I just hope the band isn't running into problems. 

[bosk1]

No, it was announced a few pages back.  You must have missed it.  I would go back and read the thread again.

[hefdaddy42]

No, it was announced a few pages back.  You must have missed it.  I would go back and read the thread again.

I love you.

[unklejman]

[Nihil-Morari]