What if MP wants to come back now?

[TheVoxyn]

He means that you are from Spain.

Oh well, then that American should have earned a little snack around here 

[snowdog]

That wasn't an official press release.  That was an excerpt from an interview.  Possibly taken out of context, possibly not.  Should it have been mentioned?  Maybe not.  But I wouldn't ever read something on Blabbermouth and call it a press release.  Mike's post on his website and FB yesterday?  That was a press release.

[blackngold29]

That wasn't an official press release.  That was an excerpt from an interview.  Possibly taken out of context, possibly not.  Should it have been mentioned?  Maybe not.  But I wouldn't ever read something on Blabbermouth and call it a press release.  Make's post on his website and FB yesterday?  That was a press release.

Exactly. Even if MP did jump the gun, why hasn't A7X released something official about it? They updated their website yesterday, but there's no mention of any drummer.


EDIT: And two seconds after I post this, they update it with the real release - https://wbr.fm/iakGjq

[RazielSR]

That wasn't an official press release.  That was an excerpt from an interview.  Possibly taken out of context, possibly not.  Should it have been mentioned?  Maybe not.  But I wouldn't ever read something on Blabbermouth and call it a press release.  Make's post on his website and FB yesterday?  That was a press release.

Yes, that's true...but in the end, it is what it is. I mean, seems that things are like that, even taking into consideration that is just a (maybe twisted) excerpt from an interview.  So, no snack for  A7X.

Seriously,Mike is really lost nowadays, that's really sad. How could be now be trusted again in music? He is losing a lot of credibility. Don't you think? I mean, a band or person with a project that wanted to have Mike on it, maybe feels a bit doubtful now.

[lordxizor]

I don't understand why people think A7X should have a press release saying they're parting ways with a fill-in musician. I doubt bands do that very often.

I was just thinking about how weird this must be for A7X. Their drummer dies, so they ask his biggest idol MP to fill in. I'm sure in a way they were all a bit star struck when he said yes and were amazed to be playing with this guy. Fast forward several months later and they're basically kicking him to the curb due to some of the actions he's taken. I can just see them sitting there thinking that Mike turned out to be a bit of a jerk and the creepy old guy who wants to hang out with the kids.

[blackngold29]

I don't understand why people think A7X should have a press release saying they're parting ways with a fill-in musician. I doubt bands do that very often.

I was just thinking about how weird this must be for A7X. Their drummer dies, so they ask his biggest idol MP to fill in. I'm sure in a way they were all a bit star struck when he said yes and were amazed to be playing with this guy. Fast forward several months later and they're basically kicking him to the curb due to some of the actions he's taken. I can just see them sitting there thinking that Mike turned out to be a bit of a jerk and the creepy old guy who wants to hang out with the kids.

Like both of them said, it was the original plan that they would split now so MP could start the new album with DT. Now it's just they're splitting because the sooner they move on from MP the easier it'll be. Once done with DT, MP made the offer to stay on for the full tour if he was needed. He wasn't. Surely it wasn't what either party expected, but that's just normal. He talked a lot about DT, but he's been with them for over half of his life. It's a big change for him. He wasn't making statements that would've got him kicked out of any band. Nobody is being kicked to the curb.

[El Barto]

Whole thing seems like a non-event blown way-the-fuck out of proportion.  AV7's press release was very tactful and perfectly believable.  MP's going to go on to other things.  Whatever that singer calls himself made a remark about different styles that probably has nothing whatsoever to do with their parting ways.  Too much speculation.

Nothing to see here folks.  Move along.

[theusualmadness]

AX7 New "Official Press Release"

Posted Dec 17 2010

For the past few months, we've been blessed with Mike Portnoy's talent and humanity. When Mike agreed to tour with us, it was only through the end of 2010. We always knew we'd need to find another solution for 2011 and beyond. And it's time for us to take that next step.

We know we are not ready to add another permanent member of Avenged Sevenfold. We don't know if we will ever be. But if we do, it will only be with someone who is not only a brilliant drummer, but also someone we've gotten to know well on the road and off, and who you the fans have had a chance to get to know, and hopefully accept. In other words, in this family, we take these steps together, band and our extended fan family.

We are lucky to be surrounded by so many friends, many of whom knew Jimmy very well personally, as well as our band and Jimmy's drumming talent and style. These friends have introduced us to several amazing drummers. We have decided to take one of them out starting in January. He will not be a member of a7x. He will be someone you and we are getting to know. Perhaps this drummer will be a fit. Perhaps not. One thing is for sure. Over time we will find someone who helps us continue our quest to make the music we love for the fans we love.

Mike and the band agree that can't be him. Why? Long before there was an Avenged Sevenfold, there were members of this band who looked up to Mike and, in Jimmy's case, learned a lot from watching Mike play. He is a brilliant writer, producer and of course drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as Avenged Sevenfold with Mike Portnoy. We take a lot of pride in A7X being about something greater then any individuals. Its about the music, the fans and the friends and family we have as well as continuing our best friends legacy.

Please give whoever we try your love and support....and the benefit of the doubt. They won't be Jimmy. Who could be? But he will be himself, with his own special talents and creativity. And that's all we could ever look for.

Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts for everything you've done to love and support us.

A7X

[lordxizor]

Nothing to see here folks.  Move along.

Whle I agree it's not really a huge deal, I don't think it's really that simple. The fact of the matter is that A7X at some point had agreed to let Mike stay on as their drummer for a few more months to finish off their tour. They now, rather abruptly, changed their minds. To me, A7X's statement made it sound like Mike had become too big of a distraction and they didn't want him around anymore. The fact that Mike acted all hurt by it shows me that this was a one way decision.

[rumborak]

Whole thing seems like a non-event blown way-the-fuck out of proportion.  AV7's press release was very tactful and perfectly believable.  MP's going to go on to other things.  Whatever that singer calls himself made a remark about different styles that probably has nothing whatsoever to do with their parting ways.  Too much speculation.

Nothing to see here folks.  Move along.

I would agree, hadn't it been for Mike's tweet a few days ago.

rumborak

[El Barto]

Maybe the girl at Starbucks hocked one into his mocha-latte-whathefuckacino.  Who knows what he was referring to.  I was of the impression that he knew about his departure with them a few weeks ago, so I'm not ready to assume that his last tweet was concerning it.

[TAC]

I'm with you Bart..although "several weeks ago"...seems a little more recent than that, but to your overall point, I would imagine the ongoing "negotiations" with DT is the more likely root.

[Bone_Daddy]

mocha-latte-whathefuckacino.

Fucking Brilliant!
Brilliant, I say!

[Orbert]

He is a brilliant writer, producer and of course drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as Avenged Sevenfold with Mike Portnoy.

I think that's the key right there.  Or at least the best and most believeable spin they could put on it.  It sure sounds better than "It was really great, but honestly after a while wasn't as cool as we all thought it would be."

[Chino]

So did A7X not want MP because he was a bigger name than them?

[Global Laziness]

So did A7X not want MP because he was a bigger name than them?

As an individual in the context of a group, yes.

[ariich]

So did A7X not want MP because he was a bigger name than them?

I don't think MP is bigger than A7X, but he is bigger than any of their individual members. And they obviously feel that's not what they want, and they want to be a band rather than a collection of individuals. That's how I understand the press release anyway.

[KevShmev]

   MP sold a lot of tickets for them.

You sure about that?  They were pretty big before Portnoy joined them in the last year or so. I think some fans are really overestimating the impact he had on sales, album and concert.

Just saw the A7X press release. It really lacks class. I mean, I can actually see that being a valid reason for them to not continue on with him, but it's the kind of thing you keep private. You don't announce that kind of thing to the world; it just strikes me as immature.

Perhaps they are using the same publicist that Mike Portnoy is using, eh?

[Lotion]

They are not popular in Europe, Barto. Do not forget the "snack"  

Well, i dont like a7x at all, but they sold out oslo spektrum, wich DT havent done since ToT tour i think. Sooo.... that might mean they're more popular here in norway atleast. I got lots of friends who were on that concert, but they only like mainstream "metal" as very many young guys does, so atm i would say they're bigger worldwide, though their fans aint gonna last for 25 years

[orcus116]

Just saw the A7X press release. It really lacks class. I mean, I can actually see that being a valid reason for them to not continue on with him, but it's the kind of thing you keep private. You don't announce that kind of thing to the world; it just strikes me as immature.

Huh? I thought it was classy and respectful. I honestly can't think of a better way they could've worded it.

[blackngold29]

Just saw the A7X press release. It really lacks class. I mean, I can actually see that being a valid reason for them to not continue on with him, but it's the kind of thing you keep private. You don't announce that kind of thing to the world; it just strikes me as immature.

Huh? I thought it was classy and respectful. I honestly can't think of a better way they could've worded it.

That was posted before today's release came out. I'm gonna guess he was referring to what M. Shaddows said.

[TL]

Just saw the A7X press release. It really lacks class. I mean, I can actually see that being a valid reason for them to not continue on with him, but it's the kind of thing you keep private. You don't announce that kind of thing to the world; it just strikes me as immature.

Huh? I thought it was classy and respectful. I honestly can't think of a better way they could've worded it.

That was posted before today's release came out. I'm gonna guess he was referring to what M. Shaddows said.

This exactly. The more recent release was good.

[orcus116]

Noted. I just saw press release and thought it was about the official one.

[cygnusaz]

Except KM shut the hell up about it.

KM didn't have faebook or twitter.

I remember when KM left. It was a non-event. There was an announcement, read it in some magazine and that was that. Remember - this was 1994: There was no real Internet like we have now, no FB, no Twitter, no NONSENSE! I mean KM left, Derek was hired and the band moved on. Simple as that.

Now in 2010 we have every damn communication route available so we here every little bit and piece of this ridiculous drama, including Mike's childish and unprofessional 'tweets'.

I will tell you what, back in the day if you told some metal/hard rock fan they would be doing something called 'tweeting' you would get laughed at and probably punched in the face. 

The problem here, and I am just as guilty by posting, is the 'Internet culture'.  It blows things way out of proportion and people, like Mike, spit out nonsense to the public without thinking about it.

[Lowdz]

Agreed. I remember reading about KM leaving in a mag and that was probably months after the event. Everyone had had time to chill- no knee jerk reactions and temper tantrums for all mankind to read. The Twitter thing is just too easy and many people have fallen foul from spitting their dummy out and posting before taking a breath. MP is just another in a long line of people who need to count way past ten before opening their "e-mouths".

[Metabog]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

[phentalmyst]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

*applause*

[TheOutlawXanadu]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

My reaction to this is two-fold:

1) I think it's probably safe to say leaving Dream Theater will end up being the biggest mistake Portnoy has ever, and will ever make in his life. It seems like he has already realized this, but if he has not, then there will certainly be a moment in the future when he feels a regret and sadness I would not wish upon anyone. So I feel bad for the guy. I really do.

2) Even though I feel bad for the guy, the fact of the matter is that a lot of the things he does annoy me. And I think him leaving is good for the band. So knowing for sure he ain't coming back is, I think, a good thing.

[John94]

To me, the fan backlash would stop them from allowing him back. Well months after he left anyway.

Personally, I would accept Mike coming back but now it would seem so much of a waste of time and the backlash would be heavy. To answer the question, he won't come back now, 4/5 years or next album/tour cycle then maybe.

[Metabog]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

My reaction to this is two-fold:

1) I think it's probably safe to say leaving Dream Theater will end up being the biggest mistake Portnoy has ever, and will ever make in his life. It seems like he has already realized this, but if he has not, then there will certainly be a moment in the future when he feels a regret and sadness I would not wish upon anyone. So I feel bad for the guy. I really do.

2) Even though I feel bad for the guy, the fact of the matter is that a lot of the things he does annoy me. And I think him leaving is good for the band. So knowing for sure he ain't coming back is, I think, a good thing.

I'm not gonna go as far as saying he should "apologize" as he doesn't owe anyone anything, and people can't be blamed for their temperament, but I would like to see him admit that he was wrong, and was being pushy and arrogant in the final years of his DT tenure, like Roger Waters eventually did, and he said the fame and power had eventually gotten to him and he was too young to realize before it was too late.

I don't blame MP for maybe sort of kind of ruining DT lately, as he probably didn't do it on purpose, but in my personal opinion, he put me off of Dream Theater, and I have a lot of friends (hey, hardcore DT fans have hardore DT friends right?) who also started losing interest lately, and they all cited MP's vocals and leadership as a reason. I really missed the songs that were about various philosophical or abstract things, or even the ones that were just fiction, or fantasy. Even though it is very sad that Mike's father died, and that he has OCD, or that he used to drink, his influence honestly didn't click with me. Remember how Pink Floyd went bad? All the songs started to be about Roger's beliefs and about his father, to the point where the last album before he left was ALL about his father and his beliefs about war. Is it a surprise that the best Pink Floyd period is where Roger had SOME influence, but didn't sing in every song, and didn't write every song? He started singing more and more until, surprise, all the songs on The Final Cut (save one) are with his voice. I'm pretty sure the other guys in DT noticed the pattern, and maybe tolerated it, but the final straw was when  he asked them to take a break.

Just my opinion, I've been banned before (on the MP forum, years ago) for speaking my mind, but hey I'm not one to shut up about things.

[ariich]

Until Mike or the band say anything about him allegedly trying to rejoin, I'm going to treat everything else as mere speculation. A translated interview is never a reliable source!

It wouldn't surprise me if it did happen, I'm just going to assume it hasn't until I see something conclusive.

[ReaperKK]

I agree with you Metabog, I too felt that MP's influence had grown to strong but it's hard to say how much influence he really had, only the next DT album will tell us.

[Metabog]

Until Mike or the band say anything about him allegedly trying to rejoin, I'm going to treat everything else as mere speculation. A translated interview is never a reliable source!

It wouldn't surprise me if it did happen, I'm just going to assume it hasn't until I see something conclusive.

I agree, the translation I saw WAS a bit ambiguous. It's hard to tell if he said he wanted to call them and realized they'd say no, or if he actually did and they actually said no.

[Raziel666]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

My reaction to this is two-fold:

1) I think it's probably safe to say leaving Dream Theater will end up being the biggest mistake Portnoy has ever, and will ever make in his life. It seems like he has already realized this, but if he has not, then there will certainly be a moment in the future when he feels a regret and sadness I would not wish upon anyone. So I feel bad for the guy. I really do.

2) Even though I feel bad for the guy, the fact of the matter is that a lot of the things he does annoy me. And I think him leaving is good for the band. So knowing for sure he ain't coming back is, I think, a good thing.

I'm not gonna go as far as saying he should "apologize" as he doesn't owe anyone anything, and people can't be blamed for their temperament, but I would like to see him admit that he was wrong, and was being pushy and arrogant in the final years of his DT tenure, like Roger Waters eventually did, and he said the fame and power had eventually gotten to him and he was too young to realize before it was too late.

I don't blame MP for maybe sort of kind of ruining DT lately, as he probably didn't do it on purpose, but in my personal opinion, he put me off of Dream Theater, and I have a lot of friends (hey, hardcore DT fans have hardore DT friends right?) who also started losing interest lately, and they all cited MP's vocals and leadership as a reason. I really missed the songs that were about various philosophical or abstract things, or even the ones that were just fiction, or fantasy. Even though it is very sad that Mike's father died, and that he has OCD, or that he used to drink, his influence honestly didn't click with me. Remember how Pink Floyd went bad? All the songs started to be about Roger's beliefs and about his father, to the point where the last album before he left was ALL about his father and his beliefs about war. Is it a surprise that the best Pink Floyd period is where Roger had SOME influence, but didn't sing in every song, and didn't write every song? He started singing more and more until, surprise, all the songs on The Final Cut (save one) are with his voice. I'm pretty sure the other guys in DT noticed the pattern, and maybe tolerated it, but the final straw was when  he asked them to take a break.

Just my opinion, I've been banned before (on the MP forum, years ago) for speaking my mind, but hey I'm not one to shut up about things.

Nice parallelism with Roger Waters & Pink Floyd. Makes even more sense, since MP mentioned the Roger Waters and Pink Floyd situation in the Eddie Trunk interview (indirect self-criticism maybe?).

Continuing the Floyd parallelisms, I hope that we don't have to wait for DT 12 to hear something decent, DT 12 being The Division Bell and DT 11 being A Momentary Lapse of Reason, which was practically a David Gilmour solo album, whereas The Division Bell was an album that came up from a band jamming like the old days.

[Metabog]

There's an interview with MP in a dutch magazine (Aardschok), in which he says he tried to contact DT to come back, and they were like "No, lol."

My reaction to this is two-fold:

1) I think it's probably safe to say leaving Dream Theater will end up being the biggest mistake Portnoy has ever, and will ever make in his life. It seems like he has already realized this, but if he has not, then there will certainly be a moment in the future when he feels a regret and sadness I would not wish upon anyone. So I feel bad for the guy. I really do.

2) Even though I feel bad for the guy, the fact of the matter is that a lot of the things he does annoy me. And I think him leaving is good for the band. So knowing for sure he ain't coming back is, I think, a good thing.

I'm not gonna go as far as saying he should "apologize" as he doesn't owe anyone anything, and people can't be blamed for their temperament, but I would like to see him admit that he was wrong, and was being pushy and arrogant in the final years of his DT tenure, like Roger Waters eventually did, and he said the fame and power had eventually gotten to him and he was too young to realize before it was too late.

I don't blame MP for maybe sort of kind of ruining DT lately, as he probably didn't do it on purpose, but in my personal opinion, he put me off of Dream Theater, and I have a lot of friends (hey, hardcore DT fans have hardore DT friends right?) who also started losing interest lately, and they all cited MP's vocals and leadership as a reason. I really missed the songs that were about various philosophical or abstract things, or even the ones that were just fiction, or fantasy. Even though it is very sad that Mike's father died, and that he has OCD, or that he used to drink, his influence honestly didn't click with me. Remember how Pink Floyd went bad? All the songs started to be about Roger's beliefs and about his father, to the point where the last album before he left was ALL about his father and his beliefs about war. Is it a surprise that the best Pink Floyd period is where Roger had SOME influence, but didn't sing in every song, and didn't write every song? He started singing more and more until, surprise, all the songs on The Final Cut (save one) are with his voice. I'm pretty sure the other guys in DT noticed the pattern, and maybe tolerated it, but the final straw was when  he asked them to take a break.

Just my opinion, I've been banned before (on the MP forum, years ago) for speaking my mind, but hey I'm not one to shut up about things.

Nice parallelism with Roger Waters & Pink Floyd. Makes even more sense, since MP mentioned the Roger Waters and Pink Floyd situation in the Eddie Trunk interview (indirect self-criticism maybe?).

Continuing the Floyd parallelisms, I hope that we don't have to wait for DT 12 to hear something decent, DT 12 being The Division Bell and DT 11 being A Momentary Lapse of Reason, which was practically a David Gilmour solo album, whereas The Division Bell was an album that came up from a band jamming like the old days.

And continuing once more...

The thing with Roger Waters is that, even though he's known for leaving Pink Floyd on bad terms and even trying to sue them and whatnot, I can't say (and I'm sure a lot of people agree) that he was a bad musician, before OR after he left. In fact, his albums and especially his tours later on were amazing. He was just an amazing performer and solo act who just happened to be a little arrogant. It remains to be seen if Mike will create a similarly successful career for himself. Either way, we are witnessing history, who knows, maybe we'll look back at this 20-30 years from now and see this the same way we see Pink Floyd now. And maybe they'll reunite at Live 48, to raise money for something (global warming lol), along with the wrecked, raisin-like remains of Avenged Sevenfold and Neal Morse's head in a jar.