I was at Avatar Studios tonight recording my album. Avatar is the studio that the band is in all those pictures from the recent updates. Dream Theater is not there, and hasn't been since the recording of Black Clouds, according to all the engineers. I saw all the rooms -- definitely no DT.
Probably what is happening is they are at some other studio while making us think that they're at Avatar. Or they haven't gone into the studio yet and those are some old photos, and they probably don't have new drummer yet.
Not dissing you in any way here, but when I heard that you were walking into Avatar studios, it was pretty clear to me that it isn't the studio that DT is at. I mean, if you were able to walk straight into the studio that DT is at, quite a few people would have at this point after a full month, and we would know a lot more than we do.
rumborak
There are three main studios at Avatar, DT always uses Studio A for tracking. I didn't just "walk into the studio". I booked in months ago with huge deposit. Nobody can get into the studio without securely being signed in by staff. Plenty of artists that are about a gazillion times more famous and secretive than DT record there no problem.
i'm still pretty sure those pictures are from Avatar, DreamerTV, as shown in the links you put:
https://www.avatarstudios.net/images/studio_a_control.jpgThat is the last Neve console of its kind in the world. And the floor and wall/ceiling designs are identical to Avatar.
Either way, the only reason the drummer hasn't been leaked (if there is a new drummer) is that they just aren't that famous -- nobody really cares, except us. And how many of us (DTF members, other DT fans that actually check up on this stuff between albums) find ourselves recording at the same studios as DT?
I don't know, I doubt they're pulling our legs that far -- they're probably at another studio right now, and don't want us to know which one, so they put some pictures of themselves at Avatar from the last album recording.