Of course Mike Portnoy will remains forever in our hearts.
But for the band I think it was the best thing to do.
For me "BC&SL" is the very first bad album from DT, I couldn't stand to listen the "AA" lyrics of Mike again and again (
), and "The shattered fortress" - nothing more than a horrible medley - was the song which made me realise he was gone too far, and that he had lost a big part of his inspiration.
And when I remember he said "I need a long break", and now he has many ongoing projects...sorry but something was wrong.
Perhaps Mike himself was a little lost and confused...
Mangini brings a welcomed freshness in the band.