Bobby J.

[aglenn01]

This may have been brought up before, if so , then so sorry.
I really appreciated Mike M.'s work in ADTOE, and think he is a big upgrade technically to the band; and I think if he had been mixed at prior DT drum levels, his work in ADTOE would have had more folks bowing at the hands/feet of the "Genie". I think he is a really good fit for DT, and after witnessing the guys live, I feel like everyone else agrees. The last tour felt like a refreshed, "weight lifted", kind of show. (no disrespect to Mike Portnoy, as I absolutely loved his work with the band for all of those years as well.)
My question is why did not the guys bring in Bobby Jarzombek, at least for the "tryouts"? He is roughly their age, and has absolutely sick chops. I find myself, over and over, the past couple of years, going back to the Arch/Matheos record just to hear Bobby J's work (just see the Youtube sessions--his open-hand/ double bass work is just insane).  No disrespect intended, but why would guys like Aquiles P. get a look, and not Bobby J?
Does anyone else have any insights, or an opinion on this? Am I off base with my appreciation of Bobby J's work on the Arch Matheos record?

[wolfking]

Bobby is an amazing drummer, his work with Halford, Spastic Ink, Riot etc. are all top notch.  I guess we'll never know how they chose the drummers for the auditions, maybe people do, but if we don't there's no reason to know now. 

Perhaps he didn't want to join, perhaps the band just didn't think he would be a fit, who knows.  There's plenty of other drummers that would have fit and are better drummers than a couple of the guys that tried out.

What about John Macaluso?  He has worked with James before and also so many artists; Malmsteen, Starbreaker, Ark, Symphony X, TNT, plus loads more.

Also, what about Mark Zonder, even Danny Carey, Blake Richardson, Chalie Zelany, Rod Morgenstein etc.

There's others; Dave Lombardo

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

Yea man, Bobby Jarzombek was one of the drummers I really hoping for would audition. He's just inhuman. I heard somewhere that he was invited but declined but I can't confirm though.

BTW sounds funny to call him Bobby J. 

[Bertielee]

Yea man, Bobby Jarzombek was one of the drummers I really hoping for would audition. He's just inhuman. I heard somewhere that he was invited but declined but I can't confirm though.

BTW sounds funny to call him Bobby J. 

Booby is an effing incredible drummer, but he's really into the metal side of music, at least in almost everything I have seen him do. Would he have been a good fit for DT, we'll never know.
As for Johnny Mac stated earlier, I would have given anything to see him audition. Strange he wasn't even asked to audition (something he comfirmed himself).

B.Lee

[hefdaddy42]

Am I off base with my appreciation of Bobby J's work on the Arch Matheos record?

Probably not, but that doesn't mean that DT "should" have invited him.  After all, as already noted, there is a long list of great drummers who could have done it.  They couldn't invite everybody.  To keep it manageable, they needed to limit it to a few.  The few they asked were amazingly talented, and the one they wound up with is a perfect fit, so I'm not sure why anyone would question anything about the process.

Besides, they may have contacted him and he may not have been interested in trying out.  Who knows?

[Woodworker1]

I completely agree with your assessment of Bobby J (his brother is pretty awesome as well).

[Nihil-Morari]

Yea man, Bobby Jarzombek was one of the drummers I really hoping for would audition. He's just inhuman. I heard somewhere that he was invited but declined but I can't confirm though.

BTW sounds funny to call him Bobby J. 

I'm pretty sure he was on the DTF shortlist, possibly instead of that metal drummer with the gloves, whatshisname... But yeah, he could've done it, I guess, but IMO he's less nuanced in his playing than the genie.

[kirksnosehair]

I think Mangini had the inside track from the beginning and the "tryouts" were more of a dog and pony show than anything else.

[eosforum]

Maybe he wasn't intrerested, maybe he was committed to something else, maybe they thought he was too much on the meta side (though I doubt that, since they auditioned Roddy) or maybe they just were not interested in auditioning more drummers. Sure there's plenty who deserved an audition. Also as someone stated some of the auditionees were propably proposed by RR to make DT more reputable among some fanbases (death metal fans: Roddy, Brasilian -Ssouth American fanbase: Priester).

[Nick]

At this point I don't remember the specifics, but back before the auditions I got some info from someone reliable that DT would be auditioning 8 drummers, and was given 4 names. Bobby J was one of those and the other 3 did end up in the auditions with 7 drummers.

Of course the person could have been making things up and gotten lucky, but it's also possible something happened that kept Bobby J from being able to do it. Or it could have been this was before they had actually asked all the drummers and maybe he declined.

[Jaq]

I think Mangini had the inside track from the beginning and the "tryouts" were more of a dog and pony show than anything else.

I tend to think that myself, actually. Which isn't to say that if one of the other six had come in and been otherworldly and interested in the job, they wouldn't have got it. It just felt like Mangini's job to lose when I watched the documentary, not his he needed to win, if that makes any sense.

[wolven74]

I think Mangini had the inside track from the beginning and the "tryouts" were more of a dog and pony show than anything else.

I tend to think that myself, actually. Which isn't to say that if one of the other six had come in and been otherworldly and interested in the job, they wouldn't have got it. It just felt like Mangini's job to lose when I watched the documentary, not his he needed to win, if that makes any sense.

When the auditions were aired online in three separate episodes it didn't feel like he had an inside track, but when I got ADTOE with the auditions in one hour long documentary it seemed a bit of a shoe in. Mangini got the most thorough tryout, at least that they filmed. Everything else was edited down. Plus, the other drummers all seemed to struggle with the time signatures. All of the others made mistakes. Minnemann didn't, but he said later that he only auditioned because JR asked him to. He never wanted it.

Bottom line: Mangini coming prepared to the audition + being the best fit + his attitude = Mangini is the drummer for DT.

[goo-goo]

I wondered about this as well. Dont know if Bobby would leave Fates and Sebastian Bach for DT. I would of loved if he would have been chosen. The guy is a monster drummer.

[?]

Booby is an effing incredible drummer

[Bertielee]

Booby is an effing incredible drummer

Incredible! I hadn't even seen my mistake! Bwahahahaha!!!!

B.Lee

[aglenn01]

Thanks, some good info in this thread. As I stated, I do believe Mangini is the best man for the job, and am very eager to hear the upcoming album. I was just curious if Bobby Jarzombek was ever considered, and it appears from some of what you guys have said that he probably was.

[bosk1]

I may be confusing him with another drummer, but wasn't it Bobby who had posted some DT covers right at the time of the auditions, and had everybody thinking he was going to be the new drummer?  My memory is a bit hazy now, so it may have been someone else.  But I remember somebody (I think it was him) had posted some stuff on YouTube, and then shortly after issued a statement saying that either he would have loved to audition, but couldn't fit it into his schedule, or that he wanted to, but wasn't asked, or something along those lines.

[hefdaddy42]

I may be confusing him with another drummer, but wasn't it Bobby who had posted some DT covers right at the time of the auditions, and had everybody thinking he was going to be the new drummer?  My memory is a bit hazy now, so it may have been someone else.  But I remember somebody (I think it was him) had posted some stuff on YouTube, and then shortly after issued a statement saying that either he would have loved to audition, but couldn't fit it into his schedule, or that he wanted to, but wasn't asked, or something along those lines.

I remember someone doing that, but I don't think it was him.

[Mindflux]

Wasn't that Charlie Z?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOC6Kd4WFo

[Bertielee]

What's that Charlie Z?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOC6Kd4WFo

Yep, it was him.

B.Lee

[Mindflux]

Yep, it was him.

B.Lee

I had a hard time remember his name.. my brain hurt after that. lol

[hefdaddy42]

Yep, that was him.

[pain of occupation]

bobby j, or 'the bobster' as he asked me to call him, had a wrist injury a few years back. i wonder if it interfered. i'll ask next time i chat him.

[PixelDream]

Wasn't that Charlie Z?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOC6Kd4WFo

That's cool, never saw that one before. The dude does an outstanding job. And watching this reminded me of how awesomely creative The Dance of Eternity is. It's full of all kinds of odd-time stuff, but MP really constructed some very cool grooves.