I would definitely disagree with the one posters assessment. I thought Distance Over Time and A View were pretty amazing records. It really felt like the band/Mangini gelled and produced some great music. Mangini is a great drummer/great guy and I wish him the best
That being said, I'm psyched to see Dream Theater live with Portnoy again and to see what they come up with on the new record. I never thought this was going to happen, and seeing this group of guys together again is exciting. I kind of wonder how long this was in the works because it did feel on the recent tour like Mangini was kind of detached and not as involved as usual. His playing seemed subdued, his drum kit was smaller, and he didn't really seemed to involve himself with the crowd much.
I wonder if it potentially became a reality after James and Portnoy mended things. Im sure Petrucci and Rudess wanted to play with Portnoy again after doing LTE3 and Portnoy playing with Petrucci on his solo album so it seemed the only one left was James.
Anyways, Onwards and Upwards for the band and best wishes to Mangini