DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY

[Trav86]

Now that we had 30 pages to discuss it, can we say that the reunion has been a success and had an overwhelmingly positive reaction?

I agree that the announcement accomplished its goal (get people excited and on board again)...  BUT, and this is something we discussed here don't know how many pages ago, the newfound excitement won't last a year on that press release alone. Purely from a business/marketing standpoint, they need to either go back to the studio (won't happen for at least a couple more months) and share lots and lots of BTS bits OR announce a short warmup tour (which might be getting booked as we speak, who knows). If not, all the momentum created by this announcement will just go to waste for a while.

Well, it hasn’t even been a week yet. But right now MP is still on tour in Europe and Japan with the Winery Dogs. Once that’s done I know he has a few more engagements on the schedule for the end of the year, but I would imagine that he’ll start up the PR campaign himself pretty soon. The master self-promoter is back!

[Wim Kruithof]

I consider the Images to Six Degrees stretch as DT's best 5 albums streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MP for it; I also happen to consider the Train to Clouds stretch as the worst* DT's 4 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MP for it.

I consider the Turn to Astonishing stretch as DT's best 3 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MM (or MP's absence) for it; I also happen to consider the last two albums as DT's *worst 2 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MM (or MP's absence) for it.

Falling Into Infinity captured in their best streak and Train of Thought as a start of their worst... then The Astonishing as a part of their best 3 album-streak and the worst 2-streak filled by Distance Over Time and A View.

You surely have a unique taste.

[MoraWintersoul]

Now that we had 30 pages to discuss it, can we say that the reunion has been a success and had an overwhelmingly positive reaction?

I agree that the announcement accomplished its goal (get people excited and on board again)...  BUT, and this is something we discussed here don't know how many pages ago, the newfound excitement won't last a year on that press release alone. Purely from a business/marketing standpoint, they need to either go back to the studio (won't happen for at least a couple more months) and share lots and lots of BTS bits OR announce a short warmup tour (which might be getting booked as we speak, who knows). If not, all the momentum created by this announcement will just go to waste for a while.

Dramatic Turn also came quite a few months after the announcement and the documentary, and the hype was real for that one.

[gzarruk]

Now that we had 30 pages to discuss it, can we say that the reunion has been a success and had an overwhelmingly positive reaction?

I agree that the announcement accomplished its goal (get people excited and on board again)...  BUT, and this is something we discussed here don't know how many pages ago, the newfound excitement won't last a year on that press release alone. Purely from a business/marketing standpoint, they need to either go back to the studio (won't happen for at least a couple more months) and share lots and lots of BTS bits OR announce a short warmup tour (which might be getting booked as we speak, who knows). If not, all the momentum created by this announcement will just go to waste for a while.

Well, it hasn’t even been a week yet. But right now MP is still on tour in Europe and Japan with the Winery Dogs. Once that’s done I know he has a few more engagements on the schedule for the end of the year, but I would imagine that he’ll start up the PR campaign himself pretty soon. The master self-promoter is back!

I sure hope so!

Now that we had 30 pages to discuss it, can we say that the reunion has been a success and had an overwhelmingly positive reaction?

I agree that the announcement accomplished its goal (get people excited and on board again)...  BUT, and this is something we discussed here don't know how many pages ago, the newfound excitement won't last a year on that press release alone. Purely from a business/marketing standpoint, they need to either go back to the studio (won't happen for at least a couple more months) and share lots and lots of BTS bits OR announce a short warmup tour (which might be getting booked as we speak, who knows). If not, all the momentum created by this announcement will just go to waste for a while.

Dramatic Turn also came quite a few months after the announcement and the documentary, and the hype was real for that one.

Yeah, but we didn't know who the new drummer was

[Indiscipline]

I consider the Images to Six Degrees stretch as DT's best 5 albums streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MP for it; I also happen to consider the Train to Clouds stretch as the worst* DT's 4 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MP for it.

I consider the Turn to Astonishing stretch as DT's best 3 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MM (or MP's absence) for it; I also happen to consider the last two albums as DT's *worst 2 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MM (or MP's absence) for it.

Falling Into Infinity captured in their best streak and Train of Thought as a start of their worst... then The Astonishing as a part of their best 3 album-streak and the worst 2-streak filled by Distance Over Time and A View.

You surely have a unique taste.

You are too kind. We can safley change "unique" with "focking awful" and I won't raise an eyebrow.

As Ringo when turning off the light, I can't tell you but I know it's mine.

[Wim Kruithof]

You are too kind. We can safley change "unique" with "focking awful" and I won't raise an eyebrow.

Change unique with every single word you'll find, but when I write unique I really mean 'unique'.

[Indiscipline]

Ha. And I really mean you're kind.

[Wim Kruithof]

Ha. And I really mean you're kind.

thanks my friend.

[Trav86]

To find another fan that puts FII in the same league as the albums on either side of it is rare. A rare gem.

[HOF]

I consider the Images to Six Degrees stretch as DT's best 5 albums streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MP for it; I also happen to consider the Train to Clouds stretch as the worst* DT's 4 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MP for it.

I consider the Turn to Astonishing stretch as DT's best 3 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to thank MM (or MP's absence) for it; I also happen to consider the last two albums as DT's *worst 2 album streak, and I refuse to think I have to blame MM (or MP's absence) for it.

Falling Into Infinity captured in their best streak and Train of Thought as a start of their worst... then The Astonishing as a part of their best 3 album-streak and the worst 2-streak filled by Distance Over Time and A View.

You surely have a unique taste.

I would agree with Indiscipline about those two MP periods being the band’s strongest and (likely) weakest (I don’t have a opinion about the MM albums). But I love FII and don’t have much use for ToT.

[CDrice]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine.

While the band has not released any albums on the levels of some of the classic Portnoy era during the Mangini era, I think, as a whole, the 5 Mangini albums might be my favorite album run by the band with how consistent its been. The last two I especially love. They're probably my favorites from the band since Train of Thought or Six Degrees.

On the flip side, while I was excited at first with hearing the projects that Portnoy was a part of after he left, none really ended up grabbing me. Not they that were necessarily bad, just not my thing. So he basically fell of my radar.

So to sums things up, I'm bummed Mangini is gone and while I'm curious,  I'm not particularly excited about Portnoy's return right now. I'm mostly indifferent. And it's not like I'm expecting the music to be bad now. Four of the guys that were on the last few albums are still there and Portnoy is still a good drummer even if I haven't connected with all his recent music. And also, I'm sure the band know it'd be really awkward if they release an album that's disliked by most. So there's no way they don't make sure the album is at least solid. But, I still need to actually hear some music before joining the hype train.

With that said, I sincerely hope that when they release a new single I'll feel the same way I did when they released "On the Backs of Angels" 13 years ago.

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine.

While the band has not released any albums on the levels of some of the classic Portnoy era during the Mangini era, I think, as a whole, the 5 Mangini albums might be my favorite album run by the band with how consistent its been. The last two I especially love. They're probably my favorites from the band since Train of Thought or Six Degrees.

On the flip side, while I was excited at first with hearing the projects that Portnoy was a part of after he left, none really ended up grabbing me. Not they that were necessarily bad, just not my thing. So he basically fell of my radar.

So to sums things up, I'm bummed Mangini is gone and while I'm curious,  I'm not particularly excited about Portnoy's return right now. I'm mostly indifferent. And it's not like I'm expecting the music to be bad now. Four of the guys that were on the last few albums are still there and Portnoy is still a good drummer even if I haven't connected with all his recent music. And also, I'm sure the band know it'd be really awkward if they release an album that's disliked by most. So there's no way they don't make sure the album is at least solid. But, I still need to actually hear some music before joining the hype train.

With that said, I sincerely hope that when they release a new single I'll feel the same way I did when they released "On the Backs of Angels" 13 years ago.

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

Well said. I agree with nearly everything. And I think you used an important word to describe the MM era albums - Astonishing aside because it is just a different animal - which is consistency.

One thing I'll differ on is that I love the Winery Dogs, so MP going back to DT is disappointing because MM is out but then its like getting kicked in the balls because the WD may be done.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

Hey boys. Been a long time since I've posted here, though I still lurk on occasion and follow album release cycles through the forum. I've been sitting on this for a few days and fleshing out my thoughts on other platforms and with friends who are fans of the band. I was completely neutral on this news to begin with, aside from my complete surprise - seems everyone else shared it too. It was completely without warning, to the point that I checked in six different places before I was convinced.

Thoughts on reunion:
I've read a lot of speculation about what went on inside the band, how it happened, whether MM feels it was fair to him, the other reasons surrounding the decision. MM is obviously part of the DT family and his tenure and contribution to the discography represent a crucial and counter-intuitively formative part of the bands' legacy (and many of my favorites as someone whose first full album was ADTOE).  I'd like to step outside of that though and think about the life that JP/JM/MP have shared. Those three dudes were teenagers together, experienced college together, became men together, became rockstars together. There is a shared life story there that I'm sure many of us can understand if we reflect on the history of the band and how those relationships feel to the guys in the band rather than to fans in the distance. The band is certainly entering that stage where decisions must be made about how to go out, and this feels like a homecoming in so many more ways than strictly musically.

I did think the the press release was awkward and tone-deaf as many have noted. Plenty of other comments on the subject seem to reflect the feeling that MM "deserved better". I hope and expect that his place in DT history will be appropriately recognized and commemorated by the band. The outpouring of love for MM has been great to see, and as usual he's a total class act. The man is just the best there is in every way we could hope for him to be. The banter on FB was heartwarming and I have a feeling it really is more understood and mutual than it appears just because the social media presence is clumsy.

P.S. - if I have to see another "what a dramatic turn of events" pun on the subreddit I will scoop out my eyes.

Musical Hopes and Holdups
I do not expect to ever see the same level of powerful, precise, orchestrated, reserved, and yet still technically awe-inducing playing like on AVFTT in DT again. That's okay though. I wish they had nailed the mix for the 4 albums prior like they did on A View, but that's okay too. I hope that this change brings new energy and inspiration to the core of DT. I hope MP has some weird ideas from the last 13 years that he's ready to unleash on the world again. I hope this challenges MP to really get into not just touring shape, but touring shape for Dream Theater and 5 albums worth of MM parts. I want to see him pushing himself again.

More than anything I want to see Dream Theater embrace their name again. I'd love to see DT shift their focus to creating atmosphere, soundscapes, and vibes again. There's a lot of that on LTE3 and I'd like to hear more beauty and exploration on the next Dream Theater record than we've gotten for the while. Organic sounds with more space in the mix will go a long way, and I can forgive a tradeoff in "heavy metal" for more of the Trial of Tears/Octavarium/Erotomania/Misunderstood/Blind Faith/LTL & PMU spirituality so to speak. Transcending Time and AVFTTOTW (title track) both do that to some degree, Barstool Warrior as well. There's plenty of other examples but I'd love to see the metal dialed back a little bit.

I genuinely barely enjoy BC&SL anymore these days, except for TCOT and the ambience/soloing is certainly the highlight of that song too. I hope we don't get tryhard metal lyrics, dad/butt-prog, or really anything that tries to imitate the direction the band was headed after SC/BC&SL. I want more introspective Dream Theater. I want to be swept away. I want to dream. I don't want to turn on DT16 and hear SOA leftovers or cool-guy note-spam.

I'm obviously being a bit dramatic and facetious about my feelings about some of the MP influence we heard in DT 9 & 10 and other projects, but I'm trying to synthesize 14 essays worth of pent up feelings about my favorite music. I think the balance in the band with shifting seniority, 13 years of experience with MM, and the rekindled spark of making Dream Theater music together again will contribute to more reflective sounds and feelings than it will vampire lyrics or car crash songs. I hope that having another strong creative personality in the band will help separate the wheat from the chaff in the studio as well.

The Band and the Brand
I'm also excited for the business aspect of the band. His input into merchandising, collectibles, fan service and connections with the audience is something I'm looking forward too (though my wallet isn't). I saw someone (in the prior  that we should "get ready for a level of interaction and engagement" that is unknown to us fans who hopped aboard with ADTOE or beyond. I've always been fascinated by the DT rabbit-hole and the history of the forum, Portnoy's forums, all the little details and backstories that we all spend so long fawning over. Basically, "nuggets".

I actually think MM is excellent with fan engagement for himself. He dropped a clip of his first solo project single because I asked for it on his new Tik-Tok. He's replied to a few of my Insta/YouTube comments, he's very appreciative of his fans, and he does actual live lessons which is an awesome way to connect. For some reason though, that doesn't make me feel connected to DT. Maybe the band didn't give him free reign to do as much as he wanted with the social media presence, or maybe it's easier to drive a band's image when you and your two college friends are the original creators with the vision for their direction since the beginning. Either way, I love the documentaries, playthrough videos, studio footage, all that stuff. It has felt a little sparse compared to what I've gathered about the MP era despite not being around for it really.

Live Shows and "Energy"
I don't think it's fair to say that Mike Mangini lacks energy, and fortunately I don't actually see anyone saying that directly, but there is a general feeling that live shows have lacked some spice. I think MM is plenty powerful, fun, charismatic, and a great showman behind the kit. I've seen him with DT 4 times and he was flawless every time. I think the word we're all looking for is "spontaneity", and that is just one more thing I'm excited to be a part of, especially in a live setting. I know *certain* members aren't fond of medleys, but like Michael Scott and inside jokes, I'd love to be a part of one someday. I'd like to be surprised about the set, and for each show to have that element of surprise. I was born into static setlists, molded by them - I've never been to a DT show where they broke out a previously un-played gem or did an extended version of something un-scripted. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for in that regard, but I'm excited to compare experiences at the very least.

On another note, the elephant in the room is James and how he's held up live. I saw them in Denver and it was passable but noticeably rough. I love that man and he's one of the biggest reasons I felt in love with DT, but... the band needs to make his job easier going forward. I expect more jams/medleys/instrumental stuff and extended solos are on the horizon to help with his workload, and that would be welcome to my ears, especially in a live setting. I hope MP will be an advocate for James in this era and push for vocal melodies that are wayyyy more attainable in the studio, and I hope that will help balance the setlists as well.

Loose Ends
I'm excited about this band, but that itself isn't new. I've been excited about them since before AVFTT dropped, and since I discovered them. That album was maybe as good as ADTOE IMO and if not, likely the second-best in the MM era. I was really happy with where the band was (in recording sessions at least). The excitement now feels more personal and political than it does musical. I'm intrigued, itching to see what we get. I want to know how responsibilities are divided up, what the writing process is like, how the band feels being back together, how the next record will sound. Still, I will be very surprised if the next record lives up to AVFTT for me. I'm going to miss MM and I pre-ordered a signed record/CD as soon as I saw the news. The tours will be fun, the live DVDs will be welcomed, the forums will be fun to follow. Fun to see so many of you from my old life popping back up again. Too much to say but I'm along for the ride.

[Wim Kruithof]

Walrus, what a way to step back into this forum, well said and I'll follow you all the way.

I don't think it's fair to say that Mike Mangini lacks energy, and fortunately I don't actually see anyone saying that directly, but there is a general feeling that live shows have lacked some spice. I think MM is plenty powerful, fun, charismatic, and a great showman behind the kit. I've seen him with DT 4 times and he was flawless every time.

Like this, spot on.

But I do understand what the fans from the old days are missing out on, I think. Metal - although we might be nerd or geek - has this thug-side and Portnoy reflects that totally in his personality. Lyrics, performance, attitude, constantly-spitting, humor and even his addiction makes him so easy to reflect are own struggles to. He is the bad guy with such a warm and vunerable heart. I saw him last year with TransAtlantic here in the Netherlands and have to agree that he simply is a total different drummer, but also has a total different interaction with the fans during the night.

With the Dream Theater shows I've been to (five times) with Mangini, I felt like watching (and adoring) first class art... but with Portnoy behind the kit, I didn't felt like watching, but being a part of it.

[Kyo]

Great post, Sir Walrus!

[TAC]

With the Dream Theater shows I've been to (five times) with Mangini, I felt like watching (and adoring) first class art... but with Portnoy behind the kit, I didn't felt like watching, but being a part of it.

The difference pre and post MP was, to me, with JP's vision, the shows went from being concerts to being performances.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

With the Dream Theater shows I've been to (five times) with Mangini, I felt like watching (and adoring) first class art... but with Portnoy behind the kit, I didn't felt like watching, but being a part of it.

The difference pre and post MP was, to me, with JP's vision, the shows went from being concerts to being performances.

Which is interesting to me because around the I&W 25th Anniversary tour period, I remember JP giving an interview that said something along the lines of "we're all fans of the same shit, I just happen to be up there playing it". It surprises me that doesn't attitude doesn't translate to more audience engagement as opposed to "polish".

Side note, MP rushes like crazy, but sometimes rushing and a bit of sloppiness makes the audience feel like you're pushing to the limit, even if the limit is a bit lower than another guy's. Josh Eppard of C&C said "a good drummer knows when to play in front of the click and when to lay behind" (I'm paraphrasing), but there's something to that too. Coheed rushes the hell out of IKS3 live and it's hype as hell because the audience feels like there's a positive feedback loop between their energy and the band's.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I am not sure how much fans in the audience are noticing the shows are too perfectly timed or the band is rushing, etc. I think what makes a much bigger difference is when there is a drummer who is drawing a lot of attention to himself (not at all in a bad way), standing up, inviting fans to come on stage, singing backing vocals, etc. Fans are much more likely to notice that sort of thing.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I am not sure how much fans in the audience are noticing the shows are too perfectly timed or the band is rushing, etc. I think what makes a much bigger difference is when there is a drummer who is drawing a lot of attention to himself (not at all in a bad way), standing up, inviting fans to come on stage, singing backing vocals, etc. Fans are much more likely to notice that sort of thing.

I don't know, I don't particularly mind either way but the shows I've been to with more energy were definitely more of a concert and less of a performance as TAC noted. Don't get me wrong, the I&W tour I saw (down-tuned as well) was one of my favorite concerts ever and it was played to a click. I don't think the audience is consciously noticing the click but I think it reigns in the chaos a bit and chaos is part of the fun at a concert. I think all those other things you pointed out help too. It all comes together to feel like you're engaged.

[MirrorMask]

I loved the Images and Words and Beyond tour! the talks during the performance of the album, the little snippets of covers, an "anything goes" selection of songs in the first set.... it was the proof that you can be a bit loose even if you're going with a click.

The only time I noticed the click? The Crimson Sunrise. Boy did that section DRAG when they came in, I was so used to Portnoy spicing it up and playing it a bit faster.

[YtseBitsySpider]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine.

While the band has not released any albums on the levels of some of the classic Portnoy era during the Mangini era, I think, as a whole, the 5 Mangini albums might be my favorite album run by the band with how consistent its been. The last two I especially love. They're probably my favorites from the band since Train of Thought or Six Degrees.

On the flip side, while I was excited at first with hearing the projects that Portnoy was a part of after he left, none really ended up grabbing me. Not they that were necessarily bad, just not my thing. So he basically fell of my radar.

So to sums things up, I'm bummed Mangini is gone and while I'm curious,  I'm not particularly excited about Portnoy's return right now. I'm mostly indifferent. And it's not like I'm expecting the music to be bad now. Four of the guys that were on the last few albums are still there and Portnoy is still a good drummer even if I haven't connected with all his recent music. And also, I'm sure the band know it'd be really awkward if they release an album that's disliked by most. So there's no way they don't make sure the album is at least solid. But, I still need to actually hear some music before joining the hype train.

With that said, I sincerely hope that when they release a new single I'll feel the same way I did when they released "On the Backs of Angels" 13 years ago.

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

This pretty much sums up my thoughts. Very curious timing. Almost trying force one last hurrah before retirement. Mike Portnoy was such a huge personality. It was time for him to leave. The band refocused and went on. Greatly. Differently. Wonderfully.

Let’s bring Moore back next and thank Jordan for keeping the piano warm.

[jimgolf]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine...

To be honest, I am actually more shocked at Portnoy's return than when he left the band. When he left the band, I knew something was up. They had just had their highest charting record with Black Clouds and did not actually tour the album(yes they did a short progressive nation and the iron maiden thing, but that was it). That is kind of crazy. Plus it seemed Portnoys influence over the records was becoming more and more...Portnoy seemed REALLY interested in being a member of Avenged Sevenfold when he recorded and toured with them....James Labrie was publicly upset the band recorded Black Clouds without him...Portnoy had taken repeated jabs at Labrie in public - I mean it was clear all was not well in Dream Theater land. I was conflicted whether I thought the band was getting ready to break up, fire Labrie, or fire Portnoy - but i was confident something was going to happen. It ended up being Mike Portnoy leaving on his own.

As for Portnoy returning, I get him doing the records with LTE and Petrucci(as well as the tour), but I thought they were pretty content with Mangini. I have really enjoyed the Mangini records of late and the band has seemed pretty adamant that Mangini is not going anywhere - and just because they worked with Portnoy didn't mean we should draw any conclusions. Not only that, but people kind of connected with the band or people like Bosk always seemed incredibly dismissive of the possibility of Portnoy returning whenever the conversation would inevitably come up. So I really believed it was just never gonna happen(except for a one off show of some sort).

Im excited for it - dont get me wrong. But it definitely was more surprising that he returned to the group than when he left the group.

[Dedalus]

Now that we had 30 pages to discuss it, can we say that the reunion has been a success and had an overwhelmingly positive reaction?

99% (and more) of the fans are happy that MP is back. Also an overwhelming majority has respect and appreciation for MM's tenure in the band and the way he gracefully handled the change. I'm glad that the fanbase is not split in two about Portnoy's return and they're not lashing out against Mangini (you know, in a "now that he's gone I can finally say the bad things about him I always had to hide" kind of way).

So I'm happy that all is good and nice in DT land 

It is definitely a success. But haven't we known that all along? We spent 13 years discussing MP/DT. It was never a closed matter. It's no wonder it moved the fanbase so much.

I think MP's return has the power to pacify the universe of fans. There are people who are upset about the change, but they are such a minority that they won't make any noise.

And indeed there was a lot of respect for Mangini's tenure. Genuinely and also hypocritically. Some random guy on YouTube said something like "Now that MM is gone, everyone wants to say good things about him".
I have acquaintances in local DT fan groups who have spent all these years being very disrespectful towards MM and who thought it would be important to write some flattering things about the drummer now on social media. It sounds like they couldn't do this before. The problem was never MM but the absence of MP. In the end, it's always MP.

The schism era is over.

[Dedalus]

My two reunion cents, if you please:

....

Very interesting point of view. Valuable reading.

Hey boys. Been a long time since I've posted here, though I still lurk on occasion and follow album release cycles through the forum. I've been sitting on this for a few days and fleshing out my thoughts on other platforms and with friends who are fans of the band. I was completely neutral on this news to begin with, aside from my complete surprise - seems everyone else shared it too. It was completely without warning, to the point that I checked in six different places before I was convinced.

The same here.

[Madman Shepherd]

The timing does seem a bit odd but I think weirdest of all is the timing of the announcement.

-Portnoy was on tour with another band
-Portnoy wasn't even in the country to do a proper photo shoot so they just threw together some other images of the five of them pasted together

I suspect either they were worried about a leak or maybe even out of a courtesy to Mangini so he could concentrate on promoting his solo album without having to lie and say, "golly I'm so excited to record the new dream theater album"

Maybe the whole thing manifested in the course of a couple days so it was rushed.

It is curious.

[deggs37]

The schism era is over.

I know the Portnoy fits 'cause I watched him fall away.

[RodrigoAltaf]

The timing does seem a bit odd but I think weirdest of all is the timing of the announcement.

-Portnoy was on tour with another band
-Portnoy wasn't even in the country to do a proper photo shoot so they just threw together some other images of the five of them pasted together

I suspect either they were worried about a leak or maybe even out of a courtesy to Mangini so he could concentrate on promoting his solo album without having to lie and say, "golly I'm so excited to record the new dream theater album"

Maybe the whole thing manifested in the course of a couple days so it was rushed.

It is curious.

Yes, really strange, especially since MP still has a handful of shows to do with TWD, Cruise to the Edge with Flying Colors, and NMB shows as well...

[gzarruk]

I suspect either they were worried about a leak or maybe even out of a courtesy to Mangini so he could concentrate on promoting his solo album without having to lie and say, "golly I'm so excited to record the new dream theater album"

Yeah these seem like the most likely reasons for such a weird timing.

[DTFan0789]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine.

While the band has not released any albums on the levels of some of the classic Portnoy era during the Mangini era, I think, as a whole, the 5 Mangini albums might be my favorite album run by the band with how consistent its been. The last two I especially love. They're probably my favorites from the band since Train of Thought or Six Degrees.

On the flip side, while I was excited at first with hearing the projects that Portnoy was a part of after he left, none really ended up grabbing me. Not they that were necessarily bad, just not my thing. So he basically fell of my radar.

So to sums things up, I'm bummed Mangini is gone and while I'm curious,  I'm not particularly excited about Portnoy's return right now. I'm mostly indifferent. And it's not like I'm expecting the music to be bad now. Four of the guys that were on the last few albums are still there and Portnoy is still a good drummer even if I haven't connected with all his recent music. And also, I'm sure the band know it'd be really awkward if they release an album that's disliked by most. So there's no way they don't make sure the album is at least solid. But, I still need to actually hear some music before joining the hype train.

With that said, I sincerely hope that when they release a new single I'll feel the same way I did when they released "On the Backs of Angels" 13 years ago.

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

I can relate to your story, as it is very similar to mine.

I became a fan of the band after seeing the "Score" concert when it first aired on VH1 Classic back in the summer of 2006. I was entering my senior year of high school, and ever since seeing that concert I became obsessed. I was a guitarist so I was already familiar with John Petrucci, but seeing the band perform together was mind blowing, both visually and sonically.

Fast forward to 2010. The announcement of Portnoy's departure absolutely gutted me, to the point where I was losing sleep over it. However, I became more than pleased with Mike Mangini. Besides his ethereal drumming, I found his good natured personality to be a welcome addition to the band. A bit of a departure from Portnoy's more, shall we say, "abrasive" personality...

I didn't think I would be saying this, but the announcement of Portony's return left me feeling a bit cold. I loved much of the music that the band was recording with Mangini. I saw every tour starting with ADTOE. I even saw the Astonishing live twice because it is truly the album that I had been waiting for them to make since I first started listening (I prefer the more melodic/theatrical side of the band). This had become THE version of the band for me. I would prefer that they just go back into the studio with MM, make another album and do another tour.

To put it a bit more bluntly, I do not want this guy back in the band. My opinion of Portnoy changed a bit over the years. Personally, I find him to be downright "cringe" at times, as the kids would say. He is a great drummer, no doubt. It was his drumming that first made me really listen to the drums in music more. But his return feels completely inorganic to me. Almost downright forced. I imagine their attendance has not been stellar these past couple tours since the excitement had dipped off a bit, so this seemed like more of a business decision to me, since the whole reunion thing is hot in the rock world right now.

[nobloodyname]

I agree on this. I like that someone made a standalone versio of Beautiful Angony (with some tweaking to make it feel like its own song).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tADH8iWSqg

Misread that as 'twerking'.

Disappointing outcome.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I realize I'm a bit late to this at this point, but I think this new hit me harder than the one of Portnoy leaving back in 2010. I'm a more recent fan, so maybe that plays a role. But still, I got into the band into late 2008 or early 2009 and they became my favorite band at that point. Being a guitar player, I was obviously a big fan of Petrucci, but Portnoy also stood out to me. So I became a big fan of his too. When he left there was definitely many concerns with how things would go without him, as I knew he was a big part of the creative process of the band. But then the band released "On the Backs of Angels" and I knew they'd be fine.

While the band has not released any albums on the levels of some of the classic Portnoy era during the Mangini era, I think, as a whole, the 5 Mangini albums might be my favorite album run by the band with how consistent its been. The last two I especially love. They're probably my favorites from the band since Train of Thought or Six Degrees.

On the flip side, while I was excited at first with hearing the projects that Portnoy was a part of after he left, none really ended up grabbing me. Not they that were necessarily bad, just not my thing. So he basically fell of my radar.

So to sums things up, I'm bummed Mangini is gone and while I'm curious,  I'm not particularly excited about Portnoy's return right now. I'm mostly indifferent. And it's not like I'm expecting the music to be bad now. Four of the guys that were on the last few albums are still there and Portnoy is still a good drummer even if I haven't connected with all his recent music. And also, I'm sure the band know it'd be really awkward if they release an album that's disliked by most. So there's no way they don't make sure the album is at least solid. But, I still need to actually hear some music before joining the hype train.

With that said, I sincerely hope that when they release a new single I'll feel the same way I did when they released "On the Backs of Angels" 13 years ago.

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

I can relate to your story, as it is very similar to mine.

I became a fan of the band after seeing the "Score" concert when it first aired on VH1 Classic back in the summer of 2006. I was entering my senior year of high school, and ever since seeing that concert I became obsessed. I was a guitarist so I was already familiar with John Petrucci, but seeing the band perform together was mind blowing, both visually and sonically.

Fast forward to 2010. The announcement of Portnoy's departure absolutely gutted me, to the point where I was losing sleep over it. However, I became more than pleased with Mike Mangini. Besides his ethereal drumming, I found his good natured personality to be a welcome addition to the band. A bit of a departure from Portnoy's more, shall we say, "abrasive" personality...

I didn't think I would be saying this, but the announcement of Portony's return left me feeling a bit cold. I loved much of the music that the band was recording with Mangini. I saw every tour starting with ADTOE. I even saw the Astonishing live twice because it is truly the album that I had been waiting for them to make since I first started listening (I prefer the more melodic/theatrical side of the band). This had become THE version of the band for me. I would prefer that they just go back into the studio with MM, make another album and do another tour.

To put it a bit more bluntly, I do not want this guy back in the band. My opinion of Portnoy changed a bit over the years. Personally, I find him to be downright "cringe" at times, as the kids would say. He is a great drummer, no doubt. It was his drumming that first made me really listen to the drums in music more. But his return feels completely inorganic to me. Almost downright forced. I imagine their attendance has not been stellar these past couple tours since the excitement had dipped off a bit, so this seemed like more of a business decision to me, since the whole reunion thing is hot in the rock world right now.

I think I've arrived at kind of the same place as you guys. From a business perspective, this move makes complete sense. From an artistic and creative perspective, there are no guarantees. I think the reaction on this forum has been pretty measured, but I've definitely seen some people elsewhere who I think are setting their expectations way too high now.

[Podaar]

Edit: I apologize for being a bit of a bummer by the way.

I understand your take, and even agree with it to a point. Well said.

Nice to see you around, and I hope you stay. Your contributions to the "new album PC Paint" threads is a DTF legend!

[crystalstars17]

Let’s bring Moore back next and thank Jordan for keeping the piano warm.

No. 😭

(Love your username, btw 👏 🏆 )

[MoraWintersoul]

The announcement of Portnoy's departure absolutely gutted me, to the point where I was losing sleep over it.

Have we ever sat down and talked about this as a fanbase? It's so bizarre how many of us had these super outsized reactions to Portnoy leaving! I couldn't even play Dream Theater for months after that, and I too remember lying awake at night thinking about it. That's why my feelings are so mixed, even though I feel more positive about the change itself than CDRice and DTFan. It's just like... was all of this necessary? MP's journey there and back again will make me think twice if I ever decide to shake up my entire life in my forties for sure hahaha

[Stadler]

I've given it a fair amount of thought over the years.  It's almost never on the level of "the band" and "music" though, to be honest. I had just moved to Erie, PA - without my family - which ultimately was a key component of my subsequent divorce.   It was very much a metaphor for me, and not in a good way.   

It's where I started to really take "Man plans, and God laughs" more seriously. 

I'm still not a determinist (though that may change) but I certainly started to give a lot more thought to the idea that things happen for a reason, or at least, there are multiple roads to get where we (think we) need to be.

To answer your question directly, we're a sum of all that has happened before, so "Yes, yes it was all necessary."  I don't think we get to here without going there first.