DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY

[KevShmev]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree.  For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

[PixelDream]

I actually think -and hope- that this lineup change can be an opportunity for reapproaching the vocals in the band. We all know JLB has had some issues on tour and personally I just am not a big fan of how he has been produced/the parts they are writing for him. Maybe the band can have an honest conversation about how to handle the vocals in a way that allows JLB to age gracefully, rather than force him to sing outside of a comfortable range. Maybe Portnoy can come in with an outside perspective and as an audience member during the summer tour. This is probably the single area where I hope DT16 will take a different approach compared to the last couple albums.

This is also what I'm thinking. If they want to be able to give it a few more years, something just has to change in that department. Also I can't imagine Mike Portnoy wants to play to a clicktrack.

I was just listening to Awake yesterday and actively noticed in Scarred that there's a lot of push-and-pull in the tempo. To me, that makes it sound more alive and real and I much prefer that. Would love for that approach to return in DT.

[Podaar]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree. For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

Respectfully, the two bolded assertions (yours and mine) are nearly identical. I feel the same way about him as you. Still, it's hard to argue against the idea that a singer with broader appeal could have helped the band significantly. And as WilliamMunny points out, the same can be said for Geddy (whos voice I always dug too). I'm just saying that our enjoyment (of both singers) does not cancel out the idea that they rub a great deal of people the wrong way.

[Sycsa]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

Not at all looking to quibble (I respect your thoughts and opinion), but I could just as easily insert 'Geddy' into your post and re-post it.

Bottom line, I disagree with the idea that James has been a barrier (I mean, do we really think another singer would've made a difference in a post-Nirvana '90s??). I also think that, in the long run, he gave the band a distinct sound, which has been an asset.

Rush went out on their own terms, with their original singer struggling at times, and their popularity was a strong as ever at the end. Could Rush have been bigger at one point with a different singer? Probably. But I sincerely doubt that they have the decades-long run they had with anyone else.

And to this day, I have yet to meet another person (outside of this forum or a Rush concert) who 'loves' Geddy's voice (I do).

While James is indeed oft-cited as the reason people can't get into the band (it's usually the first thing any metal fan mentions when I bring up DT), as far as 'success' goes, they plateaued anyway when Pull Me Under was a surprise MTV hit. They were never going to be bigger than that, because metal in general and prog metal in special just isn't that big. There's no singer in the world with whom DT would have achieved a greater mainstream success and recognition. However, they could have easily stayed in obscurity had they not found and picked James. DT is the biggest act in prog metal, there's nothing further to achieve.

Also I can't imagine Mike Portnoy wants to play to a clicktrack.

I was just listening to Awake yesterday and actively noticed in Scarred that there's a lot of push-and-pull in the tempo. To me, that makes it sound more alive and real and I much prefer that. Would love for that approach to return in DT.

I got my fingers crossed for that one as well.

[ariich]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree. For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

Respectfully, the two bolded assertions (yours and mine) are nearly identical. I feel the same way about him as you. Still, it's hard to argue against the idea that a singer with broader appeal could have helped the band significantly. And as WilliamMunny points out, the same can be said for Geddy (whos voice I always dug too). I'm just saying that our enjoyment (of both singers) does not cancel out the idea that they rub a great deal of people the wrong way.

Yeah I was confused for a sec. Kev said he disagreed but then went on to explain why he in fact agreed.

[porcacultor]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

This is so true. I kinda hope for there to be MORE awkwardness with Portnoy back. The Canadian Rap is too much of a pipe dream, but any interplay/banter between those two after all the turmoil is bound to be fun.

I remember in 2008 when DT played the parking lot of a pretty big venue here in São Paulo and after the first track JLB made a point to say "It's so good to be here with you guys OUTDOOOOOOORS". I can't say why it was funny, but I still chuckle at the memory (it worked well to pump the crowd too! Not to mention the next song was Never Enough and I THINK that was when JLB made hip thrusting motions at a magazine or something -- fun times!)

[KevShmev]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree. For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

Respectfully, the two bolded assertions (yours and mine) are nearly identical. I feel the same way about him as you. Still, it's hard to argue against the idea that a singer with broader appeal could have helped the band significantly. And as WilliamMunny points out, the same can be said for Geddy (whos voice I always dug too). I'm just saying that our enjoyment (of both singers) does not cancel out the idea that they rub a great deal of people the wrong way.

Okay, but it is impossible to know who has broader appeal.  There is no way to know what music fans are going to like.  Who would have thought a guy who sings like Bob Dylan would be the legend that he is?  Or that Rush would do so well with a guy who sung the way Geddy did in the early days?  Finding a singer or band who doesn't have "I would like them more if not for this, that and/or the other" is nearly impossible, so James is no different from almost anyone else in that regard.  Even someone as insanely popular nowadays as Taylor Swift has plenty of detractors, so you are never going to make everyone happy or appeal to everyone.  That is why I think calling James a barrier of any sort is unfair, because you could apply that logic to anyone.  Heck, I remember a friend of a friend saying to a few of us in the mid 90s that he couldn't believe we loved Dream Theater when they had a drummer who played like that.  Does that mean Mike Portnoy was a barrier to their success because of that one lost fan (and possibly more)?  No, of course not.   It just means that he is just like every other musician/singer; they all have detractors.

[naimad]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree. For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

Respectfully, the two bolded assertions (yours and mine) are nearly identical. I feel the same way about him as you. Still, it's hard to argue against the idea that a singer with broader appeal could have helped the band significantly. And as WilliamMunny points out, the same can be said for Geddy (whos voice I always dug too). I'm just saying that our enjoyment (of both singers) does not cancel out the idea that they rub a great deal of people the wrong way.

Okay, but it is impossible to know who has broader appeal.  There is no way to know what music fans are going to like.  Who would have thought a guy who sings like Bob Dylan would be the legend that he is?  Or that Rush would do so well with a guy who sung the way Geddy did in the early days?  Finding a singer or band who doesn't have "I would like them more if not for this, that and/or the other" is nearly impossible, so James is no different from almost anyone else in that regard.  Even someone as insanely popular nowadays as Taylor Swift has plenty of detractors, so you are never going to make everyone happy or appeal to everyone.  That is why I think calling James a barrier of any sort is unfair, because you could apply that logic to anyone.  Heck, I remember a friend of a friend saying to a few of us in the mid 90s that he couldn't believe we loved Dream Theater when they had a drummer who played like that.  Does that mean Mike Portnoy was a barrier to their success because of that one lost fan (and possibly more)?  No, of course not.   It just means that he is just like every other musician/singer; they all have detractors.

I agree. Also, is not that DT is after popularity at all costs. Otherwise they will not be doing progressive metal.

[gborland]

I remember in 2008 when DT played the parking lot of a pretty big venue

Did someone forget the keys to unlock the venue?

[blackmetal666]

Knowing that this new album will be compared A LOT to A View and that all eyes (ears) will be fixed on the drumming and songwriting, they really need to deliver big time. I bet they already had "basic" discussions of where they want to go with the new album.

If anything, most of the comparisons are probably going to be to Black Clouds and Silver Linings. There has already been a lot of discussion on here and other DT pages about whether or not they’re going to pick up where they left off with Portnoy. Also, as seen by old forum members returning after the news, I get the feeling a lot of people anticipating this album haven’t even heard A View.
Regardless it will be interesting to see what direction they settle on. I’m sure they have had conversations and are probably going to want to make a statement. I just hope they don’t go the Metropolis 3 route, but they seem to know better.

I feel the ‘View’ album is the absolute worst album DT has ever put out.  It’s sounds like band is going through the motions.  Hoping Portnoy injects from life and the band puts more effort into songwriting versus live jam writing. 

[Mr.Mister]

Knowing that this new album will be compared A LOT to A View and that all eyes (ears) will be fixed on the drumming and songwriting, they really need to deliver big time. I bet they already had "basic" discussions of where they want to go with the new album.

If anything, most of the comparisons are probably going to be to Black Clouds and Silver Linings. There has already been a lot of discussion on here and other DT pages about whether or not they’re going to pick up where they left off with Portnoy. Also, as seen by old forum members returning after the news, I get the feeling a lot of people anticipating this album haven’t even heard A View.
Regardless it will be interesting to see what direction they settle on. I’m sure they have had conversations and are probably going to want to make a statement. I just hope they don’t go the Metropolis 3 route, but they seem to know better.

I feel the ‘View’ album is the absolute worst album DT has ever put out.  It’s sounds like band is going through the motions.  Hoping Portnoy injects from life and the band puts more effort into songwriting versus live jam writing.

Hasn't jamming writing been a staple DT way of working since way before MP left the band?

[gzarruk]

I feel the ‘View’ album is the absolute worst album DT has ever put out.  It’s sounds like band is going through the motions.  Hoping Portnoy injects from life and the band puts more effort into songwriting versus live jam writing.

Live jam writing is literally what Portnoy likes to do with most bands he's been with...

[hefdaddy42]

Knowing that this new album will be compared A LOT to A View and that all eyes (ears) will be fixed on the drumming and songwriting, they really need to deliver big time. I bet they already had "basic" discussions of where they want to go with the new album.

If anything, most of the comparisons are probably going to be to Black Clouds and Silver Linings. There has already been a lot of discussion on here and other DT pages about whether or not they’re going to pick up where they left off with Portnoy. Also, as seen by old forum members returning after the news, I get the feeling a lot of people anticipating this album haven’t even heard A View.
Regardless it will be interesting to see what direction they settle on. I’m sure they have had conversations and are probably going to want to make a statement. I just hope they don’t go the Metropolis 3 route, but they seem to know better.

I feel the ‘View’ album is the absolute worst album DT has ever put out.  It’s sounds like band is going through the motions.  Hoping Portnoy injects from life and the band puts more effort into songwriting versus live jam writing.

Hasn't jamming writing been a staple DT way of working since way before MP left the band?

Yes.

[Stadler]

No one is irreplaceable. Including James.

In the literal and phyical sense of the word, I agree. There are out there singers that can sing as good as James, guitarists who can play as good as Petrucci, keyboard players tht can play as good as Jordan, drummers who can play as good as Portnoy (case in point: he left and they got Mike Mangini) and bass players tha can play as good as Myung.

But as Trav86 says, after nearly 40 years there's no way any band would feel the same without a key member. Can Steve Harris be replaced in Iron Maiden? sure, there are tons of bassists out there who could play like him and replicate his tone and even his poses when playing live. That's what cover bands are for however.

Singers =/= guitar/bass/drums/keys.


Steve Howe is literally one of the greatest gtuiar players on the PLANET.  Yes survived - nay, thrived - without him.    Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford are his equals on their instruments.   Yes survived - nay thrived - without them.

Jon Anderson?   The band has struggled without him.

The number of bands that have struggled after changing from their classic/most well-known singers (even as they have changed OTHER members):
Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Skid Row
Motley Crue
Asia
Foreigner
Styx
Supertramp
The Cars
Rainbow (sort of)
Night Ranger
Queensryche
The Velvet Underground
Stone Temple Pilots
Saga
Boston
Marillion (yes; they are not as big as they were in '85-'87 and never achieved that after).
Black Sabbath (except for Dio)
Deep Purple
Genesis



Those that haven't:
Van Halen
AC/DC

[Stadler]

I'm going to let y'all in on a secret I've known since '92. James is as much of a barrier to DT success than he is an asset. I know, I know, we all love him, and his style of singing has gotten under our skin. But I promise you, the majority of people I've shared music with, don't like DT because of the singer. A few have been musicians too, which really surprised me.

Before I get shouted down about James bashing. I love him, always have. I'd be happier if his breathy voice was used less, but other than that... His current struggles live don't even bother me at all. His stage presence is fine, and his banter is often so bad it's fantastic. I don't want him replaced. Period.

But if it happened, I'd be intrigued.

I don't agree.  For every person who says, "I would like them if they had a different singer," we could argue that there is one person who would never have become a fan if not for James. *raises hand*  Me getting into Dream Theater in 1993 was odd since I was not much of a metal fan at all at that point and their hyperactive playing was not really in my wheelhouse by and large, but James' voice was a big part of what drew me in. 

Remember that Pull Me Under is what put them on the map, and assuming that another singer could have given it the mass appeal that James gave it is, well, a pretty big slight against him.  He has absolutely been an asset to their success.

Me.   DT is one of the few Prog-metal bands I listen to and it's to a large degree because of James.

On that note; because of the impending DT song ranking and in celebration of Mike's return, I have been on a DT deep dive over the last week or so (I drove from Florida to Connecticut, so had some time to myself!) and I was BLOWN AWAY by how good that run from Images and Words through Octavarium really is/was.  There's a couple songs on ToT that still don't resonate, and Dug Pinnick still ruins Lines In The Sand, but I was nicely refreshed on how much I really love what I consider the core of this band's output.

CAN someone sing this stuff?  Sure.  I don't think James is doing much that NO ONE ELSE on the planet can do, but I know that very few on the planet can do it quite like that.   There is some really beautiful (vocal) work in that catalogue, for sure.   Voices.  Wither.  Take Away My Pain (I was in tears trying to drive down I-95, after having spent two days going through some remaining things from my parents' passing). Under A Glass Moon.   Hell, all of I&W!!!  Strange Deja Vu.  Home.   The Answer Lies Within.  I can imagine someone taking his place, I do believe no one is irreplaceable, but I might not WANT to hear the result.  Kind of like when MP left; it was still DT, it was still very good, but I didn't find it... SPECIAL.   I was reminded over the weekend of WHAT I thought was so special. 

I don't give a rat's ass about vocals, production, jamming, setlist, whatever.  I just want "that" to be there again for me. 

(I know we're talking about James here, but as an aside I forgot what a beast Petrucci was on "In The Name Of God".)

[Wim Kruithof]

This thread has gone from left to right so many times... and just as often as the content was good, there was the embrace of emptiness. If this continues for a few more pages, I may also choose a place in the Six Degrees-string of psychological difficulties.

[Setlist Scotty]

Those that haven't:
Van Halen
AC/DC

I might be off since I'm not super familiar with any of them - and the list still is very short compared to the other list - but for arguments' sake, I would think Accept, Angra, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Helloween and Metal Church could all be added to this list as well, many of whom I would say are peers of DT in general terms of popularity.

edit: I'd also argue that Queensryche should be on that list and not the other. Yeah, they're not headlining arenas and sheds like in the early to mid 90s, but the drop in audience size happened with Tater in the band. I'd say their popularity and interest in the band has actually increased or at the very least maintained the same level since they brought TLT in.

edit 2: another one that just came to mind is Queen. Granted, they haven't produced anything with Adam Lambert (and the album with Rodgers didn't really go anywhere from what I understand) and you could say they are a nostalgia act at this point, but they are probably at least as big - if not bigger - than back in their heyday when Freddie was alive.

And while I'm thinking about it, what about Brian Howe in Bad Company? They went in a completely different direction with him than with Paul Rodgers, but I probably heard more BH-era stuff from Bad Company on the radio during his tenure than I did the classic stuff with Rodgers.

[Mosh]

To me, changing singers is the ultimate gamble for any established band.

And that's really it. If DT did decide to change singers, they would be taking a risk - whether you think James is replaceable or not there is always some level of risk and singers especially are a huge gamble. When trying to decide whether the rewards are worth taking that risk, it really becomes obvious why they're probably not going to replace JLB unless he leaves on his own. 20 years ago when the band's future and creative direction was more of an open question, it would have made sense to replace JLB. At best DT probably has one more decade left in them. They are way past the point where they are going to be bringing in waves of new fans and have settled into their sound to the point where a lineup change also isn't really going to significantly impact the musical direction. Even if all goes well, replacing James isn't really going to bring a lot of tangible benefits. Best case scenario is that fans who were already going to see the band live anyway are going to have nicer things to say online about the vocals. Worst case scenario is that the change rubs a significant portion of fans the wrong way or the new singer is unlistenable to a lot of people, causing their audience to shrink. I just don't see how it is worth the risk for them, nevermind the fact that they clearly all really like James as a person.

However, Stadler posted a big list of bands that struggled with changing singers. Without going through each band line by line, I think generally there is a lot of context missing:

No one is irreplaceable. Including James.

In the literal and phyical sense of the word, I agree. There are out there singers that can sing as good as James, guitarists who can play as good as Petrucci, keyboard players tht can play as good as Jordan, drummers who can play as good as Portnoy (case in point: he left and they got Mike Mangini) and bass players tha can play as good as Myung.

But as Trav86 says, after nearly 40 years there's no way any band would feel the same without a key member. Can Steve Harris be replaced in Iron Maiden? sure, there are tons of bassists out there who could play like him and replicate his tone and even his poses when playing live. That's what cover bands are for however.

Iron Maiden
Judas Priest
Skid Row
Motley Crue
Asia
Night Ranger
Boston

IMO the problem with these groups is that they changed singers at inopportune times and in moments where their popularity or the popularity of their type of music was starting to wane. There is also a chicken and the egg thing where vocalists likely jumped ship because the band was getting less popular and they thought they could be better as solo artists. This was certainly the case with Iron Maiden to some extent IMO. I would argue that a lot of these 80s bands were never going to get through the 90s unscathed with or without their lead vocalists. It's not like Motley Crue did that much better with Vince Neil than John Corabi in the late 90s. What AC/DC and Van Halen have in common is they made lineup changes right when they were exploding in popularity. It worked for them because they were already unstoppable at that point.

Queensryche

IMO Queensryche is probably the closest example of what replacing James in Dream Theater at this stage would be like. Queensryche is well past the point of substantially expanding their audience and while they still make albums they primarily exist as a legacy act to play the "hits." I also disagree that they struggled with that change. Replacing Geoff Tate was the right decision and probably gave the band a lot more juice to keep going. I don't love the new albums, but they are undoubtedly better than what they were doing with Tate toward the end and the fans seem happy.

The Velvet Underground
Marillion (yes; they are not as big as they were in '85-'87 and never achieved that after).
Black Sabbath (except for Dio)
Deep Purple
Genesis

I think these are just verifiably incorrect.

This is all to say that I generally agree with the sentiment that nobody is irreplaceable. I think if they handled it gracefully and chose a new singer very carefully, they could replace JLB and be fine. The problem is that I don't understand why they would actually want to do that. It's not really going to impact ticket sales or change the way they write music. They're better off spending the next few years winding things down with their classic lineup.

[Indiscipline]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

[Skeever]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

[vtgrad]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

[cramx3]

 

[Stadler]

Those that haven't:
Van Halen
AC/DC

I might be off since I'm not super familiar with any of them - and the list still is very short compared to the other list - but for arguments' sake, I would think Accept, Angra, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Helloween and Metal Church could all be added to this list as well, many of whom I would say are peers of DT in general terms of popularity.

edit: I'd also argue that Queensryche should be on that list and not the other. Yeah, they're not headlining arenas and sheds like in the early to mid 90s, but the drop in audience size happened with Tater in the band. I'd say their popularity and interest in the band has actually increased or at the very least maintained the same level since they brought TLT in.

edit 2: another one that just came to mind is Queen. Granted, they haven't produced anything with Adam Lambert (and the album with Rodgers didn't really go anywhere from what I understand) and you could say they are a nostalgia act at this point, but they are probably at least as big - if not bigger - than back in their heyday when Freddie was alive.

And while I'm thinking about it, what about Brian Howe in Bad Company? They went in a completely different direction with him than with Paul Rodgers, but I probably heard more BH-era stuff from Bad Company on the radio during his tenure than I did the classic stuff with Rodgers.

Accept: IMO they were biggest with Udo in the band.  I'm not the hugest fan, though, so I may be wrong (I think I saw them open for Kiss back in the day).

Anthrax: again, not the biggest fan; I know some like the Bush era, but quintessential Anthrax is Joey Belladonna.

Alice In Chains:  I skipped them on purpose.  I couldn't decide. 

I'm sticking to my guns with QR (they're playing a 700 seat club here in CT in a couple weeks) and Bad Company.  They toured arenas with Rodgers; I know there was one good - really good - album with Howe, but I don't know that it reached the levels of "Shooting Star" or their title track.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

LMAO don't hurt my boy james

[DragonAttack]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

Gawd forbid, we agree with TheBarstoolWarrior or morawintersoul in their ‘opinions’ that Mangini was <fill in the blank> and we could be let go for going with the flow and being well educated adults that are smart enough to read between the lines, without having to be talked down to or preached to.

A pity.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

Gawd forbid, we agree with TheBarstoolWarrior or morawintersoul in their ‘opinions’ that Mangini was <fill in the blank> and we could be let go for going with the flow and being well educated adults that are smart enough to read between the lines, without having to be talked down to or preached to.

A pity.

[Stadler]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

Gawd forbid, we agree with TheBarstoolWarrior or morawintersoul in their ‘opinions’ that Mangini was <fill in the blank> and we could be let go for going with the flow and being well educated adults that are smart enough to read between the lines, without having to be talked down to or preached to.

A pity.

Jeez. Now we're calling one's assumptions a measure of intelligence?  At least the so-called "preachers" aren't singling out people and ridiculing them. 

A pity. 

[ariich]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

The forum wasn't the same without you.

Anyway, "A Pity." is just a posher way of ending a post with "Sad."

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

it also gives you the perfect time to insert Boromir, an underrated LOTR character

[TAC]

The thing is, I don't find anything pitiful or sad about anything posted recently. Nobody is attacking or "slaying" James here.
To me, James and MP's relationship going forward is the elephant in the room. What if James sings on the next tour like he sang on the last one? How's that going to go over when on the last tour, it was at least twice as bad as the 6 D's tour where the band had to sit him down.

I'll personally believe James makes a second album with the band post MP's return when I see it.

[DragonAttack]

What a gloriously strange beautiful crazy beast DT fandom is; the prodigal son has just come back and we slay the singer in celebration.

Gawd forbid, we agree with TheBarstoolWarrior or morawintersoul in their ‘opinions’ that Mangini was <fill in the blank> and we could be let go for going with the flow and being well educated adults that are smart enough to read between the lines, without having to be talked down to or preached to.

A pity.

Jeez. Now we're calling it a measure of intelligence?  At least the so-called "preachers" aren't singling out people and ridiculing them. 

A pity.

I offered an opinion. Of opinions….which I thought were well thought out and very well written.

Nothing more.

[HOF]

Just throwing my two cents out to say that James' singing on Images & Words was a huge part of me getting into the band. It absolutely blew me away and I totally wanted to do what he did for several years in my late teens (couldn't in a million years). His voice is only a barrier to people who don't like that kind of singing, which, yeah. But James Hetfield's voice (or Dave Mustaine, or Axle Rose, or Kurt Cobain, etc.) is a barrier to me liking those bands. It's just the way things are.

[Wim Kruithof]

The thing is, I don't find anything pitiful or sad about anything posted recently. Nobody is attacking or "slaying" James here.
To me, James and MP's relationship going forward is the elephant in the room. What if James sings on the next tour like he sang on the last one? How's that going to go over when on the last tour, it was at least twice as bad as the 6 D's tour where the band had to sit him down.

I'll personally believe James makes a second album with the band post MP's return when I see it.

No man can tell, but Portnoy back then was a total different person then he is today. I don't believe his character has changed per se, but I do believe he has learned much more to channel urges. It really looks like he found peace and happiness. I think his raw side has left the building and also LaBrie is in the very autumn of his career. Ego isn't their thrive anymore.

Besides, Portnoy walked there on the side last tours and must have seen the struggle of LaBrie. At least, he must have heard it. But even though LaBrie can't sing like he used to, Portnoy decided to return... I believe (at least I truly hope) that they will keep the lines to sing between both ends LaBrie is still able to reach, so that's captured and not an elephant anymore. At most, a mouse who's sometimes sneaking around under the kitchen table.

[Sycsa]

Deep Purple

I think these are just verifiably incorrect.

Well, the Coverdale & Hughes era started with a bang (Burn was a smash hit, playing California Jam - although they "lost" the headliner spot to ELP, so Ritchie made sure to delay the concert for as long as possible so they would play mostly after dark and smashed the stage up while at it.), but it quickly petered out after that. Maybe it would have happened either way, because times were a-changin', who knows.

Regardless, Jon Lord said in an interview with some regret that they were right on the cusp of super-stardom in '73-74 and would have probably got there had Gillan stayed.

[wolfking]

Pfhah! Dio did just fine in Sabbath. They were way bigger with Dio than with Ozzy. Selling out arenas instead of half filling them. He just pushed for too much control.

No one is irreplaceable. Including James.

I do agree he's not irreplaceable, that wasn't my point or what I was saying in my post though.

Um, mate, I was talking to MirrorMask, not critiquing your post. I'm not insane. 

Yeah mate sorry, I did know that I just wanted to clarify in relation to my post since it was the reason Mirror posted.  All good.