And if it were simply a business decision like some here speculate, I'd like to know in what universe nepotism (in this case changing the band lineup so the wives can hang out - really??) is an ok thing.
Well in all fairness, I think you might be taking a couple speculative comments out of context and treating them as fact. Yes, JP, JM and MP's wives all were/are in a band together, but that's besides the point. They can hang out when and where they want, regardless of whether their husbands are in a band together or not. And it's probably pretty safe to say it wasn't as if Rena and Lisa were pressuring their husbands to get MP back in the band.
I won't speak for anyone else who is expressing dissatisfaction but in my case I am actually solely 100% disappointed about the difference this is going to make in the musical product. In terms of the music I think Mangini made this band a F1 race car and that for 12 years you had 4 instrumentalists operating on the exact same plane at the highest level in the business. Now we are going back to the old line up which is certainly not that, though it is still a good product. That's really the only thing I care about. I&W and ACoS aside, DT with MM was the best progressive metal music I've ever heard.
But here's the thing: at least for me personally, while MM might be at the same level on drums as JR is on the keys, there are plenty of other prog metal bands out there that are absolutely amazing instrumentalists, but there music does little or nothing for me. Honestly, there are a few prog metal bands out there that I like, but the majority of the stuff recommended in the general music threads on this forum don't resonate with me. Why? Hard to say for certain, but I think there's a certain balance and chemistry that DT has that these other bands do not, and while I certainly enjoy the MM-era albums, more or less they are a continuation of what had already been previously established by the band in the previous 25 years, to a significant degree because of MP's stewardship. That's not to take away from the contributions of the other 4 guys, but to a large extent, it sounds like MP was the one who had the overall ideas that directed the writing and recording of each album, for better or for worse. Of course JP was co-pilot, but creatively speaking, MP seemed to steer the ship more than any other. Once he left, the other guys continued in the general direction that DT was going in. And the one time that they took a notable left turn in direction, they produced an album that was very divisive among the fanbase (greater than anything else they ever did). So yes, MM is inarguably superior to MP in drumming technique, but it's those other intangibles (besides the rotating setlists, and other things) that help DT stand out from the crowd, at least to me.
Plus, you're treating them like the are cold hearted and rang MM one day and said, "start putting your kit in the car pal, you're gone." We simply don't know the specifics and it's unfair to say they are being assholes for this when we know nothing on what has gone on behind the scenes.
I said the same thing in an earlier post. I think just the evidence that the guys felt bad when letting DS go for essentially the same reason would give some foundation for how they probably felt about letting MM go in this case.
Regardless of how dramatic, controversial or surprising it is not, there are some of us who prefer MM's musical contributions. We aren't creating 'drama' - at least not any more than MP fans did for 12 years until they finally lobbied the band long and hard enough to bring their idol back (disclaimer: the bolded statement is purely my own opinion).
Do you genuinely believe it was because there were fans that expressed a desire for MP's return that the band actually capitulated? Even if the band is fan friendly, I find that extremely hard to even give a passing thought to.
Also, I'm not holding my breath that just because MP is back in the band, we're suddenly going to get an album that would sound like their 11th album if MP had never left. For the other four members in the band, the stylistic shift that their music underwent over the past 10+ years won't be that easy to just throw out. And it's not like Portnoy's tastes have remained in a vacuum all that time, either. Everyone's in a different place now, both musically and personally. And while the band's new music might be closer to the music of the MP era, anyone who's banking on it to revert to exactly how it was before may want to brace themselves for disappointment.
Very well put Buddy. Just as the band went in varying directions for each succeeding album during MP's first stint, I would expect the same for this upcoming album as well as any more following it. If there's one thing that MP was good at, it was changing things up stylistically from album to album. The only time there wasn't as much variation was between SC and BCaSL. But even then, I would compare the differences between those two albums to the differences between d/t and AVFtTotW.
Rest assured TBW, the new album will be different; whether you, Crystal and/or everyone else will like it will be up for debate. But you can guarantee that there will be a percentage of the fanbase that will hate it, a percentage that think it's the best thing ever, and a likely majority who will think it ranks somewhere in the middle of the catalog - exactly the same as is the case for pretty much every album in DT's catalog.
Topic: DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY (Read 132379 times)
