Dream Theater

[Deenfan]

Love the drum sound!

[Bupie]

Love the drum sound!

   ... 

[Deenfan]

Ok, this should better be done here:

And lyrically the later DT albums are sooo much better, but OK, they're about fate, love, sin, suffering, redemption, soulmates, and other dull matters 

The topics might be great, but they are awkwardly and sometimes downright badly written, when compared to the earlier stuff. (And such topics are often hard to write about without falling into all kinds of traps. So often I cringe when I read ambitious works that is apparently promising ideas, but not very gracefully transferred to paper. Stratovarius might be a good example of lyrical helplessness).  Especially Portnoy should consider putting his pen down. It's not his thing. Not that he really needs another thing, what with all the talent he's got elsewhere. If only Myung (their current "by miles the best lyricisit") could write more. He was almost up there with Kevin Moore. Petrucci is sort of fluent at times, but I wonder at times if it's just a lot of obscurity and cool words. I never really feel anything when I read his lyrics.

As for preferring WDADU, it might have something to do with the magic of finding this mysterious, breathtaking band by pure chance, and wondering for years if they still existed - having never heard anything like it. That side of it is as exciting now as discovering Beyoncé, or how you spell it. It's got nothing to do with the music, of course, but it's got something to do with the perception of it.

All opinions based on how I view things. Of course.

[Bupie]

Especially Portnoy should consider putting his pen down. It's not his thing.

I used to share this point of view and I couldn't stand some of his lyrics but I have changed my mind and now, for instance, I love those of Never Enough or As I Am. Not that I necessarily agree with their content nor, more generally, with Portnoy's thoughts but I find that (hum, what word could I use  ) they strike ! I mean they perfectly match the music.

[Deenfan]

I will be sure to either make an effort digging deep enough into the matter, OR point out that my opinions are founded on a less than perfect knowledge about the matter. In this case, I haven't read deeply into Portnoy's lyrics the last few years. Fact remains, though, that while Myung and Moore really grabbed me by my intellectual and artistic balls with their astonishingly clever and well written lyrics (from the starting point of having never heard of either of them), I was repeatedly struck with the sensation that Pornoy's lyrics came across as a bit "foolish" for want of a better word. Very plain and a bit... nose-wrinkling!

I guess my opinion is the right one as long as you share my set of preferences.

[Nicky007]

... intellectual balls ...

Good'n, Deenie !  "Baby, dig my intellectual balls ! "   

Nicky.

[Bupie]

"Baby, dig my intellectual balls ! "   

Yes, if you propose the sentence to Portnoy, I am sure it will be in the next DT album  ... but I am less sure that you will be credited as the lyricist ...

[Deenfan]

I wish no credits for any lyric of his...

[PH]

Yes, if you propose the sentence to Portnoy, I am sure it will be in the next DT album  ... but I am less sure that you will be credited as the lyricist ...

That's so right!

[Deenfan]

My God, LaBrie's inability to pronounce words and sing at the same time comes in handy when you want to have fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxchg8E3FBE

 

[Peter]

My God, LaBrie's inability to pronounce words and sing at the same time comes in handy when you want to have fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxchg8E3FBE

 

great, that made my day...

[Deenfan]

  Good, then.

[maddox]

[maddox]

Sad news, people!

I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write:

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater...

Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break...

Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band...

But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a "hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"...

Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...

While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes....

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about "always following your heart and being true to yourself"...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be "going through the motions", and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within....

You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

Sadly...

Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,

MP

[maddox]

This is the reaction of the rest of Dream Theater on their site.

To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness -- regret -- we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike's stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.

While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity -- and in the same musical tradition -- that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

Fans and friends: File this episode under "Black Clouds and Silver Linings." As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we'll follow that with a full-on world tour. "The Spirit Carries On."

All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed.

[Bupie]

Wow : this is IMHO the most unexpected musical news of the 21st century so far !

Big shoes to fill for the next DT's drummer

[Nicky007]

I'm dumbstruck !  I actually never imagined this. I knew that he was having a good time with the A7 guys - understandably  - but to leave DT 

Well, Mike should of course be allowed to follow his musical instinct. He's been a most fabulous drummer and leader of DT. He's afforded soooo many of us unbelievable musical and philosophical experiences 

Obviously he has a lot burnin in him that he feels he can pursue better other places. And understandably the amazing genius of the A7 guys gave him some wholly new experiences and challenges. It's all fully understandable 

And sad 

An epoch is over with Mike leaving the band.

Well, there's still a lot in the Johns (capital  ) , James (singular  ), and (River  ) Jordan.

Who to imagine as new DT-drummer ? ..... Oh yeah, Scott Travis - but wait a minute, he's already busy with Priest 

Who has the sufficient maturity, versatility and imagination to match the DT-guys ?

Iac let's wish Mike all the best. He sure deserves it 

Edit: Reading the messages again, and this time pondering along the way, I got the impression that Petrucci and Co. already have a drummer in waiting position. What do you guys think ? 

Nicky.

[Bupie]

To answer your last question, Nick D'Virgilio is the first name that comes to my mind.

He has no real metal background, even if he has already played for Fates Warning on tour, but I think he could fit.

Maybe the choice of a new drummer will depend on the musical orientation, though. I have the feeling that Mike was the one strongly pushing towards metal. Will the lasting members go more towards prog and will Roadrunner agree with such a direction ?

Lots of questions ...

[funkster]

A bit of a surprise 

Best of luck to both parties for the future

[The Butterfly Man]

I can't possibly explain how sad I'm feeling right now. Dream Theater is my abolute favourite band (and has been for more than 10 years) and Mike Portnoy is my all-time favourite musician. I admire and look up to this man so much! I'm really shocked by this.



Tom

[Peter]

Wow. More than 20 years.

He wasn't the singer, though, was he? Ah, shikes. (<- mixture of "yikes" and "oh, sh...t", I shouldn't have asked that...)

[The Butterfly Man]

MP just posted a link on his Facebook-page minutes ago to a blog some guy posted about him leaving DT. Here's what's in that blog (http://paulgargano.blogspot.com/2010/09/mike-portnoy-quits-dream-theater-can.html):

I'm a big fan of irony.

Earlier this afternoon, I loaded the entire Dream Theater catalog onto my iPod. Until this afternoon, only two of the band's 10 studio albums were found on the 80GB drive. Why the sudden urge to drown myself in musical theory? Avenged Sevenfold.

A quick timeline: In 1985 - one year after the youngest member of the band Avenged Sevenfold is born - Mike Portnoy forms the band Majesty while attending the Berklee College of Music. Majesty would become Dream Theater.

Over the next quarter-century, Dream Theater would release ten studio albums and come to define the progressive metal genre. Likewise, Mike Portnoy is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.

That youngest member of Avenged Sevenfold was drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who died of a drug overdose late last year. In the most unlikely of announcements, Mike Portnoy was enlisted to record drums on the new Avenged Sevenfold record, Nightmare, as well as accompany the band on this year's tours to support the album.

Earlier today, on Twitter, I said of the record: The new @TheOfficialA7X is musical quicksand - it's got me waist-deep and keeps pulling... (Pull me under, I'm not afraid.)

Absorbed in Nightmare, I was inspired to listen to more Dream Theater. Makes sense, right? Not to Dream Theater.

About five hours after my Twitter post and ensuing addition of the Dream Theater catalog to my iPod, Mike Portnoy announced that he was leaving Dream Theater [read his full statement here].

I've been a fan of Dream Theater for the past two decades, and at the forefront of that fandom have been Mike Portnoy and frontman James LaBrie. Portnoy was the band's heart, LaBrie the band's soul.

Science was never my strong suit in school, but I'm fairly certain that losing your heart isn't a good thing.

The journalist in me wants to wait to hear both sides of the story, but this is a rare instance where I feel justified to overrule my professional sensibilities. Or, as my career has paralleled that of Dream Theater, perhaps I'm honoring those sensibilities...

A number of people have asked me how this happened, as well as why it happened. While I don't know anything more than I read in Mike Portnoy's statement, I can say this - when I made the decision to leave Metal Edge, a magazine I dedicated my blood, sweat and tears into running for a decade, people asked the same questions.

Sadly, sometimes the decisions that are the hardest for us to make, are also the easiest. Not because we want to make them, but because we know that we need to make them. By the time I left Metal Edge, I knew that there was no other option. The magazine was destined to fail under its new ownership, and I realized that I was in no position to prevent that from happening.

Two years and three editors later, Metal Edge went out of business.

What does this have to do with Dream Theater? Everything. I can relate to Mike Portnoy's decision, because I know exactly how it feels to know that you're out of options.

And he was clearly out of options - you don't walk away unless you have no other choice.

So, yes, the irony isn't lost on me that on the day I plunged back into the swirling waters of Dream Theater, their drummer made the choice to climb out of the water and towel off.

I'm the first person in the world to defend Journey without Steve Perry, Van Halen after they hired Sammy Hagar, and KISS with only half their original members.

But Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy?

Where's the heart?

So, does that mean that he thinks DT won't survive this because he ('the heart') left? If that's the case, there seems to be some bad blood after all, unlike what the press-releases say...

Further, Jordan posted his musical reaction to the news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqm8g95wwI

Hauntingly beautiful piece of improvisation, but you can tell by the last chord he isn't too happy about the whole situation either.

What a day this has been...

Tom

[The Butterfly Man]

Here are John Petrucci's and James LaBrie's reactions:

Obviously you've all heard the news of Mike's departure from Dream Theater by now.
I felt it important to open up a line of communication in an effort to kill any rumors and to promote clarity.
I love Mike and really hope he's happy and successful in whatever he does.
I realize that Mike was always the one to actively stay in touch with our fans, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to try to be at least a bit more present on both mine and DT's websites and to let you all know that I am here.
To me, Dream Theater's story is one of defying the odds, standing for true integrity in music and creating our own success through perseverance and hard work, so although Mike's leaving is heartbreaking, I still look forward to an amazing musical journey that continues on with some of the most talented and respected musicians and composers on the planet!
-JP

Hi Everyone,

Thought I would give you time to digest the news of Mike's departure. MIke stated that he was burnt out with the DT world and needed a break. We have to respect where he is at and where this will lead him at this particular point in time. With that being said, we are more than pumped to continue the legacy of DT and jump full on into the next chapter. Rest assured it will be great. You can count on it.

On another positive note. Matt and I are psyched with the reaction and reviews Static Impulse is receiving around the world. We can't wait until everyone can get their hands on the complete disc. and hear it the way it was intended.
I will be around more often to see how you're all doing and to fill you with any and all news. Take care and not long now until the 27th or 28th depending on where you live.

Kick it up a notch,

James.

For anyone who doesn't know yet: Static Impulse is JLB's new solo-album. It will be released at the end of this month.

Tom

[Nicky007]

He wasn't the singer, though, was he? Ah, shikes. (<- mixture of "yikes" and "oh, sh...t", I shouldn't have asked that...)

Cap, he was the lead didgeridoo player 

To answer your last question, Nick D'Virgilio is the first name that comes to my mind.

Right, Bups, I too think that he would fit well into the DT mix.

But now they got Spock's Beard moving again, and he probably wants to put his energy there.

Maybe the choice of a new drummer will depend on the musical orientation, though. I have the feeling that Mike was the one strongly pushing towards metal. Will the lasting members go more towards prog and will Roadrunner agree with such a direction ?

How about progmetal, Bups 

For anyone who doesn't know yet: Static Impulse is JLB's new solo-album. It will be released at the end of this month.

I didnt, for one 

The title is a bit like Systematic Chaos 

Let's get some reviews in this thread (even just a sentence or two) 

What a day this has been...   

Betcha 

Nicky.

[Peter]

Cap, he was the lead didgeridoo player 

What I actually wanted to transport, was the first feeling I had when I read that someone has left DT: let it be LaBrie, so that they find a new voice that I can listen to for more than 5 minutes without bleeding ears.... but hey, who am I to wish for such things *runs*