I really don’t understand this. Portnoy is Dream Theater. He is the driving force behind the band. This would be like Angus Young leaving AC/DC… not that AC/DC has anywhere near the talent, but insomuch as the idea of the band without Portnoy is inconceivable.
This does not bode well for the band, I think. Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, and while they put out a pair of pretty good albums following his departure, they certainly didn’t stand up to Floyd-with-Waters. Neal Morse left Spock’s Beard, and while they have made four decent albums since, they don’t compare to the “old” Beard. OTOH, when Martin Orford announced he was leaving IQ a few years ago, I thought for sure that the band may as well just pack it in. I was pleasantly surprised when Frequency turned out to be just as good as their previous albums, and even better than the one before it, Dark Matter. So I suppose anything is possible… but I’m not holding my breath.
Um, Mike Portnoy is the drummer, not the vocalist. If you’re thinking of James LaBrie - pssshhh, that guy could leave the band and I wouldn’t bat an eye. He doesn’t do anything, besides lend his voice.
You’re right, my emotional distress got the better of me. From a songwriting standpoint, Petrucci and Portnoy are the backbone of the band (though if anyone could be called the band’s “leader,” it’s Portnoy). DT carrying on without Portnoy would be like Daryl Hall replacing John Oates with someone else and releasing albums as “Hall and Oates”…
I have no doubt that Portnoy will be fine. He’s already proven that he is quite capable of collaborating with other artists. The same can’t be said of Petrucci, though - he hasn’t really done anything outside of DT.
I do wish them the best of luck, but I really think it was a poor decision to continue without him. Especially since it sounds like he was just asking for a hiatus at first. It sounds like even though everyone is putting their best face on it, that there’s definitely some hurt feelings.
I am pretty bummed about this. Without knowing the details my first assumption is that is has something to do with Mike and control. From what I have read he can be something of a control freak. Not that is necessarily a bad thing, it depends on the bands dynamic. But people change, and maybe the control thing got old.
It is also possible that the hiatus Mike wanted was longer than the rest of the band would accept (Hey, I want to record and tour with Avenged Sevenfold, that’ll be a year. Oh and I want to do the same with Transatlantic…)
I think DT will come out of this fine. The solo stuff they have done has been at the same level as DT, though with usually much shorter songs It will be hard for them to find a drummer on the same level as Mike. As a total wish on my part, Mark Zonder, the ex-drummer of Fates Warning, would be an amazing fit. Though Zonder has a new band called Slavior (I used to know Greg Analla, Slaviors vocalist. That boy can sing) so he might not be into it.
This is a sad day, but I think Dream Theater will pull through fine. They’ll have a hard time finding a new drummer with that level of talent, but I also imagine there will be no shortage of options. Time will tell.
He’s done Liquid Tension Experiment and the G3 Tour. Granted, both included Portnoy, but both show Petrucci can play and write outside of Dream Theater. He’s also done duet material/touring with Rudess and a solo album. It’s not as strong as Portnoy’s body of work outside Dream Theater, but it’s hardly nothing.
I suspect Dream Theater will emerge a different band, just as they have with each different keyboardist. I have liked each of them for their own strengths. The most recent incarnation with so much interplay between Rudess and Petrucci has been my favorite, but I look forward to both a new Dream Theater and Portnoy’s future.