Everything Dream Theater

[Prime Mover]

I know there's lots of proggers on this site, and quite a few Dream Theater fans. And I know this comes about 6-weeks late, but it just hit me like a ton of bricks, and I never noticed a topic here, so I thought I'd post it:

Mike Portnoy announces his departure from Dream Theater

Damn... sad to see him leave the dream team, but I don't think I've ever heard a more honest reason for leaving a band. With the Flower Kings turnover with drummers, and how much fun he seems to be having with Stolt, I wouldn't be surprised to hear him on one of their coming albums.

[CDFN]

It's very old news man. Saying that I was shocked is an understatement. It's not DT without MP, even if they still call themselves that. I can't imagine myself going to a DT show and seeing someone else sitting behind the drums. I always thought that they would quit if one of the founding members left, to think that they decided to go on without him instead of giving him a much needed break is surprising for me, the band needed it anyway.
I wish they'd change the singer instead.

I've been listening to a lot of videogame music lately (Meguro, Nier, etc), I guess my favorite bands are letting me down lately. POS' last album was very weak, same for DT and now to make things worse The Man himself quits the band. Oh well, it can't be helped.

[Prime Mover]

I wish Flower Kings would hurry up and record a new album. I would say that they've been the band "most likely to release a new album that I will like", now for a while. But they're so busy wrapped up in side projects, I worry that they may split. I hope they ask Daniel Gildenlow back, that was a great fit. In the meantime, I've been listening to Devin Townsend, which is really inspiring. I've been writing/recording enough myself, that I find myself listening to my own music now more than other bands.

[CDFN]

I've been listening a lot to Porcupine Tree. It's still prog but it's more... subtle, you know what I mean?

[Prime Mover]

Can't stand PT any more. I just can't. I go way back listening to them (him), and I think he just keeps getting worse after about In Absentia. He's become a bitchy curmudgeon who won't shut up about how much he hates the world. It's just all too depressing for me these days. I know PT is pretty popular around here, and I used to be a big fan, but I've just come to loath it. Basically, every time I turn on PT, it just makes me want to play Marillion, as the two bands share a lot of the same aesthetic, but while Marillion has become warmer over the years, PT has become colder.

[Dice]

Wow - that will be some big shoes to fill, he was an amazing drummer.

[CDFN]

Wow - that will be some big shoes to fill, he was an amazing drummer.

He still is, he didn't die you know ;-)

[CDFN]

Can't stand PT any more. I just can't. I go way back listening to them (him), and I think he just keeps getting worse after about In Absentia. He's become a bitchy curmudgeon who won't shut up about how much he hates the world. It's just all too depressing for me these days. I know PT is pretty popular around here, and I used to be a big fan, but I've just come to loath it. Basically, every time I turn on PT, it just makes me want to play Marillion, as the two bands share a lot of the same aesthetic, but while Marillion has become warmer over the years, PT has become colder.

It can get old but the music is great. Fear of a blank planet is fantastic.

[Dice]

Wow - that will be some big shoes to fill, he was an amazing drummer for the Dream Theatre experience..

He still is, he didn't die you know ;-)

[Prime Mover]

It can get old but the music is great. Fear of a blank planet is fantastic.

That's the one I wanted to throw against the curb. I've stopped buying PT since. NeoProg always walked a trecherous path IMO, I think Marillion's the last one I listen to, and even then only occationally.

Want great NeoProg? Listen to ChromaKey (Kevin Moore).

[CDFN]

It can get old but the music is great. Fear of a blank planet is fantastic.

That's the one I wanted to throw against the curb. I've stopped buying PT since. NeoProg always walked a trecherous path IMO, I think Marillion's the last one I listen to, and even then only occationally.

Want great NeoProg? Listen to ChromaKey (Kevin Moore).

I loved the first 2 albums, especially the second, but it's been going downhill ever since imo. The last OSI album was also disappointing. Radiologue is a fantastic song but the rest is very weak.

[D-Rider]

Honestly, Portnoy's departure has made me interested in hearing new Dream Theater music for the first time in damn near a decade.  Maybe that's the shakeup they need to make them interesting again.

[CDFN]

Honestly, Portnoy's departure has made me interested in hearing new Dream Theater music for the first time in damn near a decade.  Maybe that's the shakeup they need to make them interesting again.

Changing the singer would've made me interested. Changing the drummer, not at all. Not to mention everything else he used to do for the band. He made the setlists for every individual show based on their previous setlists in the same venue, to avoid repeating songs as much as possible. I saw them 3 times in the same city in consecutive tours and only heard one song twice. One single song in 3 shows! Who does that?
He oversaw all the merchandise, he put together all those fantastic bootleg albums, he directed the dvds, he shot the making offs and all the extras you find on the dvds, he organized the tours and choose the bands they toured with, the prognation tour was entirely his idea and thanks to that I was able to see Opeth and DT in the same show. He did everything in that band, the others only had to play their instruments, the band always felt so close to the fans and it was all his doing, he's constantly on his forum talking to the fans. When they were recording an album he would constantly tease us on the forum and give us hints and descriptions of what they were doing, he was always so into it, his energy and dedication were endless.
Now all this is over, if you want updates, check the official site, that's it, that's just about all the interaction you'll get.
He also did the backing vocals on the live shows and they were a great fit for James' voice, now it will probably be Petrucci and his voice just sucks.

[Prime Mover]

I dunno about that last part CDFN... I'm not a huge fan of Mike's voice, he thinks he's a tenor, but his high range sucks. Just listen to his singing on Transatlantic, even on a studio album, it's off key. Meanwhile, go back to "Live Scenes from New York", listen to "Silent Man"... that's Petrucci. That's Petrucci LIVE (they said they didn't do any editing to the DVD version, which I have and has the same vocal take there). I'm sorry, but Petrucci has a great voice, Mike just pushes him out of the way in terms of singing. But I think given a chance, John will do better.

Now, in terms of fan interaction and organization, I'm with you totally.

I can't wait to see what band/project Mike ends up in. I hope he doesn't join another Metal band, actually. I get the feeling that the older he gets, the more of a Beattle he turns into, and I think that's great!

[CDFN]

I like Mike's voice more, I'm not saying he's a good singer, just that it blends well with James' tone.