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A week ago, Mike Portnoy announced his departure from progressive metal giants Dream Theater. Citing burnout and a desire to pursue other musical projects, the award-winning drummer stepped away from the band he formed, and arguably led, for a quarter-century. The news sent shockwaves throughout the metal and rock communities, and now thoughts turn to what’s next for Portnoy and his former band.
Dream Theater will struggle to find someone to take over from Portnoy, and not just as a drummer. While his occasional forays behind the microphone weren’t always welcomed with open arms, no one could question his talent as a drummer. Certainly not Modern Drummer magazine, who bestowed him with 23 awards. Portnoy won their “Best Progressive Rock Drummer” award for 12 consecutive years, and was the second youngest person (behind his idol, Neil Peart of Rush) to be inducted into the Rock Drummer Hall of Fame. Rhythm Magazine voted Portnoy the 5th best drummer of all time as recently as 2009. Six thousand five hundred drummers around the world voted Portnoy win the Drummies Award for Best Progressive Rock Drummer this year.
And he might well win it again next year, but it won’t be with Dream Theater, the band he founded in 1985 (then called Majesty). After keyboardist left Kevin Moore left the band in 1994, Portnoy started contributing the lion’s share of the band’s music & lyrics. His magnum opus is arguably the Twelve-Step Suite, a musical chronicling of his recovery from alcoholism. Totalling nearly an hour, the songs span five different Dream Theater albums and are segmented to mark each step of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Started on 2001’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, the suite culminated on Dream Theater’s latest album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings in 2009. Portnoy confessed that the magnitude of writing such an ambitious and challenging multi-part composition was daunting, but expressed an intention for the band to play the whole series live.
Whether Dream Theater will (or even can) now is anyone’s guess. The dust has not yet settled from the news of Portnoy’s departure, either its seismic magnitude or the sheer unexpectedness. Black Clouds & Silver Linings was received very well by both the mainstream and heavy metal music communities (it debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on Billboard Top Internet Albums and #2 on Billboard Top Rock Albums; it also found favor with Allmusic, Metal Hammer, Record Collector and Sputnikmusic), and Dream Theater had just finished touring with Iron Maiden across North America on The Final Frontier World Tour. Everything certainly seemed alright in the shattered fortress, and you would be forgiven for assuming that after a well-received album and touring with your idols, the legendary Iron Maiden, Dream Theater’s right arm leaving the band wasn’t on the cards.
But that’s what happened. Portnoy was to Dream Theater what Roger Waters was to Pink Floyd, what John Lennon was to the Beatles. For as talented as drummer as Portnoy undeniably is, Dream Theater can get someone to sit behind the kit easily enough. Whether they will find someone who can fill the lyrical, musical, managerial, administrative and public relations hole left by Portnoy is something they must not be looking forward to.
To be fair, both keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci have stepped up to the plate, communicating with fans on the Dream Theater website and message boards. But if it takes two people just to fill one pair of Portnoy’s shoes, it will be interesting (to say the least) to see how Dream Theater move forward.
For Portnoy, not being tethered to Dream Theater anymore makes him heavy metal & rock music’s most valuable free agent. He’s still got touring commitments with Avenged Sevenfold - presumably until they find a permanent drummer to replace the late James “the Rev” Sullivan, although I daresay the California band is tempted to ask Portnoy if he’s got any long-term plans. Portnoy being Portnoy, he’s also got a plethora of side projects in the works, and with Dream Theater not in his picture, a world of opportunities presents itself to him. If anything can be assured - and with Mike Portnoy leaving Dream Theater, few things can be - it’s that Portnoy won’t be bored.
All parties insist that everyone is still on good terms, and Portnoy has not ruled out a reunion when the time is right. A friend of mine opined that once a little time has passed, we will either see Portnoy with his band again (maybe playing the Twelve-Step Suite, who knows), or Dream Theater will call it a day. I think it’s inevitable that Portnoy and Dream Theater will, in time, put their differences aside and join forces again. They are two sides of the same coin, and for one to survive without the other is inconceivable. I know I’m not alone in hoping that, whatever happens, Dream Theater continues making their brilliant music. Whether they can do that without Mike Portnoy is a question too unthinkable to consider.
Dream Theater will struggle to find someone to take over from Portnoy, and not just as a drummer. While his occasional forays behind the microphone weren’t always welcomed with open arms, no one could question his talent as a drummer. Certainly not Modern Drummer magazine, who bestowed him with 23 awards. Portnoy won their “Best Progressive Rock Drummer” award for 12 consecutive years, and was the second youngest person (behind his idol, Neil Peart of Rush) to be inducted into the Rock Drummer Hall of Fame. Rhythm Magazine voted Portnoy the 5th best drummer of all time as recently as 2009. Six thousand five hundred drummers around the world voted Portnoy win the Drummies Award for Best Progressive Rock Drummer this year.
And he might well win it again next year, but it won’t be with Dream Theater, the band he founded in 1985 (then called Majesty). After keyboardist left Kevin Moore left the band in 1994, Portnoy started contributing the lion’s share of the band’s music & lyrics. His magnum opus is arguably the Twelve-Step Suite, a musical chronicling of his recovery from alcoholism. Totalling nearly an hour, the songs span five different Dream Theater albums and are segmented to mark each step of the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Started on 2001’s Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, the suite culminated on Dream Theater’s latest album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings in 2009. Portnoy confessed that the magnitude of writing such an ambitious and challenging multi-part composition was daunting, but expressed an intention for the band to play the whole series live.
Whether Dream Theater will (or even can) now is anyone’s guess. The dust has not yet settled from the news of Portnoy’s departure, either its seismic magnitude or the sheer unexpectedness. Black Clouds & Silver Linings was received very well by both the mainstream and heavy metal music communities (it debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200 and at #1 on Billboard Top Internet Albums and #2 on Billboard Top Rock Albums; it also found favor with Allmusic, Metal Hammer, Record Collector and Sputnikmusic), and Dream Theater had just finished touring with Iron Maiden across North America on The Final Frontier World Tour. Everything certainly seemed alright in the shattered fortress, and you would be forgiven for assuming that after a well-received album and touring with your idols, the legendary Iron Maiden, Dream Theater’s right arm leaving the band wasn’t on the cards.
But that’s what happened. Portnoy was to Dream Theater what Roger Waters was to Pink Floyd, what John Lennon was to the Beatles. For as talented as drummer as Portnoy undeniably is, Dream Theater can get someone to sit behind the kit easily enough. Whether they will find someone who can fill the lyrical, musical, managerial, administrative and public relations hole left by Portnoy is something they must not be looking forward to.
To be fair, both keyboardist Jordan Rudess and guitarist John Petrucci have stepped up to the plate, communicating with fans on the Dream Theater website and message boards. But if it takes two people just to fill one pair of Portnoy’s shoes, it will be interesting (to say the least) to see how Dream Theater move forward.
For Portnoy, not being tethered to Dream Theater anymore makes him heavy metal & rock music’s most valuable free agent. He’s still got touring commitments with Avenged Sevenfold - presumably until they find a permanent drummer to replace the late James “the Rev” Sullivan, although I daresay the California band is tempted to ask Portnoy if he’s got any long-term plans. Portnoy being Portnoy, he’s also got a plethora of side projects in the works, and with Dream Theater not in his picture, a world of opportunities presents itself to him. If anything can be assured - and with Mike Portnoy leaving Dream Theater, few things can be - it’s that Portnoy won’t be bored.
All parties insist that everyone is still on good terms, and Portnoy has not ruled out a reunion when the time is right. A friend of mine opined that once a little time has passed, we will either see Portnoy with his band again (maybe playing the Twelve-Step Suite, who knows), or Dream Theater will call it a day. I think it’s inevitable that Portnoy and Dream Theater will, in time, put their differences aside and join forces again. They are two sides of the same coin, and for one to survive without the other is inconceivable. I know I’m not alone in hoping that, whatever happens, Dream Theater continues making their brilliant music. Whether they can do that without Mike Portnoy is a question too unthinkable to consider.
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