Well, it's official. We've got Mike Mangini on board as the latest addition to this great band.

They did a big thing of it on Youtube, showing off the auditions of the final seven spanning on three daily episodes of 20 minutes each. And the thing that occurred to me while watching is, well, they never really stopped hyping him over the other contenders. Like the decision was final from the get go (he was the first to audition) and the rest of the guys were just there for show.

I didn't really like the fact that on the last episode, after they called and welcomed him to the family, they edited some of his audition footage to appear as if he was playing excerpts from previous albums (where Portnoy was playing, obviously).

Regarding Mangini's works - I am mostly familiar with his time as a member of Annihilator, playing on Set the World on Fire (which I quite liked), All for You (which I didn't get a chance to hear, though I don't have very high expectation as by this time the band has really fallen apart), and on Metal (which I hated). I wasn't really impressed from what he did there, it was mostly generic stuff. But then again - those whole albums WERE generic stuff (though very good generic stuff ).

After watching these episodes I listened to some tracks from James LaBrie's Elements Of Persuasion (didn't bother revisiting the MullMuzzler projects, didn't really like those). I think that this is where Mangini truly shines and shows his gift.

I sincerely hope that he won't be just "another Mike" - a replacement for Portnoy. I really hope that he can bring something new and fresh to the table, and by the looks of things - he might just be that guy.

I don't like the whole 'Spirit Carries On' thing., But hey, if Mike Portnoy can be a drama queen, so can they.
The guy seems nice, and seems like a good drummer. But Portnoy's departure still leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some reason. Something just doesn't feel right there. Since I base my respect on bands not just on their music, but also on their behavior, I'm not quite sure if I can still see them all in the same way I did before this whole fiasko.

Written by Guest on 30.04.2011 at 17:51

Mike for a Mike.

I think they chose him just because his name was Mike, what do you think?

Man there's only gonna be one drummer for dream theater and it's MIKE PORTNOY, that whole reality bullshit was really bloody stupid, and made me loose some kind of respect about these awesome band, they should only talk to mike and get back together and stop these fucking bullshit, it's really sad that mangini has to be like a mike altough he said he will not be like mike the band in some way demands him to.

Written by thanatos700 on 30.04.2011 at 18:25

Man there's only gonna be one drummer for dream theater and it's MIKE PORTNOY, that whole reality bullshit was really bloody stupid, and made me loose some kind of respect about these awesome band, they should only talk to mike and get back together and stop these fucking bullshit, it's really sad that mangini has to be like a mike altough he said he will not be like mike the band in some way demands him to.

Agreed. There's no one like MP...
I didn't like this whole "reality show" stuff either...guess we'll just have to wait for the new album

Let's hope Nevermore don't do this shit, should they decide to continue.

When I saw the teaser I thought, "hmmm this just looks like reality show crap", when I saw the 3 episodes I thought "well not entirely reality tv crap, it had some interesting content and it was nice to get an idea of how the auditions are and how the different drummers fit when playing with the band. "

Does anyone know who the older guy with long white hair in the studio was?

In any case, Mike Mangini seems to me like a great drummer and I am very much looking forward to new music from DT.
Maybe it will have a different sound, but that may also make it the more interesting.

Wow, good choice. Mike Mangini is extremely talented, but i haven't heard anything from him in recent years

Mangini was the obvious choice IMO.

Who cares, neither of them are as good as Danny Carey.

After all that drama, I am glad that they have found a new drummer. As for the "reality show" stuff, I haven't watched it yet.

Meh, I was totally expecting this since he have worked with James LaBrie before...

Written by BloodTears on 30.04.2011 at 18:07

Written by Guest on 30.04.2011 at 17:51

Mike for a Mike.

I think they chose him just because his name was Mike, what do you think?

Not only did they change a Mike for a Mike but they changed a Mike with a 7 letter last name for a Mike with a 7 letter last name. Haha.

LMAO for the reallity stuff... Portnoy and the band have become some fanboy metal band, more than ever, that is XD

I saw him with Steve Vai. He's lightning fast, seems to be a suitable replacement for MP.

Written by Guest on 30.04.2011 at 23:22

I saw him with Steve Vai. He's lightning fast, seems to be a suitable replacement for MP.

MP wrote a lot of DT's music so in that sense I doubt he will be a suitabel replacement. Drumming wise he is but that's it.

Written by BloodTears on 30.04.2011 at 18:07

Written by Guest on 30.04.2011 at 17:51

Mike for a Mike.

I think they chose him just because his name was Mike, what do you think?

I think they choose him cuz he already played with James

It was interesting to watch their process, especially the "three parts" they broke it down into. I was kind of disappointed the way they portrayed Portnoy. It seems they made it sound like a) he was dead or b) he didn't try and reconcile and come back. I understand they were already on the hunt, but it's not like they had their new drummer yet. I feel like after 25 years (and being a founding member) they would have given him some slack (but I don't know the whole situation). Regardless, it was their decision as a band and I am interested to see what Mangini can do.

In other news, I'm looking forward to seeing what Portnoy can do with Mr. Russell Allen and the Morse brothers.

Lets just hope with the addition of Mike Mangini the music will improve because they haven't done much in the past 10 years, it all sounds the same, with the acception of "Train of Thought". Either Mike or Marco would be great inclusions as they are both outstanding drummers technically and suit Dream Theaters style of music. Here's hoping on a return to form in my opinion.

Hopefully DT will find some new fire with him. I am in the least intrigued with DT's future at this point.

Virgil Donati was the best, but I don't think they want a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist like him stepping on their toes.

Written by Music4TheSpirit on 01.05.2011 at 03:03

Written by BloodTears on 30.04.2011 at 18:07

Written by Guest on 30.04.2011 at 17:51

Mike for a Mike.

I think they chose him just because his name was Mike, what do you think?

I think they choose him cuz he already played with James

Playing aside, I think James had a big part in it because he knew him well before. There's the familiarity which is important and then he seemed to jell with the band.

I thought Aquilles Priester would do better, but he wouldn't fit that well, lacking a bit in language etc... Donati is the most spectacular player of them all. Well, let's see what they come up with now.

Portnoy is a fantastic drummer, but he was selfish when he wanted the whole band to stop for 5 years. I understand that everyone needs a break but if the rest of them want to go on thats fine. What is stupid is that after wanting a break he is part of more projects than he has ever been in. I personally like Mangini much more as a person and a drummer than Portnoy. As DT is my favorite band i must say that i am happy with the replacement of portnoy.

Written by corrupt on 30.04.2011 at 19:04

Let's hope Nevermore don't do this shit, should they decide to continue.

Preach it, brother.

Cant wait to see what sort of result this produces musically!

Good. He's a nice guy. He truly wanted to be a part of this band, and he'll do a fantastic job because he puts so much life in his playing.

Making these videos give us the chance to know seven incredible drummers - some of them I had never heard of. Call it a reality show if you want, normally a reality show is boring. These videos were awesome.
I think Mangini is the right guy for DT!

Glad he's in,

I could really feel the emotion coming from Mangini when he heard the news of being told that he was in the band.

Mike is a beast.