Ruminations - April 30, 2011
by Stephanie Sollow



ProgressiveWorld.net Presents:

Marching To A Different Drummer


I was going to post this as a straight news item -- "Dream Theater reveals their new drummer to be... " and then share that info. Oh, it's out there, to be sure. Not that their selection is "out there" as in unexpected. I mean, it isn't Justin Bieber or anything -- if you've seen his movie (I've not, but clips in the news) we know that Bieber plays/played drums. No, by out there I mean it's in the news and so my being ... vague here is just ... well, to make a point.

So, I got to thinking about all this and find I have more editorial opinions than a simple italicized and bracketed aside would accommodate.

Unless you've been living in a cave for -- what, the last six months? -- Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater. Not willingly but voluntarily, as we all know (except those living in caves, I guess). So, there were days and days of that "drama." Portnoy quoted, Petrucci, LaBrie, Rudess, Myung all quoted. Actually, so much so, I just stopped posting the news. It's out there, elsewhere. It was just the same thing over and over. We get it - Portnoy didn't want to leave, just take break; the other members wanted to dive right into working on their next album... so on and so forth.

Don't get me wrong, I like Dream Theater; though honestly, I've not listened to their last several albums, so I guess I'm still stuck at... oh, whichever one I last reviewed. Ergo, my fave still remains Images And Words, which I haven't reviewed. So, I'm not "hating on" Dream Theater, just all the ...theater surrounding them. (Oh, isn't "Surrounded" a song of theirs?)

Shortly after Portnoy's departure, they began auditioning new drummers. It all took place over a period of 3 days, in New York City, where "the band played, jammed and spoke candidly with seven of the world's greatest drummers, learning about them musically, personally and professionally, and assessing the fit of each drummer's incredible chops with the band's trademark prog-rock sound," so sayeth or repeateth Blabbermouth.net. Then, for whatever reason, the band left the reveal of their selection until this week. Well, it is NFL Draft week... ... ... Ok, maybe there were legal reasons - their selection had commitments to whichever band he was in (yeh, all the candidates were men), or a contract with a label or whatever. But, you know, it's not the delay that bothers me or that I have an opinion about... it's all the ... conceit about it.

The whole "reveal" has been presented with as much suspense - or pomp - as a major movie opening... or, well, the NFL Draft. How so... well, not really to LeBron James' proportions, but... near enough. They didn't call it "The Decision" but, taking a page from their own songbook, used "The Spirit Carries On" to title their reveal. It's apropos, of course; a subtle hint that Dream Theater post Portnoy will still be Dream Theater. Different, to be sure, but that the spirit will...uh, carry on. But, rather than just issue a press release, they set out a few breadcrumbs.

One first had to visit their Facebook page, signing for up the mailing list which shared more details about how to view the first video installment. It and the second, so far as I've been able to ascertain -- nope, haven't watched them myself -- shows each of the 7s auditions. My guess is, installment three included the final pick in this year's Dream Theater Drummer Draft.

"The members of Dream Theater have been extremely sensitive to the fact that this is not only a monumental decision in their own lives, but also a critical moment in the lives of their fans around the world," again, sourced from Blabbermouth.net, but I'm not sure if that's their editorializing or Roadrunner Records (which, of course, hosts Blabbermouth.net). "'The departure of our lifelong bandmate and friend was an unexpected and truly heartbreaking blow,' says guitarist John Petrucci. 'The fact that as a result of that event we'd be introduced to seven infinitely capable and uniquely talented drummers was heartening.'"

Well, of course, it is - a monumental decision - because you all know, the most monumental decision we've been waiting for isn't whether Donald Trump will run for President, or if Libya's Gaddafi will step down, or what Syria's Assad will do next, or the dozen or so other things that have a national or global impact. No, it's Who'll Be Dream Theater's Next Drummer?!

Ok, I get it being important to the band, as their decision could continue or end their career, but come on... do we really need to assign it monumental importance status? I mean, unless your fans are unhealthily obsessive about the band, I don't really think who you choose as drummer will impact their lives "monumentally." Alright, I'll admit maybe The Donald decision about running isn't monumental either, at least not to peoples and nations outside the US. Perhaps I was being deliberately pompous with that. Did you think of that? Huh?

Sorry, my argument's not with you. But if he does and he wins*, that would have global implications...

And, of course, it would be monumental for the drummer chosen -- to be thrust, perhaps, on a stage larger and brighter than he had heretofore ever stood upon. Dream Theater are big, hugely influential upon dozens of progressive metal bands that have come in their wake. How often do you read - heck maybe in my reviews even - that so and so sounds like Labrie for example? Or musically such and such band sounds like Dream Theater circa whenever. So yeh, Dream Theater are a big deal in the music world. But who they choose for drummer should not change the course of their fan's lives. They might lose fans, they might gain fans; some fans may never forgive them for letting Portnoy go; some may come back to them because they're glad Portnoy's gone. I figure most will just take it stride and wait for the next album to come out.

Who were the "lucky seven"? Aquiles Priester (Angra, Paul Di'Anno); Peter Wildoer (Darkane); Marco Minnemann (Kreator, Necrophagist, Ephel Duath, Joe Satriani) -- Marco was oft rumoured to have been DT's choice --, Virgil Donati (Planet X, Seven The Hardway), Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Nile, Today Is The Day), Mike Mangini (Steve Vai, Extreme, Annihilator), and Thomas Lang (John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Glenn Hughes)

And after all that build up, all the speculation, all the theater of this dream, who is the new Dream Theater drummer? ... Stay tuned for my next editorial to find out.

Just kidding. It's Mike Mangini.

May 1 -- Addendum: And the band will release a DVD about all this, too. Well, maybe. It's just supposition on the part of the director of the webisodes. But he further supposes it will be a bonus disc along with their new CD. Which otherwise to me would just be... milking it, really. Or perhaps I've just been overly cynical about all this.


Here's my potential anti-Trump bumper sticker: Trump Trump's Rump. I think I'll go copyright that right now. {My opinions of 2011 remain true in 2015...}


{Happened to come back this editorial June 1, 2019 and OMG, Trump became "President" and it has been a monumental change for us (and not in a good way, imo)...}








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Published on: 2011-04-30 (3338 reads)

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