I did not see this coming! Mike Portnoy is back in the band he co-founded 40 years ago, Dream Theater.
Ex-drummer Mike Mangini was a great fit, and he was beloved by fans, myself included.
But there is something about having the founding guy, and a chief writer, back in the band. Dream Theater are heading into the studio to make their first album with Portnoy in 14 years. As for Mangini, he seemed to accept this change as inevitable.
“I understand Dream Theater’s decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time. As was said from day one, my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on. My main role of keeping our live show working tightly on a nightly basis was an intense and rewarding experience. Thankfully, I got to experience playing music with these iconic musicians, as well as some fun times laced with humor. I also really enjoyed spending lots of time with the crew. And then there’s the Grammy win, which was amazingly satisfying.”
Given the amount of time and effort it took to find Mangini, and the amount of work Mangini himself put into the band, this never seemed like an event we could assume would eventually happen. But it has — and Dream Theater will be bigger than ever for it.
mikeladano.com 
Any band needing a drummer should snap up Mangini pronto! On the other hand, it’s good to see Mike back in Dream Theater.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call Michael! Since Mike is replacing Mike, and I’m also a Mike…that’s four Mikes.
And that means we need to play the song So Many Mikes by Peelander Z.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep, so many Mikes!
LikeLike
I’m a fan of DT and tried to support MP in his many solo adventures.
When he left I was I was like “So what” they still have John Petrucci and then they kept releasing albums with JP and Jordan Rudess free to go crazy on songs and I understood how MP became unpopular within the band. He reined em in so that the song shines and not them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mike has so many projects! In my opinion, Flying Colors was the best of ’em all but there are so many, who can say?
I hope the next album is catchy as hell!
LikeLiked by 1 person
From all the projects I enjoyed Adrenaline Mob and it’s modern Metal feel along with Sons Of Apollo and it’s prog rock feel.
LikeLike