I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write:


After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater...

Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break...

Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band...

But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a "hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"...


Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...


While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes....

Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about "always following your heart and being true to yourself"...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be "going through the motions", and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within....

You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

Sadly...
Your fearless ex-leader and drummer,
MP

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=137362372974878

This will be one of the biggest metal stories of the year if it's legit. I can just imagine most metal boards are lighting up with this right now.

LOL!

Oh good, a drummer I don't give a shit about left a band I don't give a shit about.

I hope this means that their future albums will be interesting.

I made this up just to troll RTTP. Also logged into Portnoy's Facebook to troll all his Facebook friends too.

leet hacker

bennyhillifier

DT without his drumming = fail
DT without his backing vocals = WIN

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aril beat me too it. LULZ.

please break up

In b4 Progmetaldrummer kills himself

they should've quit 10 years ago anyway. he sounds like an egomaniacal douche in that post. if he wanted a break, he should've taken it when the rest of the band did, instead of playing with avenged sevenfold. it's a bad week for portnoy. he was also kicked out of the mikael akerfeldt/steven wilson collaboration.

Rough day in the IT department

I know a few chaps who are devastated

Rangoonz for lunch. Celebration.

AEHORBGHMY indeed

i liked mike portnoy

he should travel into space where he belongs

they'll get someone better... he's got a big drumset and he plays lots of fills... but he's not on the same level as a lot of other players that he gets WAY more press than.

not a bad drummer by any means, but even the best drummer in the world doesn't necessarily make a band any good...

oh yeah, and terrible news because the band is still together and will have to find a drummer with an even bigger kit.

Their last album was definitely alot better than most people give them credit for.

I'm a huge DT fan, favorite band actually and I definitely didn't see this one coming. I think he'll join Sevenfold fulltime now, can't turn down that cash really. Portnoy is great behind the kit, and yeah i'm sure there's a million other sick drummers out there much better than him, but he did bust his ass with other DT band shit. Filming every show, creating custom setlists for every tour stop, DT bootlegs, keeping people updated on his message board, etc. Again, huge fan but not the end of the world really. Curious to hear their next album though

i wish James Labrie quit instead of Portnoy but its not gonna make me lose any sleep.

i hope he uses this time to work on that project with Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson.

he got kicked out of that project. wilson and akerfeldt said there was no room for portnoy on the stuff they wrote.

the real reason is because ax7 or whatever that queer acronym is makes more money than DT at this point

really?! thats lame. well hopefully that project still sees the light of day at some point with another drummer

that makes sense. i fucking hate avenged sevenfold so much.

why you didn't mark this news I will never know.

At least this thread is more exciting than a feeble "hello world!" shit phrase

That's my game.

Tom, no drums at all.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermo...aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=145629

Although DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy was initially supposed to be part of the project, it now appears that he will no longer be involved.

"To be honest, there's just no room for drums on what we've done so far. I called Mike up, and he was cool about it. He's got so much going on anyway, and I'm sure we will work together in the future."

well alright then.

NO CARE

$100.00 says Dream Theater gets Kevin Tally to do drums.

Sean Reinert

They should get that guy that died from Avenged Sevenfold.

too late progmetaldrummer has already been selected

NytroStick is still available!

You fags dissin the DT are really lame, this is a great band that brings joy and happiness to millions. Your bands bring nothing to anyone except ad money to myspace.

Akerfeldt and Wilson should also eject themselves from this project and go back to a working relationship where Wilson produces Opeth's albums.

Either way they still suck each others tiny penises together.

that would probably be best. even if its just another damnation type album.

lol maybe they should have waited a little longer to take the new promo pix. angry band is angry

You're saying this why? Because people don't share your musical opinion? come on, don't be so silly. Saying that they bring joy to millions means nothing, look at Justin Beiber, or american idol, or brittney, etc..

and this is just plain mean. You're a jerk. how about them apples.

I wonder how Japan feels about this. They fap to DT.

ITT: meanies being mean

i'm all for flaming and having fun but i can't be the only person here who likes DT everything pre-Train of Thought and Liquid Tension Experiment.

No, i actually love DT. Especially the early stuff. I just don't get people getting mad about other people not liking music they do. It's creepy.... and yes, mean.

DT is a respectable band because of their talent and catalogue.

But when all is said and done, I find their lack of feeling and emotion in the music (as I've posted 100x before) to be a turnoff. Respectable, yet disingenuous at the same time.
That being said, I dislike 80% of DT fans that obsess over this band and do not venture out of the realm of solely listening to DT or Rush. Snobs an nerds unite. Of course, everyone has their own take on this band and style- that is mine.

PS: Psychotic Waltz's first album shits on anything DT has ever done

Listening to Dream Theater is like watching fireworks: it's awesome and full of surprises at first, then after 15 minutes it gets old. Once a year.
Like fireworks, buying DT albums should be illegal in Massachsetts so morons like Progmetaldrumr don't illegally fuck it up.

i like that analogy

I also dislike most of the nerds who like DT... but i also obsess over some of their stuff. "Metropolis Part 2:Scenes from a memory" is a fucking masterpiece. I love every second, AND i feel like it has all sorts of emotion... besides that record, i really like their first record IMAGES AND WORDS with hits for the whole family, like: "pull me under", "metropolis part 1", "Take the time" and "surrounded". Some parts of that record almost bring a tear to my eye, i love love love love it.

6 O CLOCK ON A CHRISTMAS MORNING

ha, as soon as i read that i started playing the part in my head.

images and words, awake, and scenes from a memory are the albums i like by them. there are good songs here and there on the other albums, but nothing earth shattering.

Scenes from a memory is overall pretty good and "home" is a great song (it turned Andrew sq. into a desert the first time i tripped) but every member of that band runs their course of doing anything interesting when the fireworks are over like aril said.

only Liquid Tension Experiment is real.

i don't like them.

Spastic Ink's drumming > Dream Theater's drumming?

that's true. While i LOVE DT... I HATE Mike Port... he sucks ass, he's one of the MOST overrated drummers around.... nope, i take that back. He's THE most overrated drummer around.

You think DT's gonna get Jarzombek?

Would he fit, stylistically?

plastic surgery*

In the midst of a stupid "argument" on SS.org about how I think Portnoy's drumming was boring.

And Berklee wept.