Album Rating: 3.0

"Lol at Portnoy saying this is the first decent job by the new drummer." [4]



Shitty thing for him to say but I absolutely see where he's coming from. This is by far the best Mangini's drums have sounded on a DT record... and it seems like now that he's been in the band for so long he's allowed to be himself a bit more and not play like a midi-track written by the guitarist.



That being said I will always be a Portnoy fanboy. Mangini is prob more talented but Portnoy just has IT man, love the drumming on everything he touches. His work on A7X's Nightmare alone trounces everything Mangini has been able to do in DT imo.

I'd like to add to the previous page wasn't just the food poisoning that made his voice worse. He had technical issues from the very beginning which while didn't make him sound bad, in the long term it affected his vocal health. Start at 6:30 in this video, a voice teacher in academia (so actually trustworthy unlike so many Youtube 'vocal coaches') gives his take on James' decline: https://youtu.be/J3fGgEciPcI

Throwback to when Billy Rymer mercilessly ended Portnoy’s life in a drum off

Album Rating: 3.0

billy rymer is a real mf'n g

Album Rating: 3.0

@CalculatingInfinity: I'll second that. Zach is legit and gives criticism, while the whole yt vocal coach niche is just pandering. There are some other channels that are legit too, but they're rather small

Album Rating: 3.0

This is certainly a Dream Theater album

Album Rating: 4.0

Indeed, Dream Theater's name is on the album cover

Album Rating: 4.0

I'd like to think the jury is still out on that claim but I have to concede you both provide quite compelling evidence

agreed on mangini sounding better on this one, has got a bit more flair and gets to show off some of his speed a bit more

Album Rating: 3.0

The chorus melodies on this are super weak and unmemorable imo. Album as a whole reminds me of their self-titled except it's a bit more musically interesting.



Agreed on the production being excellent, though. Has to be their best-sounding album.

Album Rating: 4.0

That probably has to do with them finally having their own studio now, I reckon

"Lol at Portnoy saying this is the first decent job by the new drummer"

Extra lolz if he referred to him as "the new drummer"

Album Rating: 4.0

He did. In last month also says Avenged Sevenfold was a new band when he joined, he adds that they were only together for 10 years and only had 4 or 5 albums when he joined them. I think it is his ego from being in Dream Theater so long or whatever. Anything of importance A7X did was before and after Portnoy.

lmao I love this man

Album Rating: 4.0

"Lol at Portnoy saying this is the first decent job by the new drummer."



Can someone provide a source as to where this was said?



Seems a bit off to me - lately he seems to have relaxed/humbled to me. He's also close with Petrucci again (playing on his solo album + also LTE) and Rudess and has hung out with Myung. So to sling dirt like that doesn't make sense with where he has been lately. Maybe in 2012, but not now.

Album Rating: 4.0

I would be genuinely interested to hear what he thinks of the last few DT albums since he left.

I think ADTOE and A View are close to the kind album we would have had with Portnoy. Maybe also DOT to an extent.

But I think the s/t would have been done differently, and absolutely TA.

Album Rating: 4.0

^ I'm pretty much in the same boat with all of that. ADTOE and this are easily my favorite post-Portnoy albums, although DoT has its moments as well

Album Rating: 4.0

“Can someone provide a source as to where this was said?“



It was his reply to a user on Facebook or Twitter asking him what he thought of the new album, asking on one of his posts, absolutely not taking more than the five minutes I’ve already spent looking for it and failing lol sorry

Album Rating: 4.0

Tbf, Mike has definitely calmed down in recent years. I'm just glad that he was able to reconcile with so many of his previous bandmates and collaborate with them again

Just can't listen to them anymore. No matter how hard I try.