Dream Theater Is Still Dead.

However, it has recently come to my attention that they have finally announced their new drummer. A fellow called Mike Mangini. Apparently he's drummed with Annihilator, Extreme, and Stave Vai, played on one of LaBrie's solo albums, and has won several "world's fastest drummer" awards. Not a bad record--if he were in any other band, I'd be impressed and interested in checking out his work. But he has impossibly big shoes to fill. Dream Theater was in the unique and precarious position of having not one, but five "faces of the band", all of whom were central to Dream Theater's identity--none more so than Portnoy. Mangini might come close to matching Portnoy's drumming finesse, but while he's little more than a drummer, Portnoy was part of the heart and soul of the band. Their upcoming album might be well-executed, thoughtful, even brilliant--but it won't be by the Dream Theater I knew and loved. I'll stick with enjoying their previous work.