According to Jordan Rudess, both Mike Mangini and Mike Portnoy have something special.
“Their approach is very different,” the keyboardist told El Cuartel del Metal in a new interview when asked to comment on Portnoy’s recent statement. “I could never say that.”
He continued, “I would describe Portnoy’s playing as being very fluid, and very natural and musical, whereas somebody like Mangini, who is, again, one of the greatest drummers on the planet Earth — he can play sh*t that nobody else can play. It’s hard to say anything negative — you would never get me to say anything negative about either of them.”
Rudess’ words came after Portnoy compared his and Mangini’s playing in a recent chat with The Metal Voice. The musician explained, “He is very methodical. He’s very conscious of what all four limbs are doing and the way he utilizes his independence. I’m not that kind of a drummer.”
Portnoy further talked about the differences, “I’ve never been a guy that sits there and studies technique and the correct way to hold a stick, and all that kind of stuff. I go on feel, and to me, I try to make difficult music sound easy.”
“I think he has the tendency to make something that could be easy sound difficult. And I’m not trying to insult him; I’m just merely observing the difference in styles. And he’s the type that I think would play the same part exactly the same as it is on the album and do it consistently every night,” the drummer stated.
Mike added, “I’m just not that kind of a drummer. I like to fly off the seat of my pants and be in the moment and do different things, just depending on how things are feeling.”
In late 2010, Mangini auditioned to replace Portnoy as Dream Theater’s drummer. He had played on three of James LaBrie’s solo albums. On April 29, 2011, Dream Theater announced him as their new drummer. On October 25, 2023, Dream Theater announced Mangini’s exit and Portnoy’s return.
