While discussing his departure from Dream Theater in a mid-December interview, Mike Mangini expressed understanding of the band’s decision to bring back Mike Portnoy, showing no ill feelings toward his former bandmates. So, in a recent interview with Drumeo, Portnoy commented on the situation by saying:
“It was nice to see something like this happen with taking the high road and class and grace and dignity and not [a] war of words and drama and BS. This was really handled so well, and I have to give Mike Mangini all the credit in the world for that. ‘Cause it’s not easy being replaced. I can’t imagine. So, he handled it really well, and I guess the things he said were so classy. I was really glad to see how well he took it ’cause I was a little concerned about that, but it couldn’t have come off any better.”
Mangini’s Reaction To Portnoy’s Return
Mangini joined Dream Theater in September 2010 when the original drummer left the lineup. After making several albums and winning a Grammy with the band, he announced his departure back in October.
The drummer shared his thoughts about being replaced by Portnoy after his 13-year-run with Dream Theater during a chat with ‘Eddie Trunk.’ He explained:
“All I know is the decision was made, and when I heard it, all I pictured was, ‘Oh, this is an original guy going back to his band. Uh, okay. All right. Let’s go to the next thing.’ It was nothing more. I was told. It was just nothing more than — it seemed so simple to me. And maybe intuitively, it’s, like, ‘Oh yeah, I get it.’ And that was that. That’s really it.”
The New Dynamic With Mike Portnoy’s Return
According to recent reports, Dream Theater is currently working on a new album with Portnoy. Still, the original drummer is not sure how his return will affect the band’s new music and future dynamic.
Asked whether the band’s new shows would feature the Mangini era during a Q&A session at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s ‘Metalmania III,’ he said:
“It’s too soon to tell. When I left the band 13 years ago, I was the one writing the setlist and things like that. So, we haven’t even discussed what the new dynamic is gonna be. I’m open to it, of course, so I surely would do it if that’s what they wanna do. But it’s definitely gonna be a different dynamic.”
You can watch Mike Portnoy’s interview below.
