Saw a thing from Petrucci recently and he said they've been in the studio for a month and that an announcement on who the new drummer is will be coming soon. Amazing they're able to keep it so well under wraps all things considered.

It'd be fun to get Porcupine Tree's drummer in there but I'm thinking his gig with them is pretty decent.

Considering Symphony X doesn't play live much and does a record once every 4-5 years, probably wouldn't be an issue.

DT would be a decided step down in quality and importance for Gavin my opinion. Porcupine Tree is much closer to the true meaning of "progressive" these days than DT, although I truly hope they can get back towards this with the new record.

Yeah, his facebook posts usually come across like that "oh poor me" friend that everyone has that is over compensating with his enthusiasm.

If anyone cares RoadRunner is hosting a video series(?) on Facebook about the hunt for the new drummer. They put up, I assume, the first video this morning since the clip doesn't give too much away.

It's odd seeing such different faces behind the kit. It's also odd seeing LaBrie with short blonde hair.

Well, apparently I had a little internet blip and my original post was deleted soo....

If they have delayed the announcement of their drummer just for this "Hunt for the Drummer" documentary, then that is pretty lame to me. I figured the drummed may be under contract with another label or something, preventing an immediate announcement, but there's no way that should take almost 6 months to clear up.

I also read the drummers were asked to film themselves preparing, and then were faced with a choice of signing the video rights over or not auditioning on the day of the audition. If true that's fucking lame.

The whole drummer thing has been a major PR misstep for a band that needs to come out strong on this record. They need to remember their fanbase appreciates a genuine band - not a "product".

I dunno, I sorta agree with you two, but on the other hand it's kinda cool being a part of that process. You can only imagine through stories the process to find Newsted for Metallica(and hearing about who they rejected), so this is kinda neat.

It also shows that they didn't rush into this and it was an actual process to find someone that would fit and not just be able to replicate Portnoy in concert.

Yeah, I was like, "When did Tom Savini join the band?"

Even though I complained, I watched the first episode and found it pretty entertaining. Plan to watch episode 2 this afternoon when I have a bit more free time. Honestly, though, I'm thinking they could have picked any of these 7 guys and made it work.

That was pretty cool. I'm on the edge of my seat! When does ep. 3 hit?

2.5 hours and counting...

Donati was good but he wouldn't be the right fit.

Minneman was awesome. It seems to me at this point they're going to either play it safe and go Mangini or take Minneman as someone who can really push the limits again.

Lang was cool but I don't think his vibe would fit the band. Mangini just seems a little too desperate for it which kind of turns me off.

I think the biggest disappointment from the videos was seeing the band responding somewhat negatively to these world class drummers trying a few different things on the existing material. That's BS. If you get a guy that good, you got to give him a chance to at least make some of the parts his own. I'm not saying you change the parts that are iconic like say the intro to Under A Glass Moon. But at least give it a chance - you might like what they come up with more than what Portnoy did. It's that stuff that makes me afraid they just want to be comfortable rather than pushing the envelope again.

True, but it's an audition. Once they get the gig there will be time to add their own flair later. They are trying to see if the guys have the chops on existing material. How do they know they aren't adding their own flair over a certain section because they can't get it down?

I'm not saying they change everything or gloss over hard parts. I mean they played probably 30 minutes of pre-existing material and it seemed like these guys maybe only tried one or two other things and even that was scrutinized. Part of the audition needs to see how the drummer's style integrates into existing material. if they wanted it 100% the same then put a damn drum machine back there.

My point is, I understand DT has a stature and need to present their material the way it was done, but if this drummer is truly to be part of the "family" not just a replacement, they need to give him some room to be himself within the band, and that includes the pre-existing material. I'd actually really look forward to hearing some of the older tunes without some of the stale overused Portnoy mannerisms they have.

Regarding their choice, I see they decided to play it safe and go with Mangini. Not a surprise. I also have to really wonder whether his US citizenship played a role. All the other candidates with the exception of one I think were not American, and perhaps DT did not want to deal with the possible visa issues all the time. It's just a bummer about Minneman because I think he could have infused some real creative spirit into the band which I think they could use.

Mangini's reaction just makes me think he'll be handled like a replacement and they'll just tell him what to do. It just seems like he's ready to bow down to them. He's a fantastic drummer so I hope to hear some adventurous stuff from him on the record. I think it will be fairly apparent when I hear whether or not he was made to follow the riffs or try his own stuff.

Maybe it's my extreme love of King Crimson/Robert Fripp, so hearing John/Jordan saying that they basically want to play the songs live the same way every time was disappointing.

I'm sure Extreme will be devastated by this.

Of the drummers, Michael impressed me the most. I think they passed on him because he was a little too up-front and aggressive.

Seems odd that I think in the first episode they bleeped out a word or two, and in this one John says "You were fucking great." unedited.

Months back I heard a rumor about Marco, but then more recently I heard that it was pretty much definitely going to be Mangini. They're both excellent drummers, so I don't have any issues with their decision. I just want them to put out an album that I really enjoy again.


And also, the response from some DT loyalists I've seen online (or should I say MP loyalists?) is pretty amusing. I don't get why some people think just because Mike is having a mid-life crisis or something that the rest of the band should have folded up.

Watching the video on Youtube, I glance at the first reply and ruin the "winner."

I liked Marco. I agree with Jordan, he seemed to just be having a blast and loving every moment of it. He seemed like he was having the most fun and would be great on stage.

Peter would have been a "safe" choice given that he had worked with LaBrie before. He seemed solid, but going with someone totally fresh seems like a better route. I don't understand how none of the guys had known about him given the connection with LaBrie.

...and the final choice... Mike... and his DT "champion" hat . That was cool. Also a big at choosing yet another band member with the same name as another band member [albeit former].

Great, welcome to the band Mike... now lets get on with album release news.

Stayed away from all the rumors, and I was really pulling for Marco. Just watching him behind that drum kit every night would be a blast. I think Mike will be pretty good though. Seems like the safe choice, but I don't have any problems with it really. He's obviously super excited to be in the band and hopefully will integrate well with the rest of them.

I have to admit I wasn't the least bit interested in this decision, but after watching the videos, I was quite swept up by it. Once I saw Mangini in the running, however, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Virgil, Marco, and Mangini were all impressive, however. I remember seeing Virgil Donati with Steve Vai's band a few years back and he had such a great feel to his playing.