After Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater acrimoniously in 2010, the band’s new line-up – featuring drummer Mike Mangini – faced the task of making an album that would answer all questions about their status as leading lights of prog metal. 2011’s A Dramatic Turn Of Events did just that. Around the time of its release, vocalist James LaBrie accepted the irony that Portnoy had been right when he’s said the band needed to change.
There can’t be many progressive drummers who’ve quit a band and caused quite so much of a stir as when Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater. Perhaps Cozy Powell replacing Carl Palmer in ELP, or Bill Bruford’s exit from Yes,. But often, drummers are seen as replaceable assets, and the ripples caused by Portnoy’s decision were decidedly rare.
Dream Theater’s rebuff when he wanted to rejoin a few weeks later, the quest to find a replacement, the hiring of Mike Mangini and the legal dramas that tend to follow acrimonious splits, would seem to have this a particularly stressful time for the band. Yet on the eve of the release of their new album, the aptly named A Dramatic Turn Of Events, frontman James LaBrie reveals it’s been far less of an upheaval than you might imagine.
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“We knew we were swimming into uncharted waters,” he reflects. “The legal situation was definitely going on when we were in the studio, and that can be a distraction, but you’ve got to put everything in perspective. We knew it was going to come with the territory. We all realised it was going to be an exceptionally important album for us, and that there’d be scepticism. So I don’t think it was what most people would call a stressful period – it was just us accepting our situation and handling it with grace.”
With Portnoy’s departure, the reconvening members discovered that their studio dynamic had considerably changed. One of his pivotal roles had been musical director, guiding the band in terms of which riffs to adopt, which to discard, and forming the bigger picture of an album’s direction.
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“Even though Mike was very involved, it’s really about John Petrucci and I, with some help from the others, writing the music,” explains keyboardist Jordan Rudess. “The biggest change that happened is that we put even more energy into making sure that everything we wrote was as fantastic as we could make it. We knew things were going to be under a microscope.
“Another thing is the freeing of John Myung’s spirit. He’s been more involved than he has been in a while. He’s writing some lyrics and he had a lot of riff ideas; he was very excited about going forward with the new situation. He really presented a lot of energy, whereas in past albums he was more in his quiet world doing his thing.”
LaBrie suggests that Portnoy’s absence also ensured that the atmosphere was far more conducive to writing , which allowed the previously withdrawn and somewhat reclusive Myung to flourish. “You could see the atmosphere was much more calm and relaxed, and far more interactive.” the singer says. “It really allowed everyone to be able to assert themselves throughout the entire process. John absolutely stepped so far up and onto the plate that it was unbelievable. He was just being himself, involved and dedicated – and the same goes for everyone.”
Rudess laughs: “The studio was a whole lot quieter as we didn’t have any drums in the room when we were writing! For me as a composer, having that space really helps. I mean, it’s kind of fun to write when there’s a drummer in the room. They can certainly add something. But I prefer to write in a peaceful place. There was an atmosphere of patience surrounding the writing of this album; we’d give each other the time and space. I think it was productive.”
Certainly the band were more than aware that if their new album fell short, critics – and some fans – would castigate them for choosing to continue without Portnoy. Fortunately, A Dramatic Turn Of Events is one of the most alluring albums they’ve ever written, containing all of the elements that fans demand. Yet Rudess is pragmatic about the situation.
“Obviously we’ll have people who love Mike Portnoy, who won’t be able to accept the change; won’t be able to just listen to the music, and will probably still be bitter,” he admits. “I guess that’s just one of the things we’ll have to accept. That’s just real life. Mangini could be God’s gift to drumming and it wouldn’t matter. People will still miss Mike, which is understandable. I mean, with his personality he was such a big part of our situation, and yeah, I’m going to miss him too. But musically speaking, we’re all happy – the music lives on and I’m very pleased with how this new album turned out.”
It’s been challenging for the past 12 years. You just keep finding ways to keep things in check – or worse, you start to accept it
“We knew we were going to be scrutinised because we were replacing somebody who was very much in contact with our fans worldwide,” says LaBrie. “For the most part, it was a matter of making sure that it would be a classic Dream Theater album. We had to really think about who and what we’ve been up until now, and then take it even further.
“We wanted to arrange all those classic elements so the progressive side and the heavy side were presented in a more complementary fashion. I think on some our albums, the heavy element overshadowed the progressive element. The beauty of this album is that everything is in its rightful place.”
There’s a huge irony, though – Portnoy’s primary reason for wanting a hiatus was that he perceived them as jaded in need of time apart to refresh themselves and return stronger. That’s definitely not lost on LaBrie. “Oh yes, it’s really ironic. I believe the universe has a way of orchestrating things to happen for a reason.
“Ultimately, I think the universe wants to give us back positive energy and vibes, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. A lot of people are saying you can really feel and see the spirit on stage every night. I think it’s been missing for quite some time, though we did a good job of camouflaging it.”
Can he pinpoint a time when the fun of touring started to disappear?“I think it’s been a little challenging, off and on, for the past 12 years, maybe more. You just keep finding ways to keep things in check – or worse, you start to accept it. You think that maybe this is the only way that it can exist. It’s not until you’re flipped upside down, and somebody gives you a fresh perspective, you even see it in that light.
“I think that if anything, what’s happened to us in the last year has proved to be a good thing. The bottom line is that we really love what we’re doing, and this has only enhanced our appreciation of our lives.”