PORTNOY: There Are 'Things Going On In My Life I Wish I Could Openly And Honestly Talk About'

Former DREAM THEATER and current AVENGED SEVENFOLD touring drummer Mike Portnoy has posted the following cryptic message on his Twitter profile:

"There's a lot of things going on in my life I wish I could openly and honestly talk about at the moment, but cannot... but when I can, I will..."

AVENGED recruited Portnoy to play on its new album, "Nightmare", following the death last December of the band's drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan. Portnoy was Sullivan's favorite drummer.

Portnoy recently confirmed that he will remain on the road with AVENGED SEVENFOLD until the band has completed touring in support of "Nightmare", which sold 162,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at the top of The Billboard 200 chart. He told cymbal manufacturer Sabian, "The relationship started as a tribute for Jimmy, and as a result of the musical and personal chemistry making the record, it's blossomed into being on the road with them. Originally that was only going to be for a couple of months until I went back to DREAM THEATER. Now because of the way the DREAM THEATER story unfolded, I will remain out with AVENGED SEVENFOLD into 2011, and stay on the road with them through the whole album cycle."

He added, "Although I'm not a band member [of AVENGED SEVENFOLD], I'm definitely part of the onstage presentation and chemistry. During the first couple of shows I played I was trying to lean back and be respectful. I was thinking, 'This is Jimmy's drum throne, this is his space.' But they were like, 'No! Be yourself, do your thing.' I came out of my shell and now I'm totally at home with these guys. We have a great chemistry, musically and personally."

Portnoy has added one of Sullivan's cymbals to his touring kit: a Sabian ride The Rev had owned for years which the company had refurbished, but hadn't been able to return before his death.

Portnoy made his concert debut with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on July 25 as they played live for the first time since Sullivan's death at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.