MIKE PORTNOY Says Playing With AVENGED SEVENFOLD Was 'A Great Experience'

Drummer Mike Portnoy says that recording and touring with AVENGED SEVENFOLD was "a great experience" despite the fact that the band ended up
recruiting a younger musician to replace him on the road only a few
months after Portnoy quit DREAM THEATER.

AVENGED's original drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan, died in December 2009 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Following Sullivan's death, the band recruited his favorite drummer, Portnoy, to record the drum tracks for its latest album, "Nightmare", and all its 2010 tour dates before dismissing him at the end of the year.

AVENGED's current drummer is Arin Ilejay, who began playing with them in early 2011.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

When asked by Noisecreep how he looks back on his time playing with AVENGED SEVENFOLD now that he's had some time away from it, Portnoy said, "It was a great experience. The DREAM THEATER thing overtook the spotlight, and that was never the intention. The intention all along was to be there to serve them and Jimmy's memory. It got overshadowed in the end, which was never my intention.
The media hype blew everything else up, so I totally understand their
need to go with younger drummer. I come with history and baggage. As
much as I love those guys, I tweet and stay in touch with my fans on Facebook, whereas they are more private. It makes total, total sense to go with someone new and young."

In a December 2011 interview with the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance stated about being caught in the middle of the drama between Portnoy and DREAM THEATER, "It was something that we were not used to at all. We had never, ever
experienced any kind of in-the-spotlight drama; we just always stay in
the shadows and keep any of our personal business private. And [Mike is] a very different character — he always goes straight to fans [on] Twitter or whatever… That's how he dealt with his band, and it was new to us.
We like to be in touch with our fans, but we're also very private."

He continued, "[Mike had] been talking about quitting DREAM THEATER, that he wasn't necessarily happy, and he was excited to be playing with us; we were playing huge shows and stuff. I think he got caught up in
the moment, got excited. We begged him to consider what he did, because
we were in no position to find a permanent replacement, because in all
honesty, you can't replace Jimmy, who was our best friend — first and foremost — besides beng an amazing drummer. So it just wasn't the
right time and the place. And he told us, 'Hey, I've got good news and
bad news. I quit DREAM THEATER.' We were like, 'Oh, no. Well, if
you're happy, then that's good.' [And he was like], 'Now I can be with
you guys.' And we were like, 'That's not necessarily what we decided
upon. And you should take your time and reconsider.' And he was like,
'Well, I put out my press release.' We were like, 'Dude, that's not how
we do business. You should have talked to us before.' Then it was back
and forth [between Mike and his former DREAM THEATER bandmates]. We were out of it; we had nothing to do with it. We were
just trying to get back on our feet. So when all that was going down, it was causing us a lot of heartache, to be honest — to see our name in
this drama-filled love triangle. He helped us out at a really vulnerable time, and for that we will always be extremely appreciative. But for
us, we were so unstable at that point that any unneeded attention was
just very harmful to us. Obviously, it didn't work out [between us and Mike], but I think it's for the best — for him and for us."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Frontman Says Things 'Just Got A Little Out Of Hand' With MIKE PORTNOY

Steven Rosen of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with AVENGED SEVENFOLD vocalist M. Shadows. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: So "Not Ready to Die" is the first song with your new drummer, Arin Ilejay? And you've also been touring with Arin for a while now?

M. Shadows: He's a shredder; he's awesome. He's been playing all the parts great. I think one thing about this new song is we're really looking forward to getting into the studio with him and seeing how we gel with him and see what he brings to the table as far as writing goes. That was a great experience for us to be able to do that ("Not Ready to Die") just so we don't go into the next record completely blind; how he is in the studio.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: It's been a learning experience for the band?

M. Shadows: It's the first song that he drums on and he's been killin' it on the road — and he's a really nice guy. He's one of the nicest guys in the world, which is more than we could ever ask for so we're really excited about it.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What were you looking for in a drummer to replace The Rev?

M. Shadows: What we were looking for was someone that was young and someone that was unknown. We wanted to give someone a chance that wasn't completely jaded; we didn't want them to feel it was a job. We wanted him to be a fan of the band and a fan of music and wanting to be out on the road and view this as their dream like all of us. One thing we didn't want was some older session guy or some guy that just saw it as a gig — 'cause it's not a gig, it's like our life. It's what we want to do for a long time. So basically we wanted a nice, young person that could obviously have the chops to play everything that's been laid down before but also we wanted them to be able to have their own style. It's gonna take years for our fans and for people to understand what Arin's style is and we're still figuring it out ourselves. But he needed to have his own style and be his own drummer but at the same time be able to play everything [Mike] Portnoy and The Rev
laid down. So far he's got two of those down and now we need to work on bringing out his style and what he can bring to the music.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Had you heard Arin play in CONFIDE, which was his band?

M. Shadows: No; I didn't know who he was. We talked to our producer — Mike Elizondo — and we talked to Mike Fasano who was Jimmy's in-studio drum tech and we said, "Hey, do you guys have anyone you could suggest?" And they both sent somebody down and we went and jammed with 'em both and they were both great and Arin came in and just killed it. That was the first time I'd ever heard of him or seen him or met him and he came in and he was super skinny and small and he hits the drums like a beast. And it was like, "Whoa." We were all kind of smiling like, "Wow, this kid's got every chop down. Not only has he played everything right but he's also transcribed everything right." Which is good to us because you have to have an ear — you have to be able to hear what people are doing. He played everything Portnoy and Jimmy were playing to a tee. And we were like, "Wow." So we had a couple more sessions with him and he was just the perfect fit right off the
bat — he just really blew us away and impressed us.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Do you have any feelings about the [GUNS N' ROSES] "Chinese Democracy" record?

M. Shadows: There are great songs there and Axl is a great singer; he's an amazing singer. It's hard because a lot of times it's that feeling a band gives you when you know they're a band and you know what it's about. And there's so much drama that goes around that camp. I've met [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Bumblefoot and a couple of the guys in that band and they're great guys and great players — it's just really hard to play in that shadow of what GUNS N' ROSES was. And I think that kind of takes you away from when you're listening to a record and what it's all about. What made "Dark Side Of The Moon" so great is some of the mystique and where it was coming from and just the authenticity of it. And that's what kinda sucks about the new GUNS N' ROSES — it's really hard to put your finger on it but it's not the same thing. I think for all of us it would be really nice if they could just get it together and do some stuff but that's probably never gonna
happen.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Mike Portnoy [former AVENGED SEVENFOLD recording/touring drummer] won the "Best Drummer" award [at this year's Revolver Golden Gods Awards], which was presented by Vinnie Paul. Are you still on good terms with Mike?

M. Shadows: Yeah, we're on good terms — it just got a little out of hand for a while there with us. And the way he runs his camp is a little different than we run ours. It couldn't co-exist in that way and I'm really happy for him — I'm happy on a bunch of different levels. The Rev wrote those parts, Mike elaborated on them, and the record did really well. To me that's a success all the way around. Mike helped us out in a time of need and he really stuck true to what Jimmy's parts were, which we were really thankful for that. 'Cause he could have come in there and been like, "No, I'm not playing that — why don't we do this?" So he did exactly what Jimmy had written down and what we wanted him to do and kudos to him for doin' that.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: AVENGED won four Revolver awards — more than anybody else.

M. Shadows: It was nice that we got to go in there and basically sweep those awards — it was really cool. And I'm sure Mike appreciates it as well. I didn't get to talk to him afterwards but I know Zack [guitarist Zacky Vengeance] did and they exchanged some nice words. So it was good to see that he won that award.

Mike Portnoy To Do In Store Appearances In North East

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has scheduled the following in-store appearances:

Tuesday, February 8, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Portsmouth, NH
1465 Woodbury Ave
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-1142

Wednesday, February 9, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Manchester, NH
1279 S. Willow St.
Manchester, NH 03103
603-669-9346

Thursday, February 10, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Boston, MA
165 Mass Ave.
Boston, MA
617-247-0909

Friday, February 11, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Dedham, MA (Grand Opening)
444 Providence Highway
Dedham, MA
781-329-9924

Just days after it was announced that he'd been dismissed as the touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, and was rebuffed.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band this summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and has toured with them since early summer.

Mike Portnoy Rebuffed By Dream Theater Lawyers

Ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has revealed that he made a recent attempt to rejoin his former bandmates but was rebuffed by the group he formed and led for 25 years. Writing on his official forum, Portnoy states, "Just for the record, this is indeed true..

"Fairly recently, I reached out to the guys to try and make amends and offered to reconcile for the sake of having peace back in our lives… (plus I know how much it meant to a lot of the fans…)

"I figured it was still possible to try and save us, because they hadn't made any announcements yet or begun any public activity with another drummer… but sadly, they declined my offer (well, actually their lawyer did… they didn't even tell me themselves….)

"Sorry, gang, I honestly gave it my all…

"So now the fans on my Twitter and Facebook can please stop asking me to go back to DREAM THEATER… I tried, and the door is now shut… The ball is now in their court, not mine…

"I'm not crying or looking for mercy by posting this… I am merely trying to set the record straight as that is always the most important thing about my relationship with you guys… No BS, no spins, nothing to hide… and for better or for worse, I tell it like it is… I've also recently seen some people accuse my online activity of 'looking for attention or media coverage,' or 'looking for sympathy,' but it's honestly none of the above… I merely value having an open and active communication with my fans… Always have, always will… It is the cornerstone of everything I've done since day #1 with DREAM THEATER…

"This was posted here FOR YOU GUYS to know about... here on MY message board on MY website... If it ends up on Blabbermouth or wherever else, that is THEIR choice to spread, I did not request it or send out a 'press release'...

"Anyways, onward and upward...

"I've got a lot of great music and ideas waiting to come out of me and alot of exciting collaborations in the works....so goodbye 2010...bring on 2011!"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD issued a statement late on Friday (December 17) regarding the dismissal of Portnoy, who played on the band's latest album, "Nightmare", and toured with them during the past year following the death last December of original drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan. The band's statement read in part, "For the past few months, we've been blessed with Mike Portnoy's talent and humanity. When Mike agreed to tour with us, it was only through the end of 2010. We always knew we'd need to find another solution for 2011 and beyond. And it's time for us to take that next step."

As for why Portnoy himself was not their man, the statement said, "[Portnoy] is a brilliant writer, producer and, of course, drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as AVENGED SEVENFOLD with Mike Portnoy. We take a lot of pride in AVENGED SEVENFOLD being about something greater then any individuals."

Portnoy himself broke the news via his Facebook page on Thursday, following several days of rumors about his status.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that the band was not happy about the public way in which Portnoy's split with DREAM THEATER was played out, which may have soured Portnoy's relationship with AVENGED. "We were actually a little more shocked," M. Shadows said. "We felt that maybe both parties could have handled it a little more internally without being so press release-happy about what had happened between them. Because we're a band that, really, when it comes to news all over web sites or this or that about bands, you know, we don't tweet much, we don't try to put ourselves out that much, and all the drama and controversy wasn't something that we wanted at all."

In an interview over the weekend with LA Weekly, AVENGED manager Larry Jacobson said, "The plan had always been for Mike Portnoy to play with the band through 2010. Nothing changed there but it was confusing (because) Mike gave interviews suggesting he may be touring with the band beyond 2010."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Manager: Plan Was Always For PORTNOY To Play With Band Only Through 2010

AVENGED SEVENFOLD manager Larry Jacobson has told LA Weekly's "West Coast Sound" blog that there is no correlation between drummer Mike Portnoy's departure from the band and the cancelation of the group's participation in the Australian Soundwave festival. He writes, "The plan had always been for Mike Portnoy to play with the band through 2010. Nothing changed there but it was confusing [because] Mike gave interviews suggesting he may be touring with the band beyond 2010. There will be another drummer behind the kit for the band's 'Nightmare After Christmas' tour [in January/February] as well as for the many other dates around the world that are underway into 2011 and beyond. As for Australia, the timing is completely unrelated. If you've read any of the juvenile and public attacks by the [Soundwave] promoter, you can probably figure out why the band had legitimate doubts they could work with him to be able to put on the professional show their fans
expect. They're not in Australia every day so each tour needs to be the best the band has to offer."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD issued a statement yesterday explaining that "we know we are not ready to add another permanent member of AVENGED SEVENFOLD [following last year's passing of drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan]. We don't know if we will ever be. But if we do, it will only be with someone who is not only a brilliant drummer, but also someone we've gotten to know well on the road and off, and who you the fans have had a chance to get to know, and hopefully accept. In other words, in this family, we take these steps together, band and our extended fan family."

The group added, "Mike and the band agree that can't be him. Why? Long before there was an AVENGED SEVENFOLD, there were members of this band who looked up to Mike and, in Jimmy's case, learned a lot from watching Mike play. He is a brilliant writer, producer and, of course, drummer. Because of that, the world and we would always see it as AVENGED SEVENFOLD with Mike Portnoy."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is slated to hit the road in the U.S. next month as part of the "Nightmare After Christmas" tour, along with STONE SOUR and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD.

James Sullivan, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's founding drummer, was found dead in his California home last December 28 of a fatal mixture of drugs and alcohol.

MIKE PORTNOY's Time With AVENGED SEVENFOLD Comes To An End

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has released the following statement:

"Yes, the rumors are true... Sadly my time with AVENGED SEVENFOLD has come to an end... The band has decided to carry on into 2011 without me...

"I had a great time with them throughout 2010, but it was their choice to end the relationship at the end of 2010 as was always the initial plan....

"I had an awesome time on stage with the guys every night and have so many cool memories from the experience with them... I am proud to always be part of the AVENGED SEVENFOLD family and history. I also adore the AVENGED SEVENFOLD fans and totally appreciate the way they welcomed me aboard and were so loving and supportive during my time with the band...thank you!

"As far as my future, I am excited by the endless musical possibilities that lie ahead of me...my love for music runs very deep and my taste is very broad and ecclectic which will give me the chance to explore many different things and collaborate with many great friends and artists I admire and respect...

"Happy holidaze to you all and c-ya in the New Year."

Drum-cam footage of Mike Portnoy performing the songs "Almost Easy" and "Welcome To The Family" with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on November 20, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden and November 14, 2010 in Paris, France, respectively, can be viewed below.

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 stated about his involvement with AVENGED SEVENFOLD (see video below), "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 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.

Source:RNRCOLA

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.

Mike Portnoy Elaborates On Departure Decision From Dream Theater

Drummer Mike Portnoy says that his current involvement with AVENGED SEVENFOLD had nothing to do with his decision to quit DREAM THEATER, the band he formed and led for 25 years. "I BEG of the fans to please NOT hold [AVENGED SEVENFOLD] responsible for MY decision... They are just as shocked as you guys," Mike writes on his Facebook page. He adds, "I had been contemplating this and desiring a 'break' (not split) [from DREAM THEATER] as long ago as last year. Everything else is fully explained in the press release" that Mike issued yesterday announcing his split from DREAM THEATER. Portnoy continues, "Thank you all for your support and understanding... This is the hardest thing I've ever done."

Portnoy made his live debut as AVENGED SEVENFOLD's current touring drummer on July 25 when the band played at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Portnoy also recorded the drum parts on the group's newly released album, "Nightmare".

"Nightmare" was completed after the death of drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who passed away last December following an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol.

When asked in a recent interview with Goldmine about his involvement with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy said, "It's an honor for me to have been kind of hand-picked and asked to do this, because of the situation. You know, when I went in and did the album, it was something I was honored to do. I wanted to be really careful to bring The Rev's drum parts to life for this album. They lost their brother at an unbelievably early age. You know, he was only 28, so it was a tragedy that they had to endure. I wanted to go in there and carry on his legacy with the drum parts he was supposed to be playing. So, I did my job, and we had such a good time with each other on a personal level … The guys are really cool guys, and I really enjoyed making the record with them. And I told them, if I was able to tour with them, I would love to do it."