I was just reading about this due to your post on the other board. I didn't realize Mangini took over for Extreme on their "Waiting For The Punchline" album when their drummer decided to quit drumming and go into management. They broke up soon after. They have since reformed buy with another drummer, however if I read it right he stayed on with Cherone's short lived Tribes OF Judah, of which I never heard anything from.
From what I was reading there were quite a few Dream Theater fans who thought they had lost the magic many years ago and some really like the change while others felt the band is crap without him. How do you see this. It sounds vaguely reminiscent of Cetera's Departure. Where everyone seemed to think the band was done.
Often a drummer leaves and is replaced no big deal because the drummer is rarely a focal point in the band. Portnoy was largely the spokesman for the band. He kept a library in his basement featuring soundboard recordings of nearly every concert they ever performed. He was integral in forming the "Ytsejamrecords.com" site and giving fans access to rare demo versions of songs and some of the band's better live performances over the years.
I don't know whether or not the band will be crap without him yet as the new album won't be released for a few more months yet. I guess you could say I fall into the "curiously skeptical" category when it comes to this. I think the band has milked it a bit too much though. They picked the new drummer back in October and have already completed their first album with him... yet still haven't announced/confirmed who he is.
I thought their last album,
Black Clouds & Silver Linings was a real return to form and was their best album since 2003's
Train of Thought. Other than the nearly 30 minute long title cut and perhaps 1 other song, I didn't care for their
Octavarium (2005) release. 2007's
Systematic Chaos was a step back in the right direction but wasn't quite "there" yet.
My favorite DT albums though were 1994's
Awake (the last album with their original keyboard player, Kevin Moore. He was also a great songwriter. His replacement is a better keyboard player but isn't much of a lyricist. The quality of their lyrics have never quite matched the ones Moore wrote when he was in the band) and 2003's
Train of Thought (other than a short 2 and a half minute long ballad in the middle of the album, it's a full speed ahead full on crunchy metal delight).
