Two different men, two different opinions, two different vibes. The departure of Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater is a turning point. Whether it is one musically, we’ll find out in a few months. But given Mike’s prominence in the band – it’s no wonder Dream Theater was regarded as “Portnoy’s band” – there were many consequences and issues raised by this departure. We tried to take the pulse of the band. Firstly with one who was already in it and decided to go on, John Petrucci, guitarist and founding member. Then, with the one with whom the show will go on: the lucky Mike Mangini.

John Petrucci is a naturally quiet person, sometimes even phlegmatic. As a consequence, he’s always talking calmly, giving carefully calculated answers and continually seeing things in a positive way. And of course, being a prominent public figure, he’s careful about what he says. You’ll even notice how the subject of the communication with Mike Portnoy regarding his departure from the band has been impossible to mention. Petrucci even stating that he hasn’t paid attention to the latter’s statements and accusations in the press.

Apart from that, rest assured, he’s all but insincere and – for those of you who were expecting a boring and depth-lacking interview – interesting in his point of view regarding the band, the auditions for the new drummer, but also regarding other more general issues such as instrumental practice and the notion of musicality.

Clearly, interviews aren’t where he’s the most comfortable. There’s no surprise in the fact that Mike Portnoy, being very comfortable as a spokes-person, had been the face of the band for years. The redistribution of the roles within the band in that regard is one of the consequences of his departure: « Other people just need to step up and do more interviews, talk more and do more photoshoots. ». Among the fans, many believed that Mike Portnoy’s control over the band weighed down on his band mates. John Petrucci points that out as a misconception.

Finally, took advantage of this interview to try to learn more about the musical direction taken on the next record, A Dramatic Turn Of Events, scheduled to be released on September 13th 2011. A title that, according to the guitarist and unlike one may suppose, is not a reference to the band parting ways with Mike Portnoy.

Click here to read the interview…