Drummer Mike Portnoy Quits Dream Theater

Drummer and founding member of Dream Theater Mike Portnoy has decided to quit the legendary prog metal band.


He released this statement :

"I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write. 

"After 25 years, I have decided to leave DREAM THEATER... the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

"To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

"After having had such amazing experiences playing with HAIL!,TRANSATLANTIC and AVENGED SEVENFOLD this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now inDREAM THEATER.

"Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DREAM THEATER guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them... it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break.

"DREAM THEATER was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985... 24/7, 365... never taking time off from DREAM THEATER's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was 'off' between cycles)... working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band.

"But I've come to the conclusion that the DREAM THEATER machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DREAM THEATER spirit hungry and inspired. 

"We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here and there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a 'hiatus' to recharge our batteries and 'save me from ourselves'...

"Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather... I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...

"While it truly hurts for me to even think of a DREAM THEATER withoutMike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes.

"Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DREAM THEATER and I talked about 'always following your heart and being true to yourself'... Sadly, I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with DREAM THEATER...and I would simply be 'going through the motions,' and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

"I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come... I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

"I'm sorry to all the disappointed DREAM THEATER fans around the world... I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work... I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)... but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within.

"You DREAM THEATER fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me.... (and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future Mike Portnoy projects!)" 


He also had this to say on his facebook profile : I BEG of the fans to please NOT hold A7X responsible for MY decision...they are just as shocked as you guys..I had been contemplating this and desiring a "break" (not split) as long ago as last year...everything else is fully explained in the press release...thank you all for your support and understanding...this is the hardest thing I've ever done... : ( 


Dream Theater released the following statement : 


"To all of our loyal fans and friends: It is with profound sadness -- regret -- we announce that Mike Portnoy, our lifelong drummer and friend, has decided to leave Dream Theater. Mike's stature in the band has meant the world to all of us professionally, musically, and personally over the years. There is no dispute: Mike has been a major force within this band.

While it is true that Mike is choosing to pursue other ventures and challenges, we can assure you that Dream Theater will continue to move forward with the same intensity -- and in the same musical tradition -- that you have all helped make so successful, and which is truly gratifying to us.

Fans and friends: File this episode under "Black Clouds and Silver Linings." As planned, we begin recording our newest album in January 2011, and we'll follow that with a full-on world tour. "The Spirit Carries On."

All of us in Dream Theater wholeheartedly wish Mike the best on his musical journey. We have had a long and meaningful career together. It is our true hope that he finds all he is looking for, and that he achieves the happiness he deserves. He will be missed."

THE BIG FOUR DVD RELEASE

Universal Music is slated to release the Bulgaria Leg of ‘The Big Four’ Concert in DVD and Blu-Ray. The concert which was held on 22 June 2010 was telecast live in theatres. Highlights of the show include all the members of the Big Four of thrash metal – Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax- sharing the stage for the very first time and performing the classic Diamond Head song “Am I Evil?”.

The 2-disc DVD set hits the streets on October 15 in Northern Europe, October 18 in most of the rest of the world, October 19 in North America which contains the individual performance of all the four bands including behind-the-scene footage and interviews.

In addition to the two-DVD set and the corresponding Blu-ray, universal Music have also planned to release a limited-edition “super deluxe” box set including the DVD set, five CDs with ALL the music, a 24-page booklet, a poster, photos of each band, and a “Big Four” guitar pick.

The track listing is as follows :-

METALLICA track listing:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. Fade To Black
06. That Was Just Your Life
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. All Nightmare Long
11. One
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Blackened
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Am I Evil? (with the Big Four)
17. Hit The Lights
18. Seek and Destroy

SLAYER track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Jihad
03. War Ensemble
04. Hate Worldwide
05. Seasons In The Abyss
06. Angel of Death
07. Beauty Through Order
08. Disciple
09. Mandatory Suicide
10. Chemical Warfare
11. South of Heaven
12. Raining Blood

MEGADETH track listing:

01. Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
02. Hangar 18
03. Wake Up Dead
04. Head Crusher
05. In My Darkest Hour
06. Skin O’ My Teeth
07. A Tout Le Monde
08. Hook In Mouth
09. Trust
10. Sweating Bullets
11. Symphony Of Destruction
12. Peace Sells/Holy Wars Reprise

ANTHRAX track listing:

01. Caught In A Mosh
02. Got the Time
03. Madhouse
04. Be All, End All
05. Antisocial
06. Indians/Heaven And Hell
07. Medusa
08. Only
09. Metal Thrashing Mad
10. I Am The Law

Remembering Darrell

On this very day 44 years ago a legend was born who would go on to become one of the finest guitarists the world had ever seen. Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004) better known as Dimebag Darrell would have been celebrating his birthday if not for the freak accident he encountered where he was shot on stage by a lunatic fan, the irony being he was performing "Breathing New Life" with his band Damage Plan.

Darrell who ruled every stage he stood on, sending fans into a frenzy to the monstrous music he churned out, sadly met misfortune upon the very stage he loved.

He will be remembered by fans and peers alike for eons to come.

R.I.P. Dimebag.

The Final Frontier (2010)

It's the 16th of August 2010, finally, and finally, the beast has fucking been unleashed. The perennially popular Iron Maiden after four very long years have released what easily is the most anticipated album of the year. Not many of their peers, or for that matter almost any other metal act can hope to create such an air of expectation when they release a new album. And indeed, what an album it is. Well, in a way, The Final Frontier is also Maiden raising a gigantic middle finger to all those who doubted the band's relevance in recent years and passed them off as a nostalgia act. Start to stop, it's fucking hypnotic.


      The album has a very different sound from anything that comes out Maiden's discography thus far. Hell, it's nothing like anything you've ever heard before on any metal album then again. This certainly is their most adventurous album to date. Maiden manage not only to reinvent their sound radically but end up producing something truly revolutionary, truly extraordinary. The Final Frontier takes all the old concepts and notions of what traditional heavy metal can be and turns it on itself, breaks all the accepted rules and abandons all the norms. Which thankfully lends a sense of unpredictability to the album. Even though this might give the impression that Maiden have forsaken their classic sound and feel, on closer inspection it is obvious that at the heart of it The Final Frontier has somehow managed to very deeply imprint that trademark sound all over the album, imbibing their spirit in every track. So what they've basically done is bravely taken the Iron Maiden of the eighties and marched it straight into completely uncharted territories rather boldly. I've said it before and I'll say it again - the  highly revered Iron Maiden have made a career of defying the norm and continue to do it to this day. 


         The only unfortunate thing about this album is either you'll absolutely love and relish it or for some reason it just won't strike that magical chord with you. And there isn't a middle path here. If you're looking for songs with simple, sing-along choruses and easy-listening riffs then this just isn't the album for you. It's also not one of those albums that take time to grow on you, au contraire, it takes time for the listener to really appreciate the magnitude of what the band have accomplished here. Look deep enough, look beneath the surface and you will realize it's a mastery of music.


      Musically, the band explores new and novel themes which leads to a metamorphosis in their sound. The riffs are creative and fresh but like with any of their other albums feel very distinctly Maiden. The thing that is most impressive about this album are the instrumental passages and bridges in virtually every song. They just echo sheer fucking brilliance. Extensively progressive, the passages are something they've expanded in on from A Matter of Life and Death. And then there are the solos, those gorgeous, emotive solos that soar high above the clouds, and heavy as hell drumming that bludgeons every thing in its path. Dickinson, who doesn't seem to have aged in the slightest still manages to pull off those mind-numbing, inhuman banshee wails that none of his peers or even those a fraction of age can manage to, extremely bloody well. The faultless vocals are one among the many highlights of the album. And yes, Harris, good ol' Steve, brings back his not only his ruthless gallop but all those unbelievably melodic bass lines for us all to awe and gape at. Uh huh, Iron Maiden just fucking rock don't they. 


      Now on to the lyrical aspects of this album. As is usual with Maiden song themes that vary as widely as is possible. The whole album is a scathing commentary on war, adventure, death and all that has transpired between the last album and this one. It also draws heavily from mythology and sci-fi, favorites of the chief storytellers -  Harris and Dickinson.


     The first track, which goes without saying is as good a way as any of kicking off the album and does so brilliantly. Satellite 15... The Final Frontier sounds every bit as eerie, futuristic and space-like as is expected. And with this one, Iron Maiden finally have a great music video to go along with such great songs, a good thirty years after their very first release. Though the video and lyrics indicate that it's a story set somewhere in space, the song could also be about to the band's career - their 15th album, Satellite 15.. and other such references and allusions to the band throughout the lyrics. Beginning with a surreal, gravity-defying base riff, it opens with Nicko's tribal beats and goes on to have the three axe-men rev up their guitars sending shivers down your spine. The spectral, ghostly vocals only manage to darken the mood. And then, out of nowhere the track suddenly changes gears, leaving you dumbfounded, switching to a completely different, more straightforward style. And before you know it, two transfixing solos seemingly resurrected straight from the eighties are thrown at you. And with that great chorus section you know this one is going to be absolutely killer live.  


      Up next is the first single of the album, El Dorado. Right from that familiar gallop to the raw muscular riffs this one is a textbook Maiden song in a new avatar. Reminiscent of The Trooper, for the distinct gallop, wraith-like vocals, high energy solos and abrasive riffage, El Dorado should've been a runaway hit but is one of tracks the fans are divided about. The song according to Dickinson, is about how the recent recession was staring in the face before it actually happened. The song gets it's title from the story of El Dorado, and it's the obvious connection to the economic downturn ("..streets paved with gold..." to quote Bruce). It's fairly obvious that this was specifically built to send the massive concert crowd into a crazed frenzy, more so than any other track on this album.


       Beginning with a deceptively slow and long intro, Mother of Mercy blasts forward into a muscularly constructed, menacing riff that has Maiden written all over it and by that I don't mean it's boring or foreseeable but that its simply exceptional. The heaviest track on the album, this one seems to have shades of A Matter of Life and Death strewn in. Harris opts to go in for a slower yet no less intimidating gallop that suits the song. Nicko McBrain is like a fucking octopus, pounding anything and everything he finds to pulp. Murray stuns with another classic, speedy solo. The song talks of wars in a time before gunpowder and like any of their other war-songs is an instant classic. Dickinson bobbing between harsh baritones and nut-wrenching screams adds another dimension to the song. You just can not help but headbang when you listen to groove infested Mother of Mercy.   


      What follows is the epic ballad, Coming Home. One of the more sentimental tracks of the album, this one is about returning home after a long leave of absence, back to where your heart belongs, and in their case, the song has allegories of the band's fast paced lifestyle and tales of life on the road - with reference to the massive Somewhere Back in Time Tour. The song also has references to one of Dickinson's many passions - flying. Beautiful lyrics and songwriting come together to make Coming... another heady track. Dickinson imbues an enormous amount of emotion into this song without making it sound cheesy. Smith's classy solo only manages to makes the song more poignant.


     Coming in at the fifth position, The Alchemist is a more progressive take on the style from their first two albums with the rough, speedy, bass-driven riffs and thrashy rhythm sections. McBrain is the saving grace of the song, thundering all around his drum kit. Though its has nothing special to speak of per say, and is probably a disappointment going by the standards the previous songs have set so far, it's not all that a bad track. With the standard theme of fantasy and adventure it really is just another Maiden song.


      Nothing will prepare for what comes next. The Isle of Avalon will astonish you which ever way you look at it. The sheer number of emotions and feelings it evokes throughout its duration is simply disorienting. The lengthy, dark and yet delicate intro laden with unconventional melody, ghostly whispers and eerie bass unfurls into unquestionable majesty. The leads are strong and solid and at the same spew forth amazing amounts of melody. The unconventional time signatures take the passages to a whole new level. Dickinson's passionate vocals are almost ethereal and mystical. Janick Gers manages to conjure astral solos that touch the sky. The way in which all these elements are intricately laced together is indicative of band's telepathy. The poetic lyrics, which are rooted in Arthurian mythology, are delivered with unequaled zeal. Every second of the song is a moment of excellence. Isle of Avalon is no longer just a song and with Maiden trying yet again to elevate the scale of things beyond the usual, it becomes an almost surreal experience that will leave you begging for more. The grandeur and impressive manner in which they pull off the song is why they still reign in the world of heavy metal. Unequivocal Iron Maiden. Celestial, unearthly Heavy Metal. Period.


    On the same grand scale as the previous track is Starblind, one of the other great's of The Final Frontier. With possibly the best instrumental passages in the album, this track simply won't cease to amaze through it's entirety. The intense, textured, intricate feel that this song has is unmatched. A fierce, steadfast vocal attack do the amazing lyrics justice. The cohesion between the bass line and free flowing lead guitars is flawless. The breakdowns and bridges are executed with exceptional skill. The back and forth between the mellow riffs and the aggressive ones and bluesy leads just keep piling on reasons as to why this is such a splendid track. In direct competition with Isle of Avalon as the best track of the album, this song is among the best songs Maiden have put forth since Brave New World.


    The Talisman is another highly progressive, well composed track that for sure will turn some heads. The pulverizing drumming, alluring riffs and Dickinson in his characteristic story telling mode are stitched into the fabric of this song quite exquisitely. Again, with a misleading, slow intro this one blisters forth uncompromisingly. Though it may seem repetitive, it's all done to maintain the feel and flow of the song. The innovativeness, both in the drumming and instrumental passages of this song surely has to the highlight in this track. Unrelenting and epic. State of the art heavy metal if there were such a thing.


   The larger than life The Man Who Would be King like it's predecessors has a sluggish beginning which speeds up with unreasoned urgency in a surprisingly melodic way. The gloomy, harmonious riffs on occasion have a psychedelic tinge, something rather unusual in metal. The vocals are standard run of the mill stuff for Dickinson who thoroughly enjoys himself on this track. The breakdown leads to an oriental passage which has got to be the work of Dave Murray. The solos soar together before clashing into other reaching their crescendo. The bass drives almost all the passages and bridges, but does so subtly. On the whole the song has a disconcerting feel to it but somehow ends up being catchy.


    The grand finale to the over and hour long epic that has been The Final Frontier is with Where the Wild Wind Blows. The longest song of the album also is one of the most complexly structured ones. Harris shines in this track, be it as the songwriter or with the melodious bass. The grim, unsettling lyrics are matched with equally befitting music. Dense, thick riffs break out all of sudden and Dickinson narrates the heart rending story of a couple who kill themselves in what they think is a nuclear explosion. The story is based on Raymond Brigg's novel (When the Wind Blows). And again, all of the sudden the tempo deceptively slows down when suddenly magnificent multitude of solos erupt with each of the three guitarists playing a solo apiece. And then the song breaks in a military tempo akin Alexander The Great and sways back and forth till the solos are completed. Dickinson gets more and more operatic by the passing second. And finally the song marches back into its familiar, original riff. The song ends stunningly in the same chilling way it began. And with that ends one of the band's best efforts to date.


Overview :
What more can one say about the mighty Iron Maiden that already hasn't been said in one form or the other. And even though they've scaled through many peaks all over their career and have reached the zenith of heavy metal, the iconic Iron Maiden see the need to constantly reinvent not only themselves but in the process the entire genre, not something not many bands can or will achieve. A intense, complex experience , The Final Frontier redefines what can be done with heavy metal by the wizards of the art themselves. How the band is going to outdo themselves the next time around is to be seen. State of the art stuff from one of the greatest bands of our time. If indeed, this is their final album, their swansong so to speak, then it's a great way to sign off.


Genre : Heavy Metal


Track Listing : 

Title	Write(s)	Length
1."Satellite 15… The Final Frontier "	Harris, Smith	8:40
2."El Dorado "	Dickinson, Smith, Harris	6:49
3."Mother of Mercy "	Smith, Harris	5:20
4."Coming Home "	Dickinson, Harris, Smith	5:52
5."The Alchemist "	Gers, Harris, Dickinson	4:29
6."Isle of Avalon"	Harris, Smith	9:06
7."Starblind "	Dickinson, Harris, Smith	7:48
8.”The Talisman”	Gers, Harris	9:03
9."The Man Who Would Be King "	Murray, Smith	8:28
10."Where the Wild Wind Blows "	Steve Harris	10:59

Total Album Time : 76:34

Personnel/Contributors :

• Bruce Dickinson – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
• Dave Murray – Guitar
• Adrian Smith – Guitar, Backing vocals
• Janick Gers - Guitar
• Steve Harris – Bass, Backing Vocals
• Nicko McBrain – Drums, Percussion
• Kevin Shirley – Producer, Engineer
• Melvyn Grant – Illustration

Release Date : 16 August 2010

Recorded : Compass Point Studios, Nassau, 2010

Supporting Tour : The Final Frontier World Tour

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