Mike Portnoy quits DreamTheater

Thu 9th Sep, 2010 in International News

After playing with progressive metal legends Dream Theater for a quarter of a century Mike Portnoy has announced that he was leaving the band that he “founded, led and truly loved”.

Portnoy – recently ranked as the world’s second best drummer – stated in a press release that “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 in Dream Theater… I’ve come to the conclusion that the DT 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 DT spirit hungry and inspired. ”

Dream Theater toured Australia last year in support of their latest (and possibly final) album Black Clouds and Silver Linings, but this news suggests that it’s possible that Australian punters might see Portnoy returning very soon to play with Avenged Sevenfold at Soundwave.

Check out the photos from Portnoy’s last ever show with Dream Theater in Australia