Dream Theater

Now that Mike Manginni has played quite a lot of concerts, do you think he was the best choice of those that orditioned, I am sure he was the best choice!

I am a semi-pro prog-metal drummer (www.beguiled.co.uk) and I have to tell you, never mind the gigs, when I saw the auditions on Roadrunner's site, it was immediately obvious that Mike M was the man for the seat. actually, I was quite shocked and a little disappointed by how poor (all relative, these guys are all at least a 1000% technically further ahead than myself) some of his mate's and co-auditionees were. Marco M was the closest but his image & demeanour didn't gel with the rest of the band. Mike M was zoned in for the spot and has evidently learned almost the entire back-catalogue...truly awesome. Saw the band at Wembley in London 10 days ago and they really kicked arse and there, Mike's skills came shining through more so than on the album. I actually think the drums are slightly too low down in the mix on ADTOE, but of course we're so used to hearing Mike P's drums so prominent in the mix. My personal view is that MM is a superior percussionist and has better musicality or perhaps ego than MP and is more in tune with the rest of the band, although he doesn't hit them quite as hard as MP. For me, that is far out-weighed by the fact that his fills are totally sympathetic to the band, rather than some of the slightly OTT fills MP used to do all over the vocal lines, not to mention that at least we can now hear what JXfM is doing!! When I saw the band on the Octavarium and systematic Chaos tours I reckon they could've doe the gigs w/o him and no one would've known much different. JXfM, James and Jordan are now flourishing. I loved MP, I love his demeanour and I love Adrenaline Mob but for every back cloud there really is a silver lining; this was the best outcome for all concerned. I look forward to many more DT albums and tours with the Magician and to hearing him just a tad higher in the mix onn the next album God, I wish I was in his seat, although Beguiled's 'Soldiers Tale' is the next best thing! Thanks guys, you really rock!

I feel like he's been with the band years. Incredible musician, and a very nice guy too.

Absolutely the best choice! You know, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into their selection process and that DT invited us to look into it through the videos. MP was such a big part of DT; they needed to and are doing a phenomenal job of transitioning. I'm glad to see MP doing well too and look forward to getting his music. And I really look forward to the next DT album with Mangini settled in to the band.

Yes he his...he as the spirit and can do all those great shops...on one hand :)
He Look like an Happy man

He's my man. Love the disc as I am still listening to it ( along with the new Van Halen disc ).

Genie's absolutely second to none, keeping in mind that he needed DT praps even more than they needed him! Really an outstanding musician and a very very nice guy

For me, MM was the obvious choice from the start. Although it's still heartbreaking for me to have seen MP depart the band, it's good to see that everyone seems to be in a good place now. I have been a fan since 93 and these guys are just an unstoppable force. I think i'm ready to see them live again if they return to the states this year.