You have arrived at the MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE — OL’s weekly celebration of fending off bad-vibes with fuzzy-feelings. I’m going to show you which bits of mindrot I’ll be ingesting in the hopes of adding some essence to my existence. After peeking at my goodies, you’re encouraged to hit up the comments section and lay out the modes of escapism you’ll be employing in the upcoming days.

In other words, it’s a game of show-and-tell.

Let’s do this.

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According to both his Twitter and his forum, Mike Portnoy is leaving Dream Theater.

Wait, huh? Yeah, that’s right – Mike Portnoy is leaving the most respected progressive-metal group on the planet, the very band he helped found twenty-five years ago and launched him to the status of music-nerd-legend. As the group’s most vocal member, the drummer has basically become synonymous with the Dream Theater franchise. This move is like James Hetfield leaving Metallica, Dave Mustaine leaving Megadeth, or maybe even Bruce Dickinson leaving Iron Maiden…Hey…wait a second…

So why did he leave? His reasoning:

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 & 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…

My Interpretation: Portnoy has been sullied by playing with Avenged Sevenfold. He’s probably enjoying a level of recognition and luxury that Dream Theater could never afford him. While this is understandable, DT’s other members don’t have the same opportunities and probably don’t feel like waiting for him to finish living the life to start making music again. I’m sort of troubled by Portnoy’s offering to “do some occasional work” for the band.

Seems like priorities are shifting; he originally made it seem as though it was Avenged Sevenfold he’d be doing some occasional work for, not his own band.

My Prediction: This is going to create a huge riff in the Dream Theater fan community – I’m talking some David Lee Roth/Van Halen type of shit. But just like that classic rock feud, I can’t imagine this will last.

Hit the jump to see some Portnoy/Dream Theater highlights!
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It’s been nine years since Transatlantic’s first release and the track Stranger in Your Soul still gives me goosebumps. Maybe it’s nostaglia, the fact that progressive music helped me get out of high school without feeling like a total loser. Or maybe I’m a sucker for cheesy lyrics. In either case, I can’t help but smile when Neal Morse encourages me to “Stand up `cause this is your time.”

*sigh*