In an exclusive announcement, ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has revealed to MetalUnderground.com that he is to be the new drummer of Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. He writes, "I’m pumped to be the new drummer for my boys in Dimmu Borgir! It will be one hell of a year, but I’ll be pushing myself in new directions." When asked for comment, Dimmu Borgir vocalist Shagrath confirmed and noted, "Mike is a logical step forward for the band."
Dimmu Borgir has had a rotating cast of drummers through their career, including Reno Kiilerich, Hellhammer, Nick Barker, Tony Laureano, and most recently Daray. Mike Portnoy adds, "I’m working on some brutal ideas for my corpse paint already. Get ready!" Portnoy is set to play with the band at their "Forces of the Northern Night" show in Oslo on May 28th, with the backing of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Choir. Portnoy adds that, "It will be like the time DT and I played with the orchestra at Radio City Music Hall, but this time with blast beats. Get ready, Norway!"
His time ended with Avenged Sevenfold, Portnoy’s other musical projects this year include a project with Symphony X’s Russell Allen and guitarist Mike Orlando. Also on tap for Portnoy is a project with Spock’s Beard’s Neal Morse, Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, the Dixie Dregs’ Dave LaRue, and Alpha Rev’s Casey McPherson.
from metalunderground.com
