When Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan died suddenly in 2009, Mike Portnoy came to the rescue, playing on their album Nightmare and joining them on tour. His good deed complicated his position with Dream Theater and contributed to his shock departure from the band he’d led since its inception. But in the end both outfits survived. Prog reported in 2010.
As Avenged Sevenfold’s explosive stage show blew up around him, Mike Portnoy reached over from behind his expansive drumkit, placed a marshmallow on his stick and toasted it over one of the flames licking around his riser. Portnoy was clearly enjoying his new role – but it was born from tragic circumstance.
