Title: Mike Portnoy Liquid Drum Theater
- Hudson Music DVD
- 9.2 out of 10

The Details: Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has amazed audiences since the mid-80s with his no-holds barred style of drumming. Not since Neil Peart’s heydays has prog-rock, or any other brand of music, had such a jaw-dropping display of talent behind the kit. Working with acclaimed side projects Liquid Tension Experiment and Transatlantic keeps Mike on his toes, but his most valuable asset to the musicians’ community is his role as a clinician. At the demand of the drumming community, Portnoy released his Liquid Drum Theater 2-DVD set to record-shattering sales. But, because of the nasty $50 price tag (instructional/clinical videos are monetary murder!), your lowly writer had to wait until his 21st birthday to score a copy (thanks Lisa!). I shit my pants when I opened it, shit again when I saw the title screen, and continued to shit sporadically throughout disc one. For a drummer, this is absolute paradise. Portnoy is the drummer’s drummer. Don’t believe me? Ask the percussion-friendly being nearby and see what his reaction is when the words “Mike Portnoy” are spoken. If there is no reaction whatsoever, then this is not a drummer at all, but a robot. Hide behind that bush and get your laser blaster out – it’s go time with those damn robots! Anyway, back to the DVD - phenomenal stuff, really. Any drummer would give his left lung (or $50) for this.

The Highlights: Portnoy goes through a plethora of LTE (Disc 1) and Dream Theater (Disc 2) songs and breaks down the really tough parts. He gives lovely advice throughout as he gives students help with developing a “toolbox” to work from, improving technique, working on tough sticking patterns, and much more. Multiple camera angles are available on many songs, so you can check out the foot-cam if you are looking to improve your double-bass technique or the overhead cam for sticking tips.

The Bottom Line: This is possibly the best advanced rock-drumming video since Peart’s ’92 release. You probably don’t want to shell out the dough for this if you’re not serious on improvement. This stuff isn’t easy, which is why only Mike P. can do it right. But with the assistance of Liquid Drum Theater, you can certainly give it a shot. I guarantee you’ll be better just by watching it.

This is rated in comparison with other INSTRUCTIONAL Videos/DVDs, not with music/concert videos in general. If you’re looking for a good live show, try Dream Theater’s Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York on DVD or VHS.

- Dustin Wall