Mike Portnoy, founding member and long-time drummer for the group, quit the band in September. He is currently touring with Avenged Sevenfold, following the death of Jimmy \"The Rev\" Sullivan in 2009.

The remaining band members held auditions in New York last month, culminating in a shortlist of seven drummers. Stated John Petrucci:

\"We had some auditions several weeks ago and we\'re gonna go into the studio and start recording in January, to do our [next album for] Roadrunner Record. The split wasn’t easy. We had been in the band together with Mike for over 25 years and him leaving the band was a major shock and a major heartbreak to us, so the whole thing’s been difficult.\"