Shortly after quitting Dream Theater (and after his time touring with Avenged Sevenfold came to an end), Mike Portnoy launched Adrenaline Mob with Symphony X singer Russell Allen and guitarist Mike Orlando. That fact alone is why it’s surprising to hear that the drummer is leaving the band.
Portnoy confirmed his departure from Adrenaline Mob via the following statement:
“It saddens me to announce that the 4 upcoming shows in Latin America this month supporting Halestorm will be my last with Adrenaline Mob. Unfortunately, I have scheduling conflicts that prevent me from being able to fully commit to the band’s future activities at the moment.
As I cannot be in two places at the same time, I don’t want to hold them back and have to wait for my schedule to re-open up to resume activity. I’m very proud of what we started together and the music we made over the past two years and I wish the guys all the best in the future.”
Granted, Portnoy does always find something to keep him busy, with The Winery Dogs likely the reason behind the “scheduling conflicts.” Still, Portnoy was an extremely vocal member of the hard rock group (even though Allen and Orlando started collaborating before Portnoy technically entered the picture). No word on who exactly will take over behind the drum kit following the Latin America shows, and whether Disturbed bassist John Moyer (who joined the group last year) will also be exiting in the near future.
