Last night, we were shocked when Mike Portnoy revealed that Avenged Sevenfold was no longer requiring his services and that the two parties have split. It seemed like a promising bet that Portnoy would become a permanent fixture in the band, especially since he recently departed Dream Theater. However, in a recent interview, singer M. Shadows revealed that the way Portnoy handled his departure with Dream Theater may have played a role in his split with A7X.

In an interview with The Pulse Of Radio, Shadows revealed the following about the band’s feelings towards the way things went down between Portnoy and Dream Theater:

“We were actually a little more shocked. We felt that maybe both parties could have handled it a little more internally without being so press release-happy about what had happened between them. Because we’re a band that, really, when it comes to news all over web sites or this or that about bands, you know, we don’t tweet much, we don’t try to put ourselves out that much, and all the drama and controversy wasn’t something that we wanted at all.”

While Shadows doesn’t quite claim that to be the reason for parting ways with Portnoy, it’s obviously that it played some sort of role in the decision. And you can’t necessarily blame A7X for not being so pleased. Granted, Portnoy made sure to mention in his statements that A7X were not to blame, but you have to believe that some DT fans still directed their anger at A7X. Plus, even loyal DT fans are starting to get annoyed with Portnoy’s constant talk in the press about the situation. While this may not be a suitable cause for separation, A7X’s displeasure has some merit. Now the question is who will the band get to fill in on drums now? Will they be able to find someone before the Nightmare After Christmas tour? We will keep you updated when more is revealed.

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