Why Mike Portnoy Wasn't Right For Avenged Sevenfold

Portnoy stepped into the breech after the death of original member Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan in 2009, recorded their 2010 album Nightmare and played on the subsequent tour, but relationships became strained leading to his departure earlier this year.

Speaking to Ultimate Guitar Shadows said that Portnoy was a godsend at the time but wasn't a good fit for the longer term although he has no hard feelings: "Yeah, we're on good terms � it just got a little out of hand for a while there with us. And the way he runs his camp is a little different than we run ours. It couldn't co-exist in that way and I'm really happy for him � I'm happy on a bunch of different levels. The Rev wrote those parts, Mike elaborated on them, and the record did really well. To me that's a success all the way around.