Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Mangini has taken up the kit for the remainder of GODSMACK's 'The Rise Of Rock' tour, which was announced with guitarist/vocalist Sully Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill.
Mangini made his live debut with the band Friday night (June 12) at the Morton Amphitheater in Riverside, Missouri.
Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of original drummer Mike Portnoy.
He made headlines in the hard rock world in the mid-1990s when he played with EXTREME before landing the gig with guitar legend Steve Vai in 1996.
Mangini's past credits include work with DAUGHTRY, PRONG, Sebastian Bach, ORGY and Doyle (of the MISFITS).
His debut solo album, "Invisible Signs", was released in November 2023.
He is also part of the new band MONOLITH with Hernán "Motley" RodrĂguez on bass and vocals, and Andy Barrow on guitar.
Sully Erna stated about Mangini: "He's strong.
He's got some great chops, and he's really playing the stuff solid." The drummer is set to introduce Mangini behind the kit for the remainder of GODSMACK's tour.,Mangini announced his exit from DREAM THEATER in October 2023.
Mangini, who had been with the progressive metal band for 13 years, was dismissed from DREAM THEATER in order to make way for the return of the group's original drummer, Mike Portnoy.
Wade Murff joined GODSMACK this past spring and played more than a dozen shows with the group between May 8 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida and May 30 in Houston, Texas.,Murff was recruited to fill in for BLACK VEIL BRIDES drummer Christian "CC" Coma (born Christian Mora) for the remainder of that band's 2026 European tour due to "an unfortunate personal and private matter".
Murff played his first show with BLACK VEIL BRIDES on June 10 in Munich, Germany.
He is set to leave the stage after tonight's gig.