Portnoy or Rullo?

moefunk · 09-29-2003, 03:46 AM

This is a question for all you drummers on board.
Who do you consider to be better (you know, in the objective sense of the word, regarding technique, versatility etc... [img]smile.gif[/img] ): DT's Mike Portnoy or SX's Jason Rullo?

frank · 09-29-2003, 10:21 AM

Good question Moefunk!
I think it's hard to tell...
Portnoy draws a lot more attention on records than Rullo does.. I think it's the production or something but Portnoy sounds more impressive than Rullo although I don't think Rullo is any less.. And then there's MP's HUGE drumkit of course..
Unfortunately I'm not able to give my opinion in English.. I'm not even sure how to put it in Dutch.. [img]smile.gif[/img]
anywayz I think none of them is better, they're both very good.

blackzoner · 09-29-2003, 04:13 PM

Hey moefunk!

I can sometimes be 'ignorant' of not knowing what seeimgly 'everyone' else already knows & that may be the case here? But who is "SX" & Rullo?

I can only listen to so much of MP before i'm bored, as he doesn't have a style(like Virgil or Dennis Chambers, ect)that is constantly making me wonder, "how'd he do that?"

A little info pls?

scorp · 09-30-2003, 02:51 AM

Symphony X's live cd is good place to check out Jason's playing he is great but different to Portnoy , Jason's plays heavier faster music but still very technical. Angra's Drummer Aquiles Priester is also worth checking out if you like Jason Rullo.

Cham · 09-30-2003, 11:37 AM

I would have to say Mike Portnoy is my preferred drummer of the two. Although both have incredible approcahes to playing the drum kit, Mike has a method that is approachable to both those that endeavour to further their knowlegde of progressive drumming as well as those that are coming at it from a fresh angle. I would say that ole MP is maybe a little less stylistic as Virgil or other drummers like Paice, Peart, Smitty, Chambers, Gadd etc, but has a distinct methodology in the way he adds to the compsitions in Dream Theater that shows he is at the forefront of a band that has some amazing players in it on top of himself.
To be honest, to make the comparison tougher, I would have tied the debate between Mike Portnoy and Simon Phillips.

moefunk · 10-01-2003, 02:28 AM

Thanx for the input, people.
Anyways, I posed this question because recently a friend of mine (also a guitarplayer...maybe that's saying something, but probably not, hehe [img]smile.gif[/img] ) and I were discussing DT and SX - and their respective drummers. I said I thought Jason Rullo's playing is often more "musical" (can one actually say that in english? [img]smile.gif[/img] ) than Portnoys. Also, even though due to the nature of both bands it doesn't always show, I think he is more versatile than Mr.P. And I like his ghostnotes better. But rather than settling this with a game of fisticuffs I thought it'd be better to get some opinions here...

JWRocko · 10-02-2003, 08:15 AM

Well, both drummers are awesome in their own right. I love Portnoy's onstage personality, a big party guy who has time to goof off during a drum fill in 5/16. I don't know much about rullo other than he's proficient at his instrument. He sounds awesome for SX.

blackzoner · 10-02-2003, 03:15 PM

Well, thanks to others I put Rullo as the drummer for "Symphony X", thanks.

Moefunk, where was the help for your old buddy
"CannonsMolari"? You completely read past my post!
Are we not friends anymore?

Anyway, i'll now have to check out "Symphony X", & see what this Rullo can do?

Since I can't help on the dabate of MP vs. Rullo,
I will say that for 'most people', Portnoy seems to be more accessable. However I think that's really for non-musicians. It's been my experience
that most musicians don't have any problems at all
when it comes to listening to a more sophisticated drummer, like Virgil or Chambers for the 1st time.

Now if the questions is MP vs. SP, well i'd have to go with the old man Simon 'work your magic' Phillips!

What was the questions again? <blockquote>quote:</font><hr> <hr></blockquote>"Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny." The great Frank Zappa

moefunk · 10-03-2003, 02:27 AM

@ Blackzoner: Sorry 'ole cannons', I thought the post right after yours made it clear, but especially for you, my friend [img]smile.gif[/img] : Jason Rullo plays in Symphony X, a progmetal outfit that employs a lot of neo-classical influences. When I first heard them I thought they were a great mix of Dream Theater and Yngwie Malmsteen (he's a guitarplayer, Cannons! [img]tongue.gif[/img] ), but with a definite identity of their own.
If anything, you could listen to them just for the singer, Russell Allan. But they are all great players. I recommend "V - the mythology suite", "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" and "Live on the Edge of Forever" (yes, that last one's a live disk!)
An added bonuspoint for them is that they're using all the right words, like "righteous", "prevail", "tears of woe", "bringer of war" and all that good sword-toting, swashbuckling stuff. But seriously, their lyrics are great too. They do go beyond your average Manowar nursery-rymes...

09-29-2003, 03:46 AM	#1
moefunk Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Enjoying a beer on my deck overlooking the beautiful Adelaide Hills Posts: 1,517	This is a question for all you drummers on board. Who do you consider to be better (you know, in the objective sense of the word, regarding technique, versatility etc... [img]smile.gif[/img] ): DT's Mike Portnoy or SX's Jason Rullo? __________________ If Ludwig Feuerbach was right, eating your veggies is probably not the best option to remain a healthy, thinking bi-pedal mammal. Come to think of it, the only option would then be cannibalism. Of course this would mean that anybody with an IQ higher than that of the average quiz-show host would start eatig people that are brighter than themselves. Which might eventually leave two tribes - one of really smart people and one of really dumb ones who had eaten the wrong people...

09-29-2003, 10:21 AM	#2
frank \m/ Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Milbourke, capital of Planet X Posts: 2,999	Good question Moefunk! I think it's hard to tell... Portnoy draws a lot more attention on records than Rullo does.. I think it's the production or something but Portnoy sounds more impressive than Rullo although I don't think Rullo is any less.. And then there's MP's HUGE drumkit of course.. Unfortunately I'm not able to give my opinion in English.. I'm not even sure how to put it in Dutch.. [img]smile.gif[/img] anywayz I think none of them is better, they're both very good. __________________ Listen to Relocator (Myspace) Buy our album! LIVE footage of Relocator!

09-29-2003, 04:13 PM	#3
blackzoner Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Louis, MO. USA Posts: 153	Hey moefunk! I can sometimes be 'ignorant' of not knowing what seeimgly 'everyone' else already knows & that may be the case here? But who is "SX" & Rullo? I can only listen to so much of MP before i'm bored, as he doesn't have a style(like Virgil or Dennis Chambers, ect)that is constantly making me wonder, "how'd he do that?" A little info pls? __________________ \"There are forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers.\" Don Van Vliet aka \"Captain Beefheart\"

09-30-2003, 02:51 AM	#4
scorp Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: AUSTRALIA Posts: 11	Symphony X's live cd is good place to check out Jason's playing he is great but different to Portnoy , Jason's plays heavier faster music but still very technical. Angra's Drummer Aquiles Priester is also worth checking out if you like Jason Rullo. __________________ Commercial music sux

10-01-2003, 02:28 AM	#6
moefunk Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Enjoying a beer on my deck overlooking the beautiful Adelaide Hills Posts: 1,517	Thanx for the input, people. Anyways, I posed this question because recently a friend of mine (also a guitarplayer...maybe that's saying something, but probably not, hehe [img]smile.gif[/img] ) and I were discussing DT and SX - and their respective drummers. I said I thought Jason Rullo's playing is often more "musical" (can one actually say that in english? [img]smile.gif[/img] ) than Portnoys. Also, even though due to the nature of both bands it doesn't always show, I think he is more versatile than Mr.P. And I like his ghostnotes better. But rather than settling this with a game of fisticuffs I thought it'd be better to get some opinions here... __________________ If Ludwig Feuerbach was right, eating your veggies is probably not the best option to remain a healthy, thinking bi-pedal mammal. Come to think of it, the only option would then be cannibalism. Of course this would mean that anybody with an IQ higher than that of the average quiz-show host would start eatig people that are brighter than themselves. Which might eventually leave two tribes - one of really smart people and one of really dumb ones who had eaten the wrong people...

09-30-2003, 11:37 AM	#5
Cham Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: UK Posts: 1	I would have to say Mike Portnoy is my preferred drummer of the two. Although both have incredible approcahes to playing the drum kit, Mike has a method that is approachable to both those that endeavour to further their knowlegde of progressive drumming as well as those that are coming at it from a fresh angle. I would say that ole MP is maybe a little less stylistic as Virgil or other drummers like Paice, Peart, Smitty, Chambers, Gadd etc, but has a distinct methodology in the way he adds to the compsitions in Dream Theater that shows he is at the forefront of a band that has some amazing players in it on top of himself. To be honest, to make the comparison tougher, I would have tied the debate between Mike Portnoy and Simon Phillips.

10-02-2003, 08:15 AM	#7
JWRocko Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 2	Well, both drummers are awesome in their own right. I love Portnoy's onstage personality, a big party guy who has time to goof off during a drum fill in 5/16. I don't know much about rullo other than he's proficient at his instrument. He sounds awesome for SX. __________________ Whenever you get lost in a solo, the chromatic scale can bail you out.

10-02-2003, 03:15 PM	#8
blackzoner Senior Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: St. Louis, MO. USA Posts: 153	Well, thanks to others I put Rullo as the drummer for "Symphony X", thanks. Moefunk, where was the help for your old buddy "CannonsMolari"? You completely read past my post! Are we not friends anymore? Anyway, i'll now have to check out "Symphony X", & see what this Rullo can do? Since I can't help on the dabate of MP vs. Rullo, I will say that for 'most people', Portnoy seems to be more accessable. However I think that's really for non-musicians. It's been my experience that most musicians don't have any problems at all when it comes to listening to a more sophisticated drummer, like Virgil or Chambers for the 1st time. Now if the questions is MP vs. SP, well i'd have to go with the old man Simon 'work your magic' Phillips! What was the questions again? <blockquote>quote:</font><hr> <hr></blockquote>"Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny." The great Frank Zappa __________________ \"There are forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers.\" Don Van Vliet aka \"Captain Beefheart\"

10-03-2003, 02:27 AM	#9
moefunk Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Enjoying a beer on my deck overlooking the beautiful Adelaide Hills Posts: 1,517	@ Blackzoner: Sorry 'ole cannons', I thought the post right after yours made it clear, but especially for you, my friend [img]smile.gif[/img] : Jason Rullo plays in Symphony X, a progmetal outfit that employs a lot of neo-classical influences. When I first heard them I thought they were a great mix of Dream Theater and Yngwie Malmsteen (he's a guitarplayer, Cannons! [img]tongue.gif[/img] ), but with a definite identity of their own. If anything, you could listen to them just for the singer, Russell Allan. But they are all great players. I recommend "V - the mythology suite", "The Divine Wings of Tragedy" and "Live on the Edge of Forever" (yes, that last one's a live disk!) An added bonuspoint for them is that they're using all the right words, like "righteous", "prevail", "tears of woe", "bringer of war" and all that good sword-toting, swashbuckling stuff. But seriously, their lyrics are great too. They do go beyond your average Manowar nursery-rymes... __________________ If Ludwig Feuerbach was right, eating your veggies is probably not the best option to remain a healthy, thinking bi-pedal mammal. Come to think of it, the only option would then be cannibalism. Of course this would mean that anybody with an IQ higher than that of the average quiz-show host would start eatig people that are brighter than themselves. Which might eventually leave two tribes - one of really smart people and one of really dumb ones who had eaten the wrong people...

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