Michael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American Drummer primarily known as the former drummer and backing vocalist for the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the current touring drummer with Avenged Sevenfold (A7x). Known for his drumming prowess and technical skill, Portnoy has won 23 awards from the Modern Drummer magazine. He has co-produced the last six Dream Theater albums with guitarist John Petrucci, starting from Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory. From A Change of Seasons onwards, Portnoy had been writing a substantial amount of Dream Theater's lyrics, filling the void left by Kevin Moore, who left the band after the band's release of Awake. He is the second youngest person (after Neil Peart former drummer of Rush) to be inducted into the Modern Drummer's Hall of Fame (at 37 years of age).