Originally Posted by midgetbolt
I disagree with this.
First of all, I don't think Petrucci is replacable (or any of them for that matter). Having said that, I think there are way more great guitarists than there are great drummers.
Growing up in the '80s, it seemed like every band had at least one great guitarist that could shred some wicked guitar solo.
As a drummer, there were very few bands that had a drummer that was able to play complex rhythems and beats, play in odd time meters and signatures, and "shred" complex fills and/or drum solos within the framework of a song.
The only truly "great" rock drummers (and rock music is an important distinction here) in the last 30 years have been Peart, Portnoy, Carey, and maybe Terry Bozio. Very good drummers would include McBrain, VanHalen, Travis Smith, The Rev, Lars, Lombardo, and I can't think of many others.
There were so many bands in the late '70s, '80s, and early '90s that had exceptional guitarists and average to poor drummers. The Scorpions, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Motley Crue, Alice in Chains, G n R, and on and on. Not to mention guys like Steve Vai and Satriani that could absolutely shred.
From personal experience, I've never played with a guitarist that didn't have outstanding chops, but I've had a lot of them tell me they've never played with a drummer as good as me.
I think it's way harder to replace a great bassist. There are very few rock bassists that I would consider great.
And as far as DT is concerned, Rudess would probably be the hardest to replace. He is truly other-worldly.
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