Max Portnoy, son of Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THE WINERY DOGS, SONS OF APOLLO), has launched a new metal band called TALLAH. The Pennsylvania-based group is comprised of five members who share a passion for playing intense, heavy, and intricate music combined with an insane live show, unlike any other.
Influenced by bands such as CODE ORANGE, SLIPKNOT, KORN and DEFTONES, TALLAH relies on the spirit of innovative metal realized through panicked guitar screams treated with industrial elements and distortion. Screaming vocals provided by YouTube sensation Justin Bonitz mixed with melodic choruses create a dreamlike vision in which the audience can live. Driving bass fills the room with deep and dirty tones that sync effortlessly with the thunderous bellows of the drums. The band recently played two shows on the Schecter stage at NAMM 2018 and is currently booking shows in the U.S. and internationally.
TALLAH is:
Justin Bonitz – Vocals
Max Portnoy – Drums
Derrick Schneider – Guitar
Andrew Cooper – Bass
AJ Wisniewski – Guitar
Mike Portnoy said two years ago that he didn’t give Max drum lessons because he was “not a good teacher.” Mike told Metal Wani: “Max does go for lessons with somebody else, for two reasons. I’m not home consistently enough and I think it’s important for any young drummer to get lessons consistently. The other reason is that I’m not a teacher. It doesn’t matter how many awards I’ve won, it doesn’t make me a good teacher.” Despite the fact that Max is taking lessons from someone else, Mike conceded that some of his technique has rubbed off on his son. “Max growing up on tour and sitting behind my drums and watching me, you can inevitably see a lot of my style in his style,” Mike said. “I’ve always been supportive of whatever he wanted to do. But that fact he picked up a pair of drumsticks is totally cool.”
Max is also a member of NEXT TO NONE, which released its second album, “Phases”, last July through InsideOut Music in Europe and EMP Label Group in North America. Formed in 2012, NEXT TO NONE released its well-received debut, “A Light In The Dark”, in 2015 via InsideOut, before setting out to work on “Phases”.
