GODSMACK have made a striking mid-tour addition: former DREAM THEATER drummer MIKE MANGINI joined the band for the remaining dates of their "The Rise Of Rock" tour, making his live debut with the band on June 12 at the Morton Amphitheater in Riverside, Missouri.
The move follows the unexpected departure of touring drummer WADE MURFF, who had played over a dozen shows with GODSMACK between May 8 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach and May 30 in Houston, Texas. Just hours before his final show with GODSMACK, Murff had posted upbeat tour updates to social media — making his abrupt exit all the more surprising.
The reason became clear on June 6, when it was announced that Murff would fill in for BLACK VEIL BRIDES drummer CHRISTIAN "CC" COMA for the rest of that band's 2026 European run, following an "unfortunate personal and private matter." Murff played his first show with BLACK VEIL BRIDES on June 10 in Munich.
MANGINI's arrival is a significant development. The Massachusetts-born drummer rose to prominence with EXTREME in the mid-1990s, then spent a decade alongside guitar legend STEVE VAI. In 2010, he famously won the open DREAM THEATER drum audition — beating six world-class players in a process documented in the band's widely watched DVD The Spirit Carries On. He remained the backbone of DREAM THEATER for 13 years before departing in October 2023 when original drummer MIKE PORTNOY returned.
Since his exit from DREAM THEATER, Mangini has stayed active: he launched a new project, MONOLITH, in February 2025 alongside Hernán "Motley" Rodríguez and Andy Barrow, and released his debut solo album, Invisible Signs, in November 2023. His ability to adapt from progressive metal's complex time signatures to GODSMACK's direct, driving hard rock is a testament to his versatility.
Joining Mangini on stage are GODSMACK's core lineup: vocalist SULLY ERNA, bassist ROBBIE MERRILL, and touring guitarist SAM KOLTUN.