Yes, wall-to-wall hotshots at an audition like that. Was a bit miffed at the "greatest drummers in the world" tag, though. There's some jazz and session players out there who could lay a fair claim to "greatest drummer" IMO
I really liked Marco Minneman's use of the splashes. I liked his spot best but I don't think his kind of energy suited DT as much as Mike. I mean, they are way into the dramatics and Marco M is so light-hearted.
The top three chosen were the ones who stayed tightest in all the tests; the wicked riff threw a few of them. It's hard. My impression was that one little mess up and - bang! - you're out. Someone else nailed it. You could see it in the guitarist's reaction when they'd explain themselves after a mistake ... kind of
yeah yeah sure. You really don't want someone saying yeah yeah sure to you in an audition.
Mike M had the drama, the connection with Mike P and a personality that seemed to meld better with the group than the others, based on the vids. Dare I say it, but I felt that him being North American - and one with a pre-existing relationship with the group - made it easier for the band to form that instant, easy connection with him on a personal level. They'll have all those shared experiences. With that advantage someone would have had to have blown him off the park to win IMO, and his performances were strong enough for someone to do better, but not blow him off the park ... maybe Vinnie or Billy Cobham, but they weren't there