Dream Theater – Parasomnia (Album Review)
Dream Theater – Parasomnia
Released: February 7th, 2025
Lineup
James LaBrie // Vocals
John Myung // Bass
Mike Portnoy // Drums
John Petrucci // Guitars
Jordan Rudess // Keys
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A decade and a half ago, Dream Theater shocked the progressive music world when they announced that stalwart co-founding member and drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy would be leaving the group. A new skinsman, another Mike (Mangini this time), was quickly recruited and on the band went, seemingly losing little to no momentum despite the departure of such a key member. They went on to write, record and release another five studio albums and tour the world many times over the next ten years or so, while Portnoy also remained extraordinarily active and high-profile.
Fast forward to late 2023, the band shocked the prog world again when they announced Mike P would be rejoining.
Without delving too far into the Portnoy vs Mangini shitfight too much, it must be said that both drummers are stunning players (you can’t be in DT and not be a world-class instrumentalist), and that both brought something unique, something all their own, to the table as they bashed the skins for the greatest prog metal band ever. Mangini brought a rock-solid steadiness that they never had before. Some people want this, and good on them.
Speaking purely for myself (ie the scribe penning this review), however, I don’t want rock-steadiness in my Dream Theater, thank you very much. I want blistering overplaying. I want the drummer to inject as much, creatively, as possible into the music without getting ridiculous. I want double-bass thunder and enormous, cascading tom-rolls flying all over the place. I want bombast, with depth.
As if saying, ‘here I am, I’m back!’, after a sound-effecty intro (which briefly reminds one of Rush’s ‘Through the Camera Eye’), Portnoy launches himself back into the game and into our consciousness, thundering around his kit with abandon on instrumental intro, ‘In the Arms of Morpheus’. It’s a real statement.
And it says: Dream Theater has re-awakened.
That’s not to say, or pun, that they’ve returned to their glory days of the 90s. Those days are gone. What they have done, is produce just about the best album they possibly could, given that they are middle-aged blokes creating their sixteenth album after four decades of existence.
The energy is back. The life is back.
From an outside/fan’s perspective, the focus on this album seemed to be simply to re-introduce Mike P to the fold in no uncertain terms, and to write some strong DT tracks, and not worry as much about the complexity of it all. That’s not to say there isn’t complexity there, of course there is, it’s Dream Theater! The two are synonymous. There are crazy time signatures, complicated arrangements, long and involved instrumental sections, and some long, long songs (the longest, epic closer ‘The Shadow Man Incident’ clocks in at a little under twenty minutes, and the eight tracks on offer amount to over seventy minutes of music.) It’s just that (and this may possibly be my imagination?) there seems to be more of an emphasis on letting the tracks breathe a little (as much as this band does, anyway.)
A note on James LaBrie. He’s been copping it across the internet for some somewhat strained-sounding vocals from live stuff that popped up online last year. I’ve checked it out, he wasn’t at his absolute best, no question. But he is dead on the money here. I know it’s studio vs live, and there is a mighty chasm of difference between the two mediums. The band has a huge year of touring ahead, both with the new album and their fourtieth anniversary celebrations, and by all accounts they should be here later this year. We’ll see how he goes then. I’m sure he’ll make a great account of himself.
As you would expect, the rest of the band members are in scintillating form – Portnoy’s formidable contribution has already been mentioned, he delivers said character-laden bombast with aplomb; bassist John Myung does what bassist John Myung does, that is, handle the complicated nature of DT’s music on his ear, and lay down a tight and solid bottom end while keeping out of the way of the others; Jordan Rudess is his usual creative and vibrant self on the keys; and guitar god John Petrucci is, well, as godlike as ever. His solo at the end of the album’s seven-minute ballad, ‘Bend the Clock’, is an absolute ripper. My only complaint is that it fades out too quickly. That shit could have gone on for another five minutes or more as far as I’m concerned.
In typical DT style, Parasomnia is a highly conceptual piece, each track offering an insight into the still-misunderstood world of dreams and sleep (highly appropriate for a band called Dream Theater.) From the crippling, debilitating and terrifying experience of having nightmares, to the way post-stress disorders affect the sleeping patterns, and thus the lives and mental states, of military veterans, the album seems to be saying that dreams are the way our subconscious speaks to us (among other sleep-related themes of course.) That’s what I’m getting anyway, others may disagree.
I would go so far as to say that is their best album since 2007’s Systematic Chaos. Like their great idols Rush, this band is ageing classily. And Portnoy’s return seems to have given them a kick up the arse and a shot of his hyperactive, kinetic energy as they enter their fifth decade as a band.
Get on this one, DT fans, it’s as much of a return to form as you could ever want.
Dream Theater – Parasomnia tracklisting
1. In The Arms Of Morpheus (5:22)
2. Night Terror (9:55)
3. A Broken Man (8:30)
4. Dead Asleep (11:06)
5. Midnight Messiah (7:58)
6. Are We Dreaming? (1:28)
7. Bend The Clock (7:24)
8. The Shadow Man Incident (19:32)
Rating: 8.75/10
Parasomnia is out Friday via Sony Music. Pre-order/save here
Review by Rod Whitfield
