The 16th studio album from GRAMMY®-winning American veteran band Dream Theater is guaranteed to grab headlines, not just because it's another top class prog metal record, from one of the most respected and influential progressive metal acts of all time.
But more likely because it's their first album in fifteen years that features founding drummer Mike Portnoy. He takes back the drum stool re-joining James LaBrie, John Petrucci, John Myung, and Jordan Rudess for the first album since 2009's Black Clouds & Silver Linings. Just in time for the band to enter their 40th Anniversary year.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than reforming with Portnoy. It’s long been called for by the hardcore fanbase and surely there’s enough water under the bridge. It’s not even like Mike hasn’t wanted to come back to the prog metal fold, I mean he did form Sons Of Apollo which was pretty much DT. So yes he’s back behind the stool.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than reforming with Portnoy. It’s long been called for by the hardcore fanbase and surely there’s enough water under the bridge. It’s not even like Mike hasn’t wanted to come back to the prog metal fold, I mean he did form Sons Of Apollo which was pretty much DT. So yes he’s back behind the stool.
Now I have to go on record that I was fan of Mike Mangini's tenure with the band, the albums he made with Dream Theater were great, apart from The Astonishing, they kept the legacy going and many would say well it’s only can change in drummer but there did always feel like there was something missing. Mangini's drumming is brilliant, technically impressive and precise but he wasn't Portnoy.
Any long time Dream Theater fan will tell you Portnoy is more than the drummer in the band, he's the soul of Dream Theater, alongside John Petruccis’s mind and John Myung’s heart. He’s the rhythmic back beat yes of course heavily influenced by The Professor Neil Peart, but like Peart was also a major lyric contributor and co-writer alongside John Petrucci and James LaBrie. Portnoy is also backing vocalist, and often too a spokesperson.
Any long time Dream Theater fan will tell you Portnoy is more than the drummer in the band, he's the soul of Dream Theater, alongside John Petruccis’s mind and John Myung’s heart. He’s the rhythmic back beat yes of course heavily influenced by The Professor Neil Peart, but like Peart was also a major lyric contributor and co-writer alongside John Petrucci and James LaBrie. Portnoy is also backing vocalist, and often too a spokesperson.
He's the affable, approachable face of prog metal, happy to give interviews, play Hello Kitty drum kits, and generally get involved, while many virtuoso musicians are aloof and don't like to be bothered, playing music for themselves and their fans. Portnoy will happily chat about most things and is happy to give an opinion and join any band that will have him.
So yeah Mike Portnoy returning is a big deal for a DT fanboy like me, his presence is felt immediately on the instrumental In The Arms Of Morpheus. His trademark tom-tom fills, the snappy snare hits, set between the powerhouse boiler room that he and Myung are so good at.
So yeah Mike Portnoy returning is a big deal for a DT fanboy like me, his presence is felt immediately on the instrumental In The Arms Of Morpheus. His trademark tom-tom fills, the snappy snare hits, set between the powerhouse boiler room that he and Myung are so good at.
Parasomnia is a term for disruptive, sleep-related disturbances, so this instrumental leads us into the world of sleep, of nightmares, sleep walking and night terrors, the intro is there to bring us into the land of dreams, building into the main bulk of the record as the chiming of an alarm clock ringing to begin the album properly.
The first song is Night Terror, building from a dreamlike state it's a big meaty metal morsel ala A Train Of Thought, when DT took a heavier turn that remained until Black Clouds. Nearly ten minutes of prog metal chug, Petrucci's guitars as muscular as his arms while Rudess' synths swell and swirl against the main riff.
The first song is Night Terror, building from a dreamlike state it's a big meaty metal morsel ala A Train Of Thought, when DT took a heavier turn that remained until Black Clouds. Nearly ten minutes of prog metal chug, Petrucci's guitars as muscular as his arms while Rudess' synths swell and swirl against the main riff.
It’s a bit DT goes doom for the beginning, the low slung riffs augmented by orchestrations. The team of Petrucci (producer), James 'Jimmy T' Meslin (engineer) and Andy Sneap (mixer) ensuring that it's sounds as wide-screen as it can be. As we are drawn into the cinematic dream world they want to create with this record.
Parasomnia is thematic rather than conceptual, all of the songs linked to the title condition, from Night Terror it's into A Broken Man, written by LaBrie it's more on the epic gothic side of what DT, that theatrical delivery from LaBrie fully utilised here, from his growl to croon he delivers across this 8 minutes.
Parasomnia is thematic rather than conceptual, all of the songs linked to the title condition, from Night Terror it's into A Broken Man, written by LaBrie it's more on the epic gothic side of what DT, that theatrical delivery from LaBrie fully utilised here, from his growl to croon he delivers across this 8 minutes.
Bend The Clock, the other LaBrie track is a romantic ballad, perfect for his breathy delivery and the air romance at least one DT track has to have. Neither of these are ‘lighter’ they still have potency to them but are most definitely the LaBrie style of writing.
Portnoy's lone composition is Midnight Messiah, on the heavier side of the DT again, it's probably actually the first song that makes me think of 'classic' Dream Theater, while also adding some classic metal and rock influences too. Rudess using some Jon Lord organs for maximum effect. It’s the first one with massive chorus to it as well, it will have to be a radio single at some point.
Portnoy's lone composition is Midnight Messiah, on the heavier side of the DT again, it's probably actually the first song that makes me think of 'classic' Dream Theater, while also adding some classic metal and rock influences too. Rudess using some Jon Lord organs for maximum effect. It’s the first one with massive chorus to it as well, it will have to be a radio single at some point.
Though they’ll maybe have to edit it as you shouldn’t come into Parasomnia thinking that it's going to be an easy listen, Black Clouds & Silver Linings was 75 minutes and this one is similar in length, Dream Theater don’t do short records but never does this album feel like it’s dragging, the pace is brisk and the songs flow with highs and lows to keep the record captivating.
With Dead Asleep, we have 11 minutes of a DT storytelling track, again heavy and brooding with a widdly blues based solo towards the end, that lets Pertucci do what he does best. As we get to the end of the record, The Shadow Man Incident is nearly 20 minutes in length and concludes the album. Now this is one for all the major prog fans, a fully formed masterpiece which takes us through several of the musical themes used before in the album.
With Dead Asleep, we have 11 minutes of a DT storytelling track, again heavy and brooding with a widdly blues based solo towards the end, that lets Pertucci do what he does best. As we get to the end of the record, The Shadow Man Incident is nearly 20 minutes in length and concludes the album. Now this is one for all the major prog fans, a fully formed masterpiece which takes us through several of the musical themes used before in the album.
Telling its own story too while doing so, linking it back to the In The Arms Of Morpheus with an alarm clock, to wake up our unnamed character whose mind we have been inside. This final part winks one knowing eye to how Dream Theater used to continue one album with the end of the last as a fade out/fade in
I could go on about this record forever but that may make you a little nauseous and a may lose a lot of my journalistic credibility and descend into fanboying. Dream Theater are a really important band in my metal upbringing and I'm so pleased to hear Mike Portnoy behind the kit again for this new record.
Parasomnia feels like the natural continuation of Black Clouds... it’s almost like DT are whole again. It'll take something very special to knock this off my #1 AOTY slot! 10/10
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