Dream Theater: Parasomnia

At this stage of their career, Dream Theater needs very little introduction. The 5-piece arguably defines the genre of progressive metal: at the very least they are the yardstick by which all prog metal bands are measured. The band’s sixteenth studio album, Parasomnia, is set for release on February 7th via leading prog metal label Inside Out.

Mike Portnoy’s return to the band is the obvious headline and a contextual focal point for this new album and my review. I’m a die-hard Dream Theater fan, and whilst there is no doubting the major sentimental element to Portnoy’s return, I’m in the camp that thoroughly enjoyed Mike Mangini’s tenure in the band too. Mangini’s cerebral and precise drumming allowed the band to continue to move forward despite absence of Portnoy, who voluntarily hit the ejector seat some 15 years ago. I often reach for the albums that Mangini played on, perhaps because they’re relatively new in the context of Dream Theater’s 40-year career. With that said, Portnoy is a talisman for Dream Theater. He’s a founding member and arguably the closest thing to the band's ‘Heart and Soul’. He has an outgoing personality and wears his heart on his sleeve in his many media appearances and interactions with the fans. Behind the kit his signature style and on-stage persona has been missed as well. It’s not lost on the band, or the fans, that with Mike Portnoy re-claiming the drum throne they once again have the lineup that created the revered Metropolis Part Two: Scenes from a Memory album, and many other cherished releases. This reunited lineup is the classic version of Dream Theater.

But enough scene setting, and onto the album itself.

The term Parasomnia is defined as ‘An abnormal disruption of sleep, such as sleepwalking, sleep talking, nightmares, bedwetting, sleep apnea, or nighttime seizures’. When you pair the album title up with the dark and ghostly cover art, you have the foundations for a pretty dark release. By Dream Theater standards this one largely is.

The band has crafted eight tracks, all of which carry the album’s theme of sleep disorders in the lyrical content or title, creating a thematic concept album of sorts. On this album, the concept is carried by individual tracks sharing this common theme, rather than telling a long-form story from track to track. The addition of cinematic sound bites and veiled musical themes that reoccur through the various tracks enhance this conceptual link on Parasomnia. More on this to follow.

'In The Arms Of Morpheus' is the opening track and overture, and it’s largely a heavy instrumental offering. It opens with the sounds of sirens, footsteps, and what I imagine is a man lying down to go to go to sleep. Que an eerie, ghostly motif. You’ll want to remember this melody as both the arpeggiated backing line and haunting lead motif are reprised throughout the album. This important theme has a beautiful but forlorn feel to it �" it is reminiscent of a traditional European song, a lullaby, or perhaps some of the more poignant music from Les Misérables (Empty Chairs). The album's opening sequence is a very cinematic way to open the album.

Allowing myself to embellish a little, in an on-screen setting I could easily imagine the motif being played on a haunted musical box that plays by itself, perhaps once owned by the ghostly child figure depicted on the album's cover art! The ‘musical box’ theme, as I will refer to it from here on in (Genesis reference unintended), descends into staccato string orchestration and a chaotic alarm style, clock ticking malaise before the whole band breaks into a heavy intro riff.

The track is a great album opener. Portnoy lets everyone know he’s back behind the kit from the outset, belting out plenty of his signature fills and double kick patterns and grooves, whilst Petrucci, Myung and Rudess churn through a plethora of heavy and catchy riffs; this track is a riff fest a la 'The Glass Prison' or the heavy parts in Illumination Theory. Petrucci is using his 8 string on here, so the riffing is low and heavy, especially by DT standards. Rudess plays a tidy little synth solo which is arguably the highlight of the track, along with the now-standard lyrical Petrucci lead break that prioritizes melody over note count, channelling something like Steve Rothery on steroids. First impression of the album is that Mr Portnoy’s return could well mean the metallic edge of the band's sound has been dialled-up a notch or two.

'Night Terror' is up next and is a track that most fans will have spent some time with already. 'Night Terror' was the public’s first taste of the band with Portnoy back behind the kit, and it went down well with most fans. The song has almost everything you’d want from a modern-day Dream Theater track, including a subtle reference to the aforementioned ‘musical box’ theme in the introduction. The drawn-out instrumental break is a clear highlight for me. My only knock on this track is that the chorus is perhaps the weakest part in what is otherwise a very solid DT number. It’s a rare situation where I prefer the verse riff/groove/melody to the actual Chorus. This nit-picking critique would also apply to a track such as ‘As I Am’, which I’d imagine was referenced by the band when writing this track.

'A Broken Man' is up next. This was again one of the pre-release singles, and it is a hard and heavy hitter with a nice melodic chorus and hook. Notably the melodic chorus is an adaptation of the haunting melody that I’m referring to as the ‘musical box’ motif, first heard in the album opener. In isolation 'A Broken Man' is a little bit like a modern-day ‘War Inside My Head’ from Six Degrees, both for the PTSD lyrical content and the frantic instrumentation employed at times. It’s a quality track and one I enjoyed more in the context of the album than I did streaming it on YouTube set to an AI-generated Visualiser. The world has grown accustomed (or even immune?) to the absolute top-tier playing on Dream Theater albums but it goes without saying that the playing on 'A Broken Man' and Parasomnia in general is top-shelf. Petrucci’s best-ever Steve Morse impression is a fine example of this.

'Dead Asleep' opens with some sound bites and the same eerie ‘musical box’ theme that has been referenced by the band on numerous occasions to this point. The theme is arguably in its most complete form in this introduction, with the melody carried by a neat string arrangement. The way the band has weaved this motif in and out of the music is really adding a layer of intrigue to my listening experience as I get familiar with Parasomnia. 'Dead Asleep' tells the story of sleepwalking with fatal consequences. Its 11-minute run time allows the band to meander off into long instrumental passages and sections reminiscent of tracks like ‘SN2’ or ‘Beyond this Life’, especially during the bluesy solo section. There are also lots of times where the riffing and drum grooves sound to my ears like a heavier or modern versions of ‘Sacrificed Sons’ from the Octavarium album. Rudess plays a lot of Piano style accompaniments throughout this track giving the piece a grandiose feel. Given this is one of the first tracks that wasn’t a pre-release single, I get a lot of enjoyment out of playing through this one. I especially get a kick out of another, more epic reprise of the ‘musical box’ theme in the instrumental section towards the back end. After a ‘Six Degrees/Losing Time’ style climax and ending we get a moment of almost silence. The quiet is short-lived as we are once again met with the haunting theme. This time around the theme is presented by Rudess in a simple, forlorn manner that is somewhat reminiscent of the piano passage that links ‘One Last Time’ to ‘The Spirit Carries On’ on Scenes From A Memory. The nostalgia of this little tidbit warms this DT fanboy’s heart.

At times throughout this review, I have, and will continue to, compare the new tracks to past works to try and describe the style of the songs. This comparison isn’t intended to paint a picture of an album based on rehashed ideas. On the contrary, I’d hope this paints a picture of an album which hits on many of the elements that have served the band well over a long and distinguished career.

'Midnight Messiah' was the 3rd and final pre-release single and it is a great track. The rolling style ‘Root of all Evil’ riff that we get after the intro, takes on the harmonic structure of the ‘musical box’ theme’s arpeggiated accompaniment. Mind blown. The track leans heavily into the bands metallic edge and has some nostalgic lyrics penned by Portnoy that cite his past lyrics from classic DT tracks. The faux Metallica/Megadeth vocal phrasing in the verse is perhaps a symptom of Portnoy’s return, as I’d imagine he provided the vocal demo for this track in addition to the lyrics. I really enjoy the duel lead section where Rudess and Petrucci shred up a storm.

‘Are We Dreaming’ is a short interlude more so than a song. Either way, I like it as a change-up and a point of intrigue. The combination of organ tones and cinematic sound effects is very much cut from the same cloth as the final moments of Scenes From A Memory. I know I’ve heard the chord progression somewhere before too but I’ve struggled to put my finger on where. Perhaps it's a mash-up of a few things. With Portnoy back in the mix you’d imagine this could be a deliberate ‘easter egg’.

Up until this point my impression of Parasomnia is that it is stylistically as close as Dream Theater has released to Train of Thought since they released…Train of Thought. As was the case on that album Rudess is largely playing guitar-style lines on the keys, or providing backing lines to the riffs. It’s only when his lead playing bobs up that he takes center stage, with potentially ‘Dead Asleep’ and some short cameos where he carries ‘the theme’ as an exception. In a similar way, and because of the heavy songwriting approach, the majority of the first half of the album keeps LaBrie in a relatively one-dimensional vocal palate. He sounds great mind you. Digressing a little, I feel that James is an unfairly maligned figure these days. He has never once let me down live, and always shines on the studio releases. He shines once again on Parasomnia. As good as Dream Theater sounds leaning into their metal side, I enjoy the final couple of tracks on Parasomnia a lot. These are more elaborate and varied, which in turn allows both Rudess and LaBrie to shine to an even greater extent.

‘Bend The Clock’ is a great track and a clear standout for me. It starts with the sort of pastoral finger-style guitar line that we haven’t heard from Petrucci since ‘Regression’ and ‘Finally Free’, but with a few more embellishments. Labrie sounds exceptional and shows his full range and capability in what is a mid-tempo ballad of sorts. It starts off in pure husky vocal ballad mode, but if you think of mid-paced melodic tracks like ‘The Looking Glass’, ‘The Bigger Picture’ or ‘Barstool Warrior’ you’re in the right sort of wheelhouse for the overall offering. There is also a bit of a retro 80s aesthetic to this track, which is something the band have touched on in recent times with tracks like ‘Transceding Time’ and ‘A New World’. Petrucci plays his finest solo on the album at the end of ‘Bend the Clock’, nodding to the likes of Rothery and Gilmour and reaching deep into his own bag of tricks. It's a truly epic closing solo.

‘The Shadow Man Incident’ is the highly anticipated 20-minute long epic on the release. When A Dramatic Turn of Events was released I recall a number of reviewers pointing to an Images and Words template being used by the band to write that particular album. I feel like the band has done something similar here, and has set out with a vision to combine all of the best elements of their long-form epics and instrumental sections in a standalone song. To my ears ‘Pale Blue Dot’, ‘A View from the top of the World’, ‘A Change of Seasons’, ‘Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence’ and ‘Octavarium’ have all been influential and perhaps specifically referenced in the composition of this track. There is a middle eastern jam section reminiscent of ‘Home’. In the opening salvo it’s a pleasure hearing Portnoy play around with time signatures and/or feels a la classic instrumental passages on the Awake album (Voices, The Mirror etc). Unsurprisingly its a fantastic track and probably the highlight of the album. Like ‘Bend The Clock’, this track also allows LaBrie and Rudess to shine more so than they did during the heavier, riffy numbers. John Myungs bass lines are very tasty on this one too, especially during a particularly Rush inspired section in the throes of the introduction. Petrucci and Portnoy put on a clinic as they have throughout the entire album. The track closes with a Razors Edge / Octavarium style ending that crescendos into perhaps the most grandiose reprise of the ‘Musical Box’ theme. The album comes to its end after a flurry of Tom fills, another cinematic sound bite, and the abrupt spoken words ‘Wake Up’. We’ve come full circle and are no longer dreaming. The ending is once again loosely reminiscent of the ‘Open Your Eyes Nicholas’ moment at the end of ‘Scenes’.

Personally, I am a big wrap for Parasomnia

Whilst Parasomnia does not sound considerably different, nor would I say it is any better, than the Mangini era records to my ears, you can tell that Portnoy is back in the fold. His input can be heard beyond the recognizable drum fills and beats too. You can hear his influence when they bring back the heavy riff for that one extra time, when the instrumental sections get a little more drawn out and experimental, and in the vocal phrasing on the heavier numbers. For some fans that might be the difference. In addition, the album contains plenty of nostalgic nods to the past, and plenty of Portnoy-isms. Thankfully the toe-curling faux death growls from ‘A Nightmare to Remember’ did not get a reprise despite the heaviness of the front half of the record!

I’m unsure if it was Portnoy or his bandmates that drove the idea to sprinkle the ‘Musical Box’ theme throughout the album. Whatever the case, it's a nice little motif and adds a layer of depth to the album that has captured my imagination. I’m looking forward to sitting down with the Vinyl when it arrives and listening out for the times that it is referenced in more subtle ways; this review hasn’t attempted to nail them all.

I don’t believe that Dream Theater made any miss steps in the absence of Portnoy, so the term ‘return to form’ doesn’t apply to Parasomnia. What this album is however, is a return to the more riff based, metal side of the Dream Theater sound. Even as I type this, perhaps thats not entirely true as recent tracks like ‘Awaken the Master’ and ‘Fall into the Light’ have kept that candle burning in Portnoy’s absence. The album also has far more to offer than just killer metal riffs. Either way this album has a heavier than usual concentration of riff based material and will go down really well with DT fans who are metal fans first and foremost. Fans of Train of Thought take note.

As is the case with each and every Dream Theater album released, it will be right up there when it comes to album of the year calculations. Parasomnia is a highly enjoyable release and a worthy addition to what is arguably my favourite Discography of all time.

Tracklisting

1. In The Arms Of Morpheus
2. Night Terror
3. A Broken Man
4. Dead Asleep
5. Midnight Messiah
6. Are We Dreaming?
7. Bend The Clock
8. The Shadow Man Incident

Added: February 2nd 2025
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
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Language: english

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