PARASOMNIA

This is one I have been looking forward to doing since last October, when the song "Night Terror," was released: Dream Theater's "Parasomnia." The album was released less than a week ago as I type this (One week exactly when it is posted) , and this will be my first listen, other than "Night Terror." Of course, this album marks the return of original drummer and co-founder Mike Portnoy to the band after his departure in 2010. His return was announced in late 2023, along with the departure of Mike Mangini, who had taken over the drum throne in the ensuing years. Portnoy's last appearance on a DT studio album prior to this one was 2009's "Black Clouds and Silver Linings." DT released 5 studio albums with Mangini. The rest of the line-up includes original members John Petrucci on guitar and John Myoung on bass, as well as long-time members James LaBrie on vocals, and Jordan Rudess on keyboards. For a more comprehensive look at DT's history, see my #scottsspotlight issue on the band, which I will link below the review. The songs on "Parasomnia," are based around the title, which refers to a broad range of sleep disorders.

Let's dig in!

Track 1 - In the Arms of Morpheus

The track fades in with wind sound effects and the sounds of a city. A door closes behind someone walking into (presumably) their home, and shortly thereafter, we get the impression that they are going to sleep. By around 50 seconds an eerie keyboard part begins. It is replaced by what sounds like a string section playing a spooky pizzicato (plucked) melody. There are some cool panned sounds that lead up to the band fully clicking in, just before the 2 minute point. A sinister riff is accompanied by spectacular Mike Portnoy drum fills. By 2:40, Petrucci starts playing a metal riff by himself then the band kicks into the new groove. Not to take anything away from the incredibly talented Mike Mangini, but NO ONE plays drums like Mike Portnoy, and he has brought his heart and soul back into Dream Theater with passion. A wonderful bass fill from Myoung leads us to a synth solo by Rudess at 3:30. Just after the 4 minute mark, the band goes into a slower, more melodic section. I am beginning to feel that this is an overture for the album, introducing themes that we will hear again. DT has used this technique on earlier albums, so I think it is likely to be the case. Petrucci proves to be one of the greatest modern guitar soloists again and again on this track. Rudess' piano accompaniment is beautiful underneath, and Portnoy and Myoung lay down a solid foundation. Great track that ends on an unresolved chord that leads to?

Track 2 - Night Terror

Eerie synth sounds carry over from the final chord of track 1. There is a brief, quiet, clean guitar part, then heavy power chords take over. More fabulous Portnoy drum fills happen during the intro. The band locks into a groove at around the one-minute mark. Then there is a short yet incredible drum break that leads us to another great guitar riff, which the rest of the band soon locks into. LaBrie's first vocals on the album come in at around 2:15, which is nearly 8 minutes into the album as a whole. A tight riff accompanies him. Harmony vocals come in at around 3 minutes. Shortly after, a keyboard break leads to the chorus. The main riff of this song is absolutely insane! They slow it down and make a variation of it at around 3:50. We go into a shifting set of odd meters here. I love the vocal harmonies in this segment. The music is heavy but not harsh. Another odd-metered riff enters at around 5:30, then Rudess joins with a countermelody. An organ solo follows. We are in prog-heaven here during the instrumental breaks. Holy crap!! The guitar part just before 7 minutes is absolutely unbelievable! This band is so freaking tight! The chorus returns around 8:45. The main riff returns to close out the song. Amazing! An instant DT classic!

Track 3 - A Broken Man

This one starts suddenly with a fast chaotic riff. They lock into a different groove by 45 seconds into the track, with what sounds like radio transmissions in the mix. The underlying groove changes to a more moderate tempo and by 1:30, the music is simply glorious. It turns heavier again to lead the vocals in. There is a contrasting section that follows that is mellower and more melodic. The playing all around is nothing short of spectacular, as one would expect. The "radio transmission" voices return between verses. The sections cycle through again, then at 4:50 there is a keyboard solo. There are lots of little time shifts and short pauses from the band that underline just how tightly they play together. Just before the 6 minute mark there is a slightly funkier jazzy riff that hits out of the blue; unpredictable as always. Petrucci's solo is on this riff which soon double-times for some truly jaw-dropping displays of guitar skill. By 6:35, we get heavier again. I love Portnoy's use of roto-toms leading into the next vocal section. A syncopated riff with insane drum fills leads us to the end of the track. Incredible song!!

Track 4 - Dead Asleep

This one fades in with the sound of several voices softly talking all at once and a synth chord sustaining with a clean electric arpeggio on top of it. A (synth) violin melody emerges over the top of the tune. Another melody then takes over and becomes the main riff as the band kicks in with a heavy riff. The riff has a number of rhythmic twists and turns. Portnoy makes nice use of a flanger effect. Next up, there is a slower melodic section with Petrucci playing lead. The heavier riff returns afterwards, and Portnoy and Rudess lock in on a double-bass-drum beat. The vocals begin at around 3:15. It's a heavy groove, but still melodic. Fantastic vocal harmonies hit around 3:45. The song seems to be about someone who murders someone while sleepwalking. The verse and chorus cycle around again then there is a bridge. Following the bridge Petrucci takes a guitar solo and a keyboard solo follows. Petrucci and Rudess are the prog metal equivalent of Howe and Wakeman, IMHO; simply impeccable players. I like the gothic keyboard tones around 9:15. The groove is slammin' towards the end. This album is shaping up to be one of DTs finest! Amazing track!

Track 5 - Midnight Messiah Mellow synth and clean guitar arpeggios begin this one. A snare roll brings the rhythm section in. Spoken word dialogue joins in part of which says "?I mean I want to wake up for real?" A slow 6-8 riff takes over with ghost-like vocals. The music then builds up then the tempo increases. They lock into a heavy riff by 1:50, before LaBrie starts singing. The chorus is fast and heavy, with an almost Anthrax-like feel to it. There is a cool odd-meter section just before the 4 minute mark. The bridge at 4:50 eases off the heaviness a bit and Rudess' piano becomes prominent. A Petrucci guitar solo follows. There is a great duet between Rudess & Petrucci that begins at around 5:50. I like the riff as the song nears its conclusion. It's a good track, with a few cool parts, but I don't like it as much as the first 4.

Track 6 - Are We Dreaming

This is by far the shortest track at just under a minute and a half. It begins with eerie sounds and church bells in the distance. A somber organ takes over. I can barely hear some whispering voices, but can't tell what they are saying. I believe this just serves as a connector between tracks.

Track 7 - Bend the Clock

Petrucci kicks this one off with a mostly clean (slightly crunchy) electric guitar that sounds like Hendrix's ballad style (aka "Little Wing," or "The Wind Cries Mary"). LaBrie joins in by the 45 second mark. Rudess joins on keys, and then Portnoy plays a cymbal roll and acoustic guitar begins strumming. A distorted riff starts around 1:30. Then the band locks in on it with some odd-meter fun. This song is more ballad-like, but DT ballad. Petrucci plays a nice melodic solo prior to the bridge. The sound just after 4:00 is beautiful. I love the layers of sound. Great harmonies at 4:35. Petrucci takes another less-melodic solo at around 5 minutes. The solos in this song remind me of how Gilmour did the solos in "Comfortably Numb," with the first being melodic and the second being more improvisational. The song fades-out to a close during the second solo. Great track!

Track 8 - The Shadow Man Incident

Here is that hallmark of many great prog albums?the closing epic. This one is 19 and a half minutes long. Let's buckle-up and check it out! Night sounds fade in, and a music-box gets wound up and plays an unsettling tune. A heavy, almost Sabbath style riff comes in very abruptly. Portnoy joins with a double bass-drum groove along with the rest of the band. By 2-minutes, there's a Morse code style riff with sustained keyboard parts on top of it. Myoung slides a note down the bass and a new riff that reminds me more of Iron Maiden comes in. The tempo shifts at around 3:35 to a slower tempo and a more melodic feel. Petrucci sustains a note to usher in the verse section with a phasey clean electric arpeggio pattern setting the stage for LaBrie to enter just before the 5 minute mark. His voice has an effect on it as though it is breaking through from a different plane of existence. A few jazzy chords transition us at around 5:10 to the next part of the verse. A deeper voice (apparently Portnoy) doubles LaBrie before sounding alone saying "Embrace the Shadow." The guitars get heavier and LaBrie goes to a higher register, with every other line doubled by Portnoy's lower voice. Just after 7 minutes a fast riff takes over, and Portnoy says some creepy things before letting loose a maniacal laugh. At around 7:30 Rudess has a short keyboard break. Another one follows between vocal phrases a bit later. At around 8:13 the feel changes slightly and becomes more hopeful sounding. Portnoy's deep voice returns a bit after the 9 minute point. At the 10 minute mark, the groove changes again. There are harmonized guitar lines with a subtle gallop rhythm below. The drums get more prominent with a tom-tom pattern underneath. Then everything drops out momentarily except sustained harmonized guitars at around 11-minutes. A fast odd-metered riff takes over. Then the tempo slows by 11:30 Rudess is featured in all his glory. This is a classic DT instrumental section with more meter and tempo changes than you can shake a stick at. There are some rapid fire unison runs that start at around 12:45 and really become mind blowing by 13-minutes. Holy crap this is amazing. Another fantastic Rudess piano solo follows over a syncopated rhythm bed. Petrucci takes over with some whammy bar madness and finger tapping after the 14 minute point. Seriously good shredding in this solo?meaning that not only are the notes played quickly, but the note selection is interesting and musical. They bring the tempo back down after the 15 minute point with some amazing Portnoy drum fills. LaBrie's vocals return at around 15:45. Petrucci takes back over at 16:50. There is an amazing guitar run at 17:45 or so. The tempo slows even more just before the 18 minute point. A terrific drum fill takes us to sustained synth effects that fade out with about 45 seconds remaining. Wind fades back in shortly afterward along with other sound effects. A voice then whispers "wake-up," then an alarm clock rings. Wow, what an incredible track!!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

While DT never really went anywhere, Portnoy's return seems to have energized the band. The music is very heavy on much of the album, but never harsh or growling; it's very prog though. This album only has one track (discounting the short transitional piece) that isn't quite as strong as the others IMHO, and even it isn't terrible; it just seemed a little more forced in it's composition. Otherwise, this album stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of "Images and Words," "Awake," and "Metropolis Part 2?Scenes From a Memory." The only member that isn't featured enough is Myoung, who is one of the world's greatest bassists, I'd like to see him stand out more. But Portnoy, Petrucci and Rudess are in top form, and LaBrie's vocals are amazing. I'll give it a 4.75 out of 5?it's not quite perfect, but it's damn close!

Clicked 5 even though it isn't quite there, it's close enough.

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