PARASOMNIA

This is my first PA review! I've been using the site since around 2005 when my love for progressive music bloomed. I'll start by saying I'm a DT fanboy and they are my #1 band since 2005 when i first heard the itunes preview for The Root of All Evil and was instantly hooked and acquired all their albums.

When Portnoy left the band I literally cried from the loss. Mangini was an excellent replacement and his output with the band was fantastic. His technical and inventive drumming has kept the Portnoy sadness away. Then in late 2023 the news broke that Portnoy would return to the band. I was a bit shocked and thought poor Mangini with all his hard work to get the boot. Well that melted away when I thought how much Portnoy brings back to the fold after all these years and albums later. His many albums when he was out of the band really show he is a legend.

After hearing the singles I knew we were in for a real treat. The heavy vibes of the songs and the lyrical content checked all the boxes. The album was released at midnight and I immediately buckled up with headphones and was treated to a really cool intro setting the stage for the music to unfold.

The album is a masterclass in progressive metal and the sequencing of the tracks is great. I feel like Mikes input was well utilized, though I'm surprised he didn't co produce with Petrucci this time. Nonetheless Mike's backing vocals and song writing prowess are in top form.

The whole production of the album is top notch and just sounds so meaty. Everyone is at the top of their game as always and James brings it all together with his mostly lower pitch singing and emotional performances.

Album opener In The Arms of Morpheus is super cool and Petrucci's 8 string is on fire here. A great overture for the album and bombastic. Then we get two singles back to back and the flow of the tracks and overall heavyness is welcomed.

Dead Asleep is a really heavy track dealing with a sleep walking murder so for sure a bit grim but the music pushes it along with a great pace. What a great track.

Midnight Messiah is a banger and the chorus is catchy and thrashy. All the Portnoy lyric callbacks are cool.

Are We dreaming is a segue and I love the sound effects on the voices.

Bend the Clock starts off so chill and tenderly and James sounds amazing here. I really like this mostly ballad of a track and the heavy guitar classic rock riffing is welcomed. Really strong song with great melodies.

The epic long track The Shadow Man Incident is chock full of DT instrumentals at their best and the story's it shares are all about a really terrifying entity. Really makes me think back to being a kid who was scared of the dark. The ending carries on the narrative from the start of the album. Wake Up!!!!

I will conclude with my final thought.

Is it the best thing they have done? No. Since their discography is jam packed with gold thats hard to top. But what this album brings is a renewed spirit for the band and Portnoy's return is heard and felt all over the album. What you get is superb musicianship as always, an amazing final mix/master, imaginative lyrics and a strong sense of purpose with the subject matter. All the little nuances and sound effects/sampled word passages only add to the overall effect of this album.

Going to go with 4.5 stars. The only thing holding me back from a higher rating is I've always wanted DT to try something out of the comfort zone and really experiment! All in all a fantastic release that only gets better with each listen. Rock on!

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