DREAM THEATER – Parasomnia

February 13, 2025 Bryce Van Patten Album Reviews, Reviews 0

Dream Theater - Parasomnia album cover art

7.8/10
DREAM THEATER - Parasomnia - 7.8/10

7.8/10

Summary

Label: Inside Out
Release date: January 7, 2025

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What a lot of fans have been hoping for for the last 16 years is finally here: Mike Portnoy is back on the new Dream Theater album, and with his return to the band, and to the songwriting team, there seems to be a bit of the old DT magic that has been a little missing. While Mike Mangini is an awesome drummer with the band, having Portnoy back feels like coming home again to old friends, and the music is fantastic. Dream Theater – Parasomnia takes fans back to a heavier feel, more guitar driven, with the signature drum fills of Portnoy bringing it all in.

Concept

Parasomnia is a different kind of concept album, as it’s not just about a single story, but instead is theme based and is centered around parasomnia, exploring a variety of unusual and distressing experiences and behaviors that occur during sleep, commonly referred to as disruptive sleep disorders. As with most Dream Theater albums, it feels like a unified collection of compositions that all belong together, telling us a story.

Production

The new album is produced by John Petrucci, which is a change from previous albums where Mike Portnoy co-produced, but considering his time away, it doesn’t seem to surprising. As always, the sound, arrangements, and recording is amazing. Being their 16th album, these guys have it figured out, and show why they are at the top of the progressive metal genre.

Final Notes

Dream Theater – Parasomnia has everything fans of the band could want. James LaBrie sounds fantastic, and his songwriting contributions of “A Broken Man” and “Bend The Clock” are excellent, old school James. The instrumental “In the Arms of Morpheus” is mind bending, and brings a kind of twisted joy to the prog fan’s ears. Every track on this album is great, and with each listen comes the desire to let it repeat, again. Calling all prog metal fans: pick up Dream Theater – Parasomnia today!

Lineup

John Petrucci – guitar
John Myung – bass
Mike Portnoy – drums
James LaBrie – lead vocals
Jordan Rudess – keyboards

Parasomnia – Tracklist

In the Arms of Morpheus (instrumental)
Night Terror
A Broken Man
Dead Asleep
Midnight Messiah
Are We Dreaming?
Bend the Clock
The Shadow Man Incident

Check out the video for “Midnight Messiah” by Dream Theater off of their new album: Parasomnia

Author

Bryce Van Patten
Bryce is an audio engineer and a graphic designer here at Metal Express Radio. From the day he purchased his first album (Machine Head by Deep Purple), he has had a passion for heavy music, which has influenced his whole life. Bryce is from the great Pacific Northwest in USA, and has played in metal bands like Babylon, Holy Terror, The Wild Dogs, Warhead and Egypt through the 80s. He had his first interview for the Portland, Oregon publication The Rock Rag with guitarist Paul Gilbert in his Racer X days. Then he was honored to get to have drinks, and talk for an hour with the legendary Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for his second interview. In 2013, he spent an amazing hour talking to Andi Deris of Helloween, which was the high point of his heavy metal journalism. In the year 2001, he formed Man in Black Music Publishing. They released recordings by several local bands, and in the spirit of the old Metal Massacre compilations, he created a 2-album series called The Defenders of Metal. The albums featured classic styled Metal bands from all around the world, with bands from Australia to England, and from Argentina to Russia. Currently, he is the producer/creator/vocalist of the Metal band The Black Tuesdays.
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