In a move that should excite longtime
Dream Theater
fans, original drummer
Mike Portnoy
is back in the lineup after a 15-year absence. After an amicable split with
Mike Mangini
(who always insisted he was a temporary replacement), the band slot their drummer into their current sound.
Parasomnia
,
DT
's 16th studio effort, offers eight songs at over 71 minutes and is a thematic concept album that explores sleep disorders like hypnagogic hallucinations, night terrors, and lucid dreaming. With its labyrinthine song structures, technical virtuosity, and emotionally charged narratives, the album stands as both a throwback to earlier times and a studied step forward creatively.
The band teases listeners on opener "In the Arms of Morpheus" that kicks off with two minutes of ambient sounds and voices before a distorted bass and guitar throb erect a power riff that
Portnoy
beats up with tom-tom fills under
Jordan Rudess
' keys as it breaks into a melodic prog labyrinth. First single "Night Terror" is a
epic. It balances
James LaBrie
's authoritative, clean vocal delivery with blistering instrumental interplay between guitarist
John Petrucci
and
Rudess
' keys. It's cinematic. In feel it recalls the
of
Train of Thought
Black Clouds & Silver Linings
. Bassist
John Myung
LaBrie
shine on "A Broken Man," addressing myriad sleep disorders associated with PTSD.
go full-on prog with kinetic stop-and-start passages before
Petrucci
's guitar solo is framed by
Myung
's propulsive, distorted bassline. One can hear nods to
King Crimson
's
Starless & Bible Black
Red
, while
' organ playing deliberately recalls the style of
Keith Emerson
. It's followed by the suite-like, 11-minute "Dead Asleep." Its narrative relates the macabre, true story of a man who murdered his wife while sleepwalking. It opens with a minute of ambience before
, and
offer a plodding, grinding instrumental overture.
begins singing at three minutes, but each verse and the bridge are appended by driving, deliberately primitive interplay that changes in each section. It's breathtaking. The fingerpicked electric guitars on
's "Midnight Messiah" give way to chugging metal riffs inspired by
Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
. "Are We Dreaming?" is a brief, ethereal interlude introducing the vulnerable "Bend the Clock." A midtempo ballad, it crosses prog and indie rock with keen lyric insights into sleep trauma and night terrors by the protagonist. The melodic approach at work in this tune stands alongside their finest work. The closing "Hollow Man Incident" is progressive metal, a 19-minute journey into
's themes. Layers of synth and horns flow into a syncopated martial vamp by
. Inspired by sleep paralysis, it mimics the dream state in its long, gradual unfolding. Everything from cascading lyrics atop a filthy bassline, sharp-edged guitars, and flamenco piano sketches ride the martial snare and tom-tom rolls.
is solid. It channels the band's storied past as well as their current more complex, forward-thinking compositional style with only a few rough edges. ~ Thom Jurek