The Band
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985.
One of the founding members, Mike Portnoy (drummer) left the band in 2010 to take a break and participate in other musical projects. He intended this period to be short, but the band replaced him with Mike Mangini.
Portnoy wanted to return to the band for a long time, but the relationships with his ex-bandmates weren’t optimal yet. This situation changed as he started to play with some of their old mates (Petrucci and Rudess) in other bands.
Finally, in October 2023 what all of us, the fans, had been expecting for years, Portnoy returned to the band and Mangini had to step aside. This was after Portnoy went to see Dream Theater in New York in 2022. He greeted the guys, and they left all the drama behind.
Band Members
- James LaBrie – vocals
- John Petrucci – guitars
- John Myung – bass
- Jordan Rudess – keyboards
- Mike Portnoy – drums
The Album
Parasomnia is the sixteenth studio album by Dream Theater. It was released on February 7th, 2025, and it’s the first album after the return of their original drummer Mike Portnoy. His first record with the band in 15 years (after the release of Black Clouds & Silver Linings in 2009).
The whole album deals with themes of parasomnia (sleep disorders characterized by abnormal movements, vocalizations, or experiences, such as sleepwalking, talking in one’s sleep, or night terrors).
The Songs
1. In the Arms of Morpheus. Instrumental. This track serves as an introduction to the dream world present on this album, from the point of view of someone getting sleep. It starts calm and slow, but it gets chaotic and unsettling.
From the first seconds of this track, I knew I would love this track and the entire album.
Mike Portnoy going crazy on drums. Jordan Rudess’s effects on keyboards, and the final guitar solo by Petrucci which I found very moving, stirred up my emotions and reminded me instantly of some parts of my favorite and dearest Dream Theater album: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory.
2. Night Terror. Orchestral vibe in the beginning. I felt that this song had an older dream theater vibe (it also moved me at times). I liked it, and I love John Petrucci’s guitar lines in this. About night terrors.
3. A Broken Man. A heavy intro. It tells the story of a war veteran who suffers nightmares filled with his war memories.
A keyboard solo in the middle of the song.
4. Dead Asleep. An intro that begins very sweet, but it transforms into a weird sensation and then the heavy instruments drop. Another beautiful guitar solo by Petrucci is in the middle of the instrumental intro.
Keyboard solo and great drum fills.
This song is about a real story. A man who was in a state of parasomnia strangled his wife then he woke up and didn’t remember anything but saw his wife lying dead, and he thought that someone else had murdered her. On the trial, it was proved that he wasn’t conscious, so he was found not guilty.
5. Midnight Messiah. This was the first song I heard from this album and it became my favorite. I saw a video of Drumeo (a YouTube channel about drumming) in which Mike Portnoy challenged producer Brandon Toews to play this song.
The song is a heavy and fast track. It starts with spoken words that introduce the theme of the track. It has some callbacks to Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, the one that shocked me the most was the phrase “It’s calling me back to my home” which connects to the song Home from that album and that even sounded similar (according to me).
It’s supposed to be about a man who feels more comfortable in his dream than in his waking life. The lyrics were written by Mike Portnoy. I read on the Internet some fans’ interpretation that this song was autobiographical and that it was about Portnoy lying awake during his time outside the band, wishing he could go back but being unable to for so long. That’s why it has so many callbacks to other lyrics that he also wrote for previous songs. I don’t know if this is true, but for me, it makes sense.
6. Are We Dreaming? A short track with haunting spoken words.
7. Bend the Clock. A ballad, very emotional. James’s voice sounds so lovely here, as well as the piano work of Jordan Rudess, along with Petrucci’s guitar lines.
A delightful song in general, about a creepy subject: paralyzing dreams and recurring nightmares.
The ending guitar solo of Petrucci while Mike Portnoy’s drumming in the back was amazing. Sadly they faded out this part, I would have loved to listen to this part complete because I think it’s my favorite solo of this album.
8. The Shadow Man Incident. The last track and the longest one of this masterpiece of an album. Dream Theater never disappoints, but this work is marvelous, better than I expected.
The song starts with a musical jewelry box’s melody, then a heavy drop, a dark vibe, but that sounds so spectacular and sweet at times. Petrucci’s solos provide warmness and in other moments delve into craziness. Epic track. It is about shadow people and sleep paralysis demons.
The spoken outro says, “Wake up… Wake up… Wake up… Wake up… Wake up” and then an alarm clock rings. This is too similar to the ending of the last song Finally Free of the album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory when the Hypnotherapist says “Open your eyes, Nicholas” and he screams as he wakes up. Come on! It cannot be my imagination, these two albums are connected.
Final Thoughts
For me, this album represents a beautiful comeback to Dream Theater’s roots, provoked by Mike Portnoy’s return to the band. I have nothing against Mike Mangini, he is an amazing drummer, but Portnoy is the soul of this band.
I’m so happy with this album. The chemistry of these guys is back, Mike is in Dream Theater and nothing can’t beat that. A marvelous work, all the pieces fit together, and all work so well.
It’s a very emotional album (at least it was for me). Especially with some of Petrucci’s guitar solos, they are too pretty and the whole synchronization and merging of this band: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, James LaBrie, and John Myung, have no match. That’s why they are the monumental figures of progressive metal that they are, musical geniuses.
As I have said repeatedly throughout this review, I felt that this album has a special connection to Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, like a homage. I felt the similarities regarding the lyrics, the music, and the emotion. A combination of madness and feelings, and even though it lasted more than 71 minutes, I felt it was a short length. It ended so fast while I was still submerged in its oneiric world.
And in case you didn’t notice… I loved this album.
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Tracklist
- In the Arms of Morpheus
- Night Terror
- A Broken Man
- Dead Asleep
- Midnight Messiah
- Are We Dreaming?
- Bend the Clock
- The Shadow Man Incident