Poor old Mike Mangini. The supremely gifted drummer provided the engine in the Dream Theater chassis for 13 years, powering through a string of never less-than-interesting albums and one Grammy award.
Yet all it took was the announcement in 2023 that Mike Portnoy was returning to the fold for the fanbase to lose their collective mind – and Mangini found himself bundled hastily out the door. For his part, he’s said all the right things, his departure free of public rancour. It seems that even he knows some bands have a definitive line-up that every fan wants to see; and for Dream Theater this is it.
In some ways it could be seen as a step backwards. The band tried some new moves on the four albums released in Portnoy’s absence, particularly on the orchestral sprawl of 2016’s sci-fi rock opera The Astonishing. By contrast, Parasomnia picks up pretty much where Black Clouds & Silver Linings left off in 2009.
Portnoy is not just one of the most inventive and skilled drummers working in any genre. As the beating heart of the band, he also contributes to everything from big-picture concepts to composition, lyrics and even distinctive backing vocals. With the reunification of the classic line-up they’ve returned to a classic Dream Theater sound – and with a 40th anniversary tour now underway, perhaps that’s exactly what was needed.
Most of this will be more than familiar to long-term fans. The big power ballad? Check. The comparatively metal song? That’s here. A 20-minute multifaceted epic to close out the album? Oh, yes. There are few real surprises, but the songs are expertly designed and flawlessly executed.
Dream Theater bring together a collection of supremely talented musicians who all get multiple chances to shine individually. But they also click as a unit, and there’s a sense of excitement and reinvigoration that comes from having this particular chemistry back in place.
Nightmare fuel is the perfect backdrop for exploring their darker and heavier sides
It starts with In The Arms Of Morpheus, an extended instrumental intro that introduces the theme of the album as well as some musical motifs that reoccur during its 71-minute running time. The track begins with ambient siren and traffic sounds before slowly building ominous keys, bringing in an off-kilter bass riff, and the first of many Portnoy drum fills, to usher the listener into a darkened dreamland.
Morpheus is the god of sleep, and the parasomnia of the album title refers to a set of sleep disorders involving abnormal movements, behaviours and dreams. It’s nightmare fuel, in other words – and while there are plenty of bright moments, it gives the band the perfect backdrop for exploring their darker and heavier sides.
Night Terror follows in a welter of speeding drums, choppy riffs and soaring melodic hooks. There’s a beautifully-meshed instrumental section, with John Myung’s bubbling bass underpinning successive solos from guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. In many ways it’s Dream Theater-by-numbers; but it’s also the sort of thing they do supremely well.
Petrucci shows that sometimes less can be more with an emotive solo played with restraint
A Broken Man is a suitably disquieting follow-up, with jarring rhythms and radio chatter evoking the disturbed sleep of a combat veteran suffering from PTSD. Dead Asleep keeps things lyrically dark, based as it is on the real-life case of a man who killed his wife as he dreamed he was fending off robbers. Musically it combines a tight groove with big harmonies and note-cramming solos, with spooky keyboard and choral effects for added atmosphere.
Midnight Messiah marks Portnoy’s first lyrical foray on the record, and has vocalist James LaBrie screaming ‘Midnight messiah, darkness descends / Eternally wired, the dream never ends.’ It serves the music’s metallic approach, which lands somewhere between a more technically-minded Metallica and Judas Priest. It’s the most straightforward metal song in the set – but even here there are big proggy solos and slick transitions.
It also precedes a downward gear change, with the whispering voices of interlude Are We Dreaming and the breathy balladry of Bend The Clock. Here, Petrucci shows that sometimes less can be more with an emotive solo played with restraint that serves the song – although he still can’t resist a final flourish as he races to the fade-out.
The Shadow Man Incident is the epic closer, passing through multiple moods as it explores the phenomenon of sleep paralysis through sinuous rhythms, dazzling melodies, jarring riffs and a spoken-word nod to HP Lovecraft.
It’s a strong ending to an album that largely lives up to the hype. There might not be any radical departures here, but Dream Theater long ago earned their crown as the kings of prog metal. And, as Parasomnia proves, absolutely no one does it better.
Parasomnia is on sale now via InsideOut.
