Throughout their decades-long career, GRAMMY®-winning titans Dream Theater, have taken their Progressive Metal around the world, releasing albums that are now milestones in the genre. Following the return of charismatic drummer Mike Portnoy, the band, with this iconic lineup, releases their new studio album today, February 07, 2025. Titled ‘Parasiomnia’, it is released via InsideOut Music and contains eight full-length tracks, including two epic ones. An atmospheric intro opens the album and “In the Arms of Morpheus,” with intertwining arpeggios and effects, culminates in a Technical and Heavy Prog Metal piece. A granitic rhythm section full of tempo changes, solid riffs and solo keyboard and guitar inserts duet, creating dreamy symphonic openings. Keyboards link the previous instrumental section with “Night Terror,” characterised by a darker, heavier sound. The textures are very technical and elaborate, enriched by the tempo changes and accelerations of the rhythm section, and here come the first sung verses. With the entrance of the vocals and the development of the central theme of the song with the melodic intervals and instrumental sections, we let ourselves be guided by the music and the magic happens. We are completely enraptured by the band’s continuous stylistic solutions, keeping the intensity always very high for the long duration. The band’s classic traits are enhanced by dynamic songwriting that incorporates all the elements of the band and brings them into a fresh, modern context. A succession of instrumental and vocal passages of the highest level. “A Broken Man” is the heaviest track so far, a concentrate of technique and energy. A granitic rhythm section with a killer bassline, heavy riffs intertwine with keyboards creating a punchy sound. Enter the vocals, enhanced by effects, creating great lines and choruses that stick in the mind. In the middle section, the band develops a technical and virtuosic instrumental section that alternates between Petrucci and Rudess in the solos. With the return of the last vocal lines, the track closes, returning to the initial theme. We come to one of the album’s epic tracks, “Dead Asleep,” which is over 11 minutes long and opens with a very intense orchestral intro. With a change, the band delivers an aggressive prog metal track with solid guitar riffs and lead guitar inserts. The vocals are incisive and interpret the lyrics with pathos, offering melodic rhythms in line with the band’s style. Very well-constructed tempo changes, complex and elaborate textures with excellent mixtures between keyboards and guitar. Orchestrations on keyboards embellish the sound, and then in the second half develop an extended instrumental section with great solos. Another excellent track that keeps the intensity of the tracklist very high. One of the tracks we enjoyed as it was extracted as a single, “Midnight Messiah” is a concentrate of technique and power. The sounds are fresh and modern, with a vocal enriched by electronic effects and cobn cleaner melodic refrains, always punchy and engaging. The tempo changes and accelerations in particular take the sound to another level, making the listener go wild. Definitely will be a track that will be very pleasant to listen to in concert. The old-style choruses are really engaging and stick in the mind even after listening to the track. “Are We Dreaming?” is a short-lived interlude with atmospheric sounds and layered vocals that takes us toward ”Bend the Clock.” A melancholy guitar arpeggio opens the song, surely the softest and most delicate on the record, showing another facet of the band. Intense and pleasant, it deviates from the band’s classic repertoire, incorporating more technical elements into the instrumental section in the second half with a virtuoso guitar solo. And we come to the final epic suite, “The Shadow Man Incident,” a track over 19 minutes long that as in the best tradiotion encompasses all the elements a listener seeks. Beautifully crafted melodies and riffs, tempo changes, lumghe instrumental textures between Progressive Rock and Metal, intense vocals and epic passages that make thispezzo one of the best listens in recent years. An absolute masterpiece that concludes this excellent chapter in the discofia of a band that never ceases to amaze. Albums like this one highlight the talents of a band that has made and continues to make history in Progressive sounds. The lineup is in excellent shape both compositionally and performer-wise, offering an intense and elaborate tracklist from start to finish, bringing classic atmospheres into a fresh and modern context, proving once again that they are uan of the best bands on the world music scene.
Tracklist
01. In the Arms of Morpheus (5:22)
02. Night Terror (9:55)
03. A Broken Man (8:30)
04. Dead Asleep (11:06)
05. Midnight Messiah (7:58)
06. Are We Dreaming? (1:28)
07. Bend the Clock (7:24)
08. The Shadow Man Incident (19:32)
Lineup
James LaBrie / Lead Vocals
John Petrucci / Guitars, Backing Vocals
Jordan Rudess / Keyboards, Backing Vocals
John Myung / Bass, Backing Vocals
Mike Portnoy / Drums & Percussion, Backing Vocals
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