Official Parasomnia album discussion thread ***SPOILERS***

[hefdaddy42]

Re: concept album



Don't know if this will ever be proven, but given that they wrote the music before any lyrics, and considering the recurring "music box"/broken man theme, it really seemed like they planned to make a story out of it, but changed their mind when it came time to write the lyrics.

Not really.  

[Northern Lion]

JP and other band members stated that he brought the idea of Parasomnia to the other guys at the very beginning. I don't think the plan for the album ever changed.

[emtee]

Amazon says my CD is delayed. Expected between 3/7 - 3/27. Odd. I wonder if they outsold expectations. Who knows. Glad I have the MP3.

[Northern Lion]

Amazon says my CD is delayed. Expected between 3/7 - 3/27. Odd. I wonder if they outsold expectations. Who knows. Glad I have the MP3.

I think that might have been what happened. Parasomnia has stayed in the top 5 best selling albums in CD and Vinyl since it's release. It is currently sitting at #4, and peaked at #2, even trading spots with Kendrick Lamar. I think it's far out selling expectations. Which is so awesome for DT!

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

Amazon says my CD is delayed. Expected between 3/7 - 3/27. Odd. I wonder if they outsold expectations. Who knows. Glad I have the MP3.

When did you order it? I ordered mine the day before release and it showed up the next day. I would sure hope they filled orders in the order they were placed in.

[emtee]

When did you order it? I ordered mine the day before release and it showed up the next day. I would sure hope they filled orders in the order they were placed in.

Monday after release. So 3 days after. My MP3 download was defective so they issued a credit and asked me to reorder. I saw AutoRip was available so I ordered the CD as well.

[Glasser]

Monday after release. So 3 days after. My MP3 download was defective so they issued a credit and asked me to reorder. I saw AutoRip was available so I ordered the CD as well.

I got my CD Sunday after the release and my autorip was fine. Did you try downloading it again?

[lovethedrake]

I don't quite know what it is about Night Terror that I dislike so much haha.... I took it off my download but figured I would give it another chance and it makes me noticeably distressed.

As soon as the song ended and Broken Man came on I felt so much better.

Not sure I've ever had a reaction to a DT song like that before.   I think its just how similar it is to Invisible Monster and its so long that it stresses me out.   

Anyways, my random thought for the day.   The rest of the album is really fun.

[RoeDent]

Anyone tried to figure out who the voices are on AWD? Or the person who sighs at the beginning of ITAOM?

[dparrott]

Best album since SFAM for me!!!  No skips for me.  I'm not one for power ballads, I gotta listen to BTC again, but it was decent on first listen. 

The SOUL of DT is back!!!  These songs sounds more natural.  MM is great but he sounds too mechanical compared to MP.

This album will sound great live!


I like the sound effects too.  Having a theme for the album makes it more than just a collection of songs, which most of the recent albums have felt like.

I've heard others complain about how the Spotify version sounds.  The CD sounds fine to me and has the same quality as past CDs.

[krands85]

I've had parts of almost all the songs stuck in my head all week, which is always a good sign! Today it's the turn of Bend the Clock's chorus.

[geeeemo]

I've had parts of almost all the songs stuck in my head all week, which is always a good sign! Today it's the turn of Bend the Clock's chorus.

today it has been for me...

Out of my mind, out of my body
Someone's been killed, I am sorry 

James is sooo good right there. Everywhere on the record also, but this part is stuck in my head. James has certain tones, or something, when he sings them, I totally remember why I am a fan. (girl) 

[nobloodyname]

I still can't listen to that bit without laughing. Just can't

[geeeemo]

I still can't listen to that bit without laughing. Just can't

Ya, the lyrics...But how he sounds! I guess it's silly but I keep looking forward to that section of the song. So many times with DT music "the feels" don't come from the lyrics but - the music - a JP solo - or James singing. It's why they are awesome. Metal with heart. Although this record is quite gloomy.

[DoctorAction]

Agreed on the sound effects. Really add a lot to the record.

James sounds excellent throughout too. That line "Why can't I remember anything?" on Night Terror is stuck in my head atm. He sounds great on it.

[Progmaniac1988]

I gotta say. This album has the most melodies and parts stuck in my head since Octavarium.

The main riff from dead asleep.
That melody that I now call the Parasomnia melody... (the one played in the overture, chorus of a broken man, and throughout parts of dead asleep and all through the album.)
The chorus of the shadow man incident.

This album just has so many memorable parts that I keep hearing in my head since release, and I gotta say I was not expecting that!

I love the album more every single listen!

[Northern Lion]

This is a really memorable, melodic and overall stunning album. I get a grin from ear to ear when I listen to ANY of the songs.

[Dedalus]

Maybe it's a bit of recency bias, but this is the most positively received album here in a good long while, right? I joined in the lead-up to SC and have popped in here around the lease of I think every record but ADTOE and Astonishing and don't recall seeing as much nearly universal positivity.

It seems so to me. Curious as I am, I've been looking for some discussions from the time of the last album in places like here, reddit, and YouTube.

What caught my attention the most is that there wasn't much condescension towards the band. I read several comments that accused the band of lacking something new, accusing them of doing the same old thing, DT by numbers, etc. Especially on reddit, I found a long discussion that the band was "getting hit" a lot because of this.

This time we have the complete opposite. If I earned a few dollars for every comment I read saying something like "DT doesn't need to prove anything to anyone anymore, they don't need to reinvent themselves, it's okay if they sound like something they've done before, etc." I would have a nice extra income this February.

[javidt]

It seems so to me. Curious as I am, I've been looking for some discussions from the time of the last album in places like here, reddit, and YouTube.

What caught my attention the most is that there wasn't much condescension towards the band. I read several comments that accused the band of lacking something new, accusing them of doing the same old thing, DT by numbers, etc. Especially on reddit, I found a long discussion that the band was "getting hit" a lot because of this.

This time we have the complete opposite. If I earned a few dollars for every comment I read saying something like "DT doesn't need to prove anything to anyone anymore, they don't need to reinvent themselves, it's okay if they sound like something they've done before, etc." I would have a nice extra income this February.

Agree. I've done the same exercise and it's very surprising how Portnoy's comeback has changed the critic perspective.

Here is an example:

https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world/2021/10/
https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-parasomnia/2025/01/

Quotes from A view:
The album 'A View from the Top of the World', let's say it clearly, is at times tedious, it is long, it lacks originality and punch, and it is only an exercise in self-indulgence for die-hard Dream Theater fans who go crazy with its riffs, loops and instrumental tangles. But we really need to be very tough with these 'kids' and ask them for much more. Maybe not reinvent themselves, but be more original and ambitious with each of their themes.

Parasomnia:
'Parasomnia' will not only be endured by loyal fans who never let up, but it can conquer perfectly new audiences and recover old followers who fell by the wayside amid some past disappointments.

And this is only an example.

[nobloodyname]

You're both right, and I'm sorry some lament the disappearance of the slightly more technical version of Dream Theater. For those who remain, this is a fun album. Perhaps that's why more people seem to be enjoying it despite the contradictions involved.

[Lax]

I got my CD on tuesday I think via amazon, after a delay warning last week

[Pettor]

Agree. I've done the same exercise and it's very surprising how Portnoy's comeback has changed the critic perspective.

Here is an example:

https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world/2021/10/
https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-parasomnia/2025/01/

Quotes from A view:
The album 'A View from the Top of the World', let's say it clearly, is at times tedious, it is long, it lacks originality and punch, and it is only an exercise in self-indulgence for die-hard Dream Theater fans who go crazy with its riffs, loops and instrumental tangles. But we really need to be very tough with these 'kids' and ask them for much more. Maybe not reinvent themselves, but be more original and ambitious with each of their themes.

Parasomnia:
'Parasomnia' will not only be endured by loyal fans who never let up, but it can conquer perfectly new audiences and recover old followers who fell by the wayside amid some past disappointments.

And this is only an example.

I'm not sure. Parasomnia and View are quite different from each other? Perhaps it's easier for me to follow because I agree with the original statement. View is undeniably a highly competent prog metal album, with technical sections that I'm probably not skilled enough to fully grasp. That said, it wasn't quite my thing, and some sections felt a bit tedious — though I understand that's subjective, especially if you enjoy that style. AVFFTOTW is the only epic live I haven't been fully excited to hear and honestly my not so hardcore DT friends couldn't easily follow that to even the same degree as IT. It's a piece that require you to like the technical aspects to a high degree and the melodic to a lesser I think.

Parasomnia, on the other hand, is a very different album. You might dislike it or feel it gets an unfair amount of recognition due to MP, but it's an engaging, fun album in its own way, and I think easier to digest than View. I get that it all comes down to personal taste, so if you prefer View over Parasomnia, that's completely fine. But the two albums are distinct, and I think Parasomnia might be more accessible to a wider audience, in contrast to the complex View. Honestly View is the most complicated album DT has created in my book.

Also, I'm not fond of this whole "reinvention" talk. Dream Theater is Dream Theater, and I just want them to sound like themselves at that point in time. Mangini and Portnoy DT is a bit different - I think we know this much now. To me, it feels like DT has become this open canvas where they can experiment freely, drawing inspiration from bands we want them to sound like. This cycle tends to happen before every album release, and then when the album actually drops, it's usually something closer to what we could have anticipated — and suddenly, people say it's "DT by the numbers." I've seen this exact sentiment about Parasomnia, and it was the same when BC&SL came out. Honestly, I don't feel much has changed, and I've been following the forum since 2011, and even earlier on the MP forums.

Complaints about "reinvention" have been a part of the Dream Theater conversation since I first discovered them around 2003. I got into the band because I met a person who loved them but thought SDOIT wasn't what he wanted and they were getting predictable. I thought TGP was the most crazy awesome piece of music I heard and he thought it wasn't what he wanted.

I just think the "unfair" part has been reignited because there's a new variable (MP being that variable) that is hard to measure but I think to a large degree View and Parasomnia are quite different albums as well, which makes it even harder to just compare statements between the two.

Aja, why am I doing this. Both sides will always battle this out won't they.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Maybe it's a bit of recency bias, but this is the most positively received album here in a good long while, right? I joined in the lead-up to SC and have popped in here around the lease of I think every record but ADTOE and Astonishing and don't recall seeing as much nearly universal positivity.

Out of curiosity I had a look at the ADTOE thread. It was very interesting to see what people thought when it first came out. Granted a lot of those posters aren't here but we seemed to have had a very positive opinion of it. I'm not sure what people think now.

[Pettor]

Out of curiosity I had a look at the ADTOE thread. It was very interesting to see what people thought when it first came out.

It was pretty positive, right? I think I was more optimistic about it initially than I am now, if I remember correctly. It was a bit of a tough one to digest, and over time, it hasn't quite stuck with me. Maybe I sound overly harsh to View. I am sort of happy they made it with Mangini, because I don't think we will ever get anything that complicated again. TA and IM wasn't very popular singles however - specially IM.

Whenever this debate comes up, I always think about the BC&SL release and the loud complaints. Someone complained so harshly against TBOT on the MP forums that MP himself answered in a pretty angry maner. That, combined with MP actually leaving the band a bit later, really caught everyone off guard

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

It was pretty positive, right? I think I was more optimistic about it initially than I am now, if I remember correctly. It was a bit of a tough one to digest, and over time, it hasn't quite stuck with me. Maybe I sound overly harsh to View. I am sort of happy they made it with Mangini, because I don't think we will ever get anything that complicated again. TA and IM wasn't very popular singles however - specially IM.

Whenever this debate comes up, I always think about the BC&SL release and the loud complaints. Someone complained so harshly against TBOT on the MP forums that MP himself answered in a pretty angry maner. That, combined with MP actually leaving the band a bit later, really caught everyone off guard

I only looked at the first few pages but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive especially for those who compared it to the albums that preceded it.

I do think there's an element of complacency the tends to affect things. When ADTOE came out a lot of people were sick of the now so called classic lineup. When Parasomnia came out the same was true of the prior one. And one day after a few more albums - or maybe even sooner if they're all going to sound like Parasomnia - fans will get complacent about this lineup once again and want change. It's a normal human thing as I see it.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I only looked at the first few pages but the feedback was overwhelmingly positive especially for those who compared it to the albums that preceded it.

I do think there's an element of complacency the tends to affect things. When ADTOE came out a lot of people were sick of the now so called classic lineup. When Parasomnia came out the same was true of the prior one. And one day after a few more albums - or maybe even sooner if they're all going to sound like Parasomnia - fans will get complacent about this lineup once again and want change. It's a normal human thing as I see it.

The older I get and the more games/movies/music I experience, the more I feel like circumstances, context, and expectations are just as important to how something is received as the actual thing itself. If Portnoy had stayed in the band, they released five more albums with him, and then put out Parasomnia exactly as it is now, it probably would have reviewed worse. I'm not saying there's some grand conspiracy... It's just human nature.

[skydivingninja]

Not so much that we were sick of the classic lineup, but DT just started to feel stale. After the mid-2000s where each album to that point had a very distinct identity, SC and BCSL, regardless of quality, felt like DT becoming more predictable and people wanted that sense of adventure and experimentation. People also missed Myung's lyrics, started noticing MP's drumming became stale, got tired of JR's patches, Myung not being audible, overabundance of MP vocals... I'm sure there are more common complaints I'm missing.

So when ADTOE was quite good it was both a breath of fresh air (Myung lyrics! JR piano! New drummer even though JP wrote all the parts! Some experimentation! Lyrics aren't as silly!) and a reassurance that MP leaving would *not* be the end of DT.

So as long as they try new things and change them up I think that helps with fatigue.

[hefdaddy42]

Not so much that we were sick of the classic lineup, but DT just started to feel stale. After the mid-2000s where each album to that point had a very distinct identity, SC and BCSL, regardless of quality, felt like DT becoming more predictable and people wanted that sense of adventure and experimentation. People also missed Myung's lyrics, started noticing MP's drumming became stale, got tired of JR's patches, Myung not being audible, overabundance of MP vocals... I'm sure there are more common complaints I'm missing.

So when ADTOE was quite good it was both a breath of fresh air (Myung lyrics! JR piano! New drummer even though JP wrote all the parts! Some experimentation! Lyrics aren't as silly!) and a reassurance that MP leaving would be the end of DT.

So as long as they try new things and change them up I think that helps with fatigue.

All of this.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Not so much that we were sick of the classic lineup, but DT just started to feel stale. After the mid-2000s where each album to that point had a very distinct identity, SC and BCSL, regardless of quality, felt like DT becoming more predictable and people wanted that sense of adventure and experimentation. People also missed Myung's lyrics, started noticing MP's drumming became stale, got tired of JR's patches, Myung not being audible, overabundance of MP vocals... I'm sure there are more common complaints I'm missing.

So when ADTOE was quite good it was both a breath of fresh air (Myung lyrics! JR piano! New drummer even though JP wrote all the parts! Some experimentation! Lyrics aren't as silly!) and a reassurance that MP leaving would be the end of DT.

So as long as they try new things and change them up I think that helps with fatigue.

There were certain artistic choices at the time that got blasted. As you say, each of those albums had a distinct identity. They did try new things to freshen up their sound, though a lot of it didn't work. I'm thinking of the inspiration corner and how a lot of outside influences seeped into their sound.

I think making each album very unique pushes back on the now 25 years and running criticism that they've become predictable. If anything, Parasomnia is the most predictable album they've done ever yet now people want it. It's probably the only record I can think of where I have trouble defining something that makes it musically unique from their prior albums. I don't have that issue when I think of Octavarium, SC, BCSL or ADTOE.

[skydivingninja]

They certainly did get some heat for some of those musical experiments, but hindsight is 20/20 for a lot of people. I think it dawned on folks that they'd rather have more drastic turns, just maybe better quality than arguably their biggest experiment in years that we got during the Mangini years. 😛

For me, yeah Parasomnia is not the most musically exciting project they've ever done. But MP's drumming was sorely missed and there are some gems on it, so I'm not as jazzed to hear the next one like I was after ADTOE but I am hoping they swing for the fences for DT17.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Controversial opinion: the highs on BCSL are higher than the highs on Parasomnia by quite a bit.

[skydivingninja]

Controversial opinion: the highs on BCSL are higher than the highs on Parasomnia by quite a bit.

As controversial as saying water is wet.

[YngVai]

Out of curiosity I had a look at the ADTOE thread. It was very interesting to see what people thought when it first came out. Granted a lot of those posters aren't here but we seemed to have had a very positive opinion of it. I'm not sure what people think now.

Ah, the ADTOE roll-out was happening as I was on a hiatus from prog, so I missed out on all of that.

[DoctorAction]

Controversial opinion: the highs on BCSL are higher than the highs on Parasomnia by quite a bit.

There are highs on BC&SL? 🤔

[Jamesman42]

Agree. I've done the same exercise and it's very surprising how Portnoy's comeback has changed the critic perspective.

Here is an example:

https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-a-view-from-the-top-of-the-world/2021/10/
https://www.rock-progresivo.com/critica-disco-dream-theater-parasomnia/2025/01/

Quotes from A view:
The album 'A View from the Top of the World', let's say it clearly, is at times tedious, it is long, it lacks originality and punch, and it is only an exercise in self-indulgence for die-hard Dream Theater fans who go crazy with its riffs, loops and instrumental tangles. But we really need to be very tough with these 'kids' and ask them for much more. Maybe not reinvent themselves, but be more original and ambitious with each of their themes.

Parasomnia:
'Parasomnia' will not only be endured by loyal fans who never let up, but it can conquer perfectly new audiences and recover old followers who fell by the wayside amid some past disappointments.

And this is only an example.

Interesting.

I have given View and Parasomnia about the same number of listens (as I wasn't round for View). Both have about 4-5 listens, and Parasomnia is much more memorable. It could be recency bias and having known 3 of the singles, but I also don't find myself wanting to hear View but I am very interesting in PS. The only song I really remember off of View is Transcending Time and part of the title track.