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

[Architeuthis]

if Chosen would have been there, would fans call it the ugliest song on the album?

Chosen is one of my fave DT ballads. The Bigger Picture being my favorite in their whole catalog. Maybe not so much a ballad though.
Bending The Clock is cool, but seems a bit overhyped. It could grow on me with more listens.

[bluefox4000]

Chosen is one of my fave DT ballads. The Bigger Picture being my favorite in their whole catalog. Maybe not so much a ballad though.
Bending The Clock is cool, but seems a bit overhyped. It could grow on me with more listens.

it did grow on me but it is on the overhyped side.  It's just a pretty typical DT ballad to me.

i didn't think like oh my god THIS song.   i was surprised so many single it out.

[Dedalus]

Bend the Clock definitely has Astonishing vibes. I actually think Astonishing has some of their best musical ideas of the Mangini Era- and BTC has the benefit of not being weighed down by cheesy storyline lyrics and half baked parts to accommodate a short song. BTC is simply a great standalone song, which Astonishing lacked (for the most part).

I truly think these mid tempo, ballad(y) songs are where modern DT shines these days.

BTC doesn't have the weight of having TA's cheesy lyrics to have Parasomnia's cheesy lyrics. 

BTC has a lot of great things, but the lyrics aren't one of them. But don't blame JLB. This album doesn't seem to have a strong point in the lyrics.

[TAC]

I actually think Astonishing has some of their best musical ideas of the Mangini Era

I think it has some of their best musical ideas in their entire catalog.

[ariich]

My two cents is that while variety in the broader sense, meaning over the course of a whole career or even a series of albums, is a good thing, I don't believe singular albums have to have a lot of variety to be great.  DT going full-on metal isn't the preferred style of this fan, but going all-out metal for the bulk of this album was the band's choice, and only theirs to make, and listening to those four longer metal tracks (2-5) one after the other goes a long way in creating the album's overall vibe and feel, rather than having an album like Octavarium that sort of bounces from one style to the next.  Both approaches can totally work, and it ultimately comes down to songwriting; if the songs are consistently good/great, the album will be good, regardless of how much variety there is.

Agreed. Indeed I like it when an album has a clear identity, and if anything I'd have liked a bit more distinction between recent DT albums but they're all solid still so it's not a big deal. 

[Stadler]

I think it has some of their best musical ideas in their entire catalog.

I wouldn't argue this.  The DT song countdown was a revelation in this way.

[TAC]

I wouldn't argue this. 

Bosk needs to put this in everyone's sig!

[wolfking]

I wouldn't argue this.

[Herrick]

I'm sorry some people think it sounds terrible, and others find it uninspired.

I think it rocks. Sounds exactly like the album they wanted to make, in line with JP's big statement the other day.

What was Petrucci's big statement? I haven't really followed anything about the new album. I haven't even listened to the songs that were released.

[wolfking]

Second listen through and it was better than the first I guess, but jeez, I'm missing something with Shadow Man.  Does absolutely nothing for me. 

[emtee]

My MP3 download from Amazon was defective. The last 6 minutes of TSMI was missing. Still haven't heard it. They issued a credit and since auto-rip was now active, I bought the CD as well.

Still withholding comments except for this; JP's solo on BtC might be my all time favorite of his. Just stunningly beautiful.

[Northern Lion]

I think it has some of their best musical ideas in their entire catalog.

Yep. Musically, the Astonishing is stunning.

[HOF]

There are several songs with extended instrumental intros that I think might have worked better as just separate interlude tracks, or just done away with all together. I tend to think of that stuff as "throat clearing." Like they aren't sure what to say so they hem and haw, or as it were noodle around until an idea comes to mind for the actual song.

Definitely could have lopped off the first 2:50 of Shadow Man Incident (the Metropolis homage) and started a song with that great Natural Science-ish riff that follows. Then that riff finishes and we go somewhere else altogether. There are cool ideas that just aren't developed as songs here. Lyrics come in about 5:00 with a pace and melody bearing no resemblance to the three distinct sections that preceded it!

The next musically interesting part is the about 5 minutes from the 10-15 minute marks. The LTE section I guess. That's good stuff.

Literally from 10:05 to 15:08 could have been excerpted as its own standalone track and would have been pretty darn cool.

[TAC]

Definitely could have lopped off the first 2:50 of Shadow Man Incident (the Metropolis homage) and started a song with that great Natural Science-ish riff that follows. Then that riff finishes and we go somewhere else altogether. There are cool ideas that just aren't developed as songs here.

Natural Science? Yeah, I can see that.

I love that marchy type section right before though.

[KevShmev]

But I'm not just considering DTF. I'm thinking in general terms.

Maybe the place where TA received the most positive and balanced reception was right here, but in other places it wasn't as much.

I was part of two groups at the time, both on Facebook. One was about DT and the other about prog rock/prog metal (both were not in English). In the DT group the majority of the feeling was disbelief, anger and frustration. In the prog group the feeling was mockery and ridicule. It must have been a week or two of just memes ridiculing TA/DT.

I am not trying to downplay what you read elsewhere, but Facebook comments are usually along the same lines as YouTube comments: negativity often rules the day, seemingly for sport.  Now, I am not suggesting that The Astonishing wasn't a divisive record, merely that the immediate reponse that I saw was positive on a similar wavelength to what I am seeing for Parasomnia (mostly positive, some negative reviews).

[EvantheMotel6Owmer]

My Parasomnia CD has now arrived. No more being at the mercy of Spotify.

[skydivingninja]

I'm half and half on the album after maybe 3 or 4 listens. Solid C tier. Not amazing but not bad at all.

The good:
* Portnoy's drumming. Feels like an old friend.
* More stylistic left turns like the bluesy and Queen parts of Broken Man.
* The JP solo in Bend the Clock.
* The instrumental acrobatics in Shadow Man.
* The vocal melodies.
* The album sounds like it was written and performed in the same room.

The bad:
* A lot of JR's patches. I preferred his sounds on View and D/T. JR on piano is best JR.
* Midnight Messiah's lyrics. The lyrics in general actually are mostly meh across the board except Broken Man and maybe Dead Asleep.
* Dead Asleep's instrumental does nothing for me.
*The end of TSMI is just fine. Feels both typical and "over too soon."

Idk if I like it more than View, but it's a more cohesive album View or even D/T, just missing those absolute high points that those albums had like At Wit's End, View, Fall Into the Light, and Sleeping Giant.

[Dedalus]

I am not trying to downplay what you read elsewhere, but Facebook comments are usually along the same lines as YouTube comments: negativity often rules the day, seemingly for sport.  Now, I am not suggesting that The Astonishing wasn't a divisive record, merely that the immediate reponse that I saw was positive on a similar wavelength to what I am seeing for Parasomnia (mostly positive, some negative reviews).

They were definitely much more, let's say, sharper groups than here. But it wasn't like the comments on DT's official Facebook page.

They were closed groups, with moderation.

To be honest, in the prog group there was always a group of people who didn't like DT, so I think they took advantage of it to make fun of them.

But the DT group was functional. After Portnoy left, the group became much more critical of the band than it was before, but it was still functional. With TA, things kind of went crazy  . So I left there.

[WardySI]

There are several songs with extended instrumental intros that I think might have worked better as just separate interlude tracks, or just done away with all together. I tend to think of that stuff as "throat clearing." Like they aren't sure what to say so they hem and haw, or as it were noodle around until an idea comes to mind for the actual song.

Definitely could have lopped off the first 2:50 of Shadow Man Incident (the Metropolis homage) and started a song with that great Natural Science-ish riff that follows. Then that riff finishes and we go somewhere else altogether. There are cool ideas that just aren't developed as songs here. Lyrics come in about 5:00 with a pace and melody bearing no resemblance to the three distinct sections that preceded it!

The next musically interesting part is the about 5 minutes from the 10-15 minute marks. The LTE section I guess. That's good stuff.

Literally from 10:05 to 15:08 could have been excerpted as its own standalone track and would have been pretty darn cool.

Agree with both these, the finale is the only track that hasn't properly won me over for these above reasons.

[WardySI]

So Bend The Clock and Dead Asleep have now come through swinging, Midnight Messiah the only song stopping those from being 1 and 2 in my song rankings

1. Bend The Clock
2. Midnight Messiah
3. Dead Asleep
4. Night Terror
5. A Broken Man

(Hey I work in 5's )

[TAC]

Here's where I'm at..


1. The Shadow Man Incident
2. A Broken Man
3. Bend The Clock
4. Night Terror
5. Dead Asleep
6. Midnight Messiah

[Peter Mc]

We'll see, as time goes on, but I'm not sure I can get past just how much like The Astonishing TSMI is.  It feels like they just took TA and added a bunch of noodling instrumental stuff.

This isn't to bag on TA, I played the hell out of that album when it came out.  I did eventually tire of it though and it's probably the one DT album I struggle to sit through now.  A lot of it grates on me and I'm getting the same feeling from TSMI.  Dead Asleep also has overt nods to The Astonishing too but not to the same degree.  Maybe I'll get over it as there is some cool instrumental stuff in TSMI.  At the moment though I'm not enjoying the majority of the song.

Ok, now I look foolish as I'm totally flip flopping on TSMI and starting to really enjoy it.  That was my last struggle with the album now done with and all the songs are now enjoyable.

Where the album will end up in their discography will take a long time to decide but I'm not really expecting all time classics from DT at this point.  It's remarkable that, 16 albums in, they're still making albums that are of good quality and are relevant to their fans.  People going to shows in the next 12 months will actually be excited to hear these songs and not many bands can say that about their 16th album.

[Revenge319]

Got around to listening to Parasomnia tonight. First impressions are positive all around, no instant classics but the album is consistently very good. With AVFTTOTW, I was a bit disappointed that the album had a similar sound to Distance Over Time when every single album up to that point had its own unique sound. Thankfully Parasomnia feels more distinct despite emphasizing the heavy metal elements of the band's core sound. The instrumental sections are enjoyable as always, and James sounds great (though I sometimes had a hard time making out what he's singing). Not sure what my favorite song would be after one listen, but they're all really good.

Like most Dream Theater albums, I don't really have any complaints... The only thing I can think of is the callbacks to earlier lyrics in Midnight Messiah didn't do anything for me. But that's less a problem with that song specifically, and more that the whole "referencing earlier works just for the heck of it" thing that everyone wants to do nowadays feels very played out now, so the impact of the majority of these instances will be lost on me.

[Jamesman42]

I know it's just an overture but In the Arms of Morpheus is a great opening track. The alarm clock riff is especially cool.

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

I'm still collecting my thoughts for a proper review, but I've listened to the album about 23 times already and I think I'll be ready to distill my thoughts soon!!!!   


Let's just say I think it's absolutely amazing that we all get to live and breathe in the same time period as these beautiful humans! What a treat it is

[Thoughtspart3]

Overall I am enjoying it. Dead Asleep stood out to me the most on my first listen of the unreleased material. Like the atmosphere and the sense of cohesion of the album.

Still need to digest more though. Can't really judge complicated prog songs without learning them first because so much is thrown at you.

[Jamesman42]

I'm still collecting my thoughts for a proper review, but I've listened to the album about 23 times already and I think I'll be ready to distill my thoughts soon!!!!   


Let's just say I think it's absolutely amazing that we all get to live and breathe in the same time period as these beautiful humans! What a treat it is

About 4 times per account, nice

[MetropolisWatches]

Thematically/lyrically, this is absolutely their darkest album (definitely since Train of Thought). I appreciate the overall cohesion.

[Northern Lion]

Thematically/lyrically, this is absolutely their darkest album (definitely since Train of Thought). I appreciate the overall cohesion.

Yes, it shows how awful night time can be for some people.

[Thoughtspart3]

Thematically/lyrically, this is absolutely their darkest album (definitely since Train of Thought). I appreciate the overall cohesion.

Agree. No pleasant dreams here.

[BeatriceNB]

Got around to listening to Parasomnia tonight. First impressions are positive all around, no instant classics but the album is consistently very good. With AVFTTOTW, I was a bit disappointed that the album had a similar sound to Distance Over Time when every single album up to that point had its own unique sound. Thankfully Parasomnia feels more distinct despite emphasizing the heavy metal elements of the band's core sound.
[...]

Hey, man, can you send me the files of your exclusive version of Distance Over Time? I've been listening to a legally-distinct greatest hits compilation for the last 6 years, and I'm interested in a version where the most songs are long and really creative musically

[Revenge319]

Hey, man, can you send me the files of your exclusive version of Distance Over Time? I've been listening to a legally-distinct greatest hits compilation for the last 6 years, and I'm interested in a version where the most songs are long and really creative musically

Haha, I just meant more the actual way it sounds, the composition and such between those two albums is noticeably different.

[Wim Kruithof]

I also love that The Shadow Man Incident fades in the same was the View-epic starts... but then it takes 100 different directions.

Parasomnia has throughout the album moments when it feels like Scenes (like the ending of the record with a wake up call) Six Degrees and A View,

but Bend the Clock opens a chapter I never heard Dream Theater wrote before. Especially that gorgious chorus. I fell in love with it. And the Confortable Numb-solo (which also has a flavor of The Bigger Picture) is Petrucci's highlight of the record, I would say.

[Wim Kruithof]

I wouldn't argue this.  The DT song countdown was a revelation in this way.

Written in simple English but I can't figure out what you mean. Do you mean the countdown KevShmev started last year... and if you do mean that, was the lack of Astonishing-songs the revelation you mean?

All songs of The Astonishing are so much better in albumcontext than as stand-alone tracks, that it didn't surprise me there weren't many on the countdown. But I might miss your point completely.

[jayvee3]

We'll see, as time goes on, but I'm not sure I can get past just how much like The Astonishing TSMI is.  It feels like they just took TA and added a bunch of noodling instrumental stuff.

This isn't to bag on TA, I played the hell out of that album when it came out.  I did eventually tire of it though and it's probably the one DT album I struggle to sit through now.  A lot of it grates on me and I'm getting the same feeling from TSMI.  Dead Asleep also has overt nods to The Astonishing too but not to the same degree.  Maybe I'll get over it as there is some cool instrumental stuff in TSMI.  At the moment though I'm not enjoying the majority of the song.

Not trying to sound like a dick (and I know you have posted since and have come more around to this track), but I just don't see the Astonishing vibe in TSMI much at all... the main theme to me if anything, sounds more like ITPOE, with some Enigma Machine spread in the middle and a few little vibes from scenes. It may have some little callbacks here and there, but I'm not hearing major similarity between the two...