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

[Northern Lion]

So, I woke up at 4:00 this morning unable to sleep anymore because of excitement.  So I did what any mature adult would do and got onto my phone, purchased a digital copy and listened to it.

Wow!  So good!  I love the concept and how the musical themes are weaved into the entire album.  It sounds very cohesive to me. And I can't wait to sit down with a spreadsheet and figure out all the musical themes .

Bend the Clock... I have no words. That will get a lot of listens from me.

My favorite track so far has got to be Dead Asleep.  Love the twisted story and it is musically interesting and amazing!  It reminds me a little bit of Sacrificed Sons at least arrangement wise.  And that song is also among my favorites.

In the Arms of Morpheus is such a fantastic and impactful opener. It will get a lot of listens.

Are We Dreaming is so calm and soothing, wish it was longer, but it certainly serves its purpose in the overall album well. I love JR's church organ sound here, it fits very well.

The Shadow Man Incident is amazing as I figured it would be.  Really great Chorus. Lots of great ideas and riffs, but it will take more listens to sink in.  It isn't as good as AVFTTOTW imo, but I still like it very much.  Despite not having individual parts in the lyrics, it sounds very episodic to me.  Not a bad thing at all though, just an observation.

The soundscape is wonderfully done and MP's playing is top notch imo.  Labrie is the gift that keeps on giving.

On Dead Asleep and The Shadow Man incident, JP sounds like he's bringing out his inner Joe Satriani in a few spots.  Amazing work as always.

Honestly, this album turned out even better than I expected, and my expectations were already pretty high after hearing the singles.  And it looks like a lot of other folks feel the same, it's currently sitting at #3 in album sales on Amazon.  Way to go guys!

[genome]

I really think Bend The Clock is held back by the fadeout. In fact I feel like the fadeout starts right as JP is about to hit the climax of the solo. First time I listened to it, I actually went "noooo!!" when it happened.

I have the same frustration with A New Beginning and At Wit's End. A proper ending would have really elevated those songs and it's why I only really listen to the live version of AWE (and wish we had a proper live version of ANB)

[Kyo]

I really think Bend The Clock is held back by the fadeout. In fact I feel like the fadeout starts right as JP is about to hit the climax of the solo. First time I listened to it, I actually went "noooo!!" when it happened.

I have the same frustration with A New Beginning and At Wit's End. A proper ending would have really elevated those songs and it's why I only really listen to the live version of AWE (and wish we had a proper live version of ANB)

I keep reading this stuff and I really disagree with it. These types of solos are faded out – after plenty of time to develop the solo! – to give a feeling of "it could go on forever" and it's a very deliberate choice, not some lame cop-out. To me, just adding a big slowdown leading to an ending chord never really elevates these songs in a live setting, it always just feels like a necessary evil because you simply have to somehow end the song.

[misterbiscuit]

Firstly, it's great to hear the boys back together after all these years- hell yeah! Sadly, Parasomnia is the same homogenised production and pseudo-intellectual cliches we've been fed for several albums now- it's still JP's band.

Honestly it felt a bit like listening to the old Metropolis Pt. 2 demo- an insanely cool bag of ideas, but not sculpted into anything brilliant yet.

[genome]

I keep reading this stuff and I really disagree with it. These types of solos are faded out – after plenty of time to develop the solo! – to give a feeling of "it could go on forever" and it's a very deliberate choice, not some lame cop-out. To me, just adding a big slowdown leading to an ending chord never really elevates these songs in a live setting, it always just feels like a necessary evil because you simply have to somehow end the song.

I know why they do it and don't think it's a copout. I just don't like it 

[misterbiscuit]

I really think Bend The Clock is held back by the fadeout. In fact I feel like the fadeout starts right as JP is about to hit the climax of the solo. First time I listened to it, I actually went "noooo!!" when it happened.

I have the same frustration with A New Beginning and At Wit's End. A proper ending would have really elevated those songs and it's why I only really listen to the live version of AWE (and wish we had a proper live version of ANB)

I wondered why they didn't, instead of fade out, slow the track down until it ground to a halt, like a cool digital rallentando that achieved the same result but in a way that was more congruent with the track.

[genome]

TSMI is excellent by the way. Not quite at the height of their greatest epics, but head and shoulders above View (which I found really underwhelming) and Illumination Theory for me.

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I'm having fun with this one bros, and it sounds like the boys did too. I've stopped expecting high art and started expecting what amounts to musical comfort food and baby, this album is a big ole fast food burger and fries. Is the meat real? Probably not. Is the grease going to cause me indigestion? Possibly. The cheese? Probably disgusting on it's own, but in the context of this burger it's my favorite thing on the planet (until my next meal).

Just finished up my second complete listen this morning after hearing it once last night. I ordered a CD in hopes that it would arrive early last night and luckily it did. Since I have no CD player anymore, I dug out the old PS3 and hooked it up to my spare computer monitor, into which I plugged my portable DAC/bass booster and my favorite pair of headphones and settled down after briefly imitating this dude:          Listening with a physical copy and a lyric booklet was a nice change of pace and a fun throwback to another time with Mike Portnoy was the drummer for Dream Theater.

I'll save my specific complaints for later so I don't unnecessarily sour someone on a moment or section they might otherwise enjoy. Random comments in no particular order:
- The record sounds huge - tons of room to breathe (except for when backing vocals and James are competing for the same sonic real estate). Even then, the texture change is still nice and it's nice having backing vocals harmonizing or comping.
- More surprises than I expected. The album is heavy overall but there are a lot of moments within that release that tension and give my ears a break.
- First time through, Night Terror/ABM really dragged because I was just waiting to get to material I hadn't heard. I should have waited but I couldn't. Once I got through tracks 2/3, Dead Asleep kicked me in the teeth and I enjoyed Midnight Messiah following it too since that track is still quite fresh for me.
- Pacing/Variety is overall very good. On my second listen, I enjoyed NT/AMB a ton in the album context - Night Terror really shines with the full album around it imo.
- I absolutely LOVE the samples/sound effects/atmopspheric/cinematic stuff. It really adds to the sense that this is a complete album rather than just a collection of songs. AVFTT was quite cohesive imo but Parasomnia might be the most tied together album since Octavarium. I'd still take ADTOE over it any day, but the musical callbacks/motifs add a layer of depth that has been missing for a while. I know some of ya'll are gonna say "but what about the Astonishing?" to which I'll reply "anyways, back to Parasomnia".
- Bend the Clock really hit hard. Lots of soul in this one, I really enjoyed it through and through. We will revisit this and TSMI later when enough time has passed to get into the lyrics/phrasing. Great stuff from JP, MP serves the song, drums sound huge, keyboard sounds are choice - nicenicenice.
- Lots of little bluesy, upbeat, meloncholic, and fusion-esque moments in here interspersed in just the right places. Some of that DT DNA I've been missing. Also, more of the atonal stuff they've been up to over the past few years really works in the context of the creepy/surreal/horror theme going on with Parasomnia.
- More high quality DT melodies than I expected. Despite the heaviness, the shapes of the riffs are a lot more melodic than chuggy overall imo.
- It sounds inspired to me. AFVTT sounded inspired too, but a little less raw and more polished. But with Parasomnia, there are so many moments where I think "wow, they really pulled out some new shit here". There are some JP moments that remind me of Van Halen, and Journey like many others have said. Really cool stuff.
- I fucking love Dream Theater.

I like it a lot. I'm going to cherish this one. I can't name any artist that put out a 16th album that lived up to the first few but I'm grateful I get to experience this back half of the DT catalogue on release and grateful the boys are still having fun making music. To consolidate all the criticisms I intend to level later, I think the album could be 10-15% better with some proper quality control. Is there any DT album that I couldn't say that about? Maybe two.

Lova ya'll. Happy Friday.   

[genome]

Anyone else catch the Beyond This Life easter egg in Dead Asleep? 7:48

[Zydar]

I was apprehensive going into it that it would lean heavily on the "metal" and not so much "prog" (well in relation to DT!), but I found that it's a pretty even balance of both. 

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Love the food analogy, Walrus 

It's very much like comfort food. Sometimes I thought where's the beef? But to ask that question is to miss the point of the album in a sense.

[genome]

Am I insane or can I hear shades of The Astonishing in Shadow Man Incident?  The interlude is very Astonishingesque as well.

Absolutely. The campy main riff (which I LOVE) sounds like it's right out of The Astonishing

There are parts of Dead Asleep that sounds similar to The Astonishing, lyrically and musically from 5:00 to 5:18, and from 5:35

[Northern Lion]

The intro riff in TSMI has got to be one of the best riffs JP has ever written in my opinion.  The way it resolves is so very satisfying.

[Northern Lion]

Absolutely. The campy main riff (which I LOVE) sounds like it's right out of The Astonishing

There are parts of Dead Asleep that sounds similar to The Astonishing, lyrically and musically from 5:00 to 5:18, and from 5:35

I hear bits of Astonishing in there as well.  Very cool imo.

[nobloodyname]

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.

[Northern Lion]

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.

Yeah I agree.  I love DT's music and this is exactly what I wanted and hoped for.  It sounds great, has several of those "oh, that was cool" moments in it.  No skippable songs imo.  Just a great album.

[Super Dude]

I half expected it to end with a flute.

But to be serious, I did enjoy it. This is only my first full listen through, but I never realized how much I missed the MP-era writing and dynamic. Even if it's nothing groundbreaking, it is familiar and enjoyable - it's like comfort food, but music.

I'll sit with it a little longer, let my thoughts develop further. This may never end up being one of my favorite albums of all time, but the DT that I love is so back.

[PixelDream]

Not sure I understand the mix critique - sounds great here.

(Coming from someone who was a mix engineer for 15 years if that holds any weight!)

I think it's a taste argument.

The mix is very clean/sterile, with drum sounds possibly triggered or at reinforced with samples. The snare is very tight and lacks in resonance. It doesn't sound very natural like a real drum kit would sound.

That's no criticism, just an observation.

The mix in general sounds very 'optimized' with the vocals having some weird stereo imaging / chorusing effect going on.

I don't mind, it's a sound that works pretty well. Do I prefer how Opeth's latest sounds? Sure. This is the sound DT went with and it's a perfectly fine sound. It sounds crystal clear and it really pops.

The Shadow Man Incident's instrumental section is so awesome!! Damn.

[Awaken]

Sometimes I laugh thinking about JLB hearing the songs initially and wondering 'where tf do they expect me to sing on this?!'.  The chorus for TSMI has been stuck in my head since I first heard it.  Musically, there's a lot going on underneath that and he pulls if off, it works so well.  Loving this track more and more every time I hear it.

[Zydar]

I like the "phaser" effect (I think that's it? I'm not a guitarist) on the guitar that pops up here and there over the whole album.

[PixelDream]

Sometimes I laugh thinking about JLB hearing the songs initially and wondering 'where tf do they expect me to sing on this?!'.  The chorus for TSMI has been stuck in my head since I first heard it.  Musically, there's a lot going on underneath that and he pulls if off, it works so well.  Loving this track more and more every time I hear it.

I hear everyone talking about the TSMI chorus, but which one do y'all mean? I've heard it twice but I don't have any chorus stuck in my head. 

[Northern Lion]

I like the "phaser" effect (I think that's it? I'm not a guitarist) on the guitar that pops up here and there over the whole album.

I don't remember JP using that effect before, but yeah, I like it too.  Especially during Dead Asleep. It really elevates that riff.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Regarding the mix, I've concluded JR is too buried. It's difficult to hear him at times.

[Awaken]

I hear everyone talking about the TSMI chorus, but which one do y'all mean? I've heard it twice but I don't have any chorus stuck in my head. 

The 'Night - it will be forever changed' section

[Dedalus]

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

But is there any album, at least from the moment they do things on their own and the record company doesn't interfere, that doesn't sound exactly like the album they wanted to make?

I honestly don't understand why people started harping on about this so much lately. From what we know, Astonishing was an album made the way they wanted to make it at the time. But that didn't stop the album from being labeled as trash, as ridiculous, as a waste of time, and from being suggested that it shouldn't even be a DT album (it should be a JP and JR album). The work was torn apart and the band was roundly ridiculed.

Why are we now reminded all the time that we should respect "what the band wants to do, the kind of album they want to deliver". Wasn't that true before?

What's the difference now? Well, I have a hypothesis...

[genome]

The mix in general sounds very 'optimized' with the vocals having some weird stereo imaging / chorusing effect going on.

Yep, this is the only thing I would pull back, the effect just needs to be turned down a bit

[TheOutlawXanadu]

But is there any album, at least from the moment they do things on their own and the record company doesn't interfere, that doesn't sound exactly like the album they wanted to make?

I honestly don't understand why people started harping on about this so much lately. From what we know, Astonishing was an album made the way they wanted to make it at the time. But that didn't stop the album from being labeled as trash, as ridiculous, as a waste of time, and from being suggested that it shouldn't even be a DT album (it should be a JP and JR album). The work was torn apart and the band was roundly ridiculed.

Why are we now reminded all the time that we should respect "what the band wants to do, the kind of album they want to deliver". Wasn't that true before?

What's the difference now? Well, I have a hypothesis...

I've found that in general, people like to try and infer things about the band based on what they think of the album. This has always been a pet peeve of mine.

Examples from the Bingo card:

• "They sound inspired!"
• "They're clearly having fun!"
• "Everyone has a lot of energy!"
• "They clearly made the album they wanted to make!"

I understand the inclination to do this, and honestly I've probably even done it before, but I try to lean more on the band's actual recollections and statements when trying to judge these sorts of things. For example, as you alluded to, we know for a fact that the band have had full creative freedom to make whatever album they wanted to make since Scenes.

[Dedalus]

I've found that in general, people like to try and infer things about the band based on what they think of the album. This has always been a pet peeve of mine.

Examples from the Bingo card:

• "They sound inspired!"
• "They're clearly having fun!"
• "Everyone has a lot of energy!"
• "They clearly made the album they wanted to make!"

I understand the inclination to do this, and honestly I've probably even done it before, but I try to lean more on the band's actual recollections and statements when trying to judge these sorts of things. For example, as you alluded to, we know for a fact that the band have had full creative freedom to make whatever album they wanted to make since Scenes.

I honestly think it's okay for people to speculate or try to infer something, without much commitment. We're not publishing a book about the band. This is just a space to discuss the band's music. It's nothing that serious.

What I don't understand is why there's now this huge need to remind us that the band is doing what they want to do and it's up to us to keep our heads down.

Stadler will soon arrive with his "You problem" speech. Well, he's not wrong, it's "our problem" at the end of the day, but hasn't it always been that way? Where was the "You problem" speech in previous releases? Why now?

[durga2112]

Just queued the album up - let's fucking go!

Love the sound effects at the start.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

But is there any album, at least from the moment they do things on their own and the record company doesn't interfere, that doesn't sound exactly like the album they wanted to make?

I honestly don't understand why people started harping on about this so much lately. From what we know, Astonishing was an album made the way they wanted to make it at the time. But that didn't stop the album from being labeled as trash, as ridiculous, as a waste of time, and from being suggested that it shouldn't even be a DT album (it should be a JP and JR album). The work was torn apart and the band was roundly ridiculed.

Why are we now reminded all the time that we should respect "what the band wants to do, the kind of album they want to deliver". Wasn't that true before?

What's the difference now? Well, I have a hypothesis...

I think OutlawXanadu nailed it. People just infer things about the band members based on how they feel about the album. DT is having fun again (they were miserable writing the music that I did not enjoy), they're back to doing what they want (if the Astonishing isn't them doing what they want, I don't know what is), They're making Dream Theater great again, etc. Another common one is that 'we are back baby!' as though somehow DT was just chucking out cow slop this entire time.

It's just part of people's gut reaction and the story that is always going to be tied to this record. This is the classic lineup reunion so now all of these pieces of the BIGGER narrative are falling into place for some.

At the end of the day, I am enjoying parts of the record but as I said before, when I listen to this album I hear a decent DT effort that could have been composed with any line up at at any time in the last 20 years. I am open to being shown how it is not but if I think of the dozen or so most common complaints about Dream Theater music that existed, say, 2 years ago, Parasomnia addresses none of them except one very specific thing I am sure you could guess.

[PixelDream]

I've been listening to the album and reading a lot of reviews.

While doing that the thought occurred to me. These reviews all applaud the band and give high praise to their compositional and technical achievements and seem to take the album for what it is.

Dream Theater fans know every nook and cranny of the band's discography and just demand the impossible..

That said, the reception among the fanbase seems very positive! Happy for the band.

[MinistroRaven]

MP on Facebook:

Exactly one year ago (to the day!), Feb 7th 2024, the five of us stood in the same room together for the first time in well over a decade...we then spent the majority of the year creating our first album together in 15 years. Today, we can finally share it with all of you...

We could not be prouder or more excited about what we created. We were so inspired being together again and feel we really rose to the occasion to create something special.
Parasomnia represents everything that is classic Dream Theater...mixing tastes of the past with visions of the future...

We hope you enjoy this sonic experience. It is best enjoyed in your optimum listening environment..(preferably from start to finish like watching a film). But however you take it in, we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did making it...

[Lepprador]

Bought the 24 bit/96 KHz digital album from Bandcamp. God, does this thing sound massive.
I was hoping for a digital booklet, but no, just the cover.

At this point ranking and comparing DT albums are clear signs of insanity.
That's why I'm just saying, I'm very happy with Parasomnia.

I think I like it more than any MM album and more than Systematic Chaos.
Not as much as Black Clouds or even Six Degrees.

The drumming on View was incredible and it's hard to pinpoint what Portnoy brings back.
Maybe some air, some breathing room for ideas to mature. The flow and consistency of the album
are immaculate. 

To not leave a doubt:

1 Images
2 Awake
3 Scenes
4 Infinity
5 Degrees
6 Train
7 BC
8 Octa
9 Para
 

[rab7]

Thoughts on Shadow Man:

I missed a lot of the first singing part because the bass line in the measure preceding it reminded me of something, and I spent a long time trying to figure out which DT song it was before I realized I told myself, "shut up, James is singing". (Later I would find out that the bass came from 2:50 of Temple of Circadia).


The Endless Night chorus is the 2nd best melody in the whole album (next to bend the clock chorus). Could not stop smiling whenever it came up. Also I realized later it was the same melody that made me smile during Orpheus.


I admit a lot of the time when DT gets into extended instrumental bits during an epic, i usually zone out and come back in once they start "exiting the higheay" (usually during a big recapitulation). This was not the case for Shadow Man. Every bit mattered, especially Jordan's piano solo where the guitar started slowly doubling the baseline and it just became complete beautiful chaos.


"MAYBE LEAVE THE LIGHT ON TONIGHT" is my 2nd favorite final James line (next to YOU'LL NEVER KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALIVE).

Although it didn't make sense in the individual song to finish with the Broken Man Theme, it really really resonated me as a perfect album closing melody

[PixelDream]

Dead Asleep riff is so cool. I love how in-your-face it is introduced. Some things just work when they are clear and simple, and this works so well.