Dream Theater - Parasomnia: released! - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Well, sort of released, still not available on Bandcamp. The wonderful people at InsideOut are apparently sleeping in LOL

Listening to it on Spotify instead, where it became available at 0:00, as it should be. So far I'm liking it. Thoughts?

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Listened to:

About to give it a spin today or tomorrow! On a side note: How did you like those BTBAM records, Mike? The two parts of Automata that come up in your "Listened to" signature from AP.

I think collectively there's some great stuff on both parts but most people tend to be more negative towards the albums, never understood why. Ermm

First listen, it's a big MEH. "The Shadow Man Incident" is the best song. Portnoy's drums are mixed way too loud, causing ear fatigue, the cymbals sound awful, and it's a struggle to hear Myung. "Dead Asleep" and "Bend the Clock" are horrid. I will stream several more times but will not purchase this. 3 stars at best.

Of note, I stream on the Zon and the band picture still shows Mangini.

Edited by Grumpyprogfan - February 07 2025 at 05:39

On my first listen, liking it but needs a good few listens!

Heaven is waiting but waiting is Hell

Hi,

Considering the many years and albums by this band, there are some thoughts, and ideas of things that we would like to hear from the band ... and in many ways this album is not exactly the greatest of their work, it's still good, but it has some really poor choices in my book.

The mix ... continues to keep the bass and keyboards in the background, buried by a guitar that doesn't need to be so loud and so far up top. The drumming, all things considered, is not as good as Mike is supposed to be and is grossly repeated and sometimes adding things that are not necessary, and I'm not sure that Mike has added that much to DT since he left ... he's still just an over blown time keeper. In a band that supposedly has superior musicianship it's still just about keeping time?

I'll listen to it again, although I doubt it will add to the experience. It's not a bad album and it is good in parts, but I think the band has no idea how to color the parts in between, and always goes back to the metal-guitar at the top.

Lyric wise, I did not pay as much attention to it, as I thought that they were also a bit on the background, as dreams and those kinds of thoughts usually are ... but all in all, I can't say that I heard anything special in them ... I'll recheck though.

I think that for the ProgRock fans this album will be very good, but for the Progressive fans, this will not exactly be that great an album. I don't live in those definitions at all ... thus the album gets a B from me. It's not great and it's not bad ... it's just another DT album! Ermm

Edited by moshkito - February 07 2025 at 08:21

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com

MikeEnRegalia wrote:

...

Edit: And I think it's a little insulting to call Portnoy a mere "timekeeper", considering that he is very involved with the writing.

...

Hi,

It was said, not as something bad ... there are good timekeepers and bad timekeepers, and the good ones? You don't even notice the drumming at all ... but I was brought up with John Bonham, Keith Moon and Nick Mason, and later Bill Bruford, and while Mike's work is nice in a lot of things, in the end, I felt that after all that, his work here was not as special as has been in the past. And you could easily say that Bonzo and Moonie, even got better on the last album they played ... and we enjoyed it senselessly! And still do when the majority of drummers these days can only use the snare drum, and fill in between the chord changes ... that's high school drumming Mike!

Reminds me of a moment in the film about KC ... when the three drummers are together discussing a moment in the music ... and you knew right away it was not about time keeping ... it was about making sure that the touches were right and proper, that made what they did impressive and far out. And later RF explains that it is not exactly about the timing at all ... it's about being attentive enough that you automatically follow the others and together you create something special ... that is a rarity in music, and the most details you can get on this psychic attitude is, certainly, not in rock music in general. But, often, these are the far out moments that we go ... wow!!!

I'm thinking that Mike did not have enough time with the new material to be able to help make it better, and as such he sounds "average" in most of the album, complete with the double drumming thing (don't know what it is called) ... and the same details used in so much metal music ... which Mike may have been one of the folks that helped develop it, but the use is still in the same place and part in the music, thus not necessarily making it better ... reminds me of Hollywood, in close up shots ... make it better ... get the camera closer!!!! CLOSER ... not 5 feet out!

Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
www.pedrosena.com

I’m going to be honest. The album surprised me (in a good way), but the mix sounds awful. The keyboards and bass are way too low, and LaBrie’s voice sounds terrible. I’m not sure if it’s filters, autotune, or the production (probably all three).

Bloody bloody racket and rumpus

Only one listen. I am happy with it considering I had quite low expectations. It's remarkably solid, no problems with the mix for me. I started off not liking the drum sound but then after a while just forgot about it and enjoyed the music. Jordan seems like a guest on this, not quite why he is even regarded as a full time member. Didn't bother me that much though as I don't listen to this stuff for keyboards (there is plenty of other prog that does that and in spades). Mostly I reckon it's about a 8/10 album but no higher but that's fine. Mainly it just shows that DT are still alive and kicking.