PARASOMNIA

Alright. Let's imagine an alternate universe where Dream Theater didn't create this. Instead, a promising new prog band - let's call them Shmaken, Shmeam Theater, whatever - releases their debut album, Shmarasomnia. It sounds exactly like this album, the only difference being that it's by an unknown band. Or, more piercingly, the difference is that it's by a band that isn't buried under the weight of decades of expectation by fans and critics alike. How would we rate this?

Seriously, if a totally unknown band released Parasomnia, I strain to see how it wouldn't create shockwaves in the prog metal community. This is an excellent record, not just Dream Theater spinning their wheels. Petrucci's performance especially blew me away; the guitars here are no less memorable than those of classic Thrash albums (think Master of Puppets-era) and it's clear that, had this been released in a different era by a different band, it would earn far more enthusiastic reception. It's okay to admit that Dream Theater made a good album, even if it's not literally the 2nd coming of Scenes from a Memory.

Some minor criticism: while Parasomnia works well qua album - that is, you can listen to it start to finish without feeling the urge to skip anything - it doesn't feel like there's a standout track. If pressed, my vote would go to the instrumental intro "In the Arms of Morpheus", which is a pretty telling choice - but damn, what a nice intro! Just such a creative musical interpretation of slipping into a dream (if you didn't know, Morpheus was the Greek god of dreams, not just a Laurence Fishburne character). Other bands have done their own interpretation of this (consider Gazpacho's "Night"), so it was interesting to compare.

Further, I don't think this was the best use of James LaBrie's vocal talents. I phrase that deliberately to imply that LaBrie has vocal talent, since that seems to be a matter of contention among weirdo critics. Where LaBrie usually shines is his creative melodies and wide range of vocal styles, yet on this album he feels a bit constrained. I consider Dead Asleep an exception, and Midnight Messiah was a bit more adventurous, though I wasn't fond of the execution. There are probably others I'll warm up to on my 4th or 5th listens. Not a bad performance by any stretch, just below his standard, and I wish his sections were catchier.

An easy 4/5.

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