Dream Theater : "Parasomnia"

I was afraid to check this out but forced myself as I used to like them back in the days of "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence". But what I hate is when they get mired down in these wanky Journey-like power ballads. This is the band's 16th studio album and the first to have Mike Portnoy back in the band since "Black Clouds and Silver Linings". The instrumental that opens the album works well enough but does not wow me. "Night Terror" is one of the album's lead singles and has a more metallic crunch to its mood.  They wind their way into a cooler groove than we have heard from them in some time. Labrie is less annoying though instantly shifts the vibe into something a little more dated. The math of their playing works in a marginally more contrived manner than what newer Tool does. But I can live with this song, though I am skeptical of what is to follow. 

"A Broken Man" ebbs from a heavier sonic flurry into a darker more cinematic sound. When you weigh these guys against a progressive rock band like Gabriel-era Genesis or King Crimson, these guys are still 80s metal wankers, but for what they do this is an improvement over their post-Portnoy output. They are aware of the current state of prog rock with bands like Tool, Opeth, and Meshuggah, and it feels like the vocals are what keeps them rooted in their classic sound for better or for worse, the problem I am hearing is that there is not enough space in the riffing to allow for melodic hooks,  I hear lots of acrobatics but not much that sticks in my head. Going into the 11-minute 'Dead Asleep" I can only imagine what kind of bloat awaits. Right from the start the first minute is unneeded, though they do lock into a pretty decent metal to get things started from there. It's three minutes until the vocals come in, which finds them returning to what they do, the chorus is too bright and layered. When they slap more effects on his voice it sounds better and less like Steve Perry. 

It only makes sense that "Midnight Messiah'' should be darker, though with these guys things could turn into a power ballad at any moment. It feels like they are trying to make more of a metal album since the bulk of their fan base thinks they are one. Halfway into the song it loses most of its metal edge.  "Bend the Clock" gets into the kind of power balladry I do not need from these guys. There are really no occasions I think a 20-minute song is warranted, it's like get over yourself and break it up into two ten-minute songs. Twelve and a half minutes in there is a cool section but they should have just developed a song around that and trimmed the fat. The song is not dark enough to match the lyrics.  I'll give this album an 8, as they made the album they wanted and it put the band back in a better direction. They are all skilled at what they do, but the songwriting leaves something to be desired even when it comes to prog, Opeth did a better job of it with their last album. 

pst57