With the announcement that Mike Portnoy would be returning in 2023, Dream Theater’s stock was higher than ever— after fans felt burned out from the underwhelming ‘The Astonishing’ in 2016, the fun but forgettable ‘Distance Over Time’ and the painfully average ‘A View From The Top Of The World,’ a reunion with the group’s famed original drummer set expectations for a triumphant comeback for all things prog metal. A year— and a few AI scandals— later, the band’s sixteenth studio album ‘Parasomnia’ has arrived, bringing with it all the soaring guitar solos and ambitious song structures fans have come to expect. That is, however, the problem: though well put together, Dream Theater’s latest project is as predictable as it is mundane, seeing the group’s hold on their ‘progressive’ title slip further from their grasp than ever before.

Make no mistake: in terms of instrumental performance, Dream Theater are still as dominant as ever. The name John Petrucci hasn’t come to be so legendary for nothing, after all— even at 57, he’s still shredding like there’s no tomorrow. Lending his talents to tracks like ‘Dead Asleep’ and ‘The Shadow Man Incident,’ Petrucci’s solos are just as clean and technically flawless as ever, seeing him harmonising with Jordan Rudess’ keyboard accompaniments extremely well. The group are able to dip in and out of various polyrhythms and time signature changes with ease: lead single ‘Night Terror,’ for instance, sees a groovy use of metric modulation after the first chorus, demonstrating Dream Theater’s mastery of mind-bending rhythms. It does, of course, help to have one of the most celebrated rhythm sections in all progressive metal on your side: though bassist John Myung deserves his flowers, it’s the return of Mike Portnoy that has the fans excited.

We’re pleased to confirm that Portnoy slots back in with his old band seamlessly, bringing newfound energy to many tracks. The majority of songs here would likely feel much more stagnant and plain without their driving percussive backbone, and the album’s highlights certainly benefit from a sense of rejuvenation within the band. ‘Midnight Messiah,’ with its almost laughably infectious chorus (harkening back to classic metal from the 80s) is undoubtedly the standout, with its tapped guitar solos marking the most anthemic moment here. Portnoy also manages to embellish the balladic ‘Bend the Clock’ well— though the song is needlessly flowery, it’s nonetheless an enjoyable moment, and a fun throwback to the theatrical showings of ‘Images And Words.’

That ‘nostalgic’ feeling permeates ‘Parasomnia,’ and it’s largely to the detriment of the triumphant return Dream Theater were aiming for. For as melodically intricate as many of Petrucci’s solos are throughout this new project, they feel unbearably safe and plain when compared to the flamboyant showings on albums like ‘Scenes From A Memory’ or ‘Octavarium,’ which saw the legendary guitarist venturing much further outside his comfort zone and delivering far more memorable results. Similarly, Portnoy’s drumming— though enjoyable— is on autopilot for a disappointing amount of the runtime, seeing him returning to the same fills and writing devices he’s been leaning on for thirty years. Of course, even a below average showing from musicians as talented as Petrucci or Rudess is still a sight to behold, and we’d be remiss not to give each performer the respect due— the point stands, however, that Dream Theater feel far too comfortable in their own sound on ‘Parasomnia.’ That is, of course, without mentioning James LaBrie, who’s vocals are more dry, shrill and uncanny than ever on this record: though attempts were made to salvage each song in post-production, the result is underwhelming, and LaBrie’s performance leaves a lot to be desired.

‘More of the same’ is also a criticism befitting the songwriting of ‘Parasomnia,’ which could otherwise be described as, for the most part, awfully tepid and dull. Opener ‘In the Arms of Morpheus,’ for as strong as its title may be, fails to ground itself in any particular idea, winding up as a pointlessly overextended intro to the project. ‘The Shadow Man Incident’ falls prone to a similar issue, winding its way through a staggering twenty-minute runtime while accomplishing little— though the song sits among Dream Theater’s longest, it’s also one of their most forgettable, bringing the album to a limp end. When taken in combination with the by-the-numbers riffs of single ‘A Broken Man’ and the mind-numbing simplicity of ‘Dead Asleep,’ these tracks leave the listener with a mixed bag of an album, and a bad taste in their mouth.

For as pioneering as Dream Theater may have been in the early 90s, this new record has the band sounding more like self-parody than ever before: if this is the way forward for the five-piece, it may be time to revoke their ‘progressive’ label. Though far from unlistenable, ‘Parasomnia’ is a largely uninspired and dispensable release, paying mere lip service to the impressive shredding and experimental offerings of past albums— the only aspect shared with classics like ‘Octavarium’ is, unfortunately, a needlessly bloated runtime. It’s ironic that Dream Theater chose to make ‘dreaming’ the central theme of their 16th release: ‘Parasomnia’ is sure to send you to sleep long before it’s 71 minutes are up.