Dream Theater have shared the new song “A Broken Man,” the second single from their upcoming album Parasomnia, out February 7th.
The eight-plus-minute track opens with a barrage of locked-in riffs, prompting a cascade of fills and impressive kitwork from drummer Mike Portnoy. Aside from being the second single from the LP, it’s also the only second song we’ve heard since he rejoined the band. Like the previous track “Night Terror,” his skills are on full display.
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The intensity is dialed back for James LaBrie’s vocal parts, as he sings about the horrors and senseless of war, though the song is mostly on the heavier side for Dream Theater — Portnoy apparently unlocking some of that heaviness with his return to the lineup (if these first two songs are any indication).
The spliced audio heard at the beginning of the track is from “actual vets speaking about their personal horrors and replaying the traumatic events of wartime deployments,” according to the band’s press release.
Running 71 minutes in length across eight tracks, Parasomnia was produced by Petrucci and engineered by James “Jimmy T” Meslin, with mixing by Andy Sneap. The band’s longtime collaborator Hugh Syme once again contributed sleeve artwork.
Parasomnia will be available in multiple physical configurations, including a deluxe 2-CD/Blu-Ray box set (featuring instrumentals, a Dolby Atmos 5.1 mix by Mark Gittins, hi-res stereo mixes, animated visualizers, and a 68-page booklet). Various gatefold double-LP vinyl variants, plus a standalone CD digipak release, will also be available. Pre-orders are ongoing via this location.
Meanwhile, Dream Theater will be hitting the road for a previously announced North American tour the day the album drops, kicking off the trek February 7th in Philadelphia. Get tickets here.
Below you can stream Dream Theater’s new song “A Broken Man.”