Heavy Song of the Week is a feature on Heavy Consequence breaking down the top metal, punk, and hard rock tracks you need to hear every Friday. This week, No. 1 goes to Dream Theater’s new single “Night Terror.”
Along with losing a chief singer or songwriter, a change in drummer can alter the sound of a band completely. In the case of Dream Theater — and all the respect and cred to Mike Mangini — there’s simply no replacing Mike Portnoy. It’s impossible. And while Dream Theater still sounded like Dream Theater with Mangini behind the kit, DT with Portnoy just hits different.
“Night Terror” was an excellent choice as the band’s first single with Portnoy in 15 years, as it really showcases what he brings to the band, starting with an opening barrage of rolling fills. At 10 minutes long, the song is still very prog, yet it’s somehow leaner and tighter, as if Portnoy is reining in some of John Petrucci and company’s more precious musical sensibilities.
The result is something that verges on progressive power metal — and still with plenty of the band’s trademark instrumental fireworks, which start popping off about halfway through the track. The jamming around Portnoy is totally locked in — the sound of a band at peak performance.
Honorable Mentions:
Mammoth Grinder – “Corpse of Divinant”
Austin’s Mammoth Grinder returned this week with their first new song since 2019, “Corpse of Divinant,” a two-and-a-half-minute romp of full-speed death metal. The wailing guitar leads and loose cannon fills are fantastic, evoking vintage Kerry King and giving the track an enticing unpredictability as it barrels ahead.
Myles Kennedy – “Saving Face”
Impeccably, “Saving Face” manages to fall right smack in the middle between Myles Kennedy’s other projects, namely Alter Bridge and his work with Slash and the Conspirators. The freewheeling guitar is in the vein of the latter — bluesy, for certain, but with that raw Slashy grit; while Kennedy’s melodic phrasing and delivery evokes the grunge singers of yore, a la Chris Cornell and Layne Staley.
Scowl – “Special”
Bay Area act Scowl just inked a deal with Dead Oceans, marking the occasion with the appropriately titled new single “Special.” Here the band’s post-hardcore is injected with hooks and a ’90s grunge pop chorus, bolstered by a noticeable leap in production accompanying the new record deal.