In a recent chat with Jorge Botas, Mike Portnoy explained why Dream Theater chose not to return with a heavy metal song. He noted that the band had to consider their options since there are several potential singles on the upcoming album, including one that is a true metal track.
Portnoy elaborated, “We knew that’s like a real obvious choice but we didn’t want to come out with something that’s just like a metal song after all this time waiting. We wanted to have something that really kind of had a little bit of variety to it and something that maybe the Dream Theater fans would expect from us.”
He shared that ‘Night Terror’ was the first song they wrote after reuniting, making it a significant choice for their comeback.
When the host commented that the song has everything a Dream Theater fan could want, Portnoy responded, “That’s what we hoped. Of course, Dream Theater fans are some of the most critical in the world. So it’s impossible to please them all but we figured that one does have a little bit of everything in it. So we hoped that it would check all the boxes for everybody.”
On October 10, 2024, Dream Theater released ‘Night Terror’ as the first single from their upcoming sixteenth studio album, ‘Parasomnia,’ which is set to be released on February 7, 2025.
Portnoy also expressed gratitude for the success of the new single on Instagram, stating, “Incredible!! Almost 2 Million Views on YouTube in under a week. Thank you all for the overwhelming response to ‘Night Terror…'”
He added that he enjoyed reading the fans’ comments and watching reaction videos and covers. He said, “Cannot wait to share the rest of the album with you all in February, but in the meantime… time to kick off this 40th Anniversary Tour in a few days and we are so excited to play for you ALL everywhere we can!”
Dream Theater performed their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on Sunday at the O2 Arena in London. Their next concert is scheduled for Milan, Italy, on October 25.
