JAMES LABRIE: DREAM THEATER Will 'Probably' Begin Writing New Album In Late 2026 Or Early 2027  

In a new interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie was asked if he and his bandmates have already started talking about working on the follow-up to the "Parasomnia" album, which came out in February 2025. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Whenever we approach a new album, it's where we feel that we're all presently sitting in life, what is affecting us, what is inspiring us, and most importantly, what do we feel should be the next chapter in DREAM THEATER as far as another album, its music, what is it going to represent, and something we can stand behind 100%. So we usually slowly transition to that when we know that we're gonna go into the studio, when we know we're gonna be writing a new album. That's when we start having the conversations as, 'Hey, what do you guys think about maybe this kind of an album or...?' And then at the same time, even regardless of all the conversations we have, each guy will come in with seeds of ideas, and we throw that on the floor. 'Here we go, man.' It's there. Which do we feel is something that's really cool and something that we can build on, something that we feel is going in the direction that we've been discussing? And so it's kind of like that."

James continued: "Right now the focus is we're on this world tour. We're gonna be on the world tour until — what? — mid-May. And that's the focus. Then we're gonna take a break for a little bit. And then probably late '26 or early '27 we'll get in to start writing and recording a new album. And then hopefully late '27 or early '28 we'll go back out with a new tour. And this is just — this is all not concrete. But this seems to be the idea at this point."

Last December, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy told Troy Culpan of Australia's May The Rock Be With You about a possible follow-up to "Parasomnia": "Well, we have to wait, 'cause it's been a long tour. We've been out for a year now at this point. We started in October of 2024. And here we are, a year later now, and by the time we get down to Australia [in February 2026] and wrap up the tour cycle a few months after that, it'll have been a year and a half on the road. So, that's the focus right now. But once the tour cycle wraps and concludes by next spring or so, we'll probably take the summer [of 2026] off, 'cause it's been a long road, and then start thinking about a new album after that."

The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The drummer, who co-founded DREAM THEATER, played on 10 of the band's albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

DREAM THEATER's ongoing "An Evening With Dream Theater" tour sees LaBrie, John Petrucci (guitar),John Myung (bass),Jordan Rudess (keyboards) and Portnoy perform "Parasomnia", in its entirety, as well as the entire seven-movement masterpiece "A Change Of Seasons", for the first time since Portnoy's return to the band in October 2023, in addition to other classics and fan favorites from DREAM THEATER's catalog.

DREAM THEATER's April 22, 2026 concert at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile was professionally recorded and filmed for an upcoming Blu-ray.

Last November, DREAM THEATER released "Quarantième: Live À Paris" via the band's longtime label partner Inside Out Music/Sony Music. "Quarantième: Live À Paris" documented DREAM THEATER's November 23, 2024 concert at Adidas Arena in Paris, France during the band's 40th-anniversary headlining tour of Europe. The effort contained a setlist that spanned the band's entire career with classics like "Metropolis Pt. 1", "Panic Attack", "Octavarium" and "Pull Me Under" represented among other fan favorites.

"Parasomnia" came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP was produced by Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

"Parasomnia" is an eight-song, 71-minute set which was recorded at DREAM THEATER's DTHQ studio on Long Island, New York. It is the follow-up to 2021's "A View From The Top Of The World", which debuted at in the top 10 of Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. Six songs on "Parasomnia" are over seven minutes and the closing epic "The Shadow Man Incident" clocks in at nearly 20 minutes.

Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung started DREAM THEATER as MAJESTY in 1985, after meeting at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. LaBrie came on board in 1991, while Rudess joined in 1999.

Prior to Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER, the drummer and Petrucci worked together on the latter's 2020 solo album, "Terminal Velocity", and toured together. Portnoy and Petrucci also joined Rudess and bassist Tony Levin for a third studio album as LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT in 2021.