DREAM THEATER — Images and Words (review)

DREAM THEATER — Images and Words album cover

Album · 1992 · Progressive Metal

5/5 · 2024-09-22
UMUR

"Images and Words" is the second full-length studio album by US progressive metal act Dream Theater. The album was released through ATCO Records in July 1992. It´s the successor to "When Dream and Day Unite" from 1989 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as lead vocalist Charlie Dominici has been replaced by Canadian singer James LaBrie. Dominici and Dream Theater parted ways in mutual understanding, and the remaining band members auditioned a couple of hundred vocalists before finding and hiring LaBrie.

While "When Dream and Day Unite" got Dream Theater noticed it wasn´t the grand entrance to the progressive rock/metal scene that Dream Theater had hoped for, but with a new lead vocalist on board, and a couple of years to hone their skills and songwriting craft, they hit the bullseye with "Images and Words". The mid-to late 80s produced progressive metal artists like Queensrÿche, Fates Warning, Crimson Glory, and Watchtower, which are all artists Dream Theater are arguably influenced by, but Dream Theater managed to perfect and develop upon the sound of the 80s progressive metal acts and take progressive metal into the 90s and they did that with the release of "Images and Words".

One of the things which made Dream Theater different from their 80s influences, was a permament keyboardist in the lineup (most of them to varying extents used keyboards in their music but didn´t have a permanent keyboardist in the lineup). In that respect they were more influenced by 70s progressive rock artists than the above mentioned 80s progressive metal artists. A sort of pairing of the complexity and virtuosic ideals of the 70s (and omnipresent use of keyboards) and the hard rocking and heavy metal oriented 80s. Dream Theater also helped change the perspective that most heavy metal acts through the 80s were predominantly focused on the lead vocalist or the lead guitarist. In Dream Theater all members were virtuosos and the focus are therefore on all members of the band.

"Images and Words" was originally intented to be a double album release, but ATCO Records refused Dream Theater´s ideas for a double album, and that for example meant that their over 20 minutes long epic "A Change of Seasons" was left off the tracklist. It was a track they had performed live in the previous years, but since they were only allowed to release a single album and not a double album, it had to be left off.

Dream Theater still manange to include a lot of different music styles and influenced into the 8 tracks featured on the 57:07 minutes long album. Opening track "Pull Me Under", which is one of the heaviest and less complex tracks on the album, starts the album in great style and immediately graps the listener and introduce the varied sound of Dream Theater. The heavy riffs and rhythms, the strong melodies, the epic atmospheres, the time-signature changes, the mainstream/AOR pop/rock oriented choruses, and the virtuosic playing and singing. "Pull Me Under" is followed by the ballad track "Another Day", which is a very mainstream pop/rock oriented track, featuring a soaring soprano saxophone melody (courtesy of session musician Jay Beckenstein). It´s by far the most accessible and technically simple track on the album. "Take the Time" follows and it´s quite the diverse musical experience, with both a funky opening, heavier riffs and rhythms as well as a melodic pop/rock chorus, and some pretty impressive technical guitar/keyboard playing.

"Surrounded" is up next, and it´s another softer track. But it´s more a power ballad than a ballad, and it´s not as simple or easily digested as "Another Day". It´s actually something as rare as a progressive power ballad. It´s quite the brilliant song. It´s followed by the most complex and technical track of the album in "Metropolis, Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper". Another brilliant and complex composition, which upon release turned a few heads and helped convince people of Dream Theater´s virtuosic qualities. "Under a Glass Moon" is a track I´ve always thought of as being in the same vein as "Pull Me Under" and "Take the Time". A heavy track but with an uplifting mood and some great technical playing. Guitarist John Petrucci´s guitar solo on this particular track is legendary. The piano/keyoard and vocal ballad "Wait for Sleep" works as an introduction track to the closing 11:30 minutes long epic closing track "Learning to Live". Another brilliant and well composed track showing both the melodic, the atmospheric, the heavy, and the virtuosic sides of Dream Theater.

Featuring a clear, detailed, and powerful sounding production job (the drums feature a sometimes sterile and artificial sound, but it suits the music), brilliant musicianship, and a varied, adventurous, and powerful songwriting style, "Images and Words" is not only a high quality release in itself...it´s also a seminal progressive metal album and a true game changer in the genre. A 5 star (100%) rating is deserved.