DREAM THEATER — Images and Words (review)

DREAM THEATER — Images and Words album cover Album · 1992 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
jampa17
A masterpiece of Prog Metal. This is an album that has thrown a shadow over almost every single Prog Metal album since it was published. The album feels like that magical time in our life where everything seems to be on its right place. The band shares some of the greatest inspired songs in prog rock and makes a huge a high standard for all their posterior material.

After Metallica and Rush, seems like Dream Theater was the next step in the evolution of music. And the merge of metal and progressive was perfect. This was the album that shakes the ground of prog, forever.

To be honest, the material is just perfect. They kept the right balance between technical acrobatics as well as a lot of strong emotion and even “magic” (with the lack of a better word) with the more “in your face” metal that they showed in songs like Under a Glass Moon or Pull Me Under. Well, I know must of the new fans could say is not that heavy, that fast, that technical but hey, this album is kind of Kevin Moore trying to held the band not so loud and technical and been more emotional and touching... you know, there's no song like Surrounded in all the other albums... it's just beautiful and well composed and Wait For Sleep, you can feel that emotional vibe, that mix of sadness and "give up" feeling. Kevin was the master of songwritting. And if you see, he dominates must of the songs, not playing just fast and loud, but with soul and emotion... almost the half of the album has his leads... He can be fast, check the unisons with Petrucci in the instrumental part of Metropolis or the solo in Take the Time, but he liked to keep it cool and great... Sure will get the tradicional JP amazing solos, the Portnoy intricate performance... Myung presence is more evident and always with a very moody vibe, like in no other material from DT.

The production is not that shinny and the drum triggers that the producer uses were part of a huge controversy between the band and the producer but even with these “flaws”, it remains as the most important achievement for the band. The sound of DT will get better and they will get heavier as the time passes by, but here is where everything starts. Yes, is the second album, but the first one that means something to the audience. 4 stars for metal, 5 for prog metal. Wonderful experience.
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