Dream Theater
Awake

THE REVIEW

As the title suggests, this third effort by Dream Theater is a sweet (so to speak) awakening for our ears. The sounds of Awake are very far from its predecessor Images And Words: in fact, here we find much more aggressive sounds, accompanied by precision in the search for a clearer and purer sound. The production is excellent, and perhaps the bass and drum rhythm section benefits the most from the new production; the sound of Petrucci's guitar is also excellently rendered, the absolute protagonist of this confused awakening (it is precisely on Awake that the guitarist uses the famous 7-string for the first time).

The first track “6:00” opens the dance with a drum intro in odd time, followed by a tapping guitar riff: the song introduces itself well, with excellent arrangements, although the keyboards are somewhat relegated to the background. The following “Caught In A Web,” accompanied by a heavy riff, takes us into the heart of the album: “Innocence Faded” calms the waters, with its very cheerful and playful initial riff. A piece of extraordinary freshness, this third track fully conveys the artistic genius of John Petrucci, both musically and lyrically.

Continuing through the album, we encounter the trilogy “A Mind Beside Itself”: hypnotic in its opening, “Erotomania” is one of the most original instrumental tracks written by Dream Theater, as well as one of the most beautiful pieces on Awake. A silent passage accompanied by Myung's bass leads us into the second chapter, called “Voices”: Moore's keyboards, which seem to come from deep within our soul, follow a brilliant LaBrie in recreating the right atmosphere before the powerful chorus: absolutely exciting! The third and final part of the trilogy closes with “The Silent Man,” an acoustic ballad and the only moment of real lightheartedness on the album. Tension rises sharply again with the following “The Mirror” and “Lie,” similar both musically and lyrically. In the first song, the deep distortions by Petrucci and a very pissed-off LaBrie suggest we continue in this mad and beautiful track, with a highly engaging piano dominating the chorus, while in the second we learn of a new unrepeatable guitar solo, capable of making us feel very small. The rarefied atmosphere created by the initial bass harmonics and keyboards immerse us once again in the dream, thanks to “Lifting Shadows Of A Dream,” an accessible yet thrilling track.

We approach the end of the full-length, encountering “Scarred” and “Space Dye Vest”: the former is introduced by a nice blues-style guitar solo and the entire song is supported by the indestructible Myung-Portnoy duo; “Space Dye Vest” is graced, instead, by Moore's sweet notes and some excellent melodic lines. Ultimately, one of the band's most interesting albums, as well as one of the classics of prog-metal: by listening to it, you'll be transported into the Theater of Dreams, from which you'll never want to awaken again.