Dream Theater
Images And Words

THE REVIEW

I will start right away by saying something: I really like Dream Theater, but I don't go crazy like many of their fans who go to see them live. Honestly, I would much rather listen to one of their CDs at home than hear them live for almost three hours, and I'll explain why: I find them to be truly excellent and superb musicians, with great energy and technique, from John Petrucci, a god of high-speed guitar, to Mike Portnoy, one of the best drummers of the genre and perhaps of rock in general. Meanwhile, I've always found LaBrie's voice unbearable... very high indeed, with a great vocal timbre and a fearsome vibrato, but unfortunately, it doesn't leave (at least for me) emotions like those of Robert Plant or Ian Gillian, two other titans who put their soul into singing.

But now let's review the album: I don't dislike their albums, and this one, in particular, I find well-made and well-constructed. "Images And Words" is full of great things but also of absolutely cold elements thrown in randomly to lengthen the songs and make them difficult to play (we all understand that Dream Theater is complicated).

1) "Pull Me Under" is a great track, perhaps one of the simplest in terms of composition on the entire album, due to the fact that it's not overstuffed with too many changes or nonsensical solos, but instead, I find it a really powerful song with an excellent guitar solo (between "As I Am" and this one, I don't know which is stronger). The only flaw? The ending is too abrupt....8/10

2) "Another Day" is one of the few non-metal songs on the album, almost a pop melody with a good lyric and good engagement, although after a few minutes it becomes too repetitive. The guitar solo in the interlude is very nice, as is LaBrie's voice, which manages to bring out a small tear in this song. 7/10

3) "Take The Time" is one of the most beautiful songs on the entire album: the start with the drum intro and Petrucci's solo envelops the listener with their powerful energy. Even when LaBrie's voice enters, the song has various rhythm changes that fit in well, particularly the chorus....but from the fifth minute, the song starts to get a bit boring for one reason: those damned constant changes and super-fast solos that repeat haphazardly, ruining the atmosphere. Just when the song seemed ruined, towards the end of the sixth minute, the beautiful ending saves it all. Great but for me, if they had removed some superficial nonsense, it would have been a much more engaging song. 7.5/10

4) "Surrounded" is a beautiful song with a lovely piano intro. The verse, though very pop, is quite nice, especially in the transition to the chorus. Once again, LaBrie's voice stands out, as it seems more suited to this type of song, because it is very engaging. The song then ends as it began. The result is very good, one of the less technical yet more emotional tracks. 8/10

5) "Metropolis" is both an underrated and overrated masterpiece at the same time: the beautiful keyboard and guitar intro, and the arrival of Portnoy's drums, create an almost theatrical beginning that transports the listener to a unique atmosphere, almost as if in ancient Greece, or so it seems to me with that catchy initial keyboard sound. But then horror returns: at a certain point, the listener finds themselves bombarded anew with horrible and meaningless supersonic solos that become boring after a few minutes. Overall it's a nice song, but like in "Take The Time," too many random ideas are thrown in. 7/10

6) "Under A Glass Moon" is a good metal song with a spectacular solo by John Petrucci, but it's also overflowing with too many unnecessary passages. Here too, I would have shortened it from seven minutes, but since they are a progressive metal band, do people want to hear technique? Meh. 6.5/10

7) "Wait For Sleep" is (fortunately) the shortest song on the album, where Portnoy's drums are absent and a keyboard melody accompanies LaBrie's voice. Despite being nothing special, the singer's voice manages to make it quite good. 6/10

8) "Learning To Live": yet another pie stuffed with changes and keyboard and guitar solos, without rhyme or reason. The bad part of this is not just this but also its duration: Eleven minutes!! I give it 6 out of 10 for the good interlude; the rest did not attract me at all. Too much smoke, no fire.

Overall, it's a listenable album, but many times it's too boring due to the continuous changes in the longer songs. It's a pity....