Dream Theater
Images And Words

THE REVIEW

Year of release: 1992
Label: ATCO
Genre: Progressive Metal
Duration: approximately 57 minutes

Tracklist:
1.Pull Me Under
2.Another Day
3.Take The Time
4.Surrounded
5.Metropolis Pt. 1 – The Miracle And The Sleeper
6.Under A Glass Moon
7.Wait For Sleep
8.Learning To Live

The Band

In 1992, singer James LaBrie had just joined Dream Theater, destined to become yet another monument of the band, succeeding Charlie Dominici. "Images And Words" is his first album with the band, and according to many, it coincides with the peak of his vocal power. On guitar, there's always John Petrucci, more inspired than ever. The frenetic rhythms of the album are dictated by drummer Mike Portnoy and John Myung on bass. The keyboardist of the group is Kevin Moore: his contribution to the music's direction and his classy touches at the most opportune moments are definitely great strengths of the band.

The Album

"Images And Words" comes after "When Dream And Day Unite," where the group's potential and prog-rock influences were already evident… but nothing foreshadowed such an exploit! It starts with “Pull Me Under,” entirely written by Moore. An aggressive, fierce track centered on the theme of death. It's a continuous crescendo of tones and technique, among majestic gallops and engaging riffs, changes in rhythm, and a slight hint of LaBrie's vocal capabilities.
The second track is “Another Day,” dedicated to Petrucci's father's difficult health conditions. It's a slightly slower track, with some Jazz hints [with some saxophone parts played by Jay Beckenstein]. A very melodic piece, with decidedly poetic and touching lyrics. From my point of view, one of the top 3 most beautiful DT songs.

“Take The Time” is a rather varied work, almost a suite that evolves over its eight and a half minutes duration. Petrucci's guitar parts are very beautiful, and finally, one can appreciate Myung's work, a bit more hidden in the previous pieces. A particularly special cameo to mention: after the verses "i can see much better now i'm blind", a line from an Italian film by Tornatore, "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso," is ‘attached’: 'now that I've lost my sight, I see more'. These are words dedicated to a relative of an unspecified best of the band, who became blind.
Fourth track: this is where James LaBrie explodes. “Surrounded” is a total exaltation of the vocal capabilities of the then twenty-nine-year-old singer. Soft tones and sung whispers, the pace rises and the vocalist's acrobatics increase. Catchy rhythms, but here everything else takes a back seat. Welcome, progressive metal! According to some, it is with “Metropolis Pt. 1” that this eclectic genre truly comes to light. Eleven minutes of pure madness, with themes following one another with calculated unpredictability, some explosions from Portnoy, and a constantly active, never banal Petrucci… no riff is repeated more than twice, and never identically.

“Under A Glass Moon” is, in my opinion, the most technical track of the album, where among all [just for a change], the drummer and guitar stand out. According to many, the solo in this song is one of the best solos of the metal scene ever… and it's hard to argue with that. In “Wait for Sleep” we find all of Kevin Moore's compositional flair, creating a small ballad with jazz-blues nuances, extremely pleasant to listen to. Captivating.
The album ends with “Learning To Live,” lyrics composed by John Myung for a girl with AIDS. It's one of the standout lyrics on this album, imbued with sweet aggression. There's a certain resemblance musically to the first track, both in the type of distortion used by Petrucci and the steady rhythm that is especially recognized in the first part of the track.

Final Comment:
It's the album that cements Dream Theater as one of the fathers of prog metal, placing them alongside sacred monsters like Rush and Neal Morse. From here on, DT [excluding some slight physiological decline], will increasingly embark on the path marked by 'Images And Words': technique, unpredictability, poetry, evolution. Long live the Theater of Dreams!

P.S.: I know there are already 5 reviews on 'Images And Words' : p It's just that this is the first and so far the only review I've written, and I wanted to share it with you xDD in the future I hope to review only new or little-commented stuff... bye!