[Other Dimension - May 14, 2006, around noon] It was released in 1992, after "When Dream and Day Reunite," a more gezzo album if we want to call it that, but it contained tracks like Ytze Jam or A Fortune In Lies, The Killing Hand (and kept the Cambio di Stagioni in the pipeline). We are in the post Glam-Speed-Shred Metal era, progressive music is revived thanks in part to Queensryche, and then Majesty, followed by Dream Theater, who are making waves in this neo-progressive scene. Well, Images and Words is a summa, a great melting pot, a container filled with all the stylistic elements of classic progressive as well as the new hard wave. Everything, of course, is reworked, filtered, and Theaterized.
It begins with Pull Me Under, a very famous track, a staple. For those hearing this album for the first time—far away from the preconceived notions of commercialization, of being relatively catchy, of being overexposed—this is already moving. The riff made of chorus and tremolo, the keyboard weaving around the guitar, and the drumming framing it all... simply goosebumps. LaBrie's voice is unmatched (when he could still afford to).
Second track: Another Day, a classic ballad. Well, not so classic! An evocative piece, thanks to Petrucci's splendid lyrics. It's a slow, arpeggiated song, yet it doesn't lack a more rock-oriented segment. The soprano sax takes by Jay Beckenstein (Spyro Gyra, not just anyone...) are commendable.
Now we reach the first peak: Take the Time. My absolute favorite song. Energetic, powerful, funky, melodic, aggressive. In a word, progressive. A sort of programmatic manifesto of what Theater's music is all about. Simply fantastic. I highlight the guitar-keyboard unison solo. Technique and class come together to create an absolutely unrepeatable combination.
Fourth track: Surrounded. In my opinion, after Take the Time, the best song on the album. A brilliant piece. The piano intro transports us to atmospheres very distant from the genre. But here's the guitar marking a fantastic 9/8 time signature. A powerful riff and a cutting rhythm, with that odd timing that catches you by surprise. This is precisely the aspect that most characterizes Dream Theater's music. The alternation of odd times to 4/4, always in service of the music and never for its own sake. Here the lyrics, truly well-crafted, are the work of the late Kevin Moore.
The fifth track is another staple of DT: Metropolis pt.1 - The Miracle and the Sleeper. The piece that will serve as the foundation, at least as a common thread, to Dance of Eternity. The song is linear in the first part, more canonical and simple. Petrucci's lyrics evoke strange landscapes and speak to us of humanity's three dances: death, deception, love, the dance of eternity. This is also a goosebump-inducing piece. The prelude to the heavier and more progressive section features a splendid solo by Myoung. After that, it's all a play of unisons between guitars and keyboards, with a beautiful rhythm from Portnoy. Powerful.
Under a Glass Moon. The initial riff plays on octaves and keyboard harmonization. A more metal and powerful piece. I love the solo in this song. It's fantastic; it reminds me a lot of Steve Vai in some passages. As usual, JP pens the lyrics. And he never disappoints, at least on this CD.
Wait for Sleep is almost a lullaby. Piano and voice. Odd time signatures, 5/8, 3/4, 2/4, alternating. Difficult to follow at first impact. However, it remains beautiful and enjoyable. Sweet. Essentially a product of Moore, although LaBrie's interpretation is among the most beautiful on the album.
The last great track. Learning to Live. Here one remembers a bit of Yes or Rush. A piece in the classic progressive structure. The keyboard work is commendable, with never-cliché arrangements. The rhythms are "naturally" syncopated, never predictable, and always tasty. From the eighth minute, the theme of Wait for Sleep is revisited. But here it's faster, driving, percussive.
