AWAKE

Awake is the eagerly awaited follow up to 1992's breakthrough sophomore album Images and Words. Awake brims with a darkness that the band would not come close to again until 2003's Train of Thought.

"6:00" is a great opener that's full of energy. "Caught in a Web" is a strong mid tempo piece, but it tends to be repetitive. "Innocence Faded" is likely James Labrie's strongest vocal performance ever. A beautiful track that's unfortunately all too easy to skip over.

"Erotomania" is a great instrumental that begins the 3 part Mind Beside Itself suite. Fantastic complex drums from Protnoy, Myung's bass is pounding, Petrucci's guitar is great, and Kevin's keyboard is haunting (listen starting around 2:24 to get chills on your spine). Great solo from Petrucci. "Voices" is a mellow juxtaposition to the frantic Erotomania. "The Silent Man" continues the balladry. Overall, the suite is quite good.

"The Mirror" is led by Myung's bass and resumes the power.

"Lie" is a riff monster. Petrucci and Myung pound this song ahead. It is the heaviest song DT had at that time.

"Lifting Shadows Off a Dream" is emotional, though not as good as The Silent Man

"Scarred" is an 11 minute opus that is one of the band's finest tracks. Great vocals, heavy yet melodic sound.

"Space Dye Vest" is an interesting way to close the album. Scarred's excellent outro lures you into thinking the album is over, then comes this little piece. It features a lone piano over James' vocals. It's an astonishingly beautiful track, probably second only to The Spirit Carries On from Scenes From a Memory.

Awake is a worthy successor to Images and Words and prog metal fans would well to own this.

Grade: B