IMAGES AND WORDS

Okay, the first question someone may ask is how could I have not given this CD a 5 star rating? Is this the best record the band has ever done? My humble opinion is no, and therefore, so I do not get trapped and give everything a 5 star rating, I have to convince myself of what truly makes THE perfect prog rock album.

I have seen this album hailed as the return of modern progressive rock and you won't get any argument here. This is after all the album I first listened to and fell in love with, starting a decade of love for this band and what they have accomplished. If I would put this album against something like "Foxtrot", "Close To The Edge", or perhaps even "Red" it would pale in comparison as far as artistic merit, but then again the days of early prog are long gone!

"Learning To Live" is the album's stand-out track, while "Pull Me Under", although less inventive, is the song that got the band recognized by MTV and an ever growing legion of die-hard followers in 1992. The writing and recording of this album was not an easy one. Their previous singer Charlie Dominici had been sacked in 1989 due to musical (and age) differences and it took the band a full 2+ years to find a respectable replacement in Kevin James LaBrie. (LaBrie changed his name when joining the band as DT already had a Kevin :)

This is the first time we get to hear LaBrie's voice, and although I've heard him compared to metal icon Bruce Dickinson, LaBrie's voice is much more refined and opens itself to creating more subtle and beautifully crafted songs such as "Another Day." Although not my favorite DT album, this is where the band found their sound (minus the horrible triggered effect of Portnoy's drums) and they built on this formula up to the present day.

Since this is the album that opened my eyes to modern, heavy, well-cafted prog rock, I would say to any fan of the genre to pick this disc up. You will not be let down, and if you haven't heard Dream Theater before, I can almost guarantee this will start a love affair like it did with me. When you are done with "Selling England By The Pound", "Leftoverture", and maybe even "Pieces Of Eight" (which could be argued I'm sure) put this baby in the disc changer and see what MODERN prog sounds like!