WHEN DREAM AND DAY UNITE

Being perhaps one of the biggest DT fans around I can honestly give a rating of three stars and feel that I have accurately described this album to newer fans. Not a bad album by any means, this disc shows Dream Theater trying to find their definitve sound without really succeeding. The fan favorite "Ytse Jam" (Majesty spelled backwards, a reference back to the 1985-86 incarnation of Dream Theater) is possibly the best song on the album along with "A Fortune In Lies" and "Only A Matter Of Time."

The CD's low rating has nothing to do with musicianship as drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboadist Kevin Moore, bassist John Myung, and guitarist John Petrucci all play expertly over the albums 8 tracks. It does however lose points in the vocal category, with Charlie Dominici's Geddy Lee-esque stylings. Not at all a bad vocalist but not what was needed in DT. However, if anyone has heard the two "Official Bootleg Series" CD's that chronicle the band from 1985 to 1989, you will agree that Dominici is head-over-heels better in comparison to their former frontmen.

If allowed I would have given this album a 3.5 for the effort, but all in all this is not the album to start with when beginning a DT collection.