IMAGES AND WORDS

There is a good reason why Images And Words is Dream Theater's propably most succesfull record. It has same same time great depth and great catchiness that almost all other DT-records lack (Scenes from a Memory and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence get close). Many people think that The absence of Keyboardist Kevin Moore might cause their averageness but i strongly doubt it, there must be some other reasons why DT never achieved anything this great since Images And Words.

Few words about the songs. Opening track is the hit single Pull Me Under wich main riff sounds a bit like Metallica (or does it, i'm not sure...) and it sounds very much like a typical single track and the band hasn't clearly attempted anything very ambitious, but it's still quite nice, with especially fine chorus. The second track, Another Day is pretty average 80's pop-ballad, but after that the record really kicks in. Third track, Take The Time is absolutely great, nearly ingenious song that just makes you happy, James LaBries vocals are simply great compared, for example, to the latest album. Record continues with Surrounded, yet another great uplifting track. You might call the keyboard chords at the beginnig a bit cheesy (i do, at least) but it can be forgiven since the rest of the song is so amazing. The next track, Metropolis has one of the finest Hard rock-riffs ever written and a considerably crazy solo- section. Some 80's hair-metal fans might enjoy Metropolis as much as some prog enthusiast and that's quite an achievment. My favorite DT-song is without a question Under A Glass Moon, which follows Metropolis. It has power metal-, space rock- and prog- elements in a perfect balance and the guitar solo is propably John Petrucci's best. His playing is usually clinic and rather boring but in Glass Moon he manages to get some groove in his playing though the solo consists mostly of shredding. Following tracks Wait For Sleep and Learning to Live form an entirety that closes the album greatly.

Definitely recommended to all progfans.

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