AWAKE

This album was a bit hard for me to digest as I am not a fan of that 90's-esque sound that is featured on Awake. But nonetheless this is one of Dream Theater's more solid albums. The first track 6:00 is a very unique song by Dream Theater that doesn't really sound like anything else I have heard by them, but with all of the voice backgrounds and such I found this as bit of an overkill. There are many things that I found annoying on this album; such as the mix and the overuse of cheesy sound effects, but Dream Theater has progressed to use these sound effects, well at least to make them less annoying... Caught in a web is a solid song, nothing really here that blows you away. The album starts picking up with Innocence Faded. Here Dream Theater starts showing their true ability, even though it was a bit of a hard listen for me. Erotomania I would have to say is the album's high point as it shows their musicianship and progressive abilities. Another thing you may have to be aware of about this album is James Labrie's vocals. To my ears he doesn't match the vibe of the music sometimes, but then again, what other singer could fit this? The album goes on with Voices another solid song that took some warming up to. On this song I realized the weakness of the album's lyrics, the vocals seem pushed and a bit obscured, but they work, just nothing great. The Silent Man is nothing amazing, but rather a ballad that progresses a bit along the way. The Mirror is a very sad attempt to be heavy and make metal. To my ears this was horrible, cheesy and unbearable, but you should take a listen to judge for yourself. Lie is another attempt to make something heavy, but more for the mainstream, a cheesy failed attempt in my opinion. Silent Man and Lie lead more into the mainstream and away from progression. Lifting shadows of a dream and scarred are two long songs that I found really dull uninspired and unfitting with Labrie's vocals. After Voices this album starting going downhill for me. The last track is a bit experimental and compared to the last two sold, almost leans toward a somber psychedelic sound. So all in all this album is solid with the exception of The Mirror and Lie. Scarred and Lifting shadows were a bit weak too, but that's just because they sound uninspired to me. Notable tracks include Erotomania, Voices, Innocence faded, and the rest is just solid. If you can take the mix of James Labrie's screeching voice and a 90's cheesy synth mix this album is for you! Otherwise your going have to force it down like me... Keep Proggin!