AWAKE

So, here we go?.

Track 1 - 6:00

One of my faves from the album, I often get it stuck in my head randomly. ("6:00 on a Christmas Morning?) I love the underlying rhythm of Portnoy's drums, with the Petrucci/Myoung riff over the top. Then that change at "Melody walks through the door?."always gets my attention. As with all things DT, the musicianship is amazingly precise and stunningly good. Odd meters all around. I have read previously that DT takes a day to just create a click track for each song before recording, due to all of the time changes. I'm going on record that I LOVE James LaBrie's vocals! I have heard his voice criticized frequently. The song ends with a bit of a chaotic crescendo with spoken word parts underneath.

Track 2 - Caught In a Web

I love the contrast between the rhythmic verses and the melodic choruses. Excellent vocal harmonies on the chorus.Great precision instrumental break, but of course, that's what DT does better than most. Simply monstrous song.

Track 3 - Innocence Faded

This track isn't AS heavy as the first two. It almost sounds as though this one was possibly intended to get more radio airplay. Even so, there's no doubt that it's a DT track. LaBries vocals hit the stratosphere on this one. Nice keyboard beds from Kevin Moore on his final DT album. Nice melodies throughout. I can feel the Rush influence in this one. Excellent guitar solo at the end from Petrucci.

Track 4 - Erotomania

Great instrumental track, which somewhat works as an "overture" for the album (even though it is 3 tracks in). We hear some themes of songs that are still upcoming on the album, particularly "The Silent Man". Of course, it almost goes without saying that there are outstanding performances from the 4 instrumentalists in the band. I love the organ at approximately 4:20. And jeez Petrucci starting around 5:10! Then the amazing Portnoy drum fills. It ends with a nice "wind-down."

Track 5 - Voices

At just under 10 minutes, this is the second longest track on the album, and it is quite epic in scope.

Beginning with a Myoung bass riff, accented by guitar & drums, we go into some odd meter ensemble playing before it drops down to quiet vocals and piano. The music slowly builds with guitar flourishes and bass/bass drum accents. Then things go up a notch or two going into the chorus.Once again, outstanding soaring lead vocals on the chorus from LaBrie. There are some underlying spoken word parts beginning around 4:30 as the instrumental parts become more intense.Then around 5:10 things drop back down for a quiet verse, this time accompanied by a clean guitar part. We get a wah-wah guitar solo starting around 7:25.EVH style tapping begins around 8:05. An intense vocal section follows the guitar solo, into a chorus. There is a big finish with a mellow tag at the end. This leads directly into?

Track 6 - The Silent Man

This is an acoustically based ballad. The melody was previewed earlier in Erotomania. We have a nice "sing-songy" melody in the chorus. A brief acoustic solo happens between verses. At 3:48, this is the shortest track on the album.

Track 7 - The Mirror.

Starts with a bit of a prog-metal shuffle, for lack of a better term, before turning into a more syncopated rhythm with keyboards and, later, lead guitar on top. The vocals start in a low range and build. The song builds in intensity before returning to the syncopated verse. Spoken word parts that are low in the mix return as a recurring feature on the album. Big change at 5:20 ("I'll never hurt you again."). A Portnoy/Myoung rhythm bed sets the stage for the guitar solo with keyboard flourishes. The song abruptly ends and then?.

Track 8 - Lie

?takes over at a much faster tempo. Intense keyboards build over a Bass/Guitar/Drums rhythm bed leading to the first verse in a low vocal register. The chorus jumps up an octave ("Don't tell me?"). I like the vocal rhythm and wordplay that begins around 1:40 with "Mother Mary, quite contrary?" There is a sudden rhythm and feel change at around 2:35. This may be the "heaviest" track so far. Morse code rhythms start at about 3:40 to back the mind- blowing guitar solo. This is followed by another chorus. Precision rapid fire instrumental section just before 5:00, then a slower section guitar solo over the opening rhythm pattern. Lots of Petrucci guitar wizardry closes out the song.

Track 9 - Lifting Shadows off a Dream

This one begins with mellow electric guitar harmonics over bass & keys with a subtle drumbeat. Moore introduces a keyboard melody before the vocals begin. This one again seems a bit more "radio-friendly." The vocals of the chorus are melodic, and Petrucci gives us a riff that utilizes delay-effects. This gives way to sustained power chords under the next verse. Then the U2 style delay guitar returns for the next chorus. The melody changes before going into the instrumental break, which is melodic over a mid-tempo beat. Vocals return culminating in a long-held note before the next chorus. One thing that DT does effectively, is making things different each time a section of a song returns.

Track 10- Scarred

At nearly 11 minutes, this is the longest track on the album. We begin with a bit of a jazzy feel here?well, jazzy for DT, anyway. Sustained lead guitar lines with volume swells lead into a more bluesy guitar solo. The first verse starts in a low octave before jumping up an octave in the second half of it. The rhythm and intensity changes around 2:10, getting heavier. The second verse becomes more syncopated. Moore provides nice keyboard textures under the vocals. The music is gradually becoming more and more intense as we go along until the tension releases around 4:20, followed by a major tempo and groove change around 4:35. Another timing change at around 7:00 for the guitar solo, which goes through various rhythm/texture changes. Petrucci never fails to impress with his guitar skills. Another timing shift happens at just after 9:30. Excellent arranging skills on display.

Track 11- Space-Dye Vest

This is a top 10 DT track for me. Kevin Moore's masterpiece as far as I am concerned. Unlike anything else on the album, this is less about virtuosity (although the meter changes are very complex), and more about melodies, textures, and emotional response. We have the return of the spoken word vocals in the mix. This song is so "hauntingly beautiful." I pull it up frequently.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

What a fantastic album? quintessential Early DT. Kevin Moore may have been overshadowed by Derek Sherinian and especially Jordan Rudess, but shows that he had enormous amounts of talent, even if not as flashy as his 2 successors. Great playing, vocals & songcraft all around. While I have a special connection with Images & Words, and think some of the albums yet to come are even stronger, there is no denying how great this album is. To me, DT are the quintessential Symphonic Prog-Metal band. They are the standard by which I measure symphonic prog- metal bands. I give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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