IMAGES AND WORDS

I definitely am a level 4 on this one as I go in. This, as with many of us, was my introduction to Dream Theater. But, I didn't hear Pull Me Under on MTV or the Radio. I read a magazine article in one of the Guitar Magazines and they sounded interesting. I happened across it in a used CD store and bought it. I was sold on them immediately! The perfect mix of prog & metal. Yes meets Iron Maiden. It is still one of my favorites of theirs to this day. While this is their second album, it's the first one most people knew. Let's take a deep dive.

Track 1 - Pull Me Under

To this day, it's still probably their best known song. From the clean opening guitar notes, to the tribal drumming, the sound pulls you in, not under. Then around 1:15 the crunch comes in, with the keyboards joining a bit later. The vocals enter at 2:00 and James LaBrie makes his debut as DT's singer. The tempo begins to increase around 2:40. By 3:00, we begin to hear LaBrie's range. Portnoy's drums complement the lyrics ("This world is spinning around me?"), then Petrucci's amazing guitar fill takes us to the chorus. If the listener wasn't fully sold by this point, I'd be surprised. There is a bridge then another "spinning" pre-chorus and chorus. There is a quieter part that features Kevin Moore's keyboards before we reach Petrucci's awesome guitar solo break. A fantastic drum fill at 6:30 takes us back to another set of choruses. The last minute is a mainly instrumental coda that gets more and more sinister sounding as it goes; I say mainly because there are some harmony vocals near the abrupt ending. Brilliant track.

Track 2 - Another Day

Now for something completely different?

A mellow piano part starts us off, followed by a brief guitar part with the full band. The verse begins with piano and vocals. The vocals get harmonized by the end of the verse. Then wait, what's this at 1:10? Soprano Sax? Who let Kenny G in here? But it isn't Kenny G, it's much better than that, it's Jay Beckstein of Spyro Gyra, in who's studio they are recording the album. He plays a mini-solo between verses and fills during the second verse. Ahh, at 2 minutes in we get power chords and a waive-the-bic-lighter-in-the-air half-time bridge. At 3 minutes Petrucci takes a melodic guitar solo with just a bit of shred. LaBrie hits a fantastic high note at 3:38 before we get another sax solo to close out the track. Beautiful song.

Track 3 - Take the Time

A synth fades in joined by Bass & drum rhythms then guitar, before a double bass drum onslaught. At 1:00 we start getting shifting meters with funky rhythms and the vocals begin. Portnoy really starts showing his skills on this one. There is a finger twisting fill leading to the chorus. LaBrie lives in the stratosphere on much of this one. The tempo slows around 3:25. After a brief bit of spoken dialog, we get a wonderfully proggy instrumental section with more meter changes than you can shake a stick at. Kevin Moore has 2 dazzling keyboard solos in this section. John Myoung finally gets to show what he's made of keeping up with every bit of the virtuosity on the bass. Vocals return following the instrumental break for a fast tempo chorus before things slow down and get quieter at around 6:30. At this point they begin a glorious simultaneous accelerando and crescendo. As it climaxes, there is a chorus and outro guitar solo. Great track!

Track 4 - Surrounded

A slow, cascading keyboard part starts it off to be joined by quiet vocals. The tempo increases as the first verse ends and Petrucci plays a melodic solo with subtle drumming behind. The beat kicks in with the full band and the second verse is more rhythmic. The backing for the third verse is even moreso. LaBrie's vocals are glorious. Petrucci has a wonderful guitar solo that leads to the bridge. Things quiet back down by 4:43 as the final lines close out this beautiful song.

Track 5 - Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper

I have read that there was never intended to be a Pt. 2 of this song; the Pt. 1 in the title was meant to be humorous. However, the joke was on the band, as fans clamored for Pt. 2. That Part 2 would turn into an album of its own that we will be visiting before long.

Ominous synth sounds fade in. A guitar part starts making chugga chugga sounds along the way. The whole band kicks in at 40 seconds. Moore plays a solo part at around 1:40, then the rhythm changes to set up the verse before LaBrie starts singing. Portnoy plays an amazing drum fill at 2:10. He then plays a tribal sounding pattern to lead into a quieter part with clean guitar & vocals along with keys. Things kick back in at 3:10. The lead vocals and backing vocals do a sort of call & response around 3:35. Petrucci has excellent guitar fills around 4:00. A new section begins at 4:15 in an odd meter. In the ensuing instrumental break Moore and Petrucci play complex harmony lines, before Petrucci takes over with a blistering solo. Incredible drumming from Portnoy at around 5 minutes. The band seems to be "revving up" for a few seconds at around 5:30, then Myoung has a mind-blowing bass feature. By 5:50 Moore is in the spotlight with a dizzying display of keyboards with Portnoy going ape on the drums behind it. Next, it sounds like Petrucci & Moore are playing ungodly complex lines in unison. At 6:25 the band goes into odd-meter-overdrive (7-8, I believe). By 7 minutes Moore is playing super intricate keyboard lines. The section between 7:08 and 8:03 is on par with the middle section of King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man on the scale of being impossible for mere mortal musicians to play accurately. Seriously, it's mind-melting and finger-cramping. LaBrie returns shortly thereafter with amazing vocals to bring us to the conclusion of this showcase of other-worldly talent.

Track 6 - Under a Glass Moon

Petrucci starts off with a relatively simple guitar part played in octaves. Moore is providing support on the keys. Portnoy and Myoung jump in at around 30 seconds with a quick rhythmic pattern underneath, that the full band locks into before the 1 minute mark. After a dizzying connective line, they go into a storm of swirling rhythms. Things lock into a tight 7-4 groove by 1:20 for LaBrie to begin singing. A double-bass drum pattern takes over by 2:10. Cue amazing drum fill at 2:33. Shortly before the 3 minute point, they've gone into a smooth 4-4 and a softer dynamic level, while the tempo stays fairly quick. LaBrie's vocals remain stellar. At 3:30 the double-bass drum rhythm returns. Petrucci plays some light-speed guitar fills just before 4 minutes, and the rhythm changes again. It's a more staccato guitar part with counter melody keys underneath. At around 4:30, though, the guitar part becomes more sustained. Cool bass fill before the guitar solo around 4:35 before a guitar solo with more time changes than you can count. . He even plays some funky licks around 4:50. The guitar solo concludes around 5:35 and keys take over with a different set of complex time changes behind it. The band plays some tight staccato riffs in unison and the vocals return around 6:20. We are back to a variation of the double-bass drum riffs from earlier before they return to the intro riffs from earlier onto which they tack a little closing punctuation bit. I'm outta breath from trying to keep up with all of the changes in that one! I might even need a nap.

Track 7 - Wait for Sleep

(See what I did there?) This gentle ballad begins with a piano part with synth strings. LaBrie Joins on vocals. This is essentially a duet between Moore and LaBrie. The title of the album comes from the lyrics.

Track 8 - Learning to Live

The closing epic at 11:30. It begins with a keyboard riff from Moore. The band kicks in with an odd meter at 14 seconds. A wild drum part begins at around 35 seconds and the band plays to it, then the odd meter playing returns. By 1:15 we begin a slower, smoky groove. The vocals join thereafter. Nice harmonies at 2:25. There is a sudden timing shift at 2:40. There are odd metered riffs filling in between vocal lines. There is an almost "djent" type of riff starting around 3:20. Another shift at 4:00 with a new riff and key change. The bass & drums drop out around 4:45 and Petrucci & Moore play counter melodies against each other briefly before they kick back in. There are a few seconds of quieter playing with a rimshot beat from Portnoy. Then a few power chords come in between quieter sections. Excellent Portnoy fills around 5:20. We get an acoustic guitar solo with tribal drumming behind it around 5:35. He switches to clean electric chords and lead parts following that. Myoung has a great bass line as we approach the 7-minute mark. Then just after 7 minutes, LaBrie sings some ascending, harmonized vocal lines with some "ahhs" reaching a beautifully sung high note. Petrucci unleashes a flurry of notes into a high, soaring sustained guitar solo as that note ends. There is a brief keyboard solo before the band locks into a complex set of unison phrases, including Portnoy's drum part. Moore plays a riff from earlier in the song on solo piano at 8:10. The bass & drums, then guitar join in on it. Petrucci plays another solo following that, before the riff returns on guitar & keys. Next Moore takes a synth solo. Vocals return with LaBrie in the stratosphere. Myoung plays a solo riff at 10 minutes, then drums and clean guitar join in. Petrucci plays a lead pattern on top. A choir-like synth sound joins in as the song fades out.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

This album is a game-changer. Yes, there were prog metal bands prior to Dream Theater (Queensryche, Fates Warning, etc.), and yes, this is their second album. But the addition of LaBrie on vocals and the popularity of Pull Me Under drew attention to this album and they brought the genre to a whole new level of both virtuosity and popularity. IMO, the earlier prog metal bands were more metal bands who had some prog elements. Dream Theater were a prog band with a metal style. And tracks like Another Day and Wait for Sleep show that they can comfortably step outside of the metal style and play more mellow music with equal quality. Additionally, while the music is heavy, it's never harsh. The emphasis is on the quality of the music, not on how heavy and aggressive they are. I can't in good conscience give this anything but a 5 out of 5 stars. It's a classic masterpiece, even though it might not even be their best.