AWAKE

This is the follower of the masterpiece "Images and words" and I must say thhis is not so far of being as good as "Images...", but it's a bit different. First of all, there's not that drum sound characteristic of "Images..." (I don't have problems with that sound). Also, the keyboards do not stand out as much as on the previous album (there aren't almost keyboard solos). Petrucci stills being an amazing guitarist, doing excellent and renovator solos, in difference of many metal guitar players. And here are more accesible songs as "6:00", "Caught in a web" (you can play it on radio!!), "Innocence faded", "The silent man".

"6:00" is an excellent opening to this album, which has a good "square" drum intro and a rocker chorus, yeah!! "Caught in a web" is the more radiable song , I don't know why, but it makes me fell better each time I hear it. "Innocence faded" is a mid tempo song, close to be a ballad with an excellent very symphonic instrumental part at the end of the song, what surprised me a lot. The incredible instrumental "Erotomania" is maybe the best of this album (with "Voices") : starts with a rocker begginig, followed by a guitar solo, then it progress to a more metal sound, goes down with acoustic-ballad-symphonic transition, it turns heavier again, and here goes a classical guitar solo with growing speed, and keeps with tempo changes.... just isten to it!!!. And here goes the mid tempo song "Voices", another excellent song that starts with a super effective riff: "ta na na na na na na na na, ta...", followed by a quieter piano part, and explodes with the nice chorus. After the second chorus it goes down again with a "Floydian" part with atmospheric keyboards, and then goes surely on of the best Petrucci's solos ever (yeah man, it rocks!!) This track has also nice vocal melodies... you have to listen this one!!! The album calms down with the more personal acoustic "The silent man", just good... So here has to be a marked difference between the most calm and the most heavy and dark song of the album: "The mirror", here I have to say there is an excellent intro, just listen, there is just one note and it makes you super-headbang your head!!!! This song goes joined with "Lie", another very heavy song featuring excellent guitar solos by Mr. Petrucci. From here to the end the album falls a little with "Lifting shadows off a dream", followed by the very proggy "Scarred" (in "Once in a livetime" it's done much better, with (again) a "Floydian" guitar solo at the begginig). And finishes with the nice psychedelic song "Space-Dye Vest"....just fly.............

Overall, it's an excellent addition in your discography and an excellent Dream Theater album. I recommend this!!