AWAKE

Dream Theater are one of those bands I feel have a really great album in them, trying to get out. With most of their albums though, I find that while I enjoy them, they fall short of my expectations, and I am left with a sense of disappointment.

It is hard to say exactly what it is that falls short, but I believe it's mainly down to the guitar work. While it's fast and well performed, the solos seem to be to be rather directionless, and predictable.

With "Awake", Dream Theater created a more diverse collection than on previous albums, and developed some of the tracks well. The opening track "6 o'clock" is quite surprising. It sounds almost like a remix of an original track, with very rough vocals on a heavy background.

Personally, and this probably reflects my tastes more than anything, I really enjoyed the softer tracks. For my money, if Dream Theater created a few more of these, I for one would enjoy them far more. "Innocence faded" and in particular "Space-dye vest" are very affecting ballads, sung surprisingly sensitively.

On the other hand, tracks like "Erotomania" and Scarred" seem over anxious to jump from one theme to another before the previous one has been fully developed.

A good, but ultimately flawed album.

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