AWAKE

Dream Theater is a band that, at best, I've only had a passive interest in. On AWAKE, Dream Theater makes an interesting move by shortening their songs (for the most part) and getting heavier with the metal. ''The Mirror'' and ''Lie'' are amongst the heaviest songs I've ever heard from them and I'm familiar with some Rudess-era material (of which I think takes a deeper dive into metal).

The metal songs here are done well and make a lasting impression. Songs like ''6:00'', ''Erotomania'' and ''Scarred'' have as much fist-pumping power as they do complexity. John Petrucci is at a playing apex here as many heavy guitar riffs and flashy solos dominate AWAKE in a good way. Surprisingly, the keyboards mix very well into the songs.

However, when the band goes astray from the metal, it isn't all worth looking at. ''The Silent Man'' is nothing more than a short acoustic piece that doesn't sound right coming after the powerful ''Voices''. ''Innocence Faded'' and ''Lifting Shadows'' are two subpar pop-metal songs that aren't really worth discovering. ''Space Dye Vest'' is at best okay, but it's too sleepy for me; poignancy is good in music, but this is almost too much.

Even if songs like ''Voices'' and ''Scarred'' are really good, I get impatient as both last too long for my comfort zone. It's pretty uneven of an album for me, so let's try three stars as a warning rating.