AWAKE

I can't blame Dream Theater for taking their time about crafting a followup for Images and Words - after all, that album was such a huge hit they must have felt a huge pressure to produce an album worthy of that illustrious predecessor.

In one sense, I'm not sure they succeeded. I was initially impressed by Awake, then I cooled off on it, but I've found myself warming to it again. It's certainly less immediately hooky and gripping than Images and Words, starting off as it does with songs which go for a somewhat darker and more aggressive tone than that album (perhaps reacting to the shifts in metal and rock music in the early 1990s). It's certainly the case that in terms of the more popular-leaning numbers, the album didn't yield another Pull Me Under, though I think by this point we all realise that another Pull Me Under isn't going to happen (and the band themselves have made their peace with that).

However, once you hit Erotomania - the first part of the A Mind Beside Itself suite - things perk up as far as I am concerned, with the rest of the album delving into impressively proggy territory whilst purging some of the cheese from the band's sound.

I've previously said I found James LaBrie's vocals on this album a bit too polished, without much emotion; it is possible I was reacting here to some of the angst on the first three numbers, which felt slightly affected. However, I've warmed to that now - he might not persuade me that he himself is feeling these emotions, but I find myself seeing him as a narrator telling me a story through song, which perhaps helps with the sense of distance.

Technically, the performances on here are highly accomplished, but it took me a while to really get an ear for this one, to see how everything fitted together and look past the impression of flashy prog showboating I initially had. It took me a while to wake up to Awake, but I don't regret doing so, even though I don't think it'll knock Images and Words off its perch for me.