AWAKE

Awake is Kevin Moore's last album with Dream Theater. He did good during his tenure, but I personally think Rudess did even better. Still, Moore's work with the band was very commendable, and the material he helped conceive is surely among the finest of any.

This album is a longer affair than Images and Words. It's got all of the variety from before, only this time the contrast is greater. The heavy parts are heavier, and the soft parts are softer. This album is filled with strong material. My personal favorites are "Caught in a Web," "Innocence Faded," "Erotomania," and "Scarred." Everything is good here, but I have one problem: LaBrie. His range is excersized even more here, which is great, but his metal tone irks the crap out of me. Prime example being "6:00;" fantastic intro, but when we get around to "I may never get over..." I cringe. A lot of people like that kind of voice, but I can't stand it.

Other than that complaint, everything is very good. I personally get less out of this one than the previous, but there are plenty of classics here too.