Warthur Although I don't consider it the classic many Dream Theater fans rate it as, I do find that Images and Words is an intriguing and very enjoyable followup to their debut album. When Dream and Day Unite was an excellent tribute to their various influences, but for the band to sustain itself it really needed to develop its own sound, and Images and Words is where it all came together with a seamless mixing of crunching, thrashy riffs, virtuoso and delicate keyboard work and complex prog songwriting.

The main thing which stops me giving this more than four stars is that the music here regularly threatens to cross the line into unappealing schmaltz - as, for example, on Surrounded - but at its best, Images and Words is an exciting, muscular, adrenaline-pumping piece of prog metal which outlined the Dream Theater sound marvellously.

AtomicCrimsonRush The reinvention of Progressive Metal.

Did Images and Words begin prog metal? 1992 seems like an eternity away now but in its time this album was absolutely the pinnacle of what became prog metal. So many bands owe their existence to this album. It is little wonder why crowds get excited when LaBrie shouts "we are going to do one from Images and Words!" The real master tracks are obvious as they are the ones played live often and they are the ones that every DT fan loves. One of those tracks is the brilliant Pull Me Under. Infectious riffing and melodic cohesiveness makes this one of the all time greatest prog metal songs.

Another one of the classics is undoubtedly Metropolis - Pt. I "The Miracle And The Sleeper". This may be in the top 10 best DT songs, as it features an epic majesty made possible with layers of Moore's keyboards over Myung's relentless bass and Portnoy's sporadic drumming. The time sigs are off kilter and deranged at times. Amidst the chaos LaBrie shines on vocals. If that does not grab you the lead guitar fret work is impeccable from Petrucci.

Under A Glass Moon is a definitive DT track appearing in many concerts. The guitar solos are phenomenal and there are quite a few. The riffing is incredible too making this a bonafide classic. The lead breaks are indispensable and ingrained in metal history.

Learning To Live is quintessential DT with virtuoso solos and musicianship. LaBrie is on fire and you have to love the time sig and bassline. LaBrie's voice is powerful throughout the album, higher than recent years of course because his voice was undamaged by age.

Of course there are other tracks and they are all very good, some may call them masterpieces. The point is, this album is a vital component in the resurgence of prog rock. Prog was dying in the 80s, and barely surviving in the 90s, but Dream Theater created the music they wanted to hear despite the avalanche of rap and other so called musical styles trying to drown out the voice of prog for ever. Images and Words is all killer and no filler the way an album should be. It may not be as genius as Ocatavarium or in the same vein as Scenes From A Memory to come, but this is an important album that cemented prog metal as the new giants of the industry. After this album there was no looking back - the gods of prog metal had been awakened.

Andyman1125 The beginning of it all.

Some despise it, some adore it, and some think it's just alright, but I, Andyman1125, contributor to MetalMusicArchives.com, say that this album is one of the best albums ever produced in this millennia, butt up against Selling England by the Pound and Close to the Edge. Albums like these encompass everything that makes humanity good, skill, passion, desire, self-knowledge, and overall joy of being alive. This album started everything for the now "famous" prog rockers Dream Theater, whose technical ability and passionate devotion to their fans has rocketed them up through the everyday prog band that just doesn't cut it compared to Dream Theater. Certainly Dream Theater can't stand up to the legends such as Yes, Pink Floyd, or King Crimson, but they are certainly the best of their bunch: the leaders of the progressive metal movement.

In the very late 80s and the very early 90s, Dream Theater lost their first singer, Charlie Dominici. His voice led the band for only a few years, and he only appeared on the mediocre debut When Dream and Day Unite. The band began to audition for a new singer in 1991. After sifting through dozens of singers, even including John Arch of Fates Warning, the band called James LaBrie all the way from Canada, the current singer in the glam rock band Winter Rose, to audition. Flying down from Ontario, the young LaBrie (although he was the same age as the rest of the band) auditioned and blew Petrucci, Portnoy, Myung, and Moore out of the water. His incredible range, his melodic tone, his compassionate timbre and vocal strength, he was the perfect fit for the prog metal band's soaring harmonies and instrumental masterpieces. To the fans, LaBrie was the best new singer in the entire progressive scene, and he was.

Images and Words remains the band's only real commercial hit. The song Pull Me Under remains the only song that Dream Theater has released that has had major radio commercial play and even appeared on MTV and other networks. It had won them international acclaim and countless fans from every corner of the globe. But often one might forget: there are 7 other absolutely perfect tracks left on the album. It's easy to rate your "favorite" album 5 stars, despite insignificant flaws that should lower it to a 4, but on this album, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of the 8 tracks. Each is creative, exciting, compassionate, melodic, heavy, beautiful, rhythmic, and every single other desirable trait of music that one can imagine. Well, now we can start to analyze each track for itself.

You could probably get away with rating this album 5 stars by just saying three words: Pull Me Under. That opening progressive riff somehow even caught the attention of the corporate giants at MTV, a feat in and of itself among the (at that time) pop stars Tupac and other rappers. The music video aired in late 1992, sending ripples throughout the music community. It reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Heartseekers chart, and this song rocks! The opening instrumental section breaks into LaBrie's vocal debut, an epic show of melodic mastery. Vocals mesh with instruments into a beautifully done embroidery of musical genius. The slow and tear-jerking beauty of the keyboard solo flows effortlessly into a sweeping guitar solo, synonymous with John Petrucci. The chorus opens yet again, and a creative and abrupt ending transitions perfectly into the next track.

Another Day is a ballad among ballads. But it's still progressive, don't you worry. This song really allows LaBrie to show off. Moore's beautiful piano backs LaBrie's supreme voice. Some of the most beautiful melodies I've heard in my entire life are heard on this one track. Every note is perfect. Every harmonized second is perfect. The saxophone fits perfectly into the music, which flows in between melancholy beauty and sweeping power. The lyrics are poignant and creative. After absolute beauty ala James LaBrie, John Petrucci takes over with a spectacular solo of his own. Every single transition throughout the song fits beautifully. From vocal to instrumental to vocal to instrumental, the song is definitely a classic Dream Theater ballad.

Take the Time is one of the more fun songs on the album. This song breaks way from the traditional metal sound and incorporates a strong sense of funk. The opening is a creative and rhythmic and sets every listener up for a joy ride of funky bass lines and popping guitar work. LaBrie's exercises his extensive pitch range with piercing heights throughout the song. The bopping fun of the funky verses transitions perfectly into a slower melodic interlude exploring LaBrie's softer and more compassionate side. The soft quickens right back up into that swinging fun of the funky song with a strong (oh so very strong) instrumental section. Each instrument gets a part, even if it is a small one. The band sets the stage for their legacy as a great force of harmonic synchronization, with every instrument playing the same thing at the same time that just infects you with a joy so great you have to fight yourself viciously not to jump up and start dancing around. The instrumental section slows down to a short vocal piece before yet another guitar solo opens up, which ends the song on a great note.

Surrounded is the second ballad on the album. The delicate beauty of the intro could easily make one cry with its melody. But fret not, yee of dour emotion! This sad sound soon sweeps into a explosion of major scales and beautiful polyrhythms! This is definitely one of the happiest songs on the album, despite that sadder intro. Even standing up to the bopping and fun Take the Time, the solos, vocal harmonies, and overall composition of the meat of this song can slap a smile onto the most depressed's face. After all that fun, however, the song beautifully transitions into (a very short) reprise of the intro. Overall, however, the happy body of that song still makes you bob your head and happy satisfaction every time.

Yes, here it is, the fantastic Metropolis Part 1. Nearly no song under 10 minutes can even slightly compare to this song's overbearing epicness. Everything, not specifically the transitions or the melody or the rhythm is perfect about this song, *everything* is perfect. Not one thing is wrong. Not even a millisecond of flaw could be found in this song. This song is the prelude to an entire album, Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory, which is my favorite album, without a doubt. To say that a meager 9 minute track can be a predecessor to one of the (if not *the*) greatest progressive metal album in history is preposterous to most, but not anyone who knows Metropolis Part 1. The song opens with a different sound ?Jingle Bells! But continues on with one of the greatest keyboard progressions I've heard in my entire life?the "na na naaaa?. Na na nuhhh?." This breaks into a rhythmic-melodic perfection known as John Petrucci. After a short riff-solo, LaBrie enters? in perfect harmony with himself and everything the instruments are playing. This song is like jazz?everything communicates. The drums talk to the bass, which talks to the guitar, which talks to the keyboards, which talks with the vocals, which talks with everything all over again. Everything is in its rightful place, right where it should be, as it should be. The lyrics address everything from love to death to politics to the environment. And then, after the vocal piece, the instrumental section opens. It's hard to even think while this instrumental section plays. Everything that has been right with music for the past 700 years is exemplified in perfection in this piece. Rhythm, harmony, melody, technique, compositional superiority, and I can think of a list a mile long of other excellent traits. Complex time signatures, polyrhythms, technical solos, varying tempos and dynamics, this is like a perfectly composed music theory final composition. Everything good is in it. Myung's solo blows every other bass solo ever out of the water, Moore's creative keyboard parts keep even the most experienced pianists interested, Petrucci's solo defeats any other guitarist ever (well, that's not new), Portnoy can keep time no matter what (even the time signature was 471/67. Yes, they can play in 471/67 =P), and just the overall band performance is absolutely breathtaking. Everyone knows exactly what the other is doing, even if he is playing a solo with a half a million notes in the span of a few seconds. After this rhythmic instrumental beauty, the song transitions ever so slightly back into the vocal section with a crescendoing synchronization piece that could spin the heads of harmonized orchestras (well, maybe not. But still.). LaBrie comes in with his sweet melodic voice. The remaining minute of the song is one of the best in the song. The final touches on Moore's beautiful lyrical poem are put into the song, and this is the true lyrical prelude to the Metropolis Part 2 album. The song ends with some simple instrumentation, seeing as no complex cadence could possible appropriately end this song.

Under a Glass Moon is the next song. This song's heart lies in its guitar solo, but we'll get to that later. The shorter intro sets up the backing instrumentation quite nicely. The vocals come in on a very nice beat, keeping this steady rhythm afloat. The lyrics paint some of the most vivid images of the album, even the title is beautiful thought. The vocals are the most present theme in most of the song, accompanying the beautiful rhythm and backing instrumentation nicely. When the instrumental section, you know something is coming. The guitar sound tightens, and his playing gets more precise. Then it happens. Most certainly the best on the album, the best in the Dream Theater catalogue, and one of the better guitar solos?? ever...starts. It just up and slaps you in the face. It's absolutely exhilarating. Every note and measure is like an adventure of progressive proportions. The use of the guitar's accessories, most notably the wammy bar, is fantastic. Overall, that is one of the best guitar solos I have ever heard. The keyboard solo is great too, but nowhere near the beauty of the guitar solo. Still, however, the track is fantastic. The track follows a similar form as the rest of them, where after a lengthy solo section there is a short vocal reprise and then an instrumental outro. What a track, what a solo. Damn.

Wait for Sleep is the shortest track on the album, clocking in at a mere 2:31. This song is essentially a duet between Kevin Moore and James LaBrie, and what a job they have done! It is definitely the most beautiful and tear-jerking song on the album. It isn't even a ballad, just a beautiful duet showing LaBrie and Moore's passion behind their instruments and not just their incredible skill with their instruments. Most people could play those individual notes, but very few people could play those notes with the passion that LaBrie and Moore show whilst playing the music.

Learning to Live, the final track, is certainly an appropriate ending to a musical joyride. The guys can ride a bike with no handlebars?and win a race. The creative keyboard intro breaks into a sweeping melodic vocal section with some poignant lyrical themes. I can't say this enough, also: the instrumentation is just superb. Everything harmonizes perfectly with what LaBrie is signing, and every note transitions perfectly into the next. As with every other song, the vocal section transitions into a fantastic instrumental section. This is the closest one to come close to Metropolis'. Its instrumental section is just superb; each solo has something special to say to the listener. Each instrument also gets a chance to express itself fully. Whether it's the piano solo's yearning to be free, or the synthesizer's soaring sound flying into the sky, or maybe the guitar solo's ability to do what it wishes among the other instruments. These solos transition beautifully, as always into a short vocal section, that transitions into (oh boy) another instrumental section! Oh joy!!! (Not sarcastic) In this act, the bass gets a moment away from its cage of low frequencies that keeps all the music harmonized and gives his statement of complaint. The drums join him in his parade, before the guitar joins him in an epic backtrack for yet another impressive guitar solo. No, a guitar solo does not have to be 700 BPM with 3,000 notes per measure to be incredible. A s simple (even repeating) riff that is catchy and creative can be incredible too. This small solo fades out into eternity, the same amount of time that I will be listening to this record, over and over again.

ALBUM OVERALL: This truly is the beginning of the legacy that is Dream Theater. Some people spit on the band's name, but in most cases that is purely based on bias. When truly looking at this album for what it truly is, I can't fathom not liking Dream Theater. Certainly someone could say in turn that my rating is based on my own bias, but Dream Theater was the first progressive band I ever heard, which opened up a world of music that 80% of the world has never even heard of. This gate that Dream Theater opened for me has led me to respect them as much as a classic prog fan respects Yes and Genesis. Their technical ability, compositional skill, musical genius, and overall epicness has led me to the conclusion the Dream Theater is and always will be the ultimate prog metal band of all time. No, they are not symphonic prog, and no, they are not from the 70s, but they certainly have not tainted the progressive genre, but rather have added a new chapter in the certainly long book of progressive music.

Images and Words is an album that any musician can look up to. Whether your pride is mellow acoustic riffs reminiscent of Harmonium or thrashing intensity similar to Meshuggah, every aspect of music can be connected to this album. Musically, it is genius, commercially, it was a smash hit. Overall, this is just a fantastic album. I can't even think of an adjective in my expansive vocabulary to describe the overbearing beauty and monstrous amazingness of this album. Well, here ends my 2,447 word review! 5 ++ stars!!!!!!!

poslednijat_colobar When progressive metal was young (or even still unborn).

When I hear the name of the second Dream Theater album - Images and Words - conflicting thoughts come into my mind. I would say this is another band. It's not the same band as Dream Theater I adore. It's something else. It's a band of young and precise musicians who's trying to find themselves. They combine some wonderful ideas into an ambitious album. In my opinion the conception of progressive metal in that period isn't built and mapped out. It's developed in some elemental way, yet! And sounds somehow dry and poor, despite lots of nice themes, virtuosity and creativity of the musicians. For me, Images and Words remains a beginning of this wonderful fairy-tale called Dream Theater, but the best is yet to come much, much later, when the band had been reached to the height of its professionalism and the conception of the genre had been clarified. Images and Words: nice addition to most of the metal collections. 3,25 stars rounded down to 3 stars under my rating system!

adg211288 Images and Words is one of those albums that gets a band their reputation and one that many fans think that they’ll never surpass. While I tend to agree with the fact that Images and Words contains some of Dream Theater’s best songs, including their only hit, Pull Me Under, I really don’t think that Images and Words is all it’s cracked up to be. At the time it was and still is a huge improvement of their debut, When Dream and Day Unite, and I won’t argue the fact that it is a classic of the progressive metal genre, but Dream Theater would go on to do better. This album is faulted.

The first fault is that of the song writing on a couple of the songs. Pull Me Under, Metropolis and Under a Glass Moon may be some of the best songs of the band but I can’t look over the fact that Take the Time and Surrounded are lowering my enjoyment of Images and Words. There’s nothing particularly wrong with them aside from the fact that Take the Time could use some trimming down from its eight minute length and the fact that the shout of ‘c’mon’ about a minute in is just annoying. Progressive metal is meant to be more serious than that. Surrounded is mostly good, but it also has its annoying parts.

The second fault is that the music to Wait for Sleep (track 7) is repeated near the end of Learning to Live (track 8). This is something that always annoys me in an album. Although it is a good bit of music and the way its played is different, the tune is essentially the same. It annoys me because it always makes me think that the band were being lazy when they wrote the song and just decided to recycle something to finish off the record. It wouldn’t be so bad if this were a concept album, in fact such a move would work in a concept album, but Images and Words isn’t a concept album. At the very least, since they’re a prog band they should have just made it one song with multiple movements.

Vocal wise James LaBrie is a huge improvement on Charlie Dominici and throughout Images and Words he provides a great performance and my only criticism for him is that his voice doesn’t fit everything on here perfectly. He’s very much a love/hate singer as well, which unfortunately makes Dream Theater not a band for every metalhead to enjoy.

Music wise, aside from said faults in the actual song writing is also a great performance. John Petrucci, John Myung, Mike Portnoy and Kevin Moore may just be the best musicians of the progressive metal genre and their skill is coupled with a passion for playing that makes Dream Theater the band they are, but at this stage in their career they still, in my opinion, had work to do to make the perfect album, but without a doubt, Images and Words is their first classic album, just a faulted one.

(Review originally written for Heavy Metal Haven)

Stooge It took the band a few years, and multiple vocalists, to find their voice in more ways than one. All eventually settled in 1992 with the union of Dream Theater and James LaBrie with the release of Images and Words, the album that many progressive metal fans still use to this day as the point of reference to which all albums are compared.

“Pull Me Under”, in an edited form, was my introduction to the band. When I first heard the song in it’s entirety, with the once edited-out “Watch the sparrow falling ..” section and the outro included, I was hooked to the band. The song went from a rather straightforward metal song to something with some unexpected twists and turns. At the same time, in compared to several other Dream Theater songs, this song is more traditionally structured and contains more tasteful instrumentation.

Only two tracks in, and “Another Day” may leave some scratching their heads. If you can make it past the lack of heaviness on the track and the cheesy sounding sax lines (courtesy of Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra), “Another Day” is actually a beautiful song.

“Take the Time” is one of the more energetic song off the album. The middle section of the song contains some great fretwork by John Petrucci.

“Surrounded” starts and ends with a great duet between keyboardist Kevin Moore and singer James LaBrie. The heart of the track is a rather melodic song.

“Metropolis Part 1” is the track on the album that best shows where the band would head in the future. It starts with a light but powerful instrumental intro, and gradually builds into a heavy song that refuses to stand still. It doesn’t follow the standard verse-chorus pattern that many of the songs follow, and the band takes more liberties in letting loose on their given instruments. The instrumental mid-section of the song is among their most frantic and memorable. Seven years later, the band would go on to make “Part 2” of this song (which lasts an entire album!).

“Under A Glass Moon” contains some powerful vocals from LaBrie and one of the heavier songs on the album. Occasional detours are made to allow for some nice soft and melodic sections (the dual “by my hand” melody on vocals and guitar among them).

“Wait For Sleep” is a brief ballad featuring only keyboard and vocals. Like “Space Dyed Vest” on the Awake album, Kevin Moore is the sole songwriter. This means the band rarely play it live in the future. Unfortunate, as it makes for a nice contrast to a good chunk of their material.

“Learning To Live” closes the album in style. The groove during the verse, courtesy of the rhythm section of bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy, commands the listener’s attention. The song builds into an epic that closes fittingly with a catchy fading outro.

The album suffers slightly from a dated sounding production, but several cuts from the album hold up currently when performed live. That being the case, it is the radio-friendly “Another Day” and to a lesser extent “Take The Time” that have, in my opinion, aged the worst.

However, weaknesses aside, I still brand Images And Words as an essential prog-metal listen!

Time Signature Take the time...

Genre: progressive metal

According to Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth, the "Images and Words" album is the main reason why Opeth sounds like they do, because it was tracks like "Pull me Under" that made him realize that it was possible for him to combine his metal influences and his progressive influences.

That just goes to show how influential and how important an album "Images and Words" - Dream Theater's second album, and their commercial breakthrough - is. The production is crisp and lightyears better, and much more balanced, than on "When Dream and Day Unite". Musically, it contains some legendary prog metal anthems like "Pull me Under", "Metropolis Part I", "Under A Glass Moon", and, of course, "Learning to Live". It's really top class. This is technical and cerebral music, and that's what I like about it, so I cannot really apply the "the-music-doesn't-come-from-the-heart" criticism here; especially because one can still rock out to the music.

And then there's James Labrie. He has received a lot of criticism for his style of singing. I admit that I had to get used to it, but now I cannot imagine Dream Theater with any other front man. I like how he hits the high notes and all that.

This is a progressive metal classic that belongs in any progressive metal collection.

Conor Fynes 'Images & Words' - Dream Theater (9/10)

If someone came up to me and asked for a perfect example of what Progressive Metal should be, I would give them a copy of Dream Theater's 'Images And Words.' Although the metal isn't really found in an extremely heavy supply here, there's just enough heaviness to have it considered as a metal release. As with the band's true debut 'When Dream And Day Unite,' I consider this album to be more along the lines of 'heavy neo-prog.' However, it's overall influence and effect upon the progressive metal world is undeniable, and it remains among the greatest progressive albums of all time, up there with 'In The Court Of The Crimson King' and 'Dark Side Of The Moon.'

This is Dream Theater's first run with their new (and current) singer, James LaBrie. 'Images And Words' offers the singer's talent in droves, and stands as being his greatest vocal performance. While this album has the band's (as of March, 2009) only hit song, 'Pull Me Under,' it is in fact the worst song to be found on the album. While it is great, there are so many better pickings to be found here. For example, the grandiose 'Metropolis Pt 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper' was good enough to spawn a sequel album of it's own ('Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes From A Memory'), which runs alongside this album competing for the placemark of being Dream Theater's best work yet.

The two extended compositions on the album ('Metropolis Pt. 1' and 'Learning To Live') both have their places as being two of Dream Theater's most epic songs. The musicianship is fantastic, however, unlike some of the band's later works, there isn't nearly as much pretension. The virtuosity is kept in check, and works on both a logical and emotional level.

While 'Images And Words' comes in no short supply with the heavy progressive compositions, it is not without it's softer songs. 'Wait For Sleep' was the first Dream Theater song I really fell in love with. Clocking in at under 3 minutes, it is one of the band's shortest songs, but it's also one of their most beautiful. Kevin Moore really works wonders on the keyboard, and remains (in my opinion) Dream Theater's most 'musical' keyboardist.

This is glory that has been yet unsurpassed, not even by 'Scenes From A Memory.' Having been recorded in 1991, the world was mostly unfamiliar with the realm of progressive metal. This album opened doors and paved the way for an entire genre of music to flourish. One of the truly essential progressive albums, and a must-own.

progshine OK, maybe I don't get it because I don't live that period of music (I'm only 25), but I don't understand how is possible this sound (the sound this album have) have so much addicteds to.

Don't get me wrong, this is a really good album, really good, but the sounds here, I mean, guitar sound, bass sound, and specific drums sound and keyboard sound are really bad, like a cheap B production of the early 90's, don't stand the test of time for me.

'Pull Me Under', 'Under a Glass Moon' and 'Learning to Live' are great songs of the genre known as Prog Metal, if only this record was release some years later...

J-Man Progressive Metal Reinvented

I believe that progressive metal was invented in 1985 by Watchtower in their album Energetic Disassembly. I think Queensrÿche further perfected this idea in their 1989 album Operation: Mindcrime. Three years had past since Queensrÿche's monumental album. Progressive metal had become more popular. Bands like Death and Atheist were incorporating this into death and thrash metal, and many bands like Savatage and Fates Warning used a similar formula as Queensrÿche in their own blend of prog metal.

So the year is now 1992. Prog metal was blooming, but it still wasn't fully grown. We had prototype after prototype, but what we think as prog metal hadn't been defined yet. Images & Words changed that. The mix of synth-driven neo prog, heavy metal, and traditional symphonic prog changed the way we thought of progressive metal. Dream Theater's debut used this same formula. Other bands had previously used this formula. But NONE had perfected it like Dream Theater did with Images & Words.

As evident by that two paragraph history lesson, this album is a 5 star rating without a doubt. I honestly can't think of many albums that are worthy of a 5 star rating more than this absolute masterpiece. In one sentence, this is one of the most important albums in the entire progressive metal genre.

THE MUSIC:

"Pull Me Under"- This is Dream Theater's only top 10 hit, and it is still great. It opens up with a cool guitar riff. The whole band soon joins in, and it's great. John Petrucci does an excellent job, and there are some really great riffs here. The musicianship is fantastic, and this contains some of Dream Theater's finest moments. From the memorable chorus to the excellent instrumental section, this is an excellent opener. I typically find Kevin Moore to be an overrated keyboard player, but he does a great job here and throughout this whole album. I much prefer the style of Jordan Rudess, though.

"Another Day"- After the fairly heavy opener, this song is a light popish song. I love the saxophone playing in this song, which interestingly enough is Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra. I love the melodies here, and this is a perfect AOR sounding song. James LaBrie delivers a great vocal performance as well.

"Take The Time"- This is one of my favorite songs on the album because of its pure energy. The opening is incredible, and the synth solo is incredible. When the vocals first come in, you'll notice how great the rhythm section is. The chorus is excellent and extremely memorable. The musicianship is excellent, especially through the excellent instrumental section. This is a highlight of the album for sure.

"Surrounded"- This song opens up with a light piano and synth line. LaBrie's soft vocals soon enter, and it goes into a beautiful chorus. It eventually builds into an atmospheric uplifting guitar solo, that soon turns into an excellent synthesizer line. The rest of the song builds off of that and then reprises the opening. Despite the fact that this is not even at the 6 minute mark, it has that "epic" feeling to it. This is one of my favorites from the album.

"Metropolis Pt. 1"- This opens up with keyboard chords. It soon turns into heavy prog metal with power chords. This serves as part one of a concept that would later be continued on their full length album Metropolis Pt. 2, Scenes From A Memory. This song is energetic, sometimes dark, and very melodic. This song is very enjoyable.

"Under A Glass Moon"- Opening up with a soaring guitar and synth riff, it builds into sheer awesomeness. The bass playing of John Myung is superb, as well as the rest of the band. The chorus is excellent, but the guitar solo is the real highlight. One of the best guitar solos in heavy metal if you ask me. I think this is one of Petrucci's finest moments.

"Wait For Sleep"- This short song serves more as a prelude to the epic that will soon follow. It is definitely effective though. It uses one of the main themes to the next song, but in a soft piano and vocal harmony.

"Learning To Live"- THIS is where the album really begins. Easily one of the finest songs in progressive metal, this is everything that I dream of when I hear a song. This is emotional, powerful, and dynamic. It opens up with the distinct keyboard melody and it builds from there. The opening is excellent, and the rest of the song is I consider this one of the best Dream Theater songs in existence. Kevin Moore does an exceptional job throughout this song, and he has some killer solos. The main chorus is excellent, and everything is perfectly executed. This album is worth buying for this song alone.

Conclusion:

Images & Words is one of the most important and influential albums in the progressive metal genre. It's amazing that such a young band can release such an innovative and virtuosic album. This album is a complete masterpiece that is a magical album from beginning to end. If you're looking to get into Dream Theater, this is a great place to start. One of the best albums in all of prog metal! Yeah, you can guess my rating.

5 stars.

Dellinger I don't really understand why this album is considered by so many the cornerstone of prog-metal, perhaps I would have to been aware of their existence and of the metal and prog doings at the time of the release, but as it is, by then I was rather obliviuous of the musical world back then. However, ofcourse I do like this album, it's got some real gems, and the rest is at least enjoyable. For me, the gems in this album are Pull me Under, even though it may be the most mainstream song in the album, it's indeed really enjoyable. Then Metropolis, with it's trademark beginning that influenced the whole Scenes from a Memory album, though this song does have a rather long shredding-tedious section, it's still very good. Wait for sleep, even though it's very short and simple, is one of the most beautiful things DT has done. And Learning to Live is indeed a great Prog piece, enjoyable all around, and taking and expanding the theme from Wait for Sleep near the end of the song (which makes both songs more enjoyable if they are listened together). The rest of the songs aren't so outstanding for me. Another Day is just a pretty ballad, but can get a bit boring, and the other songs have many shredding-tedious passages that I could just as well do without hearing. All in all, a very good album. 4 stars.

jampa17 A masterpiece of Prog Metal. This is an album that has thrown a shadow over almost every single Prog Metal album since it was published. The album feels like that magical time in our life where everything seems to be on its right place. The band shares some of the greatest inspired songs in prog rock and makes a huge a high standard for all their posterior material.

After Metallica and Rush, seems like Dream Theater was the next step in the evolution of music. And the merge of metal and progressive was perfect. This was the album that shakes the ground of prog, forever.

To be honest, the material is just perfect. They kept the right balance between technical acrobatics as well as a lot of strong emotion and even “magic” (with the lack of a better word) with the more “in your face” metal that they showed in songs like Under a Glass Moon or Pull Me Under. Well, I know must of the new fans could say is not that heavy, that fast, that technical but hey, this album is kind of Kevin Moore trying to held the band not so loud and technical and been more emotional and touching... you know, there's no song like Surrounded in all the other albums... it's just beautiful and well composed and Wait For Sleep, you can feel that emotional vibe, that mix of sadness and "give up" feeling. Kevin was the master of songwritting. And if you see, he dominates must of the songs, not playing just fast and loud, but with soul and emotion... almost the half of the album has his leads... He can be fast, check the unisons with Petrucci in the instrumental part of Metropolis or the solo in Take the Time, but he liked to keep it cool and great... Sure will get the tradicional JP amazing solos, the Portnoy intricate performance... Myung presence is more evident and always with a very moody vibe, like in no other material from DT.

The production is not that shinny and the drum triggers that the producer uses were part of a huge controversy between the band and the producer but even with these “flaws”, it remains as the most important achievement for the band. The sound of DT will get better and they will get heavier as the time passes by, but here is where everything starts. Yes, is the second album, but the first one that means something to the audience. 4 stars for metal, 5 for prog metal. Wonderful experience.

Valarius I remember back in 2003, I was looking in some random music shop (Virgin, HMV, etc) with the intention of parting with my cash on a new band that I've never heard. Whilst looking around I stumbled across this album... Dream Theater... “where have I heard that name?” I thought. Of course, they covered Master of Puppets! “Wow! They must be really good. I'm gonna check 'em out!”.

At first I got home and heard it, and I was speechless. “This album sucks” I thought. However one thing kept me coming back for more, the amazingly heavy intro to opening track ‘Pull Me Under’.

As I heard more and more, the album grew on me. And all these random traits of Prog music such as time changes, long, complex arrangements, open-minded musical influences (the jazz bit on ‘Another Day’ or the funky feel of ‘Take the Time’ for example), keyboards, random lyrics and massive instrumental sections started to make sense to me.

Obviously this was my first true Prog experience, and the more I heard the album, the more it blew me away!

To this day I believe music-wise that was the second most important find of my life (the first being ‘Destroyer’ by Kiss). ‘Images and Words’ opened me up to a whole new world. Not just a new music genre, but a new way of thinking in music.

So what makes it so great? The awesome songs. The amazing structures. The fact that every song is a musical journey. This album has everything and more. It crosses to so many different styles of music. It has long and short tracks. Heavy and melodic. Amazing playing and amazing production. Every note will jump from your speakers with a smooth, crisp sound. You will not find any fillers on this record. An absolute masterpiece!

This is the album that made Dream Theater, and defined all Progressive Metal bands/albums for years to come. Any fan of Prog Metal should not be without this album, and I'm sure there is something for most old-school Prog fans too. Without a doubt, ‘Images and Words’ is my favourite album of all time.

Raff Though I have many flaws, I also pride myself on being a fair person - one who might not be the greatest fan of the New York quintet, but is nevertheless perfectly capable of recognizing quality when she sees it. In my very humble opinion, "Images and Words" remains to this day DT's finest offering, one they have never managed to top. Yes, they have become more ambitious, in some ways more commercial, and they have reached planetary status among both younger and older fans. However, this album, now 18 years old, has a freshness and a novelty value that their later, more complex efforts do not possess anymore. This is the true act of birth of one of the most enduringly popular styles of Prog-Metal, in which the 'progressive' component is noticeably stronger than the 'metal' one. Without I&W there would be no Symphony X, no Shadow Gallery, no Pain of Salvation, no Ayreon... Dream Theater are one of those rare bands who have managed to be ground-breaking without being really innovative.

Though everybody knows I am no supporter of technical prowess for its own sake, there is no denying that DT are masters of their instruments. This album also goes to prove that the band's greatest strength was the songwriting of keyboardist Kevin Moore,a more restrained player than the flamboyant Derek Sherinian, and a less technical one than Juilliard alumnus Jordan Rudess, though an undeniably sophisticated, tasteful composer. After him, the band's output became more over-the-top, with song lengths and instrumental complexity sometimes spiralling out of control. Here, instead, DT strike the right balance: even an overtly commercial song like "Another Day" does not disrupt the overall textural intensity of the album.

So far I have talked about instruments, not mentioning what is for many people the sore point of the band: James LaBrie's vocals. There's no denying that the man in question, like his band, has been the founder of a school of singing that numbers many followers; unfortunately, I only find him effective when impersonating that most unlikely of progressive rock singers, Metallica's James Hetfield (check his performance on "Train of Thought"). When he reaches for the higher notes, I find him at best irritating, at worst positively unbearable. However, his performance on I&W (his debut album with the band) is rather good, especially on the wistful mood piece that is "Wait for Sleep" (with great piano work by Moore); while on some parts of "Take the Time" I just wish he would shut up and let the others play.

With so many glowing reviews written before mine, I feel there is no point in doing a track-by-track analysis. Album opener "Pull Me Under", the band's best-known song, is quite catchy in its own way, though I find "Take the Time" vastly superior - the intro in particular is great. "Metropolis" is undeniably the most complex track from an instrumental point of view, with great performances from all the members of the band. On this album Portnoy's drumming sounds very clear and strong, though distinctly reminiscent of Neil Peart's in more than one instance (as a matter of fact, the Rush influences are startlingly evident at times). The album's standout track, though (especially from a lyrical point of view), is Myung's powerful, heartfelt "Learning to Live", where the bassist's remarkable skills can be clearly heard for once, instead of being swamped in the maelstrom of sound produced by the others. The song's coda is hauntingly beautiful, easily the best thing on the whole album.

Even though I suppose I will never become a DT fan, I&W deserves four stars for its undeniable musical quality - although, as I stated at the beginning, I feel its historical value is probably its greatest asset. Not really essential, but indeed an excellent addition to one's collection.

ovidiu STOP AND WORSHIP this milestone album,the mother of all prog metal albums,one of the best in music history without any doubt!I know,there isn't much to be sayed about this album,but all I can say that one single word it comes in my mind when I speak about IMAGES AND WORDS...and that word is PERFECTION!Absolutelly fabulous from the first second to the last one and trully a moment of divine grace and heavenly inspiration for this 5 outstanding musicians ,wellknown by all prog metal lovers,I won't mention them again!Let's say thet METROPOLIS-PART ONE has the 2.24 minutes of instrumental madness that changed the world of prog metal wizzardry in the middle section...let's say that on IMAGES AND WORDS are some PERFECT compositions called ANOTHER DAY...PULL ME UNDER...TAKE THE TIME...UNDER A GLASS MOON...LEARNING TO LIVE...SURROUNDED...WAIT FOR SLEEP...and...oops!her we have the entire album mentioned!Yes...because it's PERFECT!!!!!A fantastic clear production...fantastic musicianship overall... and even today...in 2010 we can say that this album is a major reference of the genre!!!Not only 5...but 500 STARS...and a thank you to the prog metal Gods forever...!!!