DREAM THEATER — Awake (review)

DREAM THEATER — Awake album cover Album · 1994 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Stephen
Two years after a successful release, "Images And Words", Dream Theater went on to release their third studio album, "Awake", which is the last album with keyboardist Kevin Moore and shown a slight departure from their prior album to a more metal side. Some cited this as their best release, but I guess the most obvious thing about this album is this is quite difficult to digest and probably needs more than couple of spins to understand the essence of the entire album.

"6.00" made a bumpy start but still a good song and Petrucci's guitar fill steals the show. "Caught In A Web", a classic and their best pick here, completely featured a furious vocal, pounding drum, heavy keyboards, low-growly guitar groove, and a memorable chorus. "Innocence Faded" took the pattern from "Images" where the beautiful melody and chorus are the highlights and LaBrie's relaxing voice floated nicely above a clean guitar strum. The three-part suite of "A Mind Beside Itself" is interesting to listen, from the good instrumental passage of "Erotomania", the dark ambience of "Voices", and the soothing acoustical-piece of "The Silent Man".

Onto the second part of the album, the single "Lie", got a sharp thrashy edge and put Petrucci on the spotlight again with his magnifying shred. "Lifting Shadows" is a moody keyboard-driven ballad and could be a sequel to "Surrounded", a lovely piece. "Space Dye Vest" is an atmospheric Pink Floyd-ish track and a very good one especially if you like a psychedelic-style rock.

"Awake" required me more times to appreciate compared to "Images". Musically, this is definitely darker and heavier, but based on the songs' composition, I think "Images" is still superior, but "Awake" opens the door to a more metal experimentation and still among Dream Theater's strongest albums to date.
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