DREAM THEATER — Images and Words (review)

DREAM THEATER — Images and Words album cover Album · 1992 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
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.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Le bannissement Atmospheric Black Metal
CANTIQUE LÉPREUX
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tarantula Heart Sludge Metal
MELVINS
Buy this album from MMA partners
God Damned You To Hell Traditional Doom Metal
FRIENDS OF HELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Absence Melodic Death Metal
THE ABSENCE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Unextinct Technical Death Metal
HIDEOUS DIVINITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Cold Hands
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 8 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us