Dream Theater is one of the most talented bands to ever roam the earth in my opinion. Their vocals can take you in to a euphoric state. The guitar riffs are the best there is and the drumming is ecstatic. There are many amazing feature for all of their qualities in their second album Images and Words.
Dream Theater:
James LaBrie- Vocals
John Petrucci- Guitar
Kevin Moore- Keyboards
Mike Portnoy- Drums
John Myung- Bass
Pull Me Under- This song starts out with guitar, drums and keyboard and then it starts to build as the bass comes in which turns into an awesome guitar riff proving that the guitar is an excellent feature of the song. The vocals come in and it is extremely definitive. Most of their songs lack choruses but not this one. After the chorus comes in a great mini guitar solo starts. It does that same routine then the instrumental part is awesome as are all their other songs. It kind of get repetitive but still it is a great song. The biggest let down is the end because everything is big then all of the sudden it stops to a screeching halt. 4/5
Another Day- This song is less up beat than some others. There is really great jazzy saxophone witch I love. Sometimes you can't understand LaBrie's vocals, which is sort of bad. It is not a great song but it has its moments. 3.5/5
Take The Time- This song is one of my favorite on the album. This starts really fast and every thing plays a part in it. The lyrics are mesmerizing and the chorus is awesome. Once again Petrucci has is genius. The drums, bass and keyboard fit in with the guitar solo very well. The second part of the guitar solo is the catchiest part of the song no doubt. After the guitar solo a keyboard solo comes in witch is also amazing. It's time to take the time!!!!!!! After that fast part the piano comes in with the guitar come in. it builds from there up to the rest of the songs intensity. The final guitar solo is amazing and it fades away. 4.5/5
Surrounded- This song starts out with what sounds like violin and some piano. It is very similar to Another Day. The vocals are very relaxed. The little guitar solo comes in and it fits in perfectly with the song. That solo creates a snowball effect and it takes off. The keyboard stands out the most in this song. The ending has piano and vocals and the it ends. This song is brilliantly put together. 4/5
Metropolis- This is the first Dream Theater song I have ever heard and am I glad it was this one. The beginning is a crescendo of the keyboard. Once everything kicks in it takes off and doesn't look back. The guitar riff is simple but genius. In the verses everything is in sync. During the mellower verse Portnoy is going crazy on the toms and it build bigger and bigger till it goes in to the instrumental part. The guitar stand out in this part and the drums and the- hell everything stands out. During this part there is a multitude of solos. There are some guitar solos some keyboard solos a bass solo and a drum solo. The keyboard solo is really quick and speedy. The guitar goes into a more relax riff and then immediately gets intense again. The song gets very syncopated and fast. That godly instrumental part ends and it goes into a more tranquil part and the vocals come in one last time and it goes out with a bang. 'Love is the dance of eternity.' 5/5
Under A Glass Moon- This song starts out with great guitar. Then the drums kick in which leads into a screeching guitar. The vocals are really cool in this it shows Labrie's range. This is also one of the fastest songs on the album and has one of the best riffs. The transition into the more peaceful part is amazing. Petrucci's solo is remarkable as always. A negative part about this song is that at points the bass is barley audible. That doesn't make this song not amazing though because Petrucci really shows off his stuff in this song. 4.5/5
Waiting For Sleep- This song is the shortest Dream Theater song I"ve heard. It has a lot of classical piano in it. It doesn't really keep you on your feet like all of the other songs but its not too bad. 3/5
Learning To Live- This song kicks off with synthesizer and guitar. The vocals in this are very deep and the Portnoy is marvelous and the song fits together exceptionally well. The instrumental part comes in and it is amazing as always. The keyboard stands out the most as you just sit there mesmerized. The music coming out of Petrucci's amp is just great. It comes to a stop and the in comes the piano. Then it builds into guitar and drums. I could listen to this song 100 times a day and not get board of it. When the vocals come back in it is just as good. When you think it is over the bass come in just right. The song decrescendos and it is a great closing to a great album. 5/5
Pros:
Petrucci's guitar riffs
Portnoy
Metropolis
Cons:
Some songs may bore some people
To me Dream Theater is almost like a dream band. 50% progressive, 50% metal. If
Metalicca and
Rush had a baby they would name it Dream Theater.
4.5/5
Pce
