IMAGES AND WORDS

Here is one of my favorite Dream Theater releases. After Day And Dream Unite, this album shows the band much more matured. Gaining the 80's singer guy vocals of James LaBrie might have been another nail in the coffin, but not so! They are easily overlooked, especially if you are a fan of Glam Metal. Make no mistake about LaBrie; his voice is outstanding.

Overall song writing is strong and very much a worthy offering to the Prog world. The best element of the band is Kevin Moore and his dark writing style. While moody and somber, he knows just when and what to play. Because I write this review after hearing all DT releases through Systematic Chaos, I can say that at this point the band just about sounds their best. The Awake era is the DT at their best. On I&W, the band hasn't yet evolved into the excessive playing mode which would come about during the Rudess era, and still focuses on some more basic song structures, allowing for LaBrie to do what he does best.

The album song order really makes the listening experience great. It starts off with a classic guitar riff. This riff could and should go down as one of the best of all time. Then from Another Day through the heavily Prog Metropolis Part 1 and finishing off with Learning to Live, you are left feeling complete.

Two things I noticed: The beginning of Lifting Shadow's Off a Dream is very much like the intro to Aphrodite's Child - Aegian Sea. Also, I have trouble with the drum sound Portnoy yields. If acoustic drums were used, I think it would add another layer of goodness.

For me, 5/5.