WHEN DREAM AND DAY UNITE

Progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater's debut studio album is a good collection of post-Rush 80s heavy metal tunes with lots of technical instrumental sections as well intricate solos, much in the vein of many of the band's later and more mature albums. The first incarnation of the now-legendary American band featured founding member Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, John Myung and Kevin Moore, alongside original vocalist Charlie Dominici, whose only studio release with the formerly-called Majesty happens to be 1989's 'When Dream and Day Unite'. And of course, in typical 80s heavy metal with progressive ambition fashion, this 50-minute-long LP gets really heavy, fast and relentless at times, as it does get cathartic and melodramatic, perhaps partially inspired by the neo-progressive movement that had been on the rise in the UK around that time.

'WDADU', as it is often abbreviated, features some really fine compositions that hint at Dream Theater's future direction, and while it is unusual to have Charlie Dominici's winding metal voice all over, it really does fit the music and the overall feel of the album, which is by all means a child of its time. The rampantly technical hair metal dynamics of flashy and fast-paced tracks like 'A Fortune in Lies' (which is one of the most excellent offering here) and 'Afterlife' can be quite enjoyable, while the more sophisticated and emotionally rich pieces like 'The Killing Hand' and 'Light Fuse and Get Away' indicate the strong influence of the progressive genre, with its many facets, over the band. The technical soloing as well as the exquisite bass playing are noteworthy, together with the excellent drums of Mike Portnoy and the theatrical keyboard leads of Kevin Moore - all indicative of the band's musical scope at the time. And not only this, but 'Ytse Jam' is a classic prog metal instrumental, too, and might as well be one of the best compositions on 'When Dream and Day Unite', an album that is far from perfect, but thoroughly ambitious and promising.

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