Band:	Dream Theater
Album:	Images And Words
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	July 1992

01. Pull Me Under
02. Another Day
03. Take The Time
04. Surrounded
05. Metropolis - Part I "The Miracle And The Sleeper"
06. Under A Glass Moon
07. Wait For Sleep
08. Learning To Live

This is it! My first Dream Theater review! I can say that this progressive band from New York is my favorite band and will still be in ten years from now. So, back in 1992, the band released their masterpiece "Images And Words" and after that nothing was going to be the same again in the musical world. Why? Well, because this album brought something totally new to the scene, this famous progressive metal sound that would become Dream Theater's signature and it would make them famous for being one of the most influential bands ever.

From the beginning, it's a totally different sound. With 'Pull Me Under', you are already able to foresee what is coming your way. Incredibly complex song structures, tremendous musicianship, perfect execution and an intriguing originality that makes you wonder "who are these guys"? Well, these guys are Mike Portnoy [drums], John Petrucci [guitars], John Myung [bass], Kevin Moore [keyboards] and James LaBrie [vocals], among who you already know Portnoy and Petrucci for sure, these two being all the time part of diverse side-projects and productions, but also often nominated when it's time to vote for best musicians awards. Let's say it loud: that was the best lineup they ever had, especially considering that James LaBrie was on top of his vocal abilities at that time. Kevin Moore is a really imaginative keyboard compositor and player, and paired with master Petrucci on guitars, they were something else. Regarding Mike Portnoy, whom I admire since I've listened for the first time to this album, he's probably the best "disciple" of Neil Peart [drummer of the Canadian combo Rush, Portnoy's number one source of inspiration, and probably the best drummer on earth]. John Myung is not any bass player either and you just need to see Dream Theater on stage or to watch any live videotape to understand why [tip: his fingers movements are amazing...]

Among the best moments of this amazing recording, which features only 8 songs but almost one hour of essential material, let's name the opening track 'Pull Me Under', 'Take The Time' [my favorite song ever], 'Metropolis Part I', 'Under A Glass Moon' and 'Learning To Live' as highlights. Now, some songs can be considered as fillers [especially 'Another Day' and 'Surrounded'] or even cheesy songs. You're the judge but as a whole, "Images And Words" is a masterpiece and also an historical album.

So if you don't know that one yet, try it, and if you don't like it at first, listen to it again. When you fully digest the complex compositions, you'll enjoy it as you enjoy nothing else. And if you don't, well, you will never like any kind of progressive metal [too bad for you!]. Oh by the way, I almost forget to tell you that "Images And Words" is a way to say "music and lyrics", which is not a bad image [or words ;-)].