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| 28 May 2013 11:19 PM |
Years and years ago when I was around 9 or 10, I was introduced to the band Dream Theater through the album "Metropolis Part 2." Since then, I've had kind of a love/hate relationship with them. However, one album has always had me in awe since the first time I've heard it.
This album. "Awake"
Though I love 90s Dream Theater, this album in particular amazes me, and is one of my favorite albums of all time. With that being said, you probably expect me to be a bit biased? Well I'll try my best not to, but sometimes it will happen.
With my relationship with this band, I've definitely found that they are not for everyone. They make very pretty, overproduced, and complex music. It's their style though, you can't really rip on them for overproduction, and being a bit cocky with some of their songs (The Dance of Eternity anyone?). They also have a tendency to be...corny. Yeah, Dream Theater sometimes falls into 90s cheese, mainly with "Images and Words." This album has a LOT less corny moments though, possibly even nonexistent. That being said though, I can't consider their music before "Train of Thought" to be metal. That's where anyone will stop reading this review. I've called their music pretty, corny, and now not metal? And another reason to hate me, this is quite possibly their poppiest album yet. It may not be the commercial success "Images and Words" is, but there are definitely some poppy elements that would make some of these songs fit onto a rock station back in '94. (songs like "Caught in a Web" mainly) The catchy choruses, specifically. That's why I like this album, it's not as ambitious as "Metropolis Part 2," and it fills a lot of the holes "Images and Words" fell into. This album isn't PERFECT, but it's about as close to perfection this band will get. (though "Metropolis Part 2" IS up there).
The album opens with "6:00," opening with some odd drum patterns from Mike Portnoy. The song utilizes some nice keyboard leads throughout the song, it's a strong opening, but not the strongest on the album. It feels like a leftover from "Images and Words" but with better synth choices, leaving the corniness. The next song, "Caught in a Web" sounds like it would totally fit in a playlist with some 80s alternative rock, like The Cure, REM, and Depeche Mode. For me, at least, that's very far from a bad thing.
I knew someone for the longest time who loves Dream Theater, "Awake" being his favorite album. However he once said that "Innocence Faded" was one of their worst songs, and kills the feel of the album. I have no idea where he's coming from because this is up there with another song as my favorite off the album. This also leads me to my favorite part of Dream Theater....the vocals. James LaBrie just sells it for me and is, to me, better than any of the guitar work, phrasing, or any other "musical theorist" ideas. (I knew prog fanboys for a few years and I know how annoying they can get). This song is just beautiful, and features some of LaBrie's best vocal abilities.
Up next is the epic of the album, the three part "A Mind Beside Itself." I've always liked Dream Thater's instrumentals, "Erotomania" being one of my favorites. ("The Ytse Jam" still takes the cake). The song has some fantastic riffs, as well as a stunningly beautiful section around the 3:05 mark. The song ends and segways into part 2, "Voices," my other favorite of the album. I adore the lyrics of this song, taking schizophrenia and blending in religious ideologies into the theme. I especially like the softer, more quiet section around the halfway mark. The guitar solo is also phenomenal, and one of my favorites. The last part, "The Silent Man" doesn't do it as much as the rest of the album, since I'm not a fan of acoustic guitar ballads.
Next up is "The Mirror" and "Lie." The two metal songs of the album. "The Mirror" is some of the earliest djent I can think of, the lyrics being about alcoholism, and I kinda see it as a prequel to Portnoy's "12-Step Suite." Also one of Dream Theater's simplest songs ever. The song segways straight into "Lie," another '80s rock-style song, leaning more towards metal than "Caught in a Web."
I'm not gonna lie, I love "Lifting Shadows off a Dream." It's a very simple, dynamic-shifting ballad, based around two chords. That, and I've always like John Myung's lyrical work. The harmonics in the song just perfect the feel of the song, and really add, I guess you can say, depth to it. (I'm starting to sound like a prog fanboy now aren't I?)
"Scarred" is the longest song off the album, and I like this song quite a bit as well. Especially the bass in the beginning, as well as the chorus. (The choruses throughout the entire album are fantastic, to be fair) Though, I don't like it quite as much as most people seem to. The last song is the haunting, chilling, and (kind of overly) depressing "Space-Dye Vest" This song was written entirely by Kevin Moore, and it's kinda fitting that their last album with Moore would end with this song. I honestly really love this song.
In the end, "Awake" is an album I find myself still loving 10, even 20 years or more from now. I kind of 'get' this album more than any other album I know of. (as well as another album that I'd be stoned to death for mentioning on this site) I absolutely adore this album, although I can't get behind calling it a metal album. |
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| 28 May 2013 11:20 PM |
also 97/100
I'm not so good with ratings |
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| 28 May 2013 11:21 PM |
| get off anthony's computer chuchesta |
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| 28 May 2013 11:22 PM |
"get off anthony's computer chuchesta"
wat doo yoo meen im rite heere |
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| 29 May 2013 06:18 AM |
"tl;dr"
you cant tl;dr fantano |
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| 29 May 2013 04:32 PM |
| Uhm.. apparently I just did. lol |
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