Awake

Fantastic album love it please listen to it you will love it

A track by track analysis: 1. 6:00 4.5/5 stars From the outset, this opener already carries a different tone from Images and Words. The organ by Kevin Moore makes this song. That and the jammy atmosphere. Also LaBrie’s vocals are much rougher but no less high range, and are pretty good as a result. 2. Caught in a Web 5/5 Heavier than 6:00 by a long shot, LaBrie’s vocals are awesome on this song. John Petrucci deals out fantastic riffs, and Kevin Moore fills out the sonic blanks with organs and synths. Can’t go wrong with this one. 3. Innocence Faded 4/5 My least favorite song here, but even then it’s still high quality. Great moody verses and a very melodic chorus, with an 80’s sounding outro that adds to the mix. 4. Erotomania 4/5 stars My second least favorite song on this album. The band performs admirably, but they haven’t yet reached the zenith of their powers as makers of killer instrumentals. Connects to the next two tracks as an extended suite. 5. Voices 5/5 The creepiest number here is also very hard hitting as well. Lyrically, it can sound funnily nonsensical but nevertheless sad. Again, LaBrie steals the show. 6. The Silent Man 6/5 The final installment in the trilogy that began with Erotomania, the Silent Man may very well be the prettiest song the band ever cut. As such it’s the best ballad of many they’ve made. Background vocals by Mike Portnoy (or is it John Petrucci? Can’t tell) cement the tune’s beauty. 7. The Mirror 6/5 This song and the following remained the heaviest songs Dream Theater composed until 2002. This one rides on a terrific groove metal feel to really sell its craziness. The end of the last chorus ends with eerie keyboards by Moore and then the rest fades into Lie. 8. Lie 6/5 This song is considered a game changer for Dream Theater, as it started to show how the band was departing from its Queensryche influence and into a much more metallic one. LaBrie sounds very nasty here, enough to forget about the soaring vocals of Images and Words, and the groove is just mean. 9. Lifting Shadows off a Dream 6/5 Another spectacular ballad. Though not as pretty as the Silent Man, this song is just as good. It is reminiscent of U2, but if U2 were better musicians. Great bass by Myung, and the ending is fantastic. 10. Scarred 6/5 The longest track is of course the least accessible to mainstream listeners, but for progressive rock fans it’s a treat. It sounds like Rush, especially at the end. I really like it. 11. Space Dye Vest 6/5 Seriously what’s up with the ballads? Why are they so good on this album? This one and Vacant (off of Train of Thought) are the darkest ballads they dared to make, but Space Dye Vest is by far the creepier of the two. It’s very personal and the music equally so, with Moore’s pianos being a prominent feature. You couldn’t ask to end an album better than with this. Consensus: Awake’s heavier tone set the standard for Dream Theater’s later work, and James LaBrie’s singing hit a peak he’d never replicate ever again. Therefore, Awake is an essential Dream Theater record. I for one consider it to be the second best album they ever made, after Train of Thought.

I was floored the first time I heard this record, literally perfect in every way. Dream Theater has come close with some of their other records but I truly believe this album will never be beaten, by any band.

Can't believe Awake is more than 2 decades old yet still sounds so fresh. I've been playing it on a loop for weeks and have not tired of it yet. By far, my new favorite album and my new favorite band -- sorry, Pink Floyd.

I love Dream Theater. Almost all of their albums are some of the best albums I've ever listened to. This, however, is by far my favorite, and possibly my favorite album of all time. Personally, my favorite singer is Steven Tyler, but this might be my favorite vocals album. My favorite songs are probably Innocence Faded, Erotomania, The Mirror, Scarred, and Space-Dye Vest. Every song is fantastic though.

I felt like this was the last time we see James at his best vocally. Songs are all great. Just a good overall feel

A must have for your collection!!!

This album is right up there with Metropolis and 6 Degrees as one of my favorite DT albums of all time. Several of these songs I could just play over and over, and even the weakest songs are still very good (compared to the worst tracks in I&W, which were just average). 6:00: 9/10 Great way to open the album. Very energetic and technical, with some great keyboard work. Also quite catchy. The one thing that knocked off a point is that odd use of sampling. It's kind of annoying sometimes hearing it repeatedly. Caught In A Web: 7/10 A solid song, though not one of the best on the album. This song is a lot more metal than anything DT's done previously, and I think they pulled it off quite nicely here. The vocals do get a little grating in a couple areas, though. Innocence Faded: 8/10 This song feels a little out of place on this album. Not that it suffers for it, but it seems like it belongs on I&W more than this album. However, I do think this song is very good musically, and the buildup is great. Erotomania: 9/10 Awesome instrumental. It bounces between crazy technical parts and more melodic emotional parts very smoothly, I especially like the keyboard work here. Some of the best in DT's entire discography. Voices: 10/10 Coming in right where Erotomania left off is one of my favorite DT songs ever. Everything from the buildup to the vocals and even the lyrics is pretty much perfect. The Silent Man: 9.5/10 This song is kind of a conclusion to Voices, so it feels very depressed. However, it ends on an optomistic note, which I like. Musically, this song isn't that elaborate, being mostly acoustic guitar. However, this is an acoustic guitar ballad done right. The Mirror: 9/10 I wasn't expecting a really heavy song right after The Silent Man, but... okay. Anyways, this song is the prelude to Portnoy's 12 Step Suite, and it's really good. I really like how the heavy, hushed vocals go with the guitar. Great keyboard solo at the end too. Lie: 7/10 Pretty good song, but kind of underwhelming compared to the several songs that came right before. It continues the heaviness of The Mirror, but it feels like a much straighter metal song than what DT usually does. Lifting Shadows Off a Dream: 9.5/10 Another amazing song. This is one of the softer songs on this album, and it's very emotional. Very haunting, but with a kind of uplifting effect. However, it builds into a great chorus. Scarred: 10/10 I like how this song goes between quieter emotional parts and loud metal parts. And the guitar solo near the end is amazing, Space Dye Vest: 10/10 This song feels a lot different than what DT normally does. I don't know why they don't do more keyboard-oriented songs like this, because this is perfection. This song is very haunting and sad, like something that plays during one of the best movies ever. I don't really know if this is my favorite DT songs, but it's really close. Well, this album is amazing. Not only does it contain several masterpieces, but it also has NO duds whatsoever. It covers the whole spectrum from technical ability, to heaviness, to deep, emotional pieces, and blends them together really well. I recommend getting the entire album.

This is the best DT album. Images and words, and Scenes are good albums, after that the quality starts to drop off. this is DT before they started repeating themselves, or worse, trying to sound like other bands.

When it first came out, I was underwhelmed by the lead single, Caught in a Web, and didn't pick it up until a year later. This is when I learned that you can't judge a DT album based on the song the label chooses to release. This is still my favorite Dream Theater album, and it started some themes that have followed them throughout their careers. It's got a little of everything, from the epic Voices to the accoustic Silent Man, to the fist-pumping Lie, to my personal fave Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, wrapped up by the piano/emo Space Dye Vest.