As I've mentioned in a couple of posts, but have yet to feature, Images and Words was one of those important "time and place" albums for me. So with that in mind, I was very excited to hear their next album when it was first released, and that was of course: Awake. I can't say I was disappointed but I wasn't elated either. Probably a closer inspection would reveal that the flaws of Awake are similar to the ones of its predecessor, but I was more than willing to overlook those at the time. In addition I think Images and Words came with a certain novelty "wow" factor that had rubbed away after a multitude of listens.
The album starts off strong with '6:00' that has a hard driving, almost groove metal sound. This leads to 'Caught in a Web' which is also quite heavy and catchy. However the chorus is entirely annoying and this is when things begin to break apart. The next track 'Innocence Faded' begins an unhealthy love affair with the power ballad. The style is hard enough to endure, but when James LaBrie croons them, it's just downright cringeworthy. It seems like a fake sentimentality too - like those guys who feel obligated to tell women they love dogs, even if they don't. This is followed by an instrumental that gives us the expected musical gymnastics, though it no longer sounds as fresh. And there's your album, as the next 7 songs fit into any of the above buckets. There are a few moments that will make you raise your head and go "OK, yea, like that!", only to retract into a song based format that seems incongruous.
In the end, I wanted way more from Awake than it delivered. This was more my own imagination versus who the band really were. And this isn't like a lot of my collection where I'm unfamiliar with the contents due to neglect. For whatever reason, this album comes up for a listen much more often than usual. Even with that, much of it is unmemorable. I'll always have a soft spot for it, but nothing like Images and Words. And it was also the end of my infatuation with Dream Theater. I didn't even bother to get their next album, one that I only recently acquired at a thrift shop, and which I recently featured.
Ownership: CD: 1994 EastWest. Interestingly enough I purchased this at the same place as the recently posted Frank K. Sensemann album: Life By Design, here in Colorado Springs. Way back when this first came out (see above) in 1994. The booklet is a multi foldout with lyrics and photos. Oh, it also comes with a marketing questionnaire.
1/7/22 (new entry)
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