Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity (97)

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01 New Millennium
02 You Not Me
03 Peruvian Skies
04 Hollow Years
05 Burning My Soul
06 Hell's Kitchen
07 Lines in the Sand
08 Take Away My Pain
09 Just Let Me Breathe
10 Anna Lee
11 Trial of Tears; It's Raining-Deep in Heaven-The Wasteland

Dream Theater - When Dream And Day Unite (89)

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1 A Fortune in Lies
2 Status Seeker
3 The Ytsé Jam [instrumental]
4 The Killing Hand
5 Light Fuse and Get Away
6 Afterlife
7 The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
8 Only a Matter of Time

Dream Theater's first official release gave an indication that this was a talented band that combined the styles of Yes, Rush, and Queensrÿche.

The latter seemed to be too big of an influence at this stage of their career.

Vocalist Charlie Dominici's voice is not powerful enough to carry out the band's otherwise convincing intensity, and his attempt to sound like Queensrÿche's Geoff Tate was unsuccessful.

The music here is not as heavy as it would become in the '90s but could still be classified as progressive metal.

Guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy established themselves as competent musicians, but their individual styles were not yet refined.

The band's originality does shine through on "Light Fuse and Get Away," "The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun," and "Only a Matter of Time."

The odd-meter measures and numerous time changes gave the group a complexity that hadn't been experienced for an entire decade in the rock genre.

"YTSE Jam" was essentially their answer to Rush's "YYZ" and became a staple in the band's live set.

The session was marred mostly by subpar singing, too many metal clichés, and poor production.

There is, however, enough interesting playing to make it a worthwhile listen for fans of this genre, and is certainly essential for Dream Theater fans.

Dream Theater - Images And Words

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1 Pull Me Under
2 Another Day
3 Take the Time
4 Surrounded
5 Metropolis, Pt. 1: The Miracle and the 6 Sleeper
7 Under a Glass Moon
8 Wait for Sleep
9 Learning to Live

Dream Theater's first album with new vocalist James LaBrie is an excellent mix of progressive metal stylings with heartfelt vocals and thought-provoking lyrics.

Guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy, all of whom trained at Berklee, show impressive ability on their respective instruments.

Kevin Moore's keyboards weave strongly through the intricately constructed songs, while operatically trained LaBrie shows an impressive range with his tenor.

Standout tracks include the complex "Metropolis, Pt. 1," the Shakespeare-influenced "Pull Me Under" (also released as a single and video), the dramatic "Take the Time," and the 11-minute, thoughtful "Learning to Live." Dream Theater's musicianship and songwriting are a cut above the norm; this is a very good disc.